Eventually, the New Year's celebration ended and Lin Chu finally found the time for his neglected student. By that time, I also restored enough peace in my soul that I could look at Lin Tan in passing and not curse his name aloud.
When Lin Chu ordered me to appear in his garden, I was more apprehensive than hopeful. If he just left me alone, I could've cultivated on my own well enough. However, if Lin Chu turned out to be anything like Lin Tan, then I was in trouble.
Lin Chu's garden was very barren of life for something called "a garden". Besides a pond with carps and some grass nearby, there were mostly rocks and sand. It made me think of an oasis in a desert.
Never seen one in my life. Black Land continent was full of rich forests and fertile fields with black soil that was the continent's namesake.
When I approached, Lin Chu was sitting on a low bench, gazing at the pond. I bowed respectfully.
"Master, you wanted to speak with me?"
"Yes. We have important things to discuss regarding your future education, Disciple Ru. I hoped for you to pass all the trials given by Lin Tan, Disciple Ru, and you didn't disappoint. That you are here, now, is a proof that the clan's methods of finding new disciples are faulty."
The clan's "methods" were just showing a few Qi stones to children in a village. Then the clan's officials bought everyone who said they were glowing. Poor parents usually were only happy to exchange an extra mouth for some cash, especially if their kid was going to be a cultivator and not a sacrifice. Very sophisticated.
I kept my thoughts away from my face, though.
"Keep not being a disappointment, Ru Yujin, and you will rise higher than you ever imagined yourself to be. Prove the rest of the clan that lowborn disciples can be more than cannon fodder if they are taught correctly."
I smiled. It seemed like Lin Chu shared at least some of my values.
"I will do my best, Master."
"Then start by fixing the mess you made from your cultivation." Lin Chu pointed at my head, then at my heart.
"A mess? But Master, this cultivation technique works perfectly well!" Before Lin Chu could take offense at my protest, I bowed my head and continued, "Yes, it required more Qi to make these dantians, but now I have more Qi to use for techniques, and the flow of Qi in my meridians is more stable and harmonious."
Lin Chu frowned.
"Besides, Master… removing a dantian at this stage might severely wound or even cripple me. Isn't it?"
Even if I had spares, after what Fu Zhou did, I could imagine it all too vividly.
"Very well. It won't reflect well on my status if my personal disciple becomes mutilated in the first month of teaching. Besides, if you prove all the skeptics wrong, it will make your accomplishment stand out even more."
And if I failed, Lin Chu could plausibly blame Lin Tan for not correcting my cultivation, while that was possible. I smiled.
"Master, this technique won't slow me down, but will only make me stronger. I will show that to you, and to the clan!"
Lin Chu nodded.
"I will watch your future progress closely. It's very important that you don't shame me in the future with your conduct or your weakness. Since you are my disciple, Ru Yujin, everything you do, good and bad, reflects on me. And then it will come back to you tenfold, too."
I nodded vigorously.
"I understand, Master."
"Now, about your actual training. Under Lin Tan you had learned the basics of cultivation and scholarly education. Are you well-versed in reading?"
I nodded. "Yes, I know 4000 hieroglyphs."
Lin Chu blinked. "Disciple, have you miscounted? For someone from a village, knowing 500 is already a lot! 4000—there's no way you could've learned this much in half a year."
I put a hand to my heart. "This is true, Master! I just remembered everything Master Tan showed us. He himself was very impressed with my progress."
Truthfully, my memory wasn't THAT good. Literacy was just another thing I simply knew. If there were more hieroglyphs which I remembered out of nowhere, I wouldn't be shocked.
Back in the ranks of outer disciples, this helped me win a few of Lin Tan's contests and grab extra Qi stones I needed so much.
Lin Chu looked at me for a moment with extreme skepticism.
"Fine. I will see this in practice. There is news about Crystal Phoenix Sect threatening our borders again. Soon, I might have to leave the Lin Manor to inspect the garrisons maintained by the Lin clan. Before that happens, I will make sure you have something to learn while I'm away."
Lin Chu stood up from the bench and gestured to me to follow him.
"Disciple Ru, until the Qi Foundation stage, you had very little Qi and could study only the weakest techniques, which are useless in a fight. Now you can finally start mastering something better."
My eyes lit up. I've seen some things other cultivators could do, and despite my cynicism, I felt a slight sense of childhood wonder at the idea of doing something that cool.
"Then I will arrange your martial training, Ru Yujin. Lin Tan neglects that, I know, until his disciples reach the Qi Foundation stage. But a cultivator's time is too important to waste on chores that can be done by any servant."
"Yes, I completely agree with your every word, Master!"
Lin Chu made no sign he even heard me.
The two of us walked through the Lin Manor until he stopped in front of a tall pagoda. It was painted blue, purple, and gold and lavishly decorated. Statues of dragons and lion-beasts stood near the entrance, each of them glowing with Qi—just like the pagoda's walls.
It wasn't the first building in the Lin Clan that had defensive formation in it, but the formation here was one of the brightest and strongest.
Lin Chu gestured at the place.
"This is the Lin Clan's Sacred Library. All techniques our clan gathered, and the ones given to us by the Purple Dragon Sect, are kept here under wards. Access to the Sacred Library is limited. The first floor is open to everyone and contains only literature for studies of the Qi Shaping level. The second floor contains techniques appropriate for Qi Foundation level. This is where we will go."