Chapter 116: Chapter 116

In the grand chair.

Mei Shuangfeng was equally stunned.

Her eyes went wide, a flash of shock crossing their depths. Her rouged lips parted unconsciously.

“Xiu… Xiuhan, come here. Come closer — let your master have a look.”

Shen Xiuhan stepped forward as bidden.

Mei Shuangfeng reached out, her palm gliding inch by inch across his chest and abdomen, probing the flow of qi-blood through his sinews.

After a moment, she withdrew her hand slowly, drew a deep breath, and spoke — wonder and gravity entwined in her voice.

“The Surge and Belt Vessels are indeed open. By the look of the momentum, the Conception and Governor Vessels aren’t far behind… Within a month, I’d wager, both barriers will fall in quick succession.”

A pause. Then: “This is Sinew Tempering — beyond any doubt.”

“HSSSS!!”

The instant Mei Shuangfeng delivered her verdict, a chorus of sharp inhalations rang through the hall.

Zuo Guangshu swallowed hard, his mouth bone-dry. He stared at Shen Xiuhan and ventured cautiously.

“Shen… Junior Brother Shen, may I ask — how old are you this year?”

Shen Xiuhan turned and clasped his fists.

“Answering Senior Brother — next month, I’ll be eighteen.”

“HSSSS!!!”

All five of them sucked in air at once, scalps prickling, cold running down their spines.

Not yet eighteen!

Enrolled at the hall for barely three months!

In that time — Blood Tempering, Bone Tempering, and Sinew Tempering, all three barriers shattered in succession!

He’d even opened two of the five major sinews!

Was this… even human?

Jiang Qinghong pressed her red lips tight, watching the blue-robed youth in the center of the hall. A thought surfaced unbidden.

‘Truly… one terrifyingly fast man.’

The silence stretched for several full breaths.

At last, Mei Shuangfeng lifted her teacup, took a sip, and steadied herself. She broke the stillness.

“Stop gawking… Xiuhan, let me make some introductions.”

“These are senior disciples who joined the hall years ago. They now serve with the Longxiang Army and Bixia Mountain Estate…”

She rose and went through the introductions personally.

Shen Xiuhan greeted each in turn — a clasped fist here, a bow there — his bearing perfectly measured.

After a round of pleasantries, the atmosphere warmed considerably.

Zuo Guangshu and Ding Ning were effusively welcoming. Even the habitually stony Wang Lin exchanged a few more words than usual.

No one with any sense would antagonize a junior brother of this caliber.

By now the sun was overhead. Lunchtime.

Mei Shuangfeng was in excellent spirits and had no intention of subjecting her prized disciples to Madam Shi’s cooking.

She called Xu Chuan over and sent him to the inner city’s Drunken Immortal Tower to order a full table of dishes, delivered straight to the hall.

In less than an hour, the restaurant’s attendants arrived at the rear hall, carrying multi-tiered rosewood food boxes on shoulder-poles.

The lids came off, and a rich, savory fragrance flooded the room, setting mouths watering.

As the saying went — eat what the land provides.

Changyun County sat on the shores of Yunshui Lake, and the spread was the celebrated Eight Freshwater Delicacies of Yunshui.

Steamed Yunshui whitefish. Golden-roe drunken crab. Longjing jade shrimp. Sizzling eel paste. Lotus-fragrant steamed pork. Silver-fish and water-shield soup. Braised spring bamboo with green prawns…

And to finish, a dessert of osmanthus sugar lotus root — glutinous rice stuffed into every hollow, drizzled with brown sugar and osmanthus honey. Sweet, fragrant, irresistible.

Plus a crock of Lotus Jade Wine, its body dusted with fine grey — clearly cellared for many a year.

Everyone took their seats, Mei Shuangfeng opening the meal.

Three rounds of wine, five courses deep.

Once the conversation started, it never left Shen Xiuhan.

A few cups in, Zuo Guangshu’s cheeks flushed red. He proclaimed loudly.

“Junior Brother Shen, if you ever leave Changyun County, you must come find me at the prefectural city! Join our Bixia Mountain Estate!”

“With your talent, whether you enter the Qi Path or the Sword Path, an inner-gate seat is guaranteed!”

“Give it time, and seizing the chief disciple’s position? Not out of the question!”

BANG!

Ding Ning set her wine cup down with a deliberate thud. A few drops splashed over the rim. Her fine brows arched, and she cut in without ceremony.

“Bixia Mountain Estate? What for? So he can loaf around with you, waving that fan and playing the idle aesthete?”

She turned to Shen Xiuhan, her eyes intent.

“Junior Brother, a fighter’s edge is honed between life and death! You should join the Longxiang Army. Only in the crucible of the barracks — licking blood off the blade — does cultivation advance fastest!”

The two were openly vying for him right at the dinner table, trading volleys back and forth without yielding an inch.

Mei Shuangfeng shook her head with a helpless smile. She set down her ivory chopsticks, dabbed the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and stepped in.

“Enough, you two — stop fighting over him. I know Xiuhan’s temperament. He’s a free spirit who chafes at restraint. Given the chance, he’d rather join a sect…”

That effectively shut down the Longxiang Army option.

Zuo Guangshu was overjoyed. His grin widened, and he threw an arm around Shen Xiuhan’s shoulders with a booming laugh.

“Excellent, Junior Brother! You must come to Bixia Mountain Estate — I’ll throw you a welcome banquet at the finest restaurant in the prefectural city!”

Ding Ning sighed and let the matter drop, though she raised her cup toward Shen Xiuhan.

“Think it over at your leisure, Junior Brother. Wherever you end up, your senior sister wishes you a brilliant future.”

Shen Xiuhan quickly raised his cup in return, offering thanks.

Wine and meat flowed. The mood was warm and lively.

Jiang Qinghong and the three visitors traded stories over their cups — from the four-sect rivalries to the border wars, from strange tales to legends of spirit treasures.

Mei Shuangfeng, seeing the conversation well in hand, leaned close to Shen Xiuhan’s ear and murmured.

“Xiuhan… when the meal is over, come find me in the rear hall.”

Shen Xiuhan blinked, then schooled his expression and answered in a low voice.

“Yes, Master.”

The feast ended.

Zuo Guangshu, Ding Ning, and Wang Lin each had duties to attend to. After brief farewells, they departed one by one.

Jiang Qinghong returned to consolidating her cultivation.

Shen Xiuhan turned and walked through the gallery corridor toward the rear hall.

Inside, sandalwood incense curled through the stillness.

Mei Shuangfeng sat behind the desk, leafing through a yellowed old booklet. Beside it rested a small porcelain vial.

When Shen Xiuhan entered, she set the book down and raised the matter of the Bai family first. Her tone carried a note of frustration.

“These past weeks, I’ve tracked down quite a few leads on the abducted children, but I still can’t pin down who’s behind it.”

“The Bai family’s roots run deep. Their network is vast, and they’re careful. Every time I get close to a thread, they snip it.”

She paused, lifted her teacup, and continued.

“A few days ago, the West Market wharf suddenly went quiet. The Bai family must have caught wind and abandoned that channel… Truly — the cunning hare keeps three burrows.”

Shen Xiuhan’s brow creased, a heaviness settling in his chest.

“Master, the Bai family is powerful and cautious. We can’t afford to rush. Even if we uncover that the Bai family is behind it, we’d still need to choose the right moment to act. Startle the snake, and we’d only bring trouble on ourselves.”

Mei Shuangfeng’s eyes showed approval. She gave a slight nod, then changed the subject.

“Xiuhan, your rate of progress has far exceeded my expectations. Even if you don’t win this feast and can’t enter the Dragon Blood Essence Pool, with your talent, it shouldn’t be long before you’re ready to attempt Hidden Strength.”

She pushed the old booklet and the blue porcelain vial across the desk toward him.

“The vial contains Sinew-Transforming Pills — fifteen in all — refined from the Ink-Bone Green Fish you brought me. These pills are excellent for the sinews and meridians. They should last you a good while.”

“As for this booklet… it is our hall’s Hidden Strength method!”

Shen Xiuhan’s heart gave a jolt. He paused for a beat, then accepted it and opened the cover. On the inner page, five bold characters were written in a powerful, archaic hand —

Heavenly Eagle Black Tortoise Stance!