“Tesha Mak is working on something for me,” Yiran said.
Teshin had taken an unexpected liking to Yiran, so it wasn’t that surprising they’d recruited their twin sister to help him. But it was the first time Rui had heard of this.
Song Wei made a low sound of approval. “The Maks are good friends to have. What do you think, Rui? Does my grandson have what it takes to be a real Exorcist?”
What a cruel question to ask a stranger.Rui felt foolish, chasing for theapproval of a man like him for so many years. “Why wouldn’t he?” she said as innocently and brightly as she could. “He’s a Song, one of yours. All the Songs are magical prodigies, aren’t they?”
Yiran blanched.
Even though she feared she’d overstepped, Rui continued to smile.
To her surprise, Song Wei looked amused. “You’re right—he’s a Song and he is my grandson. He will succeed on his own terms.”
He clapped Yiran on the back. The boy looked stupefied by the small show of affection, if one could even call it that.
After the meal ended, fresh fruit and tea were laid out in the living room. Ash excused himself, and Song Wei switched his attention to Rui again.
“Tell me how you killed that Revenant. I want to hear it straight from the source.”
Rui heard a change in his tone. He wasn’t curious; he was investigative. She recounted the events of the night the way she and Yiran had agreed to do.
“Interesting,” Song Wei remarked after Rui was done. There was a discomforting parallel between the way he and Ten used that word. “I sense your qi levels fluctuating. How is your recovery?”
“Going well,” she lied. Song Wei didn’t have skill in healing, did he? She hoped he wasn’t sensing anything that might reveal her secret. “It’s taking a little longer than I’d like, but it is what it is.”
“Considering how badly you were injured, the one who tended to you must have some skill when it comes to the healing arts,” Song Wei remarked. “Lan Xi mentioned he’s been trying to recruit this person, this Zizi.”
Rui caught a faint sneer on Yiran’s face at the mention of the mage. She was surprised herself. Did the Guild not care that Zizi belonged to the underground magic community? The Revenant situation had to be bad enough for the Guild to overlook it. Or maybe Ash had concealed Zizi’s allegiance from his grandfather.
“I’m not sure if Ash told youI’mtop of my cohort, sir,” Rui said as she refilled Song Wei’s teacup for him. She ignored the wave of confusion coming from Yiran over the way she was cozying up to his grandfather. “It’s been my dream to beat Ash’s record. I want to be the youngest Exorcist ever to make Captain.”
Song Wei nodded his approval. “Ambition in young people is a laudable trait.”
“Thank you, sir.” He seemed to like her enough. Time to wrangle access to the Guild, however limited. “Coincidentally, I was at the Guild this morning doing research for my term paper. It’s absolutely fascinating how much detail goes into incident reports, I learned so much in the two hours I was there. Have you considered an internship or residence program where top cadets could shadow Exorcists at the headquarters or on the field? It seems like it’ll be an invaluable experience.” She smiled earnestly. “I’ll volunteer to be part of such a pilot program, should you decide to implement it, sir.”
“The cadets already participate in patrols,” Song Wei said, but he seemed interested in what she had to say.
“But the routes are limited, and we don’t get to see much action.”
“Is that what this is about? Have some patience, eager cadet. Your time in this fight will come.”
“Yes, sir.” Rui concealed her disappointment with a humble smile. Song Wei’s gruff tone implied it was the end of that conversation. She would have to find another way in.
“I have some business to discuss with Lan Xi,” said Song Wei. “The both of you should head back to the dormitories before the curfew.”
Yiran stood immediately. “Yes, Zufu.”
Rui followed his cue. “Thank you for inviting me over tonight, sir.”
Song Wei dismissed them with a nod.
In the hallway, Yiran tugged on Rui’s sleeve. “This way.”
“But the front door’s the other way.”
“I left my car keys in my room.”
“Ooh, I’m excited to see Song er shaoye’s humble abode.”
