As the pill jades were distributed, the mood in the room subtly shifted.
The initial tension surrounding the warehouse fire had given way to a more practical atmosphere, one of planning, delegation, and resource assessnt.
Discussions flowed between elders, their tones now brisk but asured.
Elder Ra raised concerns about the trade caravans returning late from the Western Border.
Elder Joshua proposed new tariffs for foreign rchants passing through Coldwind City.
Elder Long suggested increasing security around the talisman workshop following rumors of theft in nearby shops.
One after another, they reported, debated, and noted.
Fang Yuan listened quietly, his expression unreadable but his mind taking in every detail.
He scribbled the occasional note, nodded at wise suggestions, and only spoke when necessary.
Then, near the end of the eting, Elder Sun cleared his throat.
His gaze, sharp and a little amused, cut across the table.
"Patriarch Yuan," he said, hands folded on the table, "I heard sothing rather curious yesterday."
Fang Yuan raised a brow slightly. "Oh?"
Elder Sun’s eyes glead faintly. "That your younger brother, Fang Tian, was seen entering the family treasury wing. Twice. Without escort."
The room stilled.
A few elders blinked. So exchanged puzzled glances.
Fang Yuan tilted his head. "...So?"
Elder Sun leaned forward, his expression unreadable, tone calm but heavy with implication.
"It’s just that treasury access, especially unsupervised, is strictly reserved for the Patriarch.
And... I was under the impression that such privileges required formal decree and written authorization. But I heard you gave him permission?"
A heavy silence settled over the chamber.
Several elders subtly straightened in their seats.
Fang Yuan blinked once.
Then twice.
His gaze remained steady, but a faint tension ford behind his eyes.
"...I did?" he murmured under his breath, too quiet for most to hear.
Then, without missing another beat, he adjusted his sleeves and sat straighter, his voice calm and composed.
"Yes. I did."
He looked directly at Elder Sun.
"I authorized Fang Tian’s entry."
There was no hesitation now. No room for doubt in his voice.
"As Patriarch, I granted him provisional access for a specific task relating to internal logistics. It was urgent, and I made the call personally."
Elder Sun studied him for a long mont before offering a faint nod.
"...Very well."
The air in the room remained still.
Fang Yuan glanced across the elders, none of them spoke, but he could feel the shift.
From surprise to wariness, from questioning to asured trust.
He allowed the silence to stretch for a breath longer, then continued, voice even.
"I will ensure the proper docuntation is filed retroactively. There will be no ambiguity in the records."
Only then did the elders finally begin to nod in assent, one after the other.
The eting continued, slower, heavier now but the matter had been acknowledged.
Fang Yuan lowered his gaze briefly to the reports in front of him, mind sharp, back straight.
And sowhere deep in his thoughts—
I really need to start reading those damn treasury logs.
As the final matter was addressed and no further voices rose from the circle, Fang Yuan slowly stood.
"The matters for today are concluded," he said clearly. "This eting is adjourned."
The elders rose in unison, robes rustling as chairs scraped gently against the polished floors.
So bowed low, others offered polite nods, but all of them filed out in the orderly manner expected of the Phoenix Soul Pavilion’s inner court.
Even Fang i, seated among them for the first ti, mirrored their solemnity with grace.
Though young, she carried herself with the poise of soone born to this seat, a teenager, yes, but unmistakably one of them.
Fang Yuan remained standing for a mont longer, watching the elders quietly disperse beneath the soft lantern light that stread through the high lattice windows.
The chamber, once filled with voices and tension, now echoed with stillness.
Just as he turned to leave, he paused.
Two figures remained behind.
Fang Chen and Fang Jingyi.
His uncle and his aunt. The two were watching him with unreadable expressions.
"...Sothing wrong?" he asked, his tone even.
Fang Jingyi rose to her feet slowly, folding her hands behind her back. "Nephew, it’s about the ssage from the Gu family."
Fang Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He looked at her, gaze calm but probing. "You read it?"
She nodded without sha, her expression serious for once. "It was left out. So I got curious...."
Fang Yuan let out a soft sigh and turned back to his seat, robes whispering as he lowered himself into the chair once more.
"Well," he murmured, rubbing his temple. "Now that you’ve read it, I suppose I have no options to hide the matter anymore, do I?"
Fang Chen gave a solemn nod, arms crossed over his chest. "That’s right, Nephew. This is no small issue. We can’t afford to delay it."
Fang Yuan let his eyes linger on the table for a mont, the weight of decisions pressing down harder than usual.
Then, in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, he said,
"Can you give so ti to consider?"
There was a rare flicker of vulnerability in his tone, just enough to make the air feel still again.
Fang Jingyi walked over without a word, her steps light but purposeful.
She knelt beside his chair and wrapped her arms gently around him from the side, resting her chin lightly on his shoulder.
Her fingers found his and curled around them.
"Nephew," she said softly, voice as warm as spring sunlight, "there’s no ti left to hesitate."
Fang Yuan closed his eyes for a mont, drawing in a slow, deep breath, half for strength, half for composure.
And that was when she smirked.
"Oh my, nephew! You can’t just go sniffing like that," she whispered playfully near his ear, "especially not when my dear brother is right there watching. Bad boy."
"Huh?" Fang Yuan recoiled slightly, blinking in stunned disbelief.
Across the room, Fang Chen coughed into his sleeve and looked away.
"Jingy..." Fang Yuan said through gritted teeth.
She just grinned, mischievous and unrepentant. "Well, if I don’t tease you now, you’ll get too broody and collapse under the weight of being ’Patriarch’ again."
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