Chapter 117: They Are Not Kongs

"Well met. I'm known as Kong Paike," Paike returned Sheng Yue's introduction without a hint of unease on his face. He accepted her offering of the pitcher and turned to his left.

He introduced himself to the beauty sitting on his other side as he poured. The girl smiled ever so slightly, but it completely thawed the otherwise frigid perfection of her face.

"Well met. I'm known as Sheng Xue," She answered smoothly and took the pitcher from his hands. After their brief interaction was done, she turned to send the pitcher on down the table.

Looking across the table, Paike saw that his twin was going through a similar thing as he was handing the pitcher over now.

Interestingly enough, all four flanking them were in Emerald. Rather high in it, too, if he wasn't mistaken. Paike was surprised as they couldn't be more than a year older than him. They were just reaching their full growth, so maybe two years. Still, their age, combined with their rank, made them among the highest-ranked cultivators in the entire sect. They would be elders soon if they could advance. He could only sense a handful of cultivators in or above the fourth realm of any age in the entire place.

He had expected that he would get the attention from someone in his own realm, but it appeared that his family was more important to them than just his personal power. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. So he just chose to ignore it.

Taka would need a second to get their plan rolling, so Paike fulfilled his social roles and started a polite conversation with Shend Yue as Shend Xue finished her introductions. "Your cultivation is quite impressive for anyone, let alone someone so young."

A direct compliment, delivered as a leading statement and genuinely, was one of Taka's favorite ways of talking with new people. It was a great way to put them just a little off-balance or to see how savvy they were. If they were able to accept the compliment, it was telling, and if so, how they did was also. Was it demure, or did they feel the need to play it down or spread the credit to others? Each thing would tell you about the person if you were looking for it.

"I'm sure it is no less impressive than yours, Kong Paike. You can't be more than 17 years of age?" Sheng Yue said. So she couldn't accept the compliment; that wasn't uncommon at all. Sometimes it spoke to confidence issues; the other option was more likely here: that she was trying to flatter him, such as by overestimating his age. Most boys liked to be seen as older, or it gave him a chance to brag that he had achieved his cultivation even faster.

Paike could get all that, but here was where his limited skill would start to show if he was on his own. Luckily, he wasn't. Taka had just finished his own opening lines and leaned forward to draw all of them into the conversation.

"My twin is certainly impressive, but I think you are underestimating him," Taka said with a conspiratorial tone. Sheng Xue had returned to the conversation and was leaning in to hear Taka. All six of them were in their little world, as the hosts had clearly designed it.

"How so?" Sheng Yue asked with a raised eyebrow and a gentle smile.

Taka could say so many different things here that Paike wasn't even going to try to guess. He knew there were about ten appropriate responses; that much he could do. It was just that choosing the right one to get the response he needed would be the hard part. That was why he had historically deferred to Taka in these settings.

The only question Paike was trying to figure out was what Taka's mid-range goal was, not how he would achieve it. Despite everything, Paike had the utmost faith that Taka would accomplish what he wanted; Paike just needed to figure out what that was so he could help create an opening his twin could use.

Worst case, he wouldn't be able to tell what was happening, and then he would just play a bit simple and break the flow of the conversation at regular intervals, allowing Taka to steer it in whatever direction he wanted. It had worked many times before, but it was far from optimal.

So what was Taka's path to getting these four off their backs and interested in their escort from the grand sect? But that was far too simple. It seemed a waste to just leave with nothing; neither brother would be happy with just a wasted evening, even if they knew that sometimes one had to play defense.

"See, we are both fifteen," Taka said conspiratorially. It wasn't much of a reveal. They likely already knew that somehow, even just by looking at them, they should have been able to tell that 17 was a stretch. It still made Taka an out-and-out prodigy and Paike at the reaches of normal talent. However, it also let him ask the return question if he wanted.

"But as he said, your cultivation is impressive no matter how old you all are." His comment included all four of them. The flick of his eyes told Paike he didn't want the answer just yet, so Paike spoke up.

"Oh, my, I'm afraid I have forgotten my manners, brother," Paike said, and then made introductions. Taka, in turn, introduced Sheng Gui and Sheng Bai.

"I have to say I'm extremely curious about what your life here is like," Paike asked. Treating the four girls as a group certainly made it easier to just be casually friendly with them. One, they were a lot less intimidating that way, but two, there wasn't a familiarity forming with them.

"Well, I'm not sure how to say. I imagine it's like any other life." Sheng Xue said, her impassive face not matching the expression in her tone. "We train and cultivate, but we don't get to go outside much; it is too dangerous to risk it much of the time."

"Dangerous? The beasts and the like?" Paike asked.

"Yes and no. We can deal with the beasts for the most part; it is other humans that are where the real troubles come from." Sheng Gui offered.

"So having you all here is quite the treat!" Sheng Bai said. Her voice and face were quite animated, and she reminded Paike of Liming in some ways. "We don't get to talk to outsiders much."

The conversation drifted as Taka and Paike worked to keep them all talking about their home and family. It wasn't too hard, as a rule, people liked to talk about themselves or people they knew. Even though there were some attempts to steer the conversation toward them, the twins were far better at working together and learned all they could about their current location safely.

They heard about the surrounding tribes. How most of the people here were some form of cousin. What the hunting was like in the area.

In return, they did have to give up a little information, but they kept it to general information about how life differed in the empire, always bringing it back to their home.

Paike thought that they had done a good enough job that their conversation partners were genuinely enjoying the conversation and had forgotten about their initial goals. It likely wasn't the case, but they no longer pushed as hard for more information about them.

That was when the second part of Taka's plan came into play. As the meal was wrapping up, music started to play from some hidden location in the hall. It appeared there would be dancing. Paike was very out of practice, but his cultivation helped him remember, and he wasn't dreading it too much.

Since there had been nothing as formal as dance cards, everyone got up to mingle.

His first dance was with Sheng Xue. Her hands gently rested in his, but they felt cold, like ice. Still, she glided along in her robes to a dance that Paike knew was long out of fashion in the empire. Luckily, his cultivation made it no difficulty to learn the steps without even appearing not to know the dance.

They did not talk much, which Paike appreciated, but it didn't teach him anything either.

The next dance was with Sheng Yue. She watched him through the opening steps of the dance. But after that, she clearly had things to say.

"Apparently we were not as subtle as we hoped," She said with a soft smile as she pulled in close for a spin.

"What was supposed to be subtle?" Paike asked.

"Fair point." She said. "Our time out here must make us seem like the barbarians to you."

Paike didn't flinch. He had been thinking of them that way, but at the same time he didn't really believe it.

"This all feels a bit old-fashioned, but the empire doesn't change very fast," He said diplomatically.

Sheng Yue chuckled softly.

"You didn't need to be subtle; this sort of thing is expected. However, I don't think our escorts have caught on." Apparently, they weren't used to the practices, and he saw more than one looking a little smitten. "If you want to change targets, I won't be offended."

That might have been a little more straightforward than something Taka would say, but Paike thought it was decent enough. It was polite and gave a permission structure for her to part on good terms.

"Oh, I think you misunderstand," Sheng Yue said with a giggle. "They are not Kongs, and I wouldn't leave my family for just anyone."

Well, so apparently their plans were dashed from the get-go.