The Chef looked mildly bewildered as he witnessed just easily I disappeared. Then he let out a smirk, one of confidence born from the trust he felt I had in him. He turned around towards the other cooks. "Let us do everything in our power to serve the absolute best food there ever was. Nothing less will suffice. This isn't just any wedding. It is the wedding of our great Palace Master, Sir Void Great Emperor. A truly Royal Wedding." He exclaimed, with a thrilled smile.
"""Understood, Master!""" The rest of the cooks and new apprentices cheered.
It was like a new breath of fresh air had blown through. Ridding the Kitchen of all its lethargic nature. The new help began improving far more rapidly than before. And the seasoned cooks all became significantly more confident. All spiraling in on itself causing numerous times more improvement. It was like a multi-directional array of sorts. Everyone improves and this improvement inspires more improvement. Everyone grew more and more confident and eager to show off their dishes when the day came.
"To think just him making an appearance would be enough to drive home this level of improvement from all of us here. It's only been a few minutes and yet, we have all improved our cooking skills. Perhaps we really will pull this off. Such a wonderful Young Palace Master he is, indeed." The Head Chef murmured to himself, or so he thought.
"That he is Master. Young Palace Master is indeed every bit the rumors suggest him to be. So otherworldly and distant yet, at the same time, close and endearing. Accepting and kind. I can't help but want to work for him. In any capacity at that. His wives may have to share him amongst themselves, but… Even still, I'm a little jealous. I'd love to be right there with them." A woman exclaimed, as she stirred some noodle broth. Though as she spoke the ladle started to slow as her thoughts began to wander.
"If you have enough time to fantasize about the Young Palace Master having his way with you, then you have the time to master your cooking. Don't burn that broth." Another cook said, with a heavy sigh, as they continued to work hard.
"Right!" The woman said, with a flushed face and picked up the pace.
~ The Entertainment Guest Quarters ~
"One and two…" A woman called out. She was dancing in the center of hundreds of other women. Seemingly practicing their dance techniques. "That's it ladies, remember this is what we live for. So dance with your all! And don't be afraid to show off your assets." She called out again.
"Drummers! Keep it in sync. If we fail, the dance fails. We must get it perfect. Nothing can be out of step, which means our drums must keep pace. So the dance may flow like a soothing river." A bare chested man called out.
I floated down slowly, so as not to interrupt their practice. Of course I made sure to conceal myself just enough, to avoid the event they happen to notice me too soon.
"This dance is quite interesting. Hmm…" I thought, as I watched the dance.
As I was watching I noticed a few things. First the dance seemed to be quite simple on the surface, but it was anything but simple. With the flow of their bodies telling a tale and the thin cloth trailing their movements, it had a sense of profound comfort. The kind of comfort one feels once they've found their soulmate.
Second, there were two distinct groups. Though it would be quite difficult to tell at a glance the true reason for their separation. However, with my eyes… It was simply a matter of looking long enough. One group had a slight deviation from the others. And each of them clearly no longer possessed their primordial Yin. It seemed to be a signal to the crowd.
Third, one of the women dancing was younger. Around 40 years old or so. There was no way she could have been older than that. Though, her physical appearance glowed with youthful radiance making her look younger, around 25 give or take a few months. But, she was also pregnant, though she didn't seem to know and was stumbling as a result.
Why was she stumbling? Well, it wasn't because she was overly large around the belly, otherwise she clearly would have known. It was due to her Qi. When a woman is pregnant, the flow within their meridians changes, or deviates slightly, causing some illness-like symptoms to appear. It is extremely common, even among those who take the pill I had developed, it is a natural response, after all, that new life needs to gather its energy to grow from somewhere.
"Oh no, it looks like she is about to collapse. If she doesn't manage to channel her Qi properly this could become problematic for the child, as she clearly hasn't used the pill. This is truly a fully naturally occurring pregnancy." I said, then the woman collapsed.
"Ah! Stop, there's something wrong with…" Another woman nearby called out, seeing her friend collapse.
The head or lead dancer came over to check on her collapsed girl. Only to realize that I had already appeared next to the young woman. I took the young woman's pulse and followed her flow of Qi.
"You there, young miss. Would you mind helping her up into the lotus position for me? I'd do it myself but, I'd prefer not to cause any problems while solving them." I asked, with a calm, warm smile. It seemed to have a melting effect on the ladies as their faces went embarrassed before helping. And the lead Dancer arrived.
"May I ask who sir is?" The Lead Dancer asked.
"For now, I am merely a healer. This young woman here is with child. It's likely to have happened recently as she didn't realize it herself. If she doesn't receive the proper…" I started.
"Then you may touch her as you need, sir healer." The Lead Dancer said, giving permission to touch the young woman.
"Don't worry too much. Your friend and her child will be fine after I'm done." I said, placing my hands on the young woman's back.