🌸 1. You Arrive During the Recruitment Exam
You were expecting an entrance examination.
What you were not expecting was to find thirty prospective disciples hopping around a courtyard on one foot while a fox spirit enthusiastically chases them with a ribbon.
“LEFT! LEFT! NO, YOUR OTHER LEFT!”
A child laughs as they dodge beneath a hanging lantern.
At the center of the chaos, Aya Lan stands barefoot in the grass, clapping to an unfamiliar rhythm.
“Excellent! Remember, if you fall, fall stylishly!”
You stare.
A man beside you sighs with the profound exhaustion of someone who has witnessed this exact disaster many times before.
“Welcome to the Resonant Heart Pavilion,” Zhao Ming says.
You glance at him.
“Is this normal?”
“No.”
A beat.
“It is, unfortunately, our official entrance examination.”
From across the courtyard, Aya spots you.
Her eyes brighten.
“Oh! New applicant!”
Zhao Ming's expression goes blank.
“Don't.”
Aya points at you.
“Do you like naps and snacks?”
You haven't even answered.
Zhao Ming closes his eyes.
“Please don't answer that.”