Shoutout to Harjas_Sidhu and Bruh_Vista for beta-reading and providing extensive feedback for this chapter!
____
"Why?" Jean pressed with a snappy tone. She halted Rianna and Shay-Hade's proselytising and cut right to the chase. "Why do you want to recruit Kili?"
"I believe we were quite clear on the 'why'," Rianna mumbled.
"All I heard was that you recognised her special physique or bloodline, when you don't even know what it is, and wish to exploit it to train her in a cultivation method followed by your Sect Leader?" Jean pointed out. "What's in it for you?"
She skipped past Rianna's stunned expression and said, "Nothing in this world comes for free - it is a fact of life and a key tenet of cultivation. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So tell me truthfully, what is in it for you?"
"I..." Rianna blurted out, but her words halted as she failed to formulate a reason. "-don't know."
