Beneath South Stone Bridge, the water rushed with a constant clatter.
At Lang Yun Tower, huge red lanterns hung from the lofty door beam, their gauze shades enclosing clusters of warm red light that swayed enchantingly.
Gentle singing lingered around the beams without end. Attendants held menus while food runners darted everywhere.
Inside the Earth Character C Suite, Liang Qu pushed open the door, and a warm breeze met him head-on.
"Such a handsome talent! Truly a handsome talent! Solemn as wind beneath the pines, lofty yet gentle—no wonder you became Master Yang's prized disciple!"
Lin Di, dressed in dark blue robes, rose to greet him and shouted his praise.
"My son Song Bao told me long ago that he had met a friend in Yi Xing City, a man of extraordinary bearing, no creature to be trapped in a mere pond. I thought there could not possibly be such a figure in little Yi Xing City, that my son was shallow of sight and exaggerating. But now that I see you, it is indeed true! It is truly Lin's misfortune that I did not behold Brother Liang's elegance sooner. Ah, forgive me, I have been discourteous. I was simply too excited, relying on my seniority to spout nonsense. Brother Liang, Brother Liang! I shall punish myself with three cups first!"
With that, Lin Di gulped down three cups of wine, his face flushing slightly.
Lin Songbao: "."
When did I ever say that? And you call him Brother Liang—what am I supposed to call him? Eldest Uncle Liang?
Liang Qu: "."
This man really knows how to talk. And what is with this tangled seniority? Before he knew it, Lin Di had pulled Liang Qu to a seat and introduced the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy beside him. "Allow me