Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened. A crescent moon rose, hanging from the tip of a willow tree sprouting tender pale-green branches, its faint light spilling into the room.
Inside, a single lamp burned like a bean. The oil lamp's flame flickered again and again, mingling its dim yellow glow with the pale moonlight.
Zhuang Jin, Bi Kai, and Qian Wende ate and talked. The dining table truly was the best place to draw people closer. They spoke of their experiences over the past month, and the conversation gradually opened up, extending to the others from their dormitory last month.
"Brother Zhuang, Brother Lin, and Xiong Lei are at the Shen Family Outer Courtyard this month too, right?" Bi Kai asked.
Zhuang Jin nodded. "Yeah. They're in the Internal Affairs Office of the General Affairs Department. I train at the training ground and run into them from time to time. Things have been fairly peaceful here, and nothing has happened to them."
Ever since the blow he had suffered that day, Xiong Lei had begun to understand the value of hard work. Zhuang Jin had also often seen Lin Hong at the training ground. Moreover, Lin Hong seemed to come from a well-off family and lacked no provisions for cultivation; that was probably why he had chosen a post at the Shen Family Headquarters.
As for their exact cultivation progress, Zhuang Jin did not know. But they definitely had not broken through the Second Meridian. As for whether they had touched the Second Meridian Bottleneck, he guessed Xiong Lei was still far from it, while Lin Hong should be close.
"Of the eight from our dormitory back then, that leaves Xiang Qichen, Jiao Kun, and Haozi. If I remember right, they're in North of the City with you, Dezi?"