Master Wu seemed slightly puzzled. "Of course, I'll be happy to give you some advice." he said slowly. "But somebody of your status should have attended at least one or two banquets before. Even if you didn't bring the appropriate attire, there are many clothing stores on the road."
Jiang Shiqin smiled awkwardly. "I didn't pay much attention to my etiquette lessons when I was small except for the most basic things." He explained. "As for other clothing stores, I'm afraid they will miss out something. Who better to ask than you, Master Wu, who is a familiar face at the banquet tables of Distant Lands' great sects?"
Hearing these reasonable words, Master Wu nodded in understanding." I'm not one to brag, but my expertise is a real thing. It's a shame I need to make a trip to a nearby city for some issues, and thus will miss this rare event by Falling Stars Sect. Not to belittle you, but how did you receive the invitation? Usually, only influential figures within the city and people acquainted with the various sects will be invited."
"I happen to be acquainted with someone from Thousand Blooming Lotus Sect." answered Jiang Shiqin. Showing a desire to avoid the topic, he continued. "Also, if it's possible, could you give me some advice on how to conduct myself? Is there any particular taboo among cultivators that I should take note of?"
Master Wu was also polite enough not to delve further into Jiang Shiqin's connections, despite his rising curiosity. A young man of twenty travelling to the edge of the known continent for a mysterious mission - chances were, he was acting on the orders of someone powerful. This also meant that his connections were most likely part of the complicated web of the influential, and Autumn Pavillion's top aim was to stay away from these murky waters.
The older man chose to laugh heartily instead. "With your talent for words, who can make things difficult for you? Young man, relax a little! Most cultivators are generous and broad-minded, and as long as you don't say anything particularly insulting, they'll treat it as drunken words over a cup of alcohol." He stopped for a while before continuing. "You might want to keep some distance with Harmony Sect's disciples, though. They might treat your courtesy as ridicule."
Jiang Shiqin nodded, understanding the implication that these elegant-looking cultivators might possess the mentality of 'a thief knows a thief as a wolf knows a wolf' (*). Suddenly, he felt somewhat reminiscent of his life back at the capital. There, any word spoken by the nobles was automatically a lie, an empty word, or a masked insult, which meant he could disregard most of them. Here, he also had to filter out those spoke honestly as well, and differentiate between friends and foes.
(*) basically means takes one to know one; in vietmamese, it's equivalent to 'suy bụng ta ra bụng người', which implies that you think that other people have the same thoughts (mostly negative) as you do. Here, it means that most Harmony Sect people often hide daggers in their words, and they think that other people do the same. Sorry for the confusion haha.
Master Wu added after some thoughts. "You might want to tone down your overtly courteous attitude a little. It'll make you seem rather distant." He looked at the younger man again, only to witness the eternally refined smile on that jade-like countenance. "On second thoughts, your face can probably charm nine out of ten people already, men and women included, so your refined attitude might actually be more suitable. I forsee a queue of maidens in front of the manor's gates by the time I get back, actually. Your appearance brings a lot of trouble."
The object of the speech, unfairly deemed as 'troublesome', froze. "Master Wu, please don't make fun of me. In comparison to the heroic youths of the Distant Lands, my charm is virtually nothing."
"Ah," the older man nodded in understanding. "So you need not a garden but one single flower, is it?"
"Master Wu..."
"Perfect. On the matter of attire for the banquet, Autumn Pavillion has a shop near Lishuijie Street that a lot of young masters and mistresses frequent. If I remember correctly, you still have a date with Miss Su Dai, don't you?"
"Yes, but..."
"As the daughter of a sect master, she should be very clear on the etiquette for an inter-sect banquet. Bring her with you. Women do seem to like choosing clothes for their men."
"Master Wu," Jiang Shiqin felt an urgent need to clarify, "we're normal friends."
The middle-aged man glanced distastefully at Jiang Shiqin from the corners of his eyes as he stood up. "Sure. It's decided then." He put down the cup of tea, still halfway filled. "Remember to buy a gift for her when you two are strolling around the streets. Now, young man, I am a busy merchant and should be on my way."
Jiang Shiqin stopped his sigh from escaping his throat, and stood up as well. "Then, thanking Master Wu for your help. Shiqin wish you a pleasant journey."
A satisfied smile finally appeared on the man's face, and his eyes twinkled in amusement. "Well then, let us be on our separate ways."
As he departed, Jiang Shiqin suddenly realized that Master's Wu face from side view looked amazingly fox-like.
Even as the host's figure had already disappeared, Jiang Shiqin remained in deep thoughts. Sect Master Wu had displayed clear disapproval towards his daughter's relationship with the person he considered too unfeeling and apathetic. Nonetheless, Master Wu's suggestion made sense, and Jiang Shiqin himself did not like leaving a promise unfulfilled. Feeling exhausted, in the end, he asked a servant to pass on a message to Sect Master Su.
As he sealed the letter, memories of a distant past resurfaced, more distant than his time at the capital, even more distant than before everything that had happened left him without a home. In those memories, he vaguely recalled a child of four jokingly ask his parents for permission to marry him once they grow up, and a ring weaved from wild grass...
The scratching sound of fingernails against paper dissipated that hazy scene. Jiang Shiqin looked at his fingers - long, thin, elegant and very distinctively male - and the blurry sense of nostalgia that had just sparked in his heart disappeared, just like it had countless times before.