Shortly after arriving, the two young cultivators joined Su Jixin and Zou Suyin in a small garden with a view of the setting sun. As a mortal servant set out tea and small snacks, both of Su Yao's parents looked at her with growing apprehension when she chose to sit next to Wu Ling rather than with either of them. Su Jixin's expression looked particularly dark as he regarded Wu Ling, as though he'd swallowed something he'd rather spit out and only restrained himself to be polite.
"Yao'er," her mother began gently, taking in the changes in her daughter's demeanor. "When you left this morning, you were excited, eager, like a teapot fit to boil over. Now that I look at you that eagerness has become a fierce determination. There's something under that determination though," she said, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the many changes in her daughter's temperament.
