Crash! The door flew open.
Then, with a bang, it slammed shut.
Song Wanyan hung in the air. She extended a foot and touched down lightly in the middle of the room.
An invisible force seemed to hold her entire body aloft.
Her clothes fluttered, and her hair lifted now and then.
An alluring, seductive air suffused her.
"Hehe, my dear sister, don't you want to see whether this boy really is the one we've been looking for?"
An unseen, bewitching aura suddenly rose in a haze, circling her body as it climbed.
Within it, a stream of pure white spiritual energy appeared and wound around her as well.
"...You'll hurt him," said the cold sister.
"Hehehe... If he is, then you'll really be giving yourself away to a native of this world," said the seductive sister.
"Enough. I'm only informing you. We may share a body, but you don't get a say."
The unseen, bewitching aura around her instantly intensified, spiraling like a little whirlwind.
Buoyed by it, she slowly rose into the air.
Then her eyes shone bright orange-red, like burning gemstones.
"Draw the map!"
She barked the command.
The boundless bewitching aura around her and the cold spiritual energy wrapped within it flowed toward the floor together, moving along a particular path.
It looked remarkably like they were drawing a pattern.
At that moment, Lin Xiaotian was wandering outside the Huang Family Martial Hall.
He stared at its signboard for a long time, lost in thought.
Only when the sun began to set did he come back to himself.
He walked to the door, but before he could knock, it suddenly opened.
Creak.
Behind it stood a burly, powerfully built man.
Lin Xiaotian's hand was still raised to knock.
When they saw each other, the atmosphere turned a little strange.
The burly man opened his eyes wide at the raised hand and muttered.
His voice rumbled like thunder.
"What, have you come looking for trouble at my Martial Arts Hall?"
Lin Xiaotian gave an awkward smile and lowered his hand.
"Senior Brother... you look very strong. I'd like to study martial arts here."
The burly man looked him up and down, then shook his head.
"You're starting too late with a build like that. How old are you this year..."
"Senior Brother, I'm sixteen," Lin Xiaotian answered, drawing on the memories of this body.
"At sixteen, your bones are basically set. Your Blood Qi may still be growing, but you've missed the best years for laying a foundation."
"At your age, reaching the level of External Force would be difficult beyond difficult."
External Force! Lin Xiaotian repeated inwardly, then asked, "Senior Brother, could you tell me what studying martial arts involves?"
The burly man chuckled.
"Little brother, don't even think about it."
"Even if you joined and paid the silver, you wouldn't learn the true Martial Dao. At most, you'd pick up a few fancy moves."
"The stages of the Martial Dao are Initiation, Skin Tempering, Bone Tempering, and Blood Tempering, followed by External Force. A step higher is Internal Force, and one might even reach the pinnacle of Hidden Force..."
"That's enough, little brother. Go home. This isn't the place for you."
The people at this Martial Arts Hall were decent. Another hall would have thrown him out long ago, not stood there explaining so much.
But now that he had found a decent hall and a senior brother whose fierce face hid a kind heart, how could he let the chance slip away?
"Senior Brother, I want to learn martial arts," Lin Xiaotian said again, his voice much more earnest.
The burly man studied him and thought for a moment.
"If you'd come a few years earlier, it would still have been late, but you might have had a chance."
"Even among those of the right age, Initiation weeds out the vast majority."
"Little brother, I'd advise—"
"I want to learn," Lin Xiaotian said sincerely.
Interrupted, the burly man paused before speaking slowly.
"Fine. The hall takes disciples based on their qualifications. Come here first thing tomorrow morning with twenty taels of silver."
"Your aptitude must be tested before you meet the master. If you pass, you can become his disciple."
"If you fail, the silver won't be refunded."
Lin Xiaotian smiled and lowered his voice.
"Senior Brother..."
"Mm. I'd advise you not to waste your silver for nothing."
Lin Xiaotian fell silent for a moment.
"Is there a way to learn without paying?"
The burly man's cheek twitched. This kid had some nerve.
Lin Xiaotian knew he was being rude, but he had to try. What if it worked?
"That's enough, kid. The hall's closing."
Anger edged into the burly man's voice. Without waiting for a reply, he shoved Lin Xiaotian with one hand.
The force sent Lin Xiaotian stumbling several steps backward.
The gap between ordinary people and martial artists really was enormous.
Lin Xiaotian headed home.
He was still thinking about what the burly man had said as he shut the door.
"Remember to come early tomorrow."
He could not tell what the man had meant. Was he supposed to bring the silver, or was there a way to avoid paying?
He had heard rumors of people studying at martial halls without paying, but they were only rumors. He had never heard of anyone who actually had.
Before he knew it, he was home.
His sister wore white robes faintly touched with pink, like a blooming white chrysanthemum.
A single glance lifted his spirits, and a faint fragrance drifted toward him.
Lin Xiaotian marveled at his good fortune. His sister was so beautiful, yet those wicked people had not set their sights on her.
"Little brother, dinner's ready. Come in and eat."
"Okay, Sister."
Lin Xiaotian entered the courtyard. Everything looked familiar.
Suddenly, the side room on the left seemed a little different from what he remembered.
Curious, he turned to look.
Song Wanyan smiled.
"Little brother, I've been tidying up that room. I'm planning to turn it into a spare room."
"Oh," Lin Xiaotian said, giving it no more thought.
In truth, he could not see what had changed. He only felt that there was something unusual about the room.
They went into the main room and ate.
His sister asked about the Martial Arts Hall, and Lin Xiaotian gave her a brief account of his visit.
Elsewhere in town, within a deep, sprawling residence, a young master bowed to an older man seated above him, whose eyes remained keen.
"Father, Song Wanyan is so beautiful. I want to take her as a concubine."
The older man glared at him.
"You good-for-nothing. Don't even think about that woman, and don't try any tricks. Otherwise, I'll break your damned legs. Do you understand?"
He barked the last sentence so fiercely that the young master's headpiece nearly came loose.
"Father, she's just an ordinary woman. If the Qin Household hadn't looked after her, some scoundrels would have abducted and abused her long ago."
"I only want to take her as a concubine and give her a proper status. Is even that out of the question, Father?"
The older man glared, his beard bristling.
"You think I don't know what you're after? I've turned a blind eye to you toying with other women, but you must not set your sights on her."
"Father! I know. You're going to say her parents helped the Qin Household back then, and that's why we have what we do now."
"But it's been so many years. We could protect her better if she became part of the Qin Household... If I weren't grateful to her parents, I'd have made her my personal servant long ago."
The older man looked at his son muttering below him. Anger surged up, and he roared.
"You! Get out... If you had the ability to become an Internal Force expert, I wouldn't stop you. You could take her however you liked. But for now, get out!"
His father drove the young master of the Qin Household out.
He slunk along a path through the estate and sighed.
"If only learning martial arts were that easy. I can't even get past Initiation. Sigh!"
Before you continue