"You don't really intend to go out dressed like that, do you?" she asked before he even reached the bottom step.
"What's wrong with this?" asked Wei Zian. He was wearing plain brown robes, like many other disciples wore when traveling to the sect.
"You cannot go out looking like that," his mother said with a sigh. "What will people say when they see the son of the Wei Family dressed as a common disciple?"
"Nothing?" Wei Zian suggested.
"Wei Zian, don't be difficult," she snapped. "Our family is one of the pillars of this city. We face scrutiny every time we step outside our gates. I know you don't care about such things, but appearances matter to many people. You must understand you're not alone in this world, and you can't act as if you were. You are a Wei Family member, and your actions reflect on our reputation. I won't let you embarrass me by looking like a common laborer. Go back to your room and put on proper attire."
Wei Zian managed to wait until he'd turned his back on her before rolling his eyes. Maybe her guilt trip would have worked if this was the first time she'd tried it. Still, it wasn't worth arguing about, so he changed into a more expensive set of robes with cloud patterns embroidered in silver thread. It was totally excessive considering he'd be traveling all day, but his mother nodded approvingly when she saw him coming down again.
She made him turn around so she could inspect him from all angles before pronouncing him "acceptable." He went to the dining hall and, to his annoyance, Mother followed him. No peaceful breakfast today.
Father was thankfully on one of his "business trips," so Wei Zian wouldn't have to deal with him.
He entered the dining hall and frowned when he saw a bowl of spirit herb congee already waiting for him. Usually he prepared his own breakfast, and he preferred it that way, but Mother never understood that. This was her version of making peace, which meant she was going to ask something of him that he wouldn't like.
"I thought I'd prepare something for you today, and I know you've always liked congee with spirit herbs," she said. Wei Zian didn't mention that he hadn't liked it since he was eight. "You slept longer than I expected, though. It's gone cold."
Wei Zian formed a simple hand seal and channeled a bit of fire-attribute qi into the congee, which immediately started steaming again.
He ate in silence while Mother talked endlessly about some dispute with a tenant farmer, dancing around whatever she really wanted to say. He easily tuned her out. It was practically a survival skill in the Wei family, as both his parents loved to lecture about everything imaginable, but especially for Wei Zian, who was the family disappointment and therefore subjected to these talks more often than his siblings. Mother didn't seem to notice his silence, since Wei Zian was always quiet around his family, he'd learned long ago it was the easiest way to avoid conflict with them.
"Mother," he finally interrupted, "I woke up with Qin Ling jumping on my dantian, I haven't had a chance to wash up, and now you're bothering me while I'm eating. Either tell me what you want or let me finish my breakfast in peace."
"She did it again?" his mother asked, clearly amused.
Wei Zian rubbed his temples without saying anything, then secretly pocketed a spirit fruit from the table while his mother wasn't looking. Complaining about Qin Ling's antics was pointless. No one in this family ever took his side.
"Don't be like that," his mother said, noticing his irritation. "She's just bored and playing with you. You take everything too seriously, just like your father."
"I am nothing like Father!" Wei Zian insisted, raising his voice.
"Of course you're not," Mother said dismissively before suddenly changing the subject. "Actually, this reminds me of something. Your father and I are traveling to the Eastern Sea Region to visit Wei Dai."
Wei Zian bit his spoon to keep from saying something rude. It was always Wei Dai this, Wei Dai that. Some days Wei Zian wondered why his parents had three other children when they were so obsessed with their eldest son. Really, traveling across the continent just to visit him? What, would they die if they didn't see him for a year?
"What does that have to do with me?" Wei Zian asked bluntly.
"It will be a long trip," she explained. "We'll be gone about six months, most of it spent traveling between different places. You and Wei Fu will be at the sect, of course, but I'm concerned about Qin Ling. She's only nine, and I don't feel comfortable bringing her with us."
Wei Zian paled as he finally understood what she wanted. Hell no.
"Mother, I'm fifteen," he protested.
"So?" she asked. "Your father and I were already married at your age."
"Times change. Besides, I spend most of the day in cultivation halls," Wei Zian argued. "Why not ask Wei Fu to take care of her? He's a year older and has his own courtyard."
"Wei Fu is in his fourth year," his mother said sternly. "He's expected to break through to Foundation Establishment this year, so he needs to focus on his cultivation."
"You mean he said no," Wei Zian concluded.
"And besides..." she continued, ignoring his comment, "I'm sure you know how irresponsible Wei Fu can be. I don't think he's fit to care for a little girl."
"And whose fault is that?" Wei Zian grumbled quietly, dropping his spoon with a clatter and pushing the bowl away. Maybe Wei Fu was irresponsible because he knew mother and father would just dump his responsibilities onto Wei Zian if he acted useless long enough. Why did it always fall to him to deal with the little imp? Well, he wasn't going to get stuck with this! If Wei Fu was too good to take care of Qin Ling, then so was he!
Plus, the little tattletale would definitely report everything he did back to Mother. The best thing about attending a sect so far from home was that he could do whatever he wanted without his family knowing, and he wasn't going to give that up. This was obviously just Mother's scheme to spy on him, so she could lecture him more about family honor and proper behavior.