The Eastern Branch of the Bamboo Silk House occupied several blocks of the Outer Blossom Ward and the first thing that struck Yao Meifeng and Su Yao about the sect was how incredibly busy it seemed compared to what they had heard about other cultivation sects. Both young women had heard plenty of stories of sects that closed themselves off to most of the city with only a few areas accessible to members of the outside world. They expected to see neatly robed disciples, perhaps color-coded based on their status or wearing sect emblems proudly as they moved about. Both young ladies had plenty of exposure to Su Xiang who rarely wore anything other than her sect robes as though it were a military uniform.
Seeing the Bamboo Silk House and its boisterous and crowded atmosphere contrasted so sharply with their expectations that they stood staring for several moments before turning to Wu Ling in confusion.
"This is truly a sect?" Su Yao asked. "It looks like a business district."
"That's because it is," Wu Ling said with a smile as he moved gracefully through the crowd, pulling the young women along with him. "The four main branches of the Outer Sect serve as the financial lifeblood of the sect. Remember that the Bamboo Silk House is a sect of entertainers and artists. The entire front quarter of the sect is dedicated to the business of the sect that's open to the public. Tea houses, massage parlors, visiting parlors, dance halls, and many more," he said, gesturing at the brightly decorated buildings with open storefronts and signs advertising their services.
"And disciples run these businesses?" Yao Meifeng asked, noticing women on the second and third story of a restaurant entering or exiting private balconies with instruments or elaborate tea sets. "Or do they work in them?"
"Both," Wu Ling answered, approaching a large reception area at the front of the sect. "We'll tour around in a little bit, but first we should go somewhere quiet to have tea. Excuse me," Wu Ling said, turning his attention to a mortal woman, one of the few dressed in sect robes as she worked the reception area. "I have two guests to see a Florist," Wu Ling said with a soft smile. "But I'd like to take them around a bit before we visit the Midnight Lily Hall. Could you prepare guest tokens for them? I'll be taking them to the New Moon Tea House first."
"Of course, I'd be happy to," the young woman started before her eyes widened in panic at the identity token Wu Ling presented. "La-lady Wu, I'm sorry, just a moment, I, I," the young woman stammered, her eyes desperately casting about for an actual disciple. She was only a mortal worker in the sect, one who had failed in her attempts to awaken more than once and would likely spend the rest of her life in the sect as a mortal worker. What had she done wrong to encounter a person like this?
"It's okay," Wu Ling said gently. He'd been afraid of this. "Just fetch the tokens and we'll be on our way. It's been a few years but I promise I still remember the way," he teased, hoping to lighten the mood. "I don't bite, promise. Well, not unless you ask me to," he added with a wink.
"Senior Sister Ho," the young woman said, reaching out to catch the robes of a passing disciple. "Can you help me? Please?"
"Is there a problem," the neatly dressed disciple asked. Unlike many of the sect's actual disciples, she too wore robes in the sect's pale green and peach with the emblem of the Entry Hall embroidered on her collar. "Is this young miss bothering you?" the disciple asked the clearly distressed mortal worker.
"Junior Sister Ho, was it?" Wu Ling said gently, attracting the attention of the disciple. "I'm Wu Ling, I've brought a few friends to see a Florist. I was just asking for a few guest tokens before I brought them to the Midnight Lily Hall so we could visit the New Moon Tea House and a few other places. There shouldn't be a problem, should there?"
"Lady Wu?" Disciple Ho said, her eyes widening almost as much as the mortal worker's had. "No, no problem. I'll tell the Hall Master that you've arrived. She's left strict instructions that she's to be informed the instant you present yourself here," she said, hesitating a moment before forcing herself to deliver the rest of the message.
"I'm sorry, but Hall Master has also instructed that Lady Wu not leave the sect until she's had a chance to meet with you though I don't know how soon you'll be summoned to an audience," she finished in a rush.
Shaking his head softly, Wu Ling sighed. It was exactly what he'd been afraid of. "It's fine. We'll just take the tokens and we'll go have tea. If Hall Master summons me before I have a chance to bring them to the Midnight Lily Hall then I'll just have to trouble a sister to take care of them in my stead."
"Th-thank you for understanding Lady Wu," the disciple said with a faint sigh of relief. "Fairies," she said, turning to the two women following Wu Ling. "I'm sorry for the delay, please, carry these tokens with you and don't lose them. They'll allow passage through the defensive formations in the back of the sect as long as you're with Lady Wu or another Sister with an appropriate token. Lady Wu, welcome home," she said with a bow.
Once Wu Ling had guided Su Yao and Yao Meifeng out of the reception area, he began to guide them through the carefully tended gardens along winding footpaths and over small bridges that crossed artfully placed streams until they had left the bustle of the front of the sect behind.
"Junior Sister, what was that all about?" Yao Meifeng asked, finally mustering the courage to ask about their encounter at the reception area.
"It's even more exaggerated than what happened at the banquet hall when you showed someone your token," Su Yao added. "Why are they so afraid of you? Did you do something here before you left?"