Luo Bin's gaze flickered. He put on what he thought was an honest smile and replied politely:
"Thank you for your guidance, Master Ruan."
As for why he called him Master Ruan, it was because someone had addressed him that way during the Elite Selection at Black Sheath Hall the other day, and Luo Bin had picked it up.
The Chen Residence stood at the golden junction between Ping City's eastern concession and the New Territory. Not far from Ping City Women's Normal School, it lay at the heart of the city's commercial district.
Luo Bin was still being jostled around in the car when he caught sight of the mansion in the distance. Its main building was a three-story Western-style house of brick and timber, surrounded by a nearly three-meter-high wall of bare red brick.
At the entrance stood a stone gatehouse blending Chinese and Western styles. Its ornate double iron gates were painted matte black, and a plaque made of what looked like white marble was set above them, bearing the three gilt, engraved characters: "Chen Residence."
The more Luo Bin looked, the more astonished he became. This was practically a palace. No wonder Chen Manqing and her younger brother had barely looked at them after selecting their people before turning and leaving.
They had every reason to be proud.
Ruan Pei drove straight into the front courtyard. Sentry boxes stood on either side of the gate, and guards carrying rifled guns patrolled constantly.
But as soon as Luo Bin and Ruan Pei entered, someone came out to greet them.
The man was Fang Zijing, one of the Chen family's stewards. At a glance, he seemed like a refined, mild-mannered middle-aged man. He and Ruan Pei were old acquaintances, so he naturally knew why they had come today.
"Brother Ruan, it's been a long time. Today... you should know the situation. If the second young master and Elder Jiang hadn't given us advance notice, coming to the Chen family today wouldn't have been a wise choice."
As he spoke, Fang Zijing turned his head and gestured toward the mansion.
Luo Bin followed his gaze. A row of neatly trimmed French plane trees lined the way, white mourning cloth wrapped around their branches. Every lamp along the road had been fitted with a white shade.
A prominent member of the Chen family had died.
Ruan Pei's expression grew solemn as he offered his condolences. "My sympathies. But the matter Old Master Chen arranged before his death is of great importance. Even now that he has passed, we wouldn't dare neglect it."
"It's all right. I'll take you to Qufang Garden. Elder Jiang is there."
Ruan Pei turned back to the car and smiled. "Brother Fang, just take this kid over. I wouldn't dare go and bring bad luck to Elder Jiang. I'll be off, then."
Fang Zijing seemed to realize something and smiled. "Very well. Take care."
Luo Bin followed behind, a little stiff with unease. But Steward Fang was quite the conversationalist. Looking at the white mourning cloth on the plane trees, he sighed:
"Young man, life is bitterly short. Neither life nor death is ours to command..."
Luo Bin nodded slightly and smiled as he replied, "Senior Fang is right. But...
"Life comes by chance, death is certain. We can't control either, but we may still seize the moments in between. Though Old Master Chen has passed, perhaps he's living another life somewhere now."
Fang Zijing was taken aback. The second young master had mentioned the boy's background earlier: he was only a guard left behind by the Pei family. Though strong, he had spent years drifting around Ping City's lower classes.
Yet those words were not what one would expect from a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy from the bottom rung of society.
A person with exceptional qualities had to have a reason for them. Fang Zijing quietly raised his estimation of Luo Bin, then said:
"That's a rare insight. The garden ahead is Qufang Garden, home to Elder Jiang Ling."
A line of brick walls jutted into the Chen Residence grounds, cutting off a corner to form a separate courtyard.
Unlike the Western style of the main buildings, this courtyard was entirely traditional, much like Pei Family Manor.
Fang Zijing stopped at the right moment and gave him a few words of advice. "Elder Jiang is inside. Since the second young master selected you for your talent in cultivating the Primordial Stance, your martial aptitude must be good as well.
"Follow Elder Jiang and train hard. I'll be going now."
Luo Bin bowed respectfully. "Take care, Senior Fang."
Fang Zijing hadn't said much, but what little he'd revealed was another dose of reassurance for Luo Bin.
He had just started toward the courtyard when—
Whoosh!
A two-meter-long staff suddenly shot through the air toward him. Its body trembled, its arc rippling like a wave.
The gusting force made him narrow his eyes.
When he opened them again, a frail old man had already caught up with the staff, moving as fast as lightning. He gripped it in one hand, its tip pointed at Luo Bin's face.
But Luo Bin stood perfectly still. The wind and force stung his eyes, but they had done him no real harm.
The old man looked a little surprised and asked coolly, "Why didn't you dodge?"
Luo Bin kept smiling. "Because I wasn't afraid, Elder Jiang."
This was Jiang Ling, the Elder Jiang spoken of by Chen Jing, Chen Manqing, Luo Wendi, and Fang Zijing.
Slightly stooped and well into his eighties, he was still sharp-eyed and vigorous, with a serene bearing and the pressure of a drawn bowstring held taut. He wore a short, dark-blue cotton jacket with a frog closure. Though it had faded from washing, it was smooth and free of a single wrinkle.
A few days earlier, while "hanging around" Long Wind Pier, Luo Bin had already asked a well-informed gossip known as "Know-It-All" about Jiang Ling. He was an Attendant of the Chen family, but not an employee.
After Western ironclad ships broke through the gates of Great Li, the dynasty soon fell amid internal strife and foreign invasion.
A twenty-year void followed on this ancient land. Military and political power in each region was held by warlords and aristocrats. This period was later known as the "Jiashen Void."
The Westerners established concessions in some medium-sized and large cities, developed trade routes, and reaped the wealth.
Jiang Ling had been a company commander in the Jingan Bureau under the former Great Li dynasty. During the first ten years of the void after Great Li's collapse, he had disappeared without a trace.
In the following ten years, he traveled far and wide with Old Master Chen Shuo, forging a bond of life and death. According to the word at the pier, Jiang Ling's martial arts had reached Profound Mastery...
As for just how profound his skill was, Luo Bin hadn't found out. The extraordinary powers of this world were shrouded in secrecy by the upper classes, leaving those at the bottom unable to catch a glimpse.
Jiang Ling's old eyes, accustomed to watching the seasons pass, held not the slightest cloudiness. Clear as an ancient pool, they now crinkled with a smile.
"Good lad. A youngster who's rolled around in the mud, yet has Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone and uncommon courage. Chen Jing has a good eye."
Luo Bin bowed respectfully. "Elder Jiang is too kind."
Jiang Ling circled Luo Bin, examining him once more, then asked slowly, "Have you trained in martial arts?"
"A little. When I was a guard for the Pei family, an old Martial Master there taught me a few moves."
Jiang Ling returned to the pavilion in the courtyard, picked up his cup, and took a sip of cool tea.
"What level of power do you think a martial artist can unleash?"
Luo Bin wasn't sure what he meant, so he ventured an answer. "Invulnerable to blades and spears?"
Jiang Ling smiled without replying. Though he was in his eighties, his hair had turned silver-white, while the wrinkles on his face were still flushed with color. His vitality was strong.
Luo Bin sensed an imposing aura and tried another uncertain answer. "Catch bullets with bare hands?"
Jiang Ling chuckled. "Once an ordinary person rises to the level of Martial Master, he's already impervious to blades and spears. Go further, and he can withstand fire and water, and even catch bullets barehanded.
"But... do you know how long the path of martial arts stretches?"
Luo Bin lowered his head respectfully. "This junior doesn't know. Please teach me, Elder Jiang."
"On the path of martial arts, the most crucial of the first five realms are the first two: Golden Skin and Jade Bone!"
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