Chen Shuang is in raptures for being able to find a talent for her family. After chatting with Li Xing for a while, she takes off to her father, Chen Jinsong, with the good news.
After the girl leaves, Li Xing starts practicing again. The bead, while healing his wounds, has once again improved his constitution. And as he steers his blood essence smoothly all the way to his skeletal meridians, he doesn’t feel pain anymore.
“At this rate, I will be able to break all my skeletal meridians in no more than ten days!” he speculates.
At noon, a servant brings Li Xing clothing and food, along with two maid servants, following Chen Shuang order.
The servant says respectfully, “Master Zhao, our Miss said you may live here from now on. If you need anything, we will be at your service.”
Li Xing nods, “All right. Send over some food and don’t disturb me unless it’s necessary.”
“Yes,” The servants exit the room.
A few moments later, the table is full of delicious food, including pastries, six dishes and a jar of wine.
With a good appetite, Li Xing gobbles down everything except the pastries. After only taking one piece from each plate, he wraps all the rest with a clean cloth to bring them back to Xiaoxiu, thinking a teenage girl like her must love a tasty treat.
It is late and Chen Shuang never comes back. Li Xing walks through the courtyard of the Chen residence with no one noticing and comes to a quiet place. He quickly changes back to his original face, turning himself from Zhao Yun to Li Xing, and heads back for Purple Bamboo Community.
Xiaoxiu has already made dinner and been waiting for Li Xing to come back. As the girl starts to get impatient, Li Xing finally returns. Seeing him back, Xiaoxiu pouts, “Young Master, why are you home so late?” She is then immediately attracted by the white cloth bag in Li Xing’s hand, asking, “What’s that in your hand, Young Master?”
With a smile, Li Xing hands the bag to her, saying, “Take a look.”
Xiaoxiu takes over the bag with curiosity and before she opens it, there comes the delicious smell of pastries. The girl brightens up, yelling ecstatically, “It’s something yummy!” She promptly unwraps it and finds dozens of pieces of exquisite pastries.
Life in Purple Bamboo Community had been difficult without enough rice to eat most of the time, let alone pastries. The situation has only turned better since Li Ying started resuming supplies. However, Xiaoxiu has always been frugal, and even though there is no need to worry about money, she still hates to spend it on fancy food for herself.
Seeing the cakes, the girls is excited at first, then starts tearing up emotionally, “Xiaoxiu can’t eat this. I will save them as nighttime snacks for Young Master.”
At that moment, Li Hu comes in with his hands on his stomach, calling out, “Xiaoxiu, I’m starving. Anything to eat?” Then he sees the pastries in the girl’s hands and hurries forward with a greedy look.
Xiaoxiu grabs the bag and tries to hide it with both hands, refusing to share, “They are not for you. Young Master gave them to me.”
Li Hu turns to Li Xing with eagerness, asking, “Young Master, did you bring some for me, too?”
Li Xing forces a smile and feigns a berating tone, “Pastries are not for boys. Go eat your rice.”
Envious of Xiaoxiu, Li Hu gruntles, “Who said pastries are not for boys? Young Master his being partial.”
While Xiaoxiu enjoys her pastries, Butler Li Yuan is in Li Jie’s room, saying with frustration, “Young Master, I’m afraid we can’t touch Li Xing for the moment.”
The other day, Li Jie was infuriated that Li Xing was bold enough to challenge him. Since then he has determined to have Li Yuan teach him a lesson. As he hears what Li Yuan said, he immediately flies into a rage, “Why not?! He’s just a useless loser!”
Li Yuan grins awkwardly, “Young Master, can’t you tell that Li Xing is not a loser as he used to be? He has been able to practice blood.”
“What did you just say?” Li Jie almost jumps up from his seat and a murderous look flashes in his eyes. “He can practice blood? How could that loser and bastard manage to do that?”
In the world, some people, out of no reason, always harbor the green-eyed monster in their hearts and just cannot stand to see good things happen to others. Li Jie, apparently, is one of those people.
Li Yuan continues, “Remember that day when Young Master beat up Li Xing and severely wounded him? Didn’t you see anything different about him?”
Indeed, Li Jie did sense that Li Xing was no longer a loser as people always said. But for a very long time, he had regarded Li Xing as a good-for nothing, and that’s why he didn’t bother to think twice. Now hearing Li Yuan reminding him of that day, Li Jie suddenly realizes that Li Xing probably has already reached at least level two blood power.
“Young Master, it actually doesn’t matter whether Li Xing has practiced blood or not, I can finish him off any time. But what matters now is that Li Xing’s father has become sober.”
Li Jie frowns, “You mean that drunkard? What if he is sober? My father already has level two breath power. Do we need to be scared of him?”
“Of course we don’t. But Li Ziran is a vicious and insidious person who has level three breath power. If we run afoul of him, I’m afraid it will cause us a problem that even Elder Master can’t handle.”
“Humph! Who cares if Li Ziran is powerful or not! He is only one person. How hard would it be to just kill him?”
Li Yuan is meant to say that Li Ziran is not alone but has a bunch of people around him, but he shuts his mouth and decides not to say anything.
Li Jie, looking even more furious, pounds the table, “Li Yuan, I don’t care what you do. You must kill Li Xing for me!”
With a hollow laugh, Li Yuan says, “Young Master, there is a way to kill Li Xing.”
Li Jie is intrigued, asking, “Really? Go ahead!”
With a wicked look, Li Yuan says, “The competition will be on in over ten days and by that time, Young Master will have reached the fifth level of blood power and be able to kill Li Xing. It’s common knowledge that there are winners and losers inside a competition ring, so even if you kill him, Li Ziran will have nothing to say about that.”
Li Yuan roars with laughter, “You’re right! When that day comes, I will kill Li Xing in front of everyone from Three Chivalries Garden and show him there is no good for acting like a jerk in front of me!”
Li Yuan agrees by nodding his head, “So Young Master must work hard these few days. With my assistance, I believe you will make a breakthrough and reach level five blood power.”
Li Jie, however, suddenly realizes something, “Could Li Ziran also help Li Xing improve to level five?”
Li Yuan, after reflecting a while, answered, “I noticed Li Xing once. There is no way he could reach above level three, so there is no way he could reach level five in such a short time.”
Li Jie is rest assured, laughing and saying in a mocking tone, “I overestimated him. It takes several years to reach level four from level three. How could he possibly do that? My only concern now is Li Xing won’t be qualified for the competition and that I will miss the chance to kill him.”
Li Yuan understands what to do, saying, “Let me handle this, I will make sure he will enter the competition.”
Li Xing, however, has no idea that Li Jie is plotting to kill him. Deep into the night, he keeps steering his blood essence as he tries to break through his skeletal meridians. This time, it is proceeding more smoothly. Since Li Xing has been practicing nonstop every day, all his skeletal meridians are expected to be broken through within ten days.
The next morning, Li Xing changes his face again into “Zhao Yun” and returns to the Chen residence.
As a newly recruited brave warrior, he is well regarded in Three Chivalries Garden, so no one would ask him where he disappeared into the previous night. As usual, the two girl servants bring breakfast for Li Xing and stay nearby at his service.
After he finishes his breakfast, Chen Shuang shows up hurriedly with a smile, “Warrior Zhao, my father wants to see you.”
Normally, Li Xing rarely has the chance to meet Chen Jinsong. All he knows is that the man holds a secondary place in Three Chivalries Garden and that he is a rather diplomatic and tactful person.
“If I want to get ahead in the world, I must find myself a place first in Three Chivalries Garden. It’s only a matter of time that I know Chen Jinsong. It may be a good thing for me to meet him now.” Upon hearing the news, he smiles and says, “All right. Please lead the way, Miss.”
After passing several corridors and bridges, the two arrive at Tianxin Building in the heart of Three Chivalries Garden. There are three most prominent buildings, namely Lingxiao, Tianxin and Yudan, which are the respective residence of the three heads of family in Three Chivalries Garden.
And Tianxin Building is the place where Chen Jinsong lives and handles family affairs.
Li Xing steps in and sees a middle-aged man sitting in the middle of the room, examining him vigilantly. This is the very Chen Jinsong, the head of the Chen family.
Understanding that he is now a brave warrior under the roof of the Chens’, Li Xing, with polite confidence, cups his hands in front and says, “It’s an honor to meet you, Elder Master.”
Chen Jinsong nods while smiling in response, “Pease have a seat, Warrior Zhao.”
After Li Xing is seated, Chen Shuang says with a beaming face, “Father, Warrior Zhao is capable of level four blood power. Can I ask for your permission to have him stay by my side?”
Chen Jinsong, who has always been a doting father to his two daughters, gives his consent laughingly, “Of course you can. Do whatever you like.” Then he turns to Li Xing, saying “Warrior Zhao, Three Chivalries Garden is a large family with rules. As long as you do a good job and follow those rules, I assure you will be rewarded here.”
Li Xing slightly bows his head, replying, “I will.”
“Well, Xiaoshuang, from on now you can keep Warrior Zhao and do as you see fit.”
Then Li Xing stands up and follows Chen Shuang out.
After walking out of Tianxin Building, Chen Shuang says enthusiastically, “Zhao Yun, there will be a poetry convention tonight and all the young talents in Qingyun city will be there. You and I are going, too.”
As far as Li Xing is concerned, a so-called poetry convention is nothing but an occasion for a bunch of privileged children of the rich and powerful to party together. Although he is not interested in going, he has no choice but to say yes as part of Chen Shuang’s retinue.
“Yes.”
Chen Shuang then gathers two female servants, each with level two blood power, and three male servants who all have level three blood power. The seven of them, each carried by a horse, gallop out of Three Chivalries Garden to the venue of the poetry convention.
Although Li Xing has never ridden a horse before, he has mastered extraordinary balance owing to the near completion of level four blood power. So it doesn’t take long before he feels completely at east on the back of his horse.
The horses gradually slow down and pull to a stop in front of a six-storey building with the name of Qingyun Hotel. This is the No. one hotel in Qingyun city, not only for its imposing structure but also because it belongs to the ruler of the city. Anyone that passes through the gate of the hotel is either rich or powerful, or enjoys a highly distinguished place.
Some nouveau riches, in order to see the inside of the Qingyun Hotel, usually don’t begrudge the cost, because once they get in, they will have the chance to meet the bigwigs from across Qingyun City.
After they all descend from their horses, Chen Shuang’s eyes run down her six companions. Among them, Zhao Yun stands out with his handsome features, muscular arms and proportionally slender waist, which combine to make him look particularly charming.
Somehow, Chen Shuang develops a growing liking to Zhao Yun. Pointing at him, the girl says with a smile, “Zhao Yun, follow me upstairs. The rest of you wait here.”
The other five servants obey the girl’s command and stand behind, while Li Xing follows her into the hotel.
As they walk upstairs, they are greeted by servants on every floor. Chen Shuang goes straight to the sixth floor where there are already a dozen or so men and women around her age, all sumptuously dressed nobles.
Upon Chen Shuang’s arrival, all the men stand up from their seats, some with an adoring look, some gawking at her like a hopeless admirer, while others pretending to be nonchalant. Regardless of the expression on their faces, they all turn their eyes on the girl.
Judging from an aesthetic perspective as a man from a different world, Li Xing has to admit that Chen Shuang is a beautiful woman, the kind that was born into rich and noble.
“Miss Chen, everyone has been waiting for you. Please come and take a seat!” One of the men, slightly bowing, extends an invitation to Chen Shuang. At that moment, he catches sight of “Zhao Yun” behind the girl, and instantly, the look on his face shifts. “It’s you!
Chen Shuang is in raptures for being able to find a talent for her family. After chatting with Li Xing for a while, she takes off to her father, Chen Jinsong, with the good news.
After the girl leaves, Li Xing starts practicing again. The bead, while healing his wounds, has once again improved his constitution. And as he steers his blood essence smoothly all the way to his skeletal meridians, he doesn’t feel pain anymore.
“At this rate, I will be able to break all my skeletal meridians in no more than ten days!” he speculates.
At noon, a servant brings Li Xing clothing and food, along with two maid servants, following Chen Shuang order.
The servant says respectfully, “Master Zhao, our Miss said you may live here from now on. If you need anything, we will be at your service.”
Li Xing nods, “All right. Send over some food and don’t disturb me unless it’s necessary.”
“Yes,” The servants exit the room.
A few moments later, the table is full of delicious food, including pastries, six dishes and a jar of wine.
With a good appetite, Li Xing gobbles down everything except the pastries. After only taking one piece from each plate, he wraps all the rest with a clean cloth to bring them back to Xiaoxiu, thinking a teenage girl like her must love a tasty treat.
It is late and Chen Shuang never comes back. Li Xing walks through the courtyard of the Chen residence with no one noticing and comes to a quiet place. He quickly changes back to his original face, turning himself from Zhao Yun to Li Xing, and heads back for Purple Bamboo Community.
Xiaoxiu has already made dinner and been waiting for Li Xing to come back. As the girl starts to get impatient, Li Xing finally returns. Seeing him back, Xiaoxiu pouts, “Young Master, why are you home so late?” She is then immediately attracted by the white cloth bag in Li Xing’s hand, asking, “What’s that in your hand, Young Master?”
With a smile, Li Xing hands the bag to her, saying, “Take a look.”
Xiaoxiu takes over the bag with curiosity and before she opens it, there comes the delicious smell of pastries. The girl brightens up, yelling ecstatically, “It’s something yummy!” She promptly unwraps it and finds dozens of pieces of exquisite pastries.
Life in Purple Bamboo Community had been difficult without enough rice to eat most of the time, let alone pastries. The situation has only turned better since Li Ying started resuming supplies. However, Xiaoxiu has always been frugal, and even though there is no need to worry about money, she still hates to spend it on fancy food for herself.
Seeing the cakes, the girls is excited at first, then starts tearing up emotionally, “Xiaoxiu can’t eat this. I will save them as nighttime snacks for Young Master.”
At that moment, Li Hu comes in with his hands on his stomach, calling out, “Xiaoxiu, I’m starving. Anything to eat?” Then he sees the pastries in the girl’s hands and hurries forward with a greedy look.
Xiaoxiu grabs the bag and tries to hide it with both hands, refusing to share, “They are not for you. Young Master gave them to me.”
Li Hu turns to Li Xing with eagerness, asking, “Young Master, did you bring some for me, too?”
Li Xing forces a smile and feigns a berating tone, “Pastries are not for boys. Go eat your rice.”
Envious of Xiaoxiu, Li Hu gruntles, “Who said pastries are not for boys? Young Master his being partial.”
While Xiaoxiu enjoys her pastries, Butler Li Yuan is in Li Jie’s room, saying with frustration, “Young Master, I’m afraid we can’t touch Li Xing for the moment.”
The other day, Li Jie was infuriated that Li Xing was bold enough to challenge him. Since then he has determined to have Li Yuan teach him a lesson. As he hears what Li Yuan said, he immediately flies into a rage, “Why not?! He’s just a useless loser!”
Li Yuan grins awkwardly, “Young Master, can’t you tell that Li Xing is not a loser as he used to be? He has been able to practice blood.”
“What did you just say?” Li Jie almost jumps up from his seat and a murderous look flashes in his eyes. “He can practice blood? How could that loser and bastard manage to do that?”
In the world, some people, out of no reason, always harbor the green-eyed monster in their hearts and just cannot stand to see good things happen to others. Li Jie, apparently, is one of those people.
Li Yuan continues, “Remember that day when Young Master beat up Li Xing and severely wounded him? Didn’t you see anything different about him?”
Indeed, Li Jie did sense that Li Xing was no longer a loser as people always said. But for a very long time, he had regarded Li Xing as a good-for nothing, and that’s why he didn’t bother to think twice. Now hearing Li Yuan reminding him of that day, Li Jie suddenly realizes that Li Xing probably has already reached at least level two blood power.
“Young Master, it actually doesn’t matter whether Li Xing has practiced blood or not, I can finish him off any time. But what matters now is that Li Xing’s father has become sober.”
Li Jie frowns, “You mean that drunkard? What if he is sober? My father already has level two breath power. Do we need to be scared of him?”
“Of course we don’t. But Li Ziran is a vicious and insidious person who has level three breath power. If we run afoul of him, I’m afraid it will cause us a problem that even Elder Master can’t handle.”
“Humph! Who cares if Li Ziran is powerful or not! He is only one person. How hard would it be to just kill him?”
Li Yuan is meant to say that Li Ziran is not alone but has a bunch of people around him, but he shuts his mouth and decides not to say anything.
Li Jie, looking even more furious, pounds the table, “Li Yuan, I don’t care what you do. You must kill Li Xing for me!”
With a hollow laugh, Li Yuan says, “Young Master, there is a way to kill Li Xing.”
Li Jie is intrigued, asking, “Really? Go ahead!”
With a wicked look, Li Yuan says, “The competition will be on in over ten days and by that time, Young Master will have reached the fifth level of blood power and be able to kill Li Xing. It’s common knowledge that there are winners and losers inside a competition ring, so even if you kill him, Li Ziran will have nothing to say about that.”
Li Yuan roars with laughter, “You’re right! When that day comes, I will kill Li Xing in front of everyone from Three Chivalries Garden and show him there is no good for acting like a jerk in front of me!”
Li Yuan agrees by nodding his head, “So Young Master must work hard these few days. With my assistance, I believe you will make a breakthrough and reach level five blood power.”
Li Jie, however, suddenly realizes something, “Could Li Ziran also help Li Xing improve to level five?”
Li Yuan, after reflecting a while, answered, “I noticed Li Xing once. There is no way he could reach above level three, so there is no way he could reach level five in such a short time.”
Li Jie is rest assured, laughing and saying in a mocking tone, “I overestimated him. It takes several years to reach level four from level three. How could he possibly do that? My only concern now is Li Xing won’t be qualified for the competition and that I will miss the chance to kill him.”
Li Yuan understands what to do, saying, “Let me handle this, I will make sure he will enter the competition.”
Li Xing, however, has no idea that Li Jie is plotting to kill him. Deep into the night, he keeps steering his blood essence as he tries to break through his skeletal meridians. This time, it is proceeding more smoothly. Since Li Xing has been practicing nonstop every day, all his skeletal meridians are expected to be broken through within ten days.
The next morning, Li Xing changes his face again into “Zhao Yun” and returns to the Chen residence.
As a newly recruited brave warrior, he is well regarded in Three Chivalries Garden, so no one would ask him where he disappeared into the previous night. As usual, the two girl servants bring breakfast for Li Xing and stay nearby at his service.
After he finishes his breakfast, Chen Shuang shows up hurriedly with a smile, “Warrior Zhao, my father wants to see you.”
Normally, Li Xing rarely has the chance to meet Chen Jinsong. All he knows is that the man holds a secondary place in Three Chivalries Garden and that he is a rather diplomatic and tactful person.
“If I want to get ahead in the world, I must find myself a place first in Three Chivalries Garden. It’s only a matter of time that I know Chen Jinsong. It may be a good thing for me to meet him now.” Upon hearing the news, he smiles and says, “All right. Please lead the way, Miss.”
After passing several corridors and bridges, the two arrive at Tianxin Building in the heart of Three Chivalries Garden. There are three most prominent buildings, namely Lingxiao, Tianxin and Yudan, which are the respective residence of the three heads of family in Three Chivalries Garden.
And Tianxin Building is the place where Chen Jinsong lives and handles family affairs.
Li Xing steps in and sees a middle-aged man sitting in the middle of the room, examining him vigilantly. This is the very Chen Jinsong, the head of the Chen family.
Understanding that he is now a brave warrior under the roof of the Chens’, Li Xing, with polite confidence, cups his hands in front and says, “It’s an honor to meet you, Elder Master.”
Chen Jinsong nods while smiling in response, “Pease have a seat, Warrior Zhao.”
After Li Xing is seated, Chen Shuang says with a beaming face, “Father, Warrior Zhao is capable of level four blood power. Can I ask for your permission to have him stay by my side?”
Chen Jinsong, who has always been a doting father to his two daughters, gives his consent laughingly, “Of course you can. Do whatever you like.” Then he turns to Li Xing, saying “Warrior Zhao, Three Chivalries Garden is a large family with rules. As long as you do a good job and follow those rules, I assure you will be rewarded here.”
Li Xing slightly bows his head, replying, “I will.”
“Well, Xiaoshuang, from on now you can keep Warrior Zhao and do as you see fit.”
Then Li Xing stands up and follows Chen Shuang out.
After walking out of Tianxin Building, Chen Shuang says enthusiastically, “Zhao Yun, there will be a poetry convention tonight and all the young talents in Qingyun city will be there. You and I are going, too.”
As far as Li Xing is concerned, a so-called poetry convention is nothing but an occasion for a bunch of privileged children of the rich and powerful to party together. Although he is not interested in going, he has no choice but to say yes as part of Chen Shuang’s retinue.
“Yes.”
Chen Shuang then gathers two female servants, each with level two blood power, and three male servants who all have level three blood power. The seven of them, each carried by a horse, gallop out of Three Chivalries Garden to the venue of the poetry convention.
Although Li Xing has never ridden a horse before, he has mastered extraordinary balance owing to the near completion of level four blood power. So it doesn’t take long before he feels completely at east on the back of his horse.
The horses gradually slow down and pull to a stop in front of a six-storey building with the name of Qingyun Hotel. This is the No. one hotel in Qingyun city, not only for its imposing structure but also because it belongs to the ruler of the city. Anyone that passes through the gate of the hotel is either rich or powerful, or enjoys a highly distinguished place.
Some nouveau riches, in order to see the inside of the Qingyun Hotel, usually don’t begrudge the cost, because once they get in, they will have the chance to meet the bigwigs from across Qingyun City.
After they all descend from their horses, Chen Shuang’s eyes run down her six companions. Among them, Zhao Yun stands out with his handsome features, muscular arms and proportionally slender waist, which combine to make him look particularly charming.
Somehow, Chen Shuang develops a growing liking to Zhao Yun. Pointing at him, the girl says with a smile, “Zhao Yun, follow me upstairs. The rest of you wait here.”
The other five servants obey the girl’s command and stand behind, while Li Xing follows her into the hotel.
As they walk upstairs, they are greeted by servants on every floor. Chen Shuang goes straight to the sixth floor where there are already a dozen or so men and women around her age, all sumptuously dressed nobles.
Upon Chen Shuang’s arrival, all the men stand up from their seats, some with an adoring look, some gawking at her like a hopeless admirer, while others pretending to be nonchalant. Regardless of the expression on their faces, they all turn their eyes on the girl.
Judging from an aesthetic perspective as a man from a different world, Li Xing has to admit that Chen Shuang is a beautiful woman, the kind that was born into rich and noble.
“Miss Chen, everyone has been waiting for you. Please come and take a seat!” One of the men, slightly bowing, extends an invitation to Chen Shuang. At that moment, he catches sight of “Zhao Yun” behind the girl, and instantly, the look on his face shifts. “It’s you!
