Chapter 422: Extra 17.

Lu Wenshu looked relieved. He had suggested similar measures before, but the work had progressed slowly because too many people were accustomed to seeking approval from the top. The Matriarchs had always encouraged their elders to act with judgment, but some found it easier to send every small decision upward rather than risk making a mistake. Now there was a clear reason to improve the system.

The council spent another hour reviewing the procedures. They clarified who could authorize urgent repairs, who would coordinate village assistance, and how the training halls should respond if a mission went wrong. A new record would be kept for the sect’s protective commitments to the surrounding villages, with names and dates included so that requests could be followed up rather than lost among general reports. The system would not solve every problem, but it would make it harder for a matter to disappear because someone assumed another person was handling it.

Bai Li and Yan Cijin did not make a speech about leadership. They simply asked questions, listened to the elders, and made sure the arrangements were clear. By the time the meeting ended, Mount Hua had a practical plan for the next several days, and the bell’s mystery had been assigned to people who could investigate it without making a spectacle of themselves.

When the elders finally departed, Yan Cijin remained in the hall beside the open windows. The late afternoon light had turned the clouds peach and pale gold. Below, students were moving between the training grounds and the dining hall. A group of young disciples carried practice swords across the courtyard. Someone was laughing near the kitchen. The sect continued with the ordinary business of being alive.

Bai Li came to stand beside her. "You are quiet."

"I am thinking."

"Dangerous."

Yan Cijin looked at her. "The great Bai Matriarch has confessed that she does not know what the bell means, and now she has begun making jokes. Should I be concerned?"

"The jianghu will survive both developments."

Yan Cijin laughed and rested her head briefly against Bai Li’s shoulder. The familiar warmth of her wife steadied her. The image of the gate remained in her mind, bright enough that she could recall the exact angle of its pale stone frame and the strange stars scattered above it. She had spent most of her life learning how to understand the world through cultivation, observation, and careful study. To find a phenomenon that did not fit any of those methods was unsettling, but it also stirred a curiosity she had not felt in years.

"Do you think it means the heavens have noticed us?" she asked.

Bai Li considered the question. "I think the bell noticed something. That is not the same as saying the heavens have noticed us. We should be careful not to turn an event into a compliment."

Yan Cijin smiled. "You have a talent for ruining grand ideas."

"Someone has to. You would have us climb into the sky because a bell rang."

"I would at least like to see what is inside the gate."

"So would I."

The admission made Yan Cijin look at her. Bai Li’s face was composed, but she could see the same curiosity beneath it. Her wife was not someone who chased mysteries for the sake of excitement. If Bai Li wanted to examine the summit, it meant she believed the question was worth answering. That was enough for Yan Cijin.

"Tomorrow?" she asked.

Bai Li nodded. "Tomorrow. We should let Lu Wenshu review the records overnight. If there is anything useful, we will know where to start."

Yan Cijin slipped her hand into Bai Li’s. "And tonight?"

Bai Li turned toward her, and the seriousness in her eyes softened. "Tonight, I intend to keep my wife to myself."

Yan Cijin’s smile grew warm and pleased. "An admirable use of one’s authority."

"I thought you would approve."

"I do. Very much."

They left the council hall together. The last sunlight rested along the roof tiles, and the evening bell from the dining hall rang to call the disciples to supper. Yan Cijin had intended to go to the medical hall to check the supply list, but Lu Wenshu had already taken the list and promised to supervise the arrangements. Bai Li suggested that they return to their residence while they still had a quiet evening ahead of them.

Yan Cijin did not pretend to object.

Their residence felt especially quiet after the council. The servants had prepared tea and a simple supper, then withdrawn to the outer rooms once the Matriarchs had finished eating. A small brazier warmed the sitting room. The windows had been opened enough to let in the scent of pine and the distant sound of water moving over rocks. The stars were only beginning to appear, and the mountains beyond the courtyard lay in deepening shades of blue.

Yan Cijin sat near the window with her hair loosened, brushing it slowly while Bai Li prepared tea. The work was familiar. Bai Li knew which leaves Yan Cijin preferred in the evening and how long to let the water cool before pouring it. Yan Cijin knew that Bai Li liked her tea stronger than most people did, and that she would forget to eat the last pastry if it was placed too far from her hand. They had learned one another’s habits so thoroughly that taking care of each other often happened before either had consciously decided to do it.

Bai Li brought over two cups and placed Yan Cijin’s on the small table beside her. Yan Cijin accepted it, inhaled the fragrance, and smiled.

"You remembered."

"I have made this tea for you for years."

"People forget things."

"I am not people."

Yan Cijin looked up at her. "No. You are much more troublesome."

Bai Li sat beside her. "I am glad you have noticed."

For a while, they drank in silence. It was not an uncomfortable silence.

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TO BE CONTINUED.