Invitation

Time slowly passed.

Several days went by.

Xing Jinglong did not come to provoke him again, and Lin Zheyu gladly enjoyed the peace and quiet.

If not for the Tea House business growing worse by the day and prices in the city rising ever higher, life would have been even more comfortable.

Inside Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

Lin Zheyu had not come here in quite some time.

But he could not withstand Jia Yanyong and the others' enthusiastic invitations.

Afterward.

On the dance-viewing platform on the second floor of Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

The group sat listening to songs, watching dances, and trading idle boasts and crude jokes.

"Brother Lin, how did it feel? Was Miss Zhong especially slick?"

Xie Jiang sidled over with a lewd grin.

He simply could not change the way he addressed him. Even Jia Yanyong and the others had begun calling him Brother Lin, leaving Lin Zheyu utterly speechless.

You call me Brother Lin, and I call you Brother Xie or Brother Jia. We each use our own; it has nothing to do with the other.

"Off with you. Brother Lin is a scholar—how could he discuss such things with you in public? Have you no shame?" Ning Hui said with a laugh.

Lin Zheyu smiled faintly but said nothing.

Hundred Flowers Pavilion... mm, it truly was a Good Place...

On the first-floor stage, the songstress sang, her voice winding and seductive, tugging at one's heartstrings.

The dancers wore scarcely a thread as their supple waists swayed in graceful dance. Their fair, tender skin appeared and vanished from sight, a feast for the eyes.

Just as they drank wine and admired the beauties' dancing, a maidservant walked over.

"Which gentleman is Young Master Lin Zheyu? Young Master Xu over there invites you," the maidservant asked.

"Young Master Xu? Which Young Master Xu?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

In Songyi City, aside from Gang Leader Xu, he did not know any other Young Master Xu.

"It is Young Master Xu Qinyi."

The maidservant spoke softly, her voice sweet with a trace of delicate charm.

"It's him!" Xie Jiang cried out.

"You know him?" Lin Zheyu looked at him.

"Of course I do."

"Young Master Xu Qinyi is Gang Leader Xu's youngest son."

"I heard Young Master Xu has the most outstanding talent among the Xu Family's younger generation. He is only fifteen, yet his strength has already reached the Viscera Refining Realm. In the future, he might even have a chance to break into the Marrow Refining Realm."

Xie Jiang spoke as he looked curiously at Lin Zheyu, unable to guess why Xu Qinyi had invited him over.

"Go on, go on. Since Young Master Xu has invited you, don't keep him waiting," Jia Yanyong said, shoving Lin Zheyu along.

Lin Zheyu rose and followed the maidservant toward the other side of the second floor.

When he entered Young Master Xu's private room, he found three young men inside, none of whom he recognized.

This private room occupied an excellent position, allowing them to admire the dancers onstage from the closest range and best angle.

"Haha, Brother Lin is here. I have long heard of you."

"Come, come, sit here."

The young nobleman seated between the other two rose and invited Lin Zheyu to sit.

"I am Lin Zheyu. Greetings, everyone."

Lin Zheyu clasped his fists and saluted them.

Apart from Xu Qinyi, the other two were somewhat cold toward him, but Lin Zheyu did not mind.

He had never dealt much with these young masters from wealthy families to begin with, nor did he know many of them.

"My father mentioned you to me. He said you possess extraordinary talent. If you train diligently, you will become another Qi and Blood Realm Expert in the future," Xu Qinyi said with a smile.

At the words Qi and Blood Realm Expert, the other two could not help turning their gazes toward him.

"Come, let me introduce them to Brother Lin. This is Young Master Chen Xi Hong of the Chen Family, and this is Young Master Ren Qingfeng of the Ren Family."

"Their families are allied with my Xu Family. They are our own people," Xu Qinyi said with a smile, gesturing toward the two men beside him.

Upon hearing the name Ren Qingfeng of the Ren Family, Lin Zheyu could not help taking a few extra looks.

On closer inspection, the boy's brows bore some resemblance to Miss Ren Qingying's. They might well have been brother and sister.

"I am Lin Zheyu. Greetings, Young Master Chen and Young Master Ren."

Lin Zheyu clasped his fists toward the two.

"What is Brother Lin's current level of strength?" Chen Xi Hong could not help asking.

The moment they heard Xu Qinyi say this man had the potential to reach the Qi and Blood Realm, curiosity had arisen in their hearts.

Qi and Blood Realm martial artists were among the foremost experts in Songyi City.

Within their families, those in the Qi and Blood Realm were pillars holding up the roof.

"I have only barely reached around the middle stage of Bone Forging. Please forgive the poor showing," Lin Zheyu said modestly.

He used the Turtle Breathing Technique to conceal his Qi and Blood Realm strength, displaying only Bone Forging-level power.

"Not bad. Brother Lin has reached the Bone Forging Realm at such a young age. Your future is promising."

Upon hearing this, a hint of disdain surfaced on Chen Xi Hong's face, and his words carried a touch of perfunctory praise.

What was so impressive about the Bone Forging Realm?

In their great families, as long as one was a direct-line core descendant who had been tempered with all manner of precious medicines since childhood, they could enter the Bone Forging Realm once they reached twelve.

Ren Qingfeng had been about to join the conversation, but after hearing that, he swallowed his words and simply admired the dancers' performance on his own.

"Haha, the two of you do not know."

"Brother Lin was once a scholar, wholly devoted to earning scholarly honors. He only began practicing martial arts after arriving in Songyi City."

"He has practiced martial arts for less than three months."

Seeing their expressions, Xu Qinyi knew what they were thinking and spoke up to add this.

The two once more fixed their gazes on Lin Zheyu.

Surprise appeared on their faces.

If things were truly as Xu Qinyi said, then this was indeed quite extraordinary.

"Brother Lin, did you ever use medicinal baths to temper your sinews and bones when you were young?" Ren Qingfeng could not help asking.

"No."

"I began reading the Books of Sages and Philosophers from childhood, setting my heart solely on earning scholarly honors. I never came into contact with any martial arts, nor did I temper my sinews and bones."

Lin Zheyu said.

The two could not help swallowing as astonishment filled their eyes when they looked at Lin Zheyu.

Without using all manner of precious medicines from childhood to temper his sinews and bones and lay down a foundation, he had still reached the Bone Forging Realm in just over two months!

Such talent and comprehension were truly terrifying.

"Impressive!"

"Brother Lin's aptitude can truly be called extraordinary!"

Ren Qingfeng clasped his fists toward Lin Zheyu in praise.

As members of great families, they clearly understood the difference between those who reached the Bone Forging Realm after their sinews and bones had been tempered with precious medicines, and those who reached it through their own efforts.

Though they had reached the peak of Bone Forging early on, they had been piled up there by medicine. Peak Viscera Refining would be their limit in the future.

But Lin Zheyu was different.

Without undergoing medicinal baths to temper his sinews and bones and establish a foundation, he had still cultivated to the Bone Forging Realm within three months.

It was clear just how formidable his aptitude and comprehension were.

Only by possessing astonishing comprehension and grasping the essence of martial arts could one achieve twice the results with several times the effort, reaching the middle stage of Bone Forging in only a few short months.

"Young Master Ren overpraises me," Lin Zheyu said modestly.

"Haha, why be modest?"

"Come, let me toast Brother Lin. I offer this apology for my earlier disdain," Chen Xi Hong said with a smile, raising his cup.

Lin Zheyu raised his own cup, lightly clinked it against his, and drained it in one gulp.

"I, too, offer Brother Lin a toast. Please."

Ren Qingfeng likewise raised his cup to toast Lin Zheyu.

After several cups of wine went down, the atmosphere in the private room improved considerably.

They discussed gossip among the great families and the latest news about the Rebel Army, which Lin Zheyu found utterly engrossing.

"Our Ren Family had been preparing to flee. Later, we heard that the Rebel Army had begun building stockades and setting up camps, halting their advance."

"Grandfather then gave up the thought of fleeing and decided to watch a while longer."

Ren Qingfeng said.

No wonder Lin Zheyu had not seen Ren Qingying distributing porridge outside the city before. At the time, he had thought the Ren Family had already slipped away.

"Winter has arrived. With the land frozen and the weather bitterly cold, the Rebel Army should recuperate for a while."

"With this time to catch their breath, the Great Wei court will have time to recover and dispatch a great army to suppress them. So they will most likely not reach Songyi City."

Xu Qinyi said with a smile.