Year of the Sapphire Ox – Time to Shine
Three Hooves, Friday the 15th – Flying Sword Sect, Contribution Chambers 115A & 115B
Room 115A and Room 115B had been abandoned for nearly a century.
Not quietly. Not peacefully.
No, these rooms were abandoned with the dramatic finality usually reserved for cursed tombs and betrayal-riddled love affairs.
Their reputations were well-earned.
Room 115A had once flash-froze a Nascent Soul cultivator's qi threads mid-breakthrough, leaving him emotionally fragile and personally offended by cold weather for the next thirty years. Room 115B? It had a habit of spontaneous combustion. Not like "oops, the incense caught fire," but "why is the jade floor melting and the ceiling chanting my ancestor's sins in Archaic High Celestial?"
So, naturally, the twins moved in immediately.
Because terrifying spaces demanded terrifying tenants.
115A – Xu Meilin's Domain
The frost chamber was no longer haunted it was curated.
Under Meilin's meticulous reconstruction, 115A had been transformed into a sanctum of serenity. Walking into it was like being invited to meditate inside the dream of a snow lotus. The air itself hummed in soft syllables of cold qi, and the light filtered through pale blue jade, casting ethereal shadows that whispered peace and judgment in equal measure.
The floor was a patchwork of polished glacial quartz inlaid with calligraphy-grade frost runes. On the far wall, a gently swirling mural of snowy mountain peaks manifested and dissipated with the rhythm of Meilin's breath.
Ghosts no longer lingered. They applied for appointments.
At the center of the chamber, Meilin sat in lotus position. Her diànzi rested perfectly level. Not a hair out of place. A teacup floated before her, steaming faintly. Not from heat. From spiritual reverence.
115B – Xu Lihua's Domain
If Meilin's room was a temple, Lihua's was a battlefield dressed for the runway.
The fire chamber didn't just glow it dared you to look away. The walls pulsed with spiraling sunfire seals inscribed in red-gold ink, like a phoenix had scribbled threats in cursive.
The air shimmered with heat not from imbalance, but from carefully cultivated flame will like each molecule of oxygen had been personally tutored by Lihua in the art of dramatic presentation.
Her floor had been reinforced three times over. First with obsidian. Then with volcanic pearl-stone. Finally, with reinforced Flameproof Array Tiles an experimental material co-developed with an artisan from the Hell Sect who still referred to Lihua as "Your Excellency of Extremely Reasonable Destruction."
Lihua stood before her altar of incense, arranging sticks in what could only be described as battle formation.
Then… a knock.
Disaster.
Not a spiritual attack. Not a formation breach.
Worse.
Mother.
"Girls," chimed the melodic, doom-infused voice of Sect Mistress Xu Minzhi through the twin's shared communication talisman, "you have guests."
Meilin froze. Tea rippled. "Guests?"
Lihua growled. "I was aligning my flame diaphragm! I had incense themes!"
Outside, there was shuffling. Polite murmurs. The distinct sound of someone mispronouncing an ancestor's name.
Meilin's pupils dilated with quiet horror. "She's matchmaking."
Lihua's voice dropped two octaves. "She's networking."
Both of them, at the same time: "Which is worse."
The Outer Sects Delegation Arrives
First came Wei Feiyan of the Crystal Lake Sect.
She was nine. She was beautiful in the way peonies arranged themselves for social advantage. Folding fan in hand. Confidence like lacquer. Snow-scented spiritual perfume trailing behind her like evidence.
She bowed just enough. "It's an honor to meet the famous Twin Prodigies."
Her voice said honor. Her aura said test me.
Next: Zhao Ruqing of the Solar Sect.
Age eight. Sunshine-themed robes. Two high buns glowing with fire element qi.
"I'm already at Meridian Gathering," she announced, skipping the greetings entirely. "So I suppose we'll all get along as equals."
She smiled. It wasn't sincere.
Following was Mingzhu from the Frosted Summit Sect. Age six. Her aura flickered like a haunted candle.
She said nothing. She blinked. Once. Twice. The kind of blinking reserved for people who've read prophecies they shouldn't have.
She curtsied so slowly it resembled a warning.
And last: Huo Lanxia of the Blazing Peak Sect. Seven years old. Hair braided with sun beads. Energy like unbridled fireworks.
"HI!" she chirped. "I heard your room's flammable! I'm flammable! Can I see?!"
The Twins Were Unimpressed
Not at their cultivation.
Not at their youth.
No because none of them wore their diànzi.
"Uncrowned," Meilin whispered across their spiritual link. "I don't know them."
Lihua narrowed her eyes. "This is cultural sabotage. Treasonous behavior."
Then Came the VIPs
Lin Xiuying glided into the courtyard like the concept of etiquette had given her legs. Composed. Graceful. The walking answer to every question about decorum.
She bowed. "Ladies Xu. I trust you've already ranked everyone mentally."
Meilin didn't hesitate. "We did before you entered the gate."
Lihua nodded. "You passed."
Xiuying laughed. A real one. The kind that shook the court politics out of the atmosphere.
Next: Lin Meiyu. Blindfolded. Smiling like an oracle with gossip.
She didn't speak until she leaned toward Lihua and whispered, "You're too symmetrical. Are you hiding rage?"
"I wanted to explode. I was stopped," Lihua admitted.
"Good girl," Meiyu replied.
Elders Watched in Appalled Awe
Auntie Chen was hiding behind the spiritual plum tree, eating roasted mung beans.
"I thought this was a tea party," Elder Zhou muttered.
Xu Zhenyan, chewing on a talisman strip like candy, replied, "This is political warfare disguised as kindergarten orientation."
The Tea Pavilion – Ground Zero
Under the shade of ancient peach blossoms, a low table had been set. Teapots steamed with sincerity. Pastries arranged themselves respectfully.
The twins sat at the head of the table. Crowns on. Backs straight.
They did not smile.
They offered tests.
> "If your sect was under siege," Meilin asked Wei Feiyan, "and your cousin was the traitor, do you preserve family or protect foundation?"
Feiyan flinched. "I... I'd negotiate."
Meilin tapped her cup. "Too slow. Your sect fell."
> "If an elder insults your cultivation in public," Lihua asked Ruqing, "what is the proper response?"
Ruqing grinned. "Challenge them in the ring!"
"Congratulations," Lihua replied. "You're now that junior."
It was brutal. It was beautiful. It was breakfast.
Then something shifted.
Mingzhu passed Meilin a napkin. Folded into a spiritual formation. One the twins hadn't seen before.
Meiyu, unbothered, announced, "Someone's going to trip."
Two minutes later, Lanxia tripped.
Everyone laughed.
Ruqing finally silent listened.
Feiyan opened her fan again. On the silk was written in perfect ink: "Mutual Respect or Mutually Assured Destruction?"
And the twins?
They didn't dislike them.
Not yet "friends." Not even "allies."
But… not enemies.
And for Meilin and Lihua Xu?
That was dangerously close to sentiment.