The following evening, at River Gazing Pavilion in the Inner City, in the private Wave-Listening Chamber.
The chamber stood beside the river. Through the window, they could see Ping River winding past beneath the first glow of the lanterns. The view was quite lovely.
The chamber was elegantly furnished, and an abundant feast had already been laid out.
When Lin Qing arrived with Zhang Shun, several people were already inside.
Seated at the head of the table was a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He had handsome features, a gentle air, and a warm smile that made people feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.
He was none other than the senior disciple of the Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall, Qi Yunfei.
He sat there quietly.
And naturally became the center of attention.
Lin Qing recognized, or had heard of, most of the others as well.
Seated to Qi Yunfei's lower left was the second senior disciple, Feng Jianyun. He was the one who had instructed Liu Ying that day, and his brows and eyes had held a frivolous air.
Today he wore a brocade-red silk robe, making him look even more flamboyant.
There was also the third senior sister, Zhao Hongxiu, a beautiful woman with a heroic air between her brows. She usually kept her head down and focused on training, so Lin Qing rarely saw her.
And then there was the fourth senior brother, Zhang Shun, who had only recently been promoted to the inner sect.
Seated below Qi Yunfei, dressed in pale-pink gauze that made her skin seem whiter than snow, with bright eyes and pearly teeth, was Liu Ying.
When Qi Yunfei saw Zhang Shun enter with Lin Qing, he was the first to look up. He gazed at Lin Qing warmly and gave him a smiling nod.
"You must be Junior Brother Lin?"
"Zhang Shun often mentions you. He says you're exceptionally perceptive and make rapid progress."
"Now that I've met you, I can see you have a remarkable bearing."
His voice was calm, and his manner had a warmth that put people at ease.
"Senior Brother is too kind. I hardly deserve such praise."
Lin Qing hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed, neither servile nor presumptuous.
Qi Yunfei smiled and said no more, as if that brief greeting were enough.
But aside from Qi Yunfei's courteous greeting,
the others at the table, including Third Senior Sister Zhao Hongxiu, merely glanced at Lin Qing before returning to their conversations or joking with those beside them.
Clearly, they didn't take this unexpected outer-sect disciple seriously.
There was a strict hierarchy within the martial hall.
The inner and outer sects were almost like two different worlds.
Zhang Shun seemed to have expected this and didn't mind.
He led Lin Qing to a seat at the end of the table, then smiled at Liu Ying. "Junior Sister Liu, let me introduce this talented young man to you."
"This is Junior Brother Lin Qing. Though he joined a little later, he's exceptionally perceptive. His Iron Wire Fist is already masterfully executed, and he's one of the best among our outer-sect disciples." He gave an approving thumbs-up.
At that, Liu Ying finally turned her bright eyes fully toward Lin Qing, regarding him with a hint of scrutiny.
She saw that Lin Qing stood tall. His features weren't exceptionally handsome,
but his face was sharply defined, his eyes bright, and he had a steady air about him.
At first glance, he didn't make a bad impression.
She gave a slight nod in greeting and spoke in a clear, pleasant voice:
"Liu Ying greets Senior Brother Lin."
"Hello, Junior Sister Liu." Lin Qing returned the greeting calmly.
Liu Ying spoke as if casually, though her tone carried the customary sense of superiority of an inner-sect disciple.
"Senior Brother Zhang says your fist technique is already masterfully executed. That's quite impressive."
"May I ask what level your martial cultivation has reached, and what sort of bone structure you have?"
She hadn't asked directly about his family background.
But her next question already implied it.
Lin Qing's expression didn't change. He answered frankly, "I was fortunate enough to break through into Skin Refining not long ago. My bone structure is only average. I hope you won't laugh at me, Junior Sister."
"Average bone structure?"
A flicker of surprise passed through Liu Ying's eyes, barely perceptible.
Then a faint reserve settled over her face.
With average bone structure, breaking through into Skin Refining in just over two months and mastering the fist technique so well certainly showed good perception.
But that was all.
The farther one went along the martial path, the more important bone structure and resources became.
With average bone structure, he was almost certain never to reach great heights.
As for his family background, she didn't ask further. But from his plain clothes and the fact that he came from an apothecary shop in the Outer City, she assumed his family couldn't offer him much support.
She made her judgment in an instant.
He might have some potential, but his ceiling wasn't high. He wasn't worth paying much attention to.
So she merely gave him a polite smile and said, "Your diligence is commendable, Senior Brother Lin."
Then she paid him no further attention, turning instead to speak softly with Qi Yunfei beside her and occasionally letting out a clear laugh.
Seeing this, Zhang Shun tried to put in another good word for Lin Qing. Smiling at everyone, he said, "Senior Brothers and Sisters, don't underestimate my Junior Brother Lin. He's—"
"Ah, Junior Brother Zhang."
Before he could finish, Second Senior Brother Feng Jianyun cut him off.
Feng Jianyun cast Lin Qing a sidelong glance, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking smile. He swirled the wine in his cup, his voice tinged with superiority.
"Junior Brother Zhang, I know you want to help the younger disciples."
"But the martial path demands bone structure, resources, and perception. You can't do without any one of them."
"Perception alone is just a castle in the air. It won't take you far."
His gaze swept over those present before settling on Qi Yunfei, his tone full of admiration.
"Take our senior brother, for example. He has top-grade bone structure and exceptional talent, and Master has taught him everything he knows. Yet he's been stuck at Organ Cleansing for so long that he still can't glimpse the gateway to the Blood Refining secret realm."
"That shows just how hard the martial path is—harder than climbing to the blue sky!"
Feng Jianyun pointed at himself and the others. "All of us have at least high-grade bone structure, and our families spare no effort in supporting us. We take medicinal baths every day to temper our bodies, and yet most of us are still hovering at Bone Forging."
"Especially Third Senior Sister. She has high-grade bone structure, yet two attempts to break through into Organ Cleansing have come to nothing."
"What's more, Junior Brother Lin has only average bone structure and an ordinary family background..."
He shook his head, leaving the rest unsaid.
But the contempt in what he left unspoken was plain as day.
The atmosphere at the table grew slightly tense.
Third Senior Sister Zhao Hongxiu furrowed her brows, seeming to think Feng Jianyun had gone too far, but she said nothing.
Senior Brother Qi Yunfei still wore his smiling expression, as if he hadn't heard a thing, though a trace of indifference flickered deep in his eyes.
Zhang Shun looked a little awkward. He opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing more.
Seated at the end of the table, Lin Qing listened with an impassive expression.
As if the person Feng Jianyun was talking about had nothing to do with him.
He even picked up his cup and took a small sip, savoring the wine's bite.
He felt little anger, only a rare clarity.
Feng Jianyun's words stung, but they were also the naked reality of this world.
Except for Zhang Shun and Zhao Hongxiu, these disciples from prominent families had all been born into privilege and raised on praise. Naturally, they had their pride.
But Lin Qing had never lived by other people's opinions.
He had his own road to walk.
The contempt he faced today—
might yet become a stepping stone tomorrow.
Seeing that Lin Qing still made no response, Feng Jianyun's smile widened.
After all, Zhang Shun had brought Lin Qing along and even planned to introduce him to Junior Sister Liu Ying. That alone had touched a nerve.
"Junior Brother Zhang, I'm sure Junior Sister Liu Ying appreciates your kind intentions," Feng Jianyun drawled.
"But some circles can't be entered through a little perception and hard work alone."
"The farther you climb the martial path, the more your foundation matters. Do you know what an ordinary martial artist needs to break through the Third Barrier Realm of Bone Forging?"
Feng Jianyun stared blatantly at Lin Qing.
"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Feng."
Lin Qing cupped his hands.
He really was curious.
These were the very details that ordinary people found hard to discover, and learning them was the reason he had come here.
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