The young master surnamed Zhou wasn't annoyed. He merely snapped his folding fan shut, raised an eyebrow, and laughed. "Lin Wei'er, you do love sticking your nose into everything."
Lin Wei'er grinned, showing two little tiger teeth. "You've gone too long without getting a good thrashing. You've forgotten who your senior sister is." As she spoke, she reached out to tug his ear.
Young Master Zhou laughed and dodged to the side. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Your junior brother has always remembered your senior sister's might."
The two of them laughed and chased each other halfway around the hall, their sleeves fluttering in the wind. The Master's Wife and the two senior brothers watched, unable to hold back their laughter.
"Wei'er, Zhou Lan, that's enough." The Master's Wife set down her teacup and shook her head helplessly. "You're grown adults, yet you still act like children."
Only then did Lin Wei'er stop. She wrinkled her nose at Zhou Lan and sat back down.
Zhou Lan also smiled as he straightened his sleeves, then cupped his hands toward the Master's Wife. "This disciple was out of line."
The atmosphere in the hall relaxed, and the earlier subtle discussion about Lu Chen was put aside for the time being.
Just then, a maid with her hair in twin buns entered to announce, "Madam, Lu Chen requests an audience."
Lin Wei'er immediately frowned. "He certainly knows how to pick his moment. We rarely get to reunite with Master's Wife, and he just had to come now. Go tell him today isn't convenient. Whatever it is, he can bring it up tomorrow."
Young Master Zhou lifted his teacup and interjected in an unhurried voice,
"Wei'er, don't rush. He's already at the door. We might as well ask what he wants." As he spoke, he looked toward the Master's Wife.
The Master's Wife gave the maid a slight nod. "Go ask what he wants."
The maid withdrew at her command.
The black-clad, dark-faced disciple asked again, "Master's Wife, what are this junior brother Lu Chen's natural constitution and aptitude like?"
The Master's Wife replied gently, "That child was born with an ordinary constitution, considered inferior. But he's willing to endure hardship when practicing his fists, and he works very hard."
At that moment, the male disciple seated across from Young Master Zhou, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke. His brows were crimson.
"On the path of martial arts, one's natural constitution determines everything. As for hard work, it's merely a delusion with which mediocre people bind themselves."
The other three seated there shifted slightly, then all nodded in silence.
Lin Wei'er sighed softly and picked up the thread. "When I was young, I also believed that diligence could make up for a lack of talent. But after entering the External Force realm and joining the Iron Sword Sect, I saw geniuses as numerous as carp crossing a river. Only then did I realize Senior Brother Ji Chuan was right. In the face of true talent, hard work is often futile."
Young Master Zhou snapped his folding fan shut and said solemnly, "To be honest, Master's Wife, I've already made inquiries. This junior brother Lu Chen comes from the streets of South City, and his natural constitution is just as you said—quite ordinary. With such aptitude, to face four opponents alone is truly suspicious."
He paused slightly and looked at the Master's Wife.
"I was skeptical at first, but since Master's Wife has personally praised his character, I may not trust this junior brother, but I trust your judgment."
Lin Wei'er nodded repeatedly as well.
"Exactly! I've always felt that something's off about Lu Chen! Master's Wife, don't let his honest-looking face fool you. How many decent people come out of South City?"
As if remembering something, she pursed her lips. "There was a servant from South City at my family's house once. His child was deathly ill, but instead of working hard to earn money, he started stealing from my family. My father caught him later and beat him to death."
As she spoke, she lifted her chin as if she had every right to say so. "If you ask me, whose fault was it that his child was sick? His own, for being useless! Stealing? Pah! He got what he deserved!"
Ji Chuan, his brows crimson, snorted and cut in. "We'll see whether he's a mule or a horse when he breaks through to the External Force realm. In my view, no matter how nimble his fists and feet are, with such a poor constitution, he may never cross this threshold in his life."
The Master's Wife shook her head, her tone as gentle as ever. "Natural constitution isn't everything. In the jianghu, there are also plenty of people with poor constitutions who, through perseverance and fortunate opportunities, eventually became masters of their generation."
Lin Wei'er tilted her head and stared at the Master's Wife. "Master's Wife, why are you defending Lu Chen so much?"
The Master's Wife was taken aback by the question. The hand holding her teacup trembled slightly, and a few drops of tea splashed onto the back of it.
She hurriedly set down the teacup and wiped her hand with a handkerchief, but the tips of her ears quietly flushed pink.
"Who's defending him?"
The Master's Wife abruptly sat up straight, her tone even as she tried to maintain her usual decorum.
"I just think... we shouldn't speak in such absolutes."
"Master's Wife is right."
Young Master Zhou spoke up warmly. He had evidently failed to notice the subtle change in the Master's Wife's expression. Thinking she was merely standing up for a disciple of the martial arts hall, he smoothly eased the conversation along. "There are indeed few certainties in the affairs of the jianghu."
"Wei'er." Ji Chuan, his brows crimson, chided her. "You mustn't be disrespectful to Master's Wife."
The black-clad disciple nodded in agreement as well. "Master's Wife is generous. It's only natural for her to defend her disciples. Junior Sister Wei'er, you're being too stubborn."
Lin Wei'er blinked, looking first at the Master's Wife's reddened ears, then at her senior brothers' solemn faces. She swallowed what she was about to say and only muttered softly, "...Oh."
A little while later,
the maid returned.
Young Master Zhou lifted his teacup and casually asked, "What's so urgent that Lu Chen had to come right away?"
The maid swallowed and replied in a quiet but clear voice, "Senior Brother Zhou, Lu Chen asked me to report... He, he's already broken through and entered the External Force realm."
"What?!"
The teacup slipped from Young Master Zhou's hand and landed on the table. Tea spilled out, but he didn't even notice. He jerked his head up, his usually gentle face filled with disbelief.
The half-eaten pastry in Lin Wei'er's hand rolled off the hem of her skirt.
She turned in a daze to look at Ji Chuan beside her. His usually stern face was also full of shock, his crimson brows knitted tight.
The black-clad, dark-faced disciple beside them parted his lips, but in the end, all that came out was a short gasp.
Everyone's gaze ultimately turned toward the Master's Wife, seated at the head of the table.
The Master's Wife was clearly stunned.
Her beautiful eyes widened slightly, unmistakable surprise flashing through them. Her full red lips, painted with rouge, parted unconsciously as if she wanted to confirm what she had heard, but in the end, she made no sound.
Lu Chen stepped into the inner residence's main hall.
There were five people in the hall in all. The Master's Wife sat at the head, her hair coiled in a cloudlike updo and her features as lovely as jade. Her pale purple dress made her look even more radiant than usual. Four people sat below her, two to either side.
Beside the Master's Wife on the left sat a short-haired woman around twenty, her lively eyes sizing him up.
Below the woman sat a fair-faced young master dressed in brocade robes, fanning himself with a folding fan. He looked every inch the wealthy man of leisure.
Below the Master's Wife on the right sat a dark-faced, black-clad brawny man with thick brows and large eyes. He sat like a little mountain.
Beside the brawny man sat a lean man with two crimson-red eyebrows, like flames leaping across his forehead, giving him an unusual appearance.
Lu Chen straightened his clothes, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to the Master's Wife. In a clear voice, he said, "This disciple, Lu Chen, was fortunate enough to gain an insight last night and has broken through into the External Force realm. I have come especially to see Master's Wife and report this."
The Master's Wife beckoned to Lu Chen. "Come, let Master's Wife have a look."
Lu Chen stepped forward as instructed.
The Master's Wife extended her fair hand, holding her palm a few inches below his navel, and closed her eyes in concentration. The hall fell silent enough to hear a pin drop. A faint glimmer seemed to flow around her fingertips.
A moment later, she opened her eyes and withdrew her hand. With approval and solemnity in her gaze, she nodded slowly.
"Your qi sea has opened, and your inner breath is condensed... You have indeed entered the External Force realm."
Before you continue