Chapter 20: Dinner and a Show I

~~~

After the altercation is over, Liu Jin and Xiao Nan are able to finish their meal in peace. In fact, no one even dares to look in Xiao Nan’s direction. That is how much of an impression he has made on these people. It makes Liu Jin feel a bit awkward. Luckily, they do not need to stay in the restaurant for much longer. They have all the information they need right now, or so Xiao Nan tells him.

The time has come for them to finally visit the Xiao Sect’s local branch.

Somewhere along the way, Xiao Nan changes into his regular clothes which denote his status as a Core Disciple. Xiao Nan then instructs Liu Jin to do the same. It is only then that Liu Jin discovers Xiao Nan has brought his disciple clothes with him. For Liu Jin, it is the first time he wears his Outer Disciple robes outside the Xiao Sect’s compound. He cannot help but feel oddly proud of himself.

Night has already fallen by the time Xiao Nan and Liu Jin arrive at the Xiao Sect’s local branch. The guards freeze the moment they see them…no.

Liu Jin shakes his head. That’s not it. Their clothes and appearance have nothing to do with the guards’ reaction. Once again, it is Xiao Nan’s Qi that grabs everyone’s attention. He is still disguising it. It is still merely in the Spirit Realm. The moment the guards’ feel that Qi, they snap into attention. Their clothes are noticed much later. The guards’ eyes widen even more once they do.

Barely able to muster a greeting without stuttering, the guards open the gates for them.

Compared to the Xiao Sect’s massive compound in Eastern Port City, the New Moon Town branch is not much to look at. For the standards of the town, however, it is a large and luxurious place.

Some sort of message must have been passed on by the guards because the moment they enter, Liu Jin hears a bunch of noises coming from the main house. People running all over the place and loud, panicked voices. In just under a minute, a welcoming party comes out to greet them. It is made up of about fifteen people, most of them Elders.

At the head of the procession is a man who looks to be in his fifties but is probably much older than that. Liu Jin can just barely make out his Qi. Unlike everyone else he has met so far, this man can be said to be strong. If Liu Jin is not wrong, the man in front of them stands in the Spirit Realm. Suddenly, it becomes clear why Xiao Nan has been limiting his power to just that. He must be giving the man some face.

“Greetings,” the man says, with a clasped hands salute. “Honored guests from the main branch, we have been expecting you. It is this Xiao Ding’s great pleasure to welcome you into our home.”

Xiao Nan returns the salute with Liu Jin quickly following suit, always standing two steps behind and to the side of Xiao Nan. “Greetings Branch Master,” Xiao Nan says. “It is this Xiao Nan’s honor to be welcomed here.”

It is amazing the effects those words have. The instant they leave Xiao Nan’s mouth and reach the ears of their welcoming party, their faces brighten. They seem to stand straighter, taller.

Prouder.

Liu Jin stays silent, only speaking when it is his duty to do. The rest, he lets Xiao Nan handle. The Xiao Sect’s number one prodigy is simply better suited for that sort of stuff. Unlike him, Xiao Nan has actually been trained for this. Liu Jin’s experience in social situations is limited to being kind to patients, respectful to his elders, and extremely respectful to beings of overwhelming power. Formal meetings are outside his area of expertise. Liu Jin just makes sure to keep a polite smile on his face as everything happens.

It takes some time, but once the introductions and formalities are done, Xiao Ding invites them in. Judging by the smell that drifts by, Liu Jin is certain the meal has either been just heated or just prepared. Liu Jin wonders if maybe Xiao Ding took his time introducing everyone on purpose so as to give the servants time to get everything ready.

“Please, be seated,” Xiao Ding says as he leads them to a large dining hall. Xiao Nan sits next to Xiao Ding and Liu Jin next Xiao Nan. “You have had a long journey. No doubt, you must be hungry. I hope this humble feast is suitable to your tastes.”

Humble?

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow. The room is perfectly clean. There is not a single speck of dust to be seen. The plates are of high-quality. The food is pleasing to the eye, and the smell is not bad at all. This probably does not compare to the banquets thrown in Eastern Port City, but Liu Jin has never been to one of those. Liu Jin does not doubt that Xiao Ding has put a lot of money into this in order to impress them.

There is just one problem.

Liu Jin is full.

Because he went to that restaurant with Xiao Nan, Liu Jin ended up full of sweets and tea. Liu Jin throws a subtle yet panicked glance at Xiao Nan. The teen replies with an even more subtle shrug. However, Liu Jin can read that shrug well enough.

I am sorry, Little Brother. The truth is I just really wanted to eat some sweets.

That’s what that shrug is telling him.

Liu Jin’s polite smile twitches. It twitches even more as food is served on his plate. He is a guest of honor, so he receives an unfortunately large portion. There is no way he can finish it. By personality and social position, Liu Jin is someone who only eats what is necessary. Eating sweets today has been the first time Liu Jin has actually indulged in eating too much. Expecting him to eat such a large portion of food right now is just not feasible.

However, what can he do?

Liu Jin slowly takes off his scarf to make time. It is not like he can eat while wearing it as it covers the lower half of his face.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

He cannot just refuse the food. He also cannot say he is already full because he ate before coming here. At worst, they may take it as an insult. Likewise, not saying anything but also not eating will not be received well. They may interpret it as Liu Jin thinking their food is not good enough for him.

Liu Jin bites the inside of his cheek for a moment before putting some food in his mouth. At the very least, he can’t be seen not eating the food. He needs to at least go through the motions, however slowly.

Cultivators do not really need to eat. Liu Jin considers leaning on that fact while slowly chewing some meat. Once a person reaches a certain level of cultivation, food becomes an indulgence rather than something necessary for life. Even someone in the Inner Realm like Liu Jin can go without food or water for a few days. However, if Liu Jin says something like that, the people here may take it as him calling attention to their relatively low cultivation level.

Liu Jin may even end up making them feel bad for choosing to impress Xiao Nan and him with a feast. It would show their thinking only went that far. It seems to Liu Jin that most of his options would make the local branch lose some face.

Not offending people, Liu Jin realizes, is a difficult task.