"This is the library?" Lin Kai asked, staring at the small wooden building in front of him. It was barely twice the size of his room. He turned to Bo Qin, needing to confirm that they had the right place.
"Uh... is there a problem?" Bo Qin looked confused. He'd lived on the streets for as long as he could remember and hadn't seen any library before. Only big families and rich people could afford books. To him, this place was sacred, no matter how small it seemed. He had barely seen a handful of books in his life, let alone an entire room filled with them.
"No, nothing." Lin Kai replied with a bitter smile. He had been comparing this place to the grand libraries on Earth without realizing it. Of course, it was disappointing in size. Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts aside as they walked toward the building.
"Wait… that guy…" As they neared the library, Lin Kai's gaze landed on a middle-aged man sitting by the entrance with his eyes closed.
"You know him?" Bo Qin raised an eyebrow. Even though he liked to talk, he couldn't possibly know everyone working for the Ji family.
"Yeah, he's our supervisor," Lin Kai nodded. He remembered seeing the same man sitting in the clearing, watching over them.
"No wonder he knew I didn't know about the library," Lin Kai muttered under his breath, recalling the man's suggestion from a while ago.
"Hey, why don't you ask him to show us around?" Bo Qin suddenly suggested, sounding excited. "We don't know much about this place yet, right? Maybe he can help."
Bo Qin's enthusiasm grew the more he spoke, and for a moment, he even forgot their status as servants. In another family, like the Long or Cai, he wouldn't dare say such things. But the Ji family had treated them so well that it was easy to forget their true place.
"Um..." Lin Kai hesitated, frowning at the suggestion. Unlike Bo Qin, he knew the gap between their statuses. Just because the Ji family treated them decently didn't mean they were equals. A family that held its own against the two ancient families wouldn't make it that far without power. Lin Kai wasn't sure how strong the Long and Cai families were, but he was sure the Ji family was stronger.
While Bo Qin continued urging him, and Lin Kai hesitated, the man sitting nearby opened his eyes, glancing at them.
"This…" Even though the man was still ten meters away, Lin Kai and Bo Qin suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure. Breathing became difficult, and they realized, with terror, that they couldn't move. Neither of them needed an explanation; it was clear that the man was the source of their fear. It felt like a wild beast, not a person, was staring at them. Their backs were drenched in cold sweat, and both swallowed nervously. Not to mention Bo Qin, a mere mortal, even Lin Kai, who had stepped into the rank of Martial Artists couldn't move a muscle.
"Oh, it's you." It was at this moment that the man smiled softly... and just like that, the pressure lifted. Both Lin Kai and Bo Qin who felt like they were about to die, could finally breathe again.
"Uh… I-I just remembered I have something to do!" The moment Bo Qin found that he could move again, he stammered before turning and sprinting away. At that moment, he wanted to slap himself for thinking too highly of himself. They were just servants, after all, and now he was terrified that he might have offended the man. He made a silent vow never to set foot here again. He hadn't come to gain knowledge in the first place, he was just bored.
Lin Kai speechlessly watched as Bo Qin ran off into the distance, afraid of spending a single second in this place and just shook his head. "This guy talks big, but he's the first to run when things get tough."
"Senior," Focusing back on the man in front of him, Lin Kai gave him a respectful bow, his thoughts swirling. The man had barely moved and yet had frozen them in place. If he wanted to, Lin Kai was sure they wouldn't even have the chance to defend themselves. He couldn't help but wonder just how powerful the man truly was.
"Sixth grade… or even higher?" Lin Kai thought. He only knew about the lowest martial grades, Ninth and Eighth. Anything beyond that was still a mystery to him.
"I see you took my advice seriously," It was at this moment that the man spoke with a faint smile, interrupting Lin Kai's train of thought. Looking at his amiable smiling face, there was no trace of the fierce energy from moments before. It was as if it had all been an illusion.
"Do you have any more advice, Senior?" Lin Kai asked respectfully, a mix of nerves and awe in his voice.
The man chuckled and shook his head. "Not much more, no." He then stood up and stretched, changing the subject. "What are you looking for here? Maybe this old man can help."
"Uh…" Lin Kai was caught off guard. He hadn't really thought about what he wanted to learn. Anything he didn't know was valuable in his eyes. But after a moment, an idea flashed through his mind. Since the man was clearly a martial expert, why not ask about the martial arts levels? Perhaps he could get a better sense of his own strength too.
"I want to know more about martial arts," Lin Kai said quickly.
"I see," the man responded, slightly surprised. A knowing smile spread across his face. He had encountered many young people who were eager to walk the martial path. Far from being annoyed by the repeated question, he felt nostalgic. It reminded him of home…
"You won't find much about martial arts inside the library," the man said with a smile while shaking his head. "How about we take a walk instead? I'll be happy to share what I know."
"Sure!" Lin Kai replied instantly as if he had been waiting for the offer.
"Then let's go…" the man said, his gaze drifting into the distance.
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The two of them didn't start talking right away. Even though Lin Kai was eager to learn more about the later stages of martial arts, he didn't say anything. He quietly followed the man, waiting for the right moment.
After several twists and turns, they finally reached their destination.
"This place…" Lin Kai was surprised to see they had arrived at the mound where he could see the entire Ji family estate. It was the same spot he had visited last week, sitting alone in silence. He hadn't expected the man to bring him here.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" The man smiled, gazing at the many buildings below, before sitting down on the ground.
"Yeah…" Lin Kai nodded, hesitating for a moment. Should he sit or keep standing? After a brief pause, seeing the man relax and enjoy the view, Lin Kai decided to grit his teeth and sit beside him.
They sat there in silence, not a word spoken between them. Occasionally, a few servants passed by, casting quick glances in their direction before hurrying away. None of them dared to come close or disturb the peace.
Lin Kai didn't know how long had passed. At first, the scenery calmed him, but soon he began to wonder why they were even here.
He did enjoy sitting quietly in nature, but only when he was by himself. With someone else there, especially someone like this man, he couldn't fully relax.
"You asked about martial arts, right?" Just as Lin Kai was beginning to think the man might never speak, he finally broke the silence.
"Yes." Lin Kai nodded, snapping back to attention.
"Did they not teach you everything at the Iron Fist Martial Hall?"
*Bang
Lin Kai's eyes widened in shock, and the hairs on his neck stood up. He stared at the man, mouth open, speechless. How did he know that?
"Relax," the man chuckled, seeing Lin Kai's stunned expression. "It's not like you've done something wrong."
Lin Kai couldn't focus on anything else. When he joined the Ji family, they hadn't asked for names or backgrounds, and he hadn't mentioned his past with the martial hall. That meant the Ji family must have sent someone to investigate him.
The more he thought about it, the colder his heart grew. As expected from one of the major families, they kept an eye on everything, even their servants.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Kai forced himself to calm down. The man was still waiting for a reply.
"They didn't teach me everything," Lin Kai admitted. Since the man already knew about his background, there was no point in hiding it.
"Hmm… I wasn't expecting the martial halls in this town to be so lacking. Honestly, it's pathetic," the man said with clear disdain.
"If you say so…" Lin Kai nodded. He had his own frustrations with the martial hall, spending all his money only to be left feeling cheated.
"So, what exactly do you know?" The man finally asked the question Lin Kai had been waiting for.
Lin Kai straightened up and cleared his throat before explaining everything he knew.
"When someone starts practicing martial arts, the first thing they do is refine their muscles," Lin Kai began. "When a person can exert five hundred pounds of strength, they are considered a ninth-rank master."
"The eighth rank comes when someone refines their bones. After endless tempering, when the bones turn as strong as iron, they become eighth-rank masters."
After saying these two sentences, Lin Kai stopped. That was the limit of his knowledge.
"That's it?" The man, who had been nodding a moment ago, was startled by Lin Kai's sudden silence. He looked at Lin Kai, expecting him to continue, but when it became clear that was all he knew, the man let out a soft laugh and shook his head.
"Forget it…" With a sigh, the man began to speak. "I'll explain everything that you should have learned there."
And with that, he started sharing the knowledge Lin Kai had longed for.