Inside and Outside the Tower

The serving girl held her breath. She felt sorry for this guest, who had been so pleasant to serve, but the person confronting him now was someone she absolutely could not afford to offend.

She did not even consider notifying the madam. No matter how powerful the Three-Part Fragrance Pavilion was elsewhere, in He State, it had to watch this man's mood.

In the small private booth, one sat and one stood.

Both were young, and both were proud.

Their eyes met. Neither saw the other flinch.

"I believe you now. You really were just passing through."

The newcomer finally straightened and took his hand off the wine table, abandoning that imposing stance.

"Because nobody who knows me dares speak to me like that," he said.

After a long period of peace, and under the influence of a religious atmosphere that was both pervasive and relatively gentle, the people of He State had generally grown mild and tranquil. This man, however, was fiercely confident and arrogant.

It was hard to tell whether he was formidable in his own right, had a formidable background, or both.

As he braced himself against the table and then stepped away, the ordinary wooden table remained rock-steady. Though the cups were filled to the brim, not a drop of wine spilled.

That was because Jiang Wang had rested one finger lightly on the table.

The serving girl sat nearby, completely unaware of the clash of Dao Essence that had just rippled across the tabletop.

The probing and clashing had been exquisitely subtle. From beginning to end, it had stirred not the slightest ripple.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Jiang Wang withdrew his finger and spoke softly.

His "clashes" with two True Persons, one after the other, had greatly improved his fine control over Dao Essence. Of