~~~
After the altercation is over, Liu Jin and Xiao Nan are able to finish their meal in peace. In fact, no one even dares to look in Xiao Nan’s direction. That is how much of an impression he has made on these people. It makes Liu Jin feel a bit awkward. Luckily, they do not need to stay in the restaurant for much longer. They have all the information they need right now, or so Xiao Nan tells him.
The time has come for them to finally visit the Xiao Sect’s local branch.
Somewhere along the way, Xiao Nan changes into his regular clothes which denote his status as a Core Disciple. Xiao Nan then instructs Liu Jin to do the same. It is only then that Liu Jin discovers Xiao Nan has brought his disciple clothes with him. For Liu Jin, it is the first time he wears his Outer Disciple robes outside the Xiao Sect’s compound. He cannot help but feel oddly proud of himself.
Night has already fallen by the time Xiao Nan and Liu Jin arrive at the Xiao Sect’s local branch. The guards freeze the moment they see them…no.
Liu Jin shakes his head. That’s not it. Their clothes and appearance have nothing to do with the guards’ reaction. Once again, it is Xiao Nan’s Qi that grabs everyone’s attention. He is still disguising it. It is still merely in the Spirit Realm. The moment the guards’ feel that Qi, they snap into attention. Their clothes are noticed much later. The guards’ eyes widen even more once they do.
Barely able to muster a greeting without stuttering, the guards open the gates for them.
Compared to the Xiao Sect’s massive compound in Eastern Port City, the New Moon Town branch is not much to look at. For the standards of the town, however, it is a large and luxurious place.
Some sort of message must have been passed on by the guards because the moment they enter, Liu Jin hears a bunch of noises coming from the main house. People running all over the place and loud, panicked voices. In just under a minute, a welcoming party comes out to greet them. It is made up of about fifteen people, most of them Elders.
At the head of the procession is a man who looks to be in his fifties but is probably much older than that. Liu Jin can just barely make out his Qi. Unlike everyone else he has met so far, this man can be said to be strong. If Liu Jin is not wrong, the man in front of them stands in the Spirit Realm. Suddenly, it becomes clear why Xiao Nan has been limiting his power to just that. He must be giving the man some face.
“Greetings,” the man says, with a clasped hands salute. “Honored guests from the main branch, we have been expecting you. It is this Xiao Ding’s great pleasure to welcome you into our home.”
Xiao Nan returns the salute with Liu Jin quickly following suit, always standing two steps behind and to the side of Xiao Nan. “Greetings Branch Master,” Xiao Nan says. “It is this Xiao Nan’s honor to be welcomed here.”
It is amazing the effects those words have. The instant they leave Xiao Nan’s mouth and reach the ears of their welcoming party, their faces brighten. They seem to stand straighter, taller.
Prouder.
Liu Jin stays silent, only speaking when it is his duty to do. The rest, he lets Xiao Nan handle. The Xiao Sect’s number one prodigy is simply better suited for that sort of stuff. Unlike him, Xiao Nan has actually been trained for this. Liu Jin’s experience in social situations is limited to being kind to patients, respectful to his elders, and extremely respectful to beings of overwhelming power. Formal meetings are outside his area of expertise. Liu Jin just makes sure to keep a polite smile on his face as everything happens.
It takes some time, but once the introductions and formalities are done, Xiao Ding invites them in. Judging by the smell that drifts by, Liu Jin is certain the meal has either been just heated or just prepared. Liu Jin wonders if maybe Xiao Ding took his time introducing everyone on purpose so as to give the servants time to get everything ready.
“Please, be seated,” Xiao Ding says as he leads them to a large dining hall. Xiao Nan sits next to Xiao Ding and Liu Jin next Xiao Nan. “You have had a long journey. No doubt, you must be hungry. I hope this humble feast is suitable to your tastes.”
Humble?
Liu Jin raises an eyebrow. The room is perfectly clean. There is not a single speck of dust to be seen. The plates are of high-quality. The food is pleasing to the eye, and the smell is not bad at all. This probably does not compare to the banquets thrown in Eastern Port City, but Liu Jin has never been to one of those. Liu Jin does not doubt that Xiao Ding has put a lot of money into this in order to impress them.
There is just one problem.
Liu Jin is full.
Because he went to that restaurant with Xiao Nan, Liu Jin ended up full of sweets and tea. Liu Jin throws a subtle yet panicked glance at Xiao Nan. The teen replies with an even more subtle shrug. However, Liu Jin can read that shrug well enough.
I am sorry, Little Brother. The truth is I just really wanted to eat some sweets.
That’s what that shrug is telling him.
Liu Jin’s polite smile twitches. It twitches even more as food is served on his plate. He is a guest of honor, so he receives an unfortunately large portion. There is no way he can finish it. By personality and social position, Liu Jin is someone who only eats what is necessary. Eating sweets today has been the first time Liu Jin has actually indulged in eating too much. Expecting him to eat such a large portion of food right now is just not feasible.
However, what can he do?
Liu Jin slowly takes off his scarf to make time. It is not like he can eat while wearing it as it covers the lower half of his face.
He cannot just refuse the food. He also cannot say he is already full because he ate before coming here. At worst, they may take it as an insult. Likewise, not saying anything but also not eating will not be received well. They may interpret it as Liu Jin thinking their food is not good enough for him.
Liu Jin bites the inside of his cheek for a moment before putting some food in his mouth. At the very least, he can’t be seen not eating the food. He needs to at least go through the motions, however slowly.
Cultivators do not really need to eat. Liu Jin considers leaning on that fact while slowly chewing some meat. Once a person reaches a certain level of cultivation, food becomes an indulgence rather than something necessary for life. Even someone in the Inner Realm like Liu Jin can go without food or water for a few days. However, if Liu Jin says something like that, the people here may take it as him calling attention to their relatively low cultivation level.
Liu Jin may even end up making them feel bad for choosing to impress Xiao Nan and him with a feast. It would show their thinking only went that far. It seems to Liu Jin that most of his options would make the local branch lose some face.
Not offending people, Liu Jin realizes, is a difficult task.
The worst part of it all is that Xiao Nan seems to have no problems eating. He has no trouble talking and joking with Xiao Ding and the others. In a way, it is a mercy. Xiao Nan shines so much no one pays any attention to Liu Jin. In the end, Liu Jin has no choice but to continue eating as slowly as possible, bite by bite, his stomach protesting every step of the way. Who could have thought having too much would be troublesome in its own way?
It is a relief when many minutes later, Xiao Ding slaps his hand together and says, “Ah, this night is too quiet. After all, what is a feast without spectacle? Honored guests, rest assured I have prepared a show for you tonight.”
As he speaks, a group of disciples steps into the room.
“Honored guests, allow me to present our brightest disciples. Please, enjoy as they demonstrate their skills. Perhaps, they will surprise you.”
Too obvious.
Liu Jin’s judgment is swift. The man is far too obvious and trying too much. Well, not trying too much could be seen as a sign of disrespect, so it is understandable. Still, his intent is too transparent. He is trying to impress them with the power of his disciples. No, Liu Jin corrects himself, he is trying to gain favor by presenting strong disciples to them.
However, naïve as the move may be, it is a chance to stop eating. Liu Jin pretends to be interested in Xiao Ding’s words as he presents the disciples. One of them is Xiao Ding’s son and heir, Xiao Dong. Liu Jin knows that because he was part of their welcoming party.
Unfortunately, there is no need to move or change rooms. The dining hall is more than large enough. In fact, this room was probably chosen precisely so the disciples could demonstrate their skills while the rest ate. The way the tables are arranged to leave a lot of empty space in the middle of the room certainly hints at that.
As Xiao Ding nears the end of his speech, Liu Jin takes a look at the disciples. All of them are in their teens, which makes sense. This branch likely has stronger disciples, but there is no sense in trying to impress Xiao Nan with twenty-year-olds who are only in the Inner Realm. These are likely this branch’s young prodigies, their versions of Xiao Fang and Xiao Nan.
Unfortunately, like so many other things in New Moon Town, less is less. These disciples are not at a level where they can be compared to those of the main branch, no matter how much Xiao Ding may wish otherwise.
Xiao Ding keeps talking. Liu Jin zones him out until he motions for the matches to start. Predictably, the fights are not much to look at. Still, Liu Jin pretends to be interested in them. It is certainly better than trying to keep eating. Most of the disciples Xiao Ding has brought out are in the Foundational Realm. Only a few are in the Inner Realm.
Liu Jin would not go as far as to call the matches boring. As far as skill goes, the disciples fighting right now are leagues above the Black Bear bandits. However, it is nothing he has not seen before. Spars between Outer Disciples are quite frequent in the Xiao Sect, although Liu Jin never had much time for those. Being able to witness spars between Inner Disciples is rare, but it still happens. The spars happening in front of him right now are at best on the level of spars between Outer Disciples. That is how big the difference is.
Liu Jin glances at Xiao Nan out of the corner of his eye. His Elder Brother is doing an amazing job at pretending to be impressed. He claps at the right times and ohs and ahs along with the crowd when necessary. If Liu Jin did not know him better, he would think Xiao Nan is actually enjoying the fights. However, Liu Jin has known Xiao Nan long enough to be able to spot his tells.
As the fights go on, it becomes obvious that Xiao Dong, Branch Master Xiao Ding’s son, is a cut above the rest. Branch Master Xiao Ding makes sure to remind everyone Xiao Dong is his son every time he does something remotely impressive.
While Liu Jin approves of proud parents in principle, the intent here is too obvious. The man is just showing off his son! It seems Liu Jin’s first impression was completely wrong. These disciples are not here to be shown off. They are only here to be sacrificed for Xiao Dong’s sake.
Liu Jin is not quite sure how to feel about that. He puts a piece of meat in his mouth and bites it with force.
“Magnificent!” Xiao Ding says as the last of the matches is done. Xiao Dong has won every single one.
“Your son is quite talented, Branch Master,” Xiao Nan says. “You should be proud of him.”
Xiao Dong bows. “Your words are wasted on me, Senior Brother Nan. It pleases me that my meager talent has entertained you.”
“Oh, please. Do not be so bashful, my son,” Xiao Ding says. “Your talent is the pride of our branch. It is a pity there were no better opponents for you.”
Xiao Dong’s head perks up at that. Liu Jin’s stomach suddenly feels heavy, and it has nothing to do with the food. “Father, if you would lend your ear to this one, I may have a suggestion that would liven up the festivities.”
Xiao Ding slaps his hands together. “Speak then, son. Do not keep us in suspense.”
Entirely too quickly, Xiao Dong’s eyes slide over to Liu Jin. “If our branch’s disciples proved too weak for me, perhaps we should take advantage of the opportunity before us. Do we not have a disciple of the main branch here?”
For a moment, there is silence. Whispers follow next.
“What do you say, Brother Jin?” Xiao Dong asks of him.
Inside his head, Liu Jin swears for the first time in his life. His polite smile becomes strained.
This is bad. This is very bad. If he accepts, what would happen? By Liu Jin’s estimates, Xiao Dong is only in the Third Level of the Inner Realm. Liu Jin is confident he can defeat him. If he does, Xiao Dong will end up looking bad for losing to someone both younger and in a lower level than him. After how much Xiao Ding has been talking him up, defeating Xiao Dong would make him lose face as well.
However, throwing the fight just to make these people feel better about themselves is completely out of the question. Liu Jin’s skills are something he gained first from his father getting him into the Xiao Sect, then from his master imparting his knowledge on him.
Throwing the fight for such meager reasons would shame them both!
Liu Jin has to avoid the fight entirely. It is the only path he has now. It should not be too hard. Liu Jin just needs to figure out a logical argument to turn down the challenge. Under the circumstances, that would mean-
“That sounds excellent!” Xiao Nan says with a big smile on his face. The smile is still there when he turns to face Liu Jin. “Come on, Little Brother. This should provide some good entertainment.”
For the second time in his life, Liu Jin swears deep inside his mind.
~~~