Several more days passed.

Su Yu hadn’t been idle these past few days. He was busy making the rounds, fulfilling social obligations. He had drinks at Senior Brother Xu’s and returned a gift to Senior Sister Lin...

One day, just as he’d seen off a wave of visitors bearing gifts, a fiery red figure burst into the Su Mansion before Su Yu could even catch his breath.

"Junior Su, I’ve arranged a marriage for you."

"Senior Sister..." Su Yu gave a wry smile. "My mind is set on Martial Arts right now. I really haven’t considered settling down and starting a family."

Qin Yu’s eyes flashed. "Absolutely not! I’m introducing you to the sixth miss of the Liu Family! She’s of noble status and has the strength of a First Acupoint Martial Artist. People in the city are clamoring for a chance to meet her, a chance they never get. How can you pass up an opportunity like this!"

"If you marry her, with the Liu Family backing you, you’ll never have to worry about resources for your Martial Arts path!"

Su Yu wanted to protest, but his senior sister simply grabbed his arm and started dragging him out the door.

’Sigh... Senior Sister’s bossy attitude hasn’t changed one bit.’

...

「Zhenxiu Building, Tingxue Pavilion.」

Incense smoke swirled through the private room, which was decorated with the utmost extravagance.

A woman in a goose-yellow, embroidered silk dress sat by the window, holding a round fan as she gazed at the street below. Her features were lovely, her eyes holding an air of innate nobility. Behind her, two pretty maids stood in attendance with their hands folded.

"Sister Yu’Er, you’re finally here. You’ve kept me waiting," the woman said as she saw Qin Yu enter. She rose slowly, a polite smile on her face.

"Yuan’Er, something delayed me on the way."

Qin Yu smiled, pulled Su Yu forward from behind her, and made an enthusiastic introduction. "Here he is! This is the one I told you about—the number one genius of the White Ape Martial Arts Hall and my father’s Direct Disciple, Su Yu!"

Then, she turned to Su Yu. "And this is the sixth miss of the Liu Family, Liu Yuan. She is skilled in the four arts—zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—and her talent in Martial Arts is impressive. She’s a renowned lady of talent in our Outer City."

"Master Su."

Liu Yuan merely gave Su Yu a fleeting glance and a slight nod by way of greeting. She then ignored him completely, pulling Qin Yu to sit down. "Sister Yu’Er, you must try this tea. It’s from this year’s first harvest."

Qin Yu frowned slightly. "Yuan’Er, my junior, Su Yu, is a true genius. It’s only a matter of time before he breaks through to the Flesh Refining Realm. You two should talk."

Liu Yuan’s expression stiffened at her words, though she quickly concealed it. "Master Su, please join us for tea."

She spoke without even looking at Su Yu, merely gesturing with her hand.

Only then did a maid behind her step forward, pull out a chair for Su Yu, and pour him a cup of tea.

Su Yu’s expression remained neutral. He sat down calmly, raised the teacup for a sip, and said nothing. His demeanor was placid; he made no move to start a conversation.

’He’d seen it the moment he walked in. This Miss Liu didn’t respect him in the slightest.’

"Sister Yu’Er, I hear you’ve been terribly busy. I was hoping we could go to the Brocade Workshop together," Liu Yuan said, pulling Qin Yu into idle chatter and treating Su Yu as if he were invisible.

Qin Yu frowned and forced the conversation back to Su Yu. "Yuan’Er, your fifth brother, Liu Li, is at the Public Security Bureau, isn’t he? He and Su Yu both placed in the top five at the Martial Examination. And just a while ago, Su Yu earned top honors at the Public Security Bureau. Surely your brother must have mentioned it."

"Is that so?" Liu Yuan replied nonchalantly. "My fifth brother goes to the Inner City whenever he’s free. He’s never mentioned such trivialities to me."

Seeing how stiff the atmosphere had become, Qin Yu spoke up. "I’m going to look around downstairs. Yuan’Er, you two have a chat on your own."

As she spoke, she stood and shot Su Yu a meaningful look.

’Su Yu wanted to leave with her, but he couldn’t bring himself to embarrass his senior sister like that.’

’He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly again.’

’He hadn’t wanted to come on this blind date to begin with. Now, after meeting the arrogant and utterly unremarkable Liu Yuan, he was even less interested.’

Qin Yu reached the doorway and frowned when she saw the two maids were still inside. "Yuan’Er, have these two maids of yours come out with me."

Liu Yuan knew Qin Yu’s temper. She nodded at her maids, and the two women followed Qin Yu out.

The door closed, leaving the room in a somewhat awkward silence.

The fake smile on Liu Yuan’s face vanished instantly. She poured herself a cup of tea, gently blowing the froth from the surface, and began to speak. "Master Su, we both understand Sister Yu’Er’s intentions. However, I’m a straightforward person, so I’ll be direct."

"Master Su, while your progress in Martial Arts is commendable, you come from a family of fishermen. Your background is too shallow... You are not the ideal husband I’m looking for. I only agreed to meet today because I couldn’t bring myself to refuse Sister Yu’Er. Let’s finish our tea, and this meeting will be concluded."

Su Yu’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He set down his teacup and looked calmly at Liu Yuan. "Miss Liu, you’re a straightforward person. As it happens, so am I. To be frank, you’re not the ideal partner I’m looking for, either. Let’s just finish our tea and leave it at that."

At his words, Liu Yuan secretly pursed her lips in disdain.

’This Su Yu is just being stubborn to save face. What man wouldn’t want to pursue me? He’s just embarrassed because I rejected him, that’s all.’

’I’m a miss of the Liu Family, after all. Men are constantly falling over themselves to win my favor for that reason alone.’

’And on top of that, I’m a First Acupoint Martial Artist with considerable talent. Even other martial geniuses are eager for a marriage alliance with me.’

’With my looks, talent, and status, Cui Wanhe is the only one in the younger generation of Black Stone City’s Outer City who’s even worth a second glance.’

’But even Cui Wanhe’s background is a bit lacking—certainly not on par with the young masters from the noble families in the Inner City, to say nothing of the young masters from Jian’an Prefecture!’

...

Outside Zhenxiu Building, Qin Yu asked in a low voice, "Junior Su, how did it go?"

Su Yu shook his head. "Senior Sister, we’re not a good match. Please don’t try to set me up anymore. I really don’t want to go on any more blind dates."

’He knew Qin Yu meant well, but he just couldn’t accept this old-fashioned custom of deciding on marriage after a single meeting.’

’Especially when it involved a woman like Miss Liu. That was completely out of the question.’

Seeing Su Yu’s firm stance, Qin Yu guessed what had happened. She frowned. "Liu Yuan must have underestimated your talent!"

"Senior Sister, let’s just leave it at that. I’ll be going now."

...

「Su Mansion. The study.」

He had just returned to the mansion when Li Da led in a thin, elderly man. The man wore a scholar’s robe, washed so many times it had faded to white.

"Lord Su, this is Mr. Qian, whom we arranged to meet before the year’s end."

"This humble commoner, Qian Shu, pays his respects to Lord Su." The old man bowed deeply. His movements were precise, and though his robes were tattered, he carried himself with the unbending spirit of a true scholar.

Su Yu hurried forward to help him up. "Mr. Qian, there’s no need for such formality. I’ve heard you are a venerable scholar of Black Stone City, known for your profound knowledge. I wish to invite you to teach here at my mansion."

Qian Shu gave a bitter laugh and cupped his hands. "What scholar? The world is in chaos, the imperial examinations have been suspended... ’a scholar is worthless’ as they say. Nowadays, this old one can only eke out a living by helping people with letters and accounts in taverns. It is a rare thing for a man of Martial Arts like Lord Su to still value this old one’s meager learning."

Su Yu’s expression turned serious. "Martial Arts refines the body, and reading refines the mind. There is no reason to look down on scholarship."

He led Qian Shu into the prepared classroom and called for Yaya, Wang Qu, and Li Da. "You three will sit in on the lessons as well. At the very least, you’ll learn a few more words."

"Yes, Master!"

A faint scent of ink filled the study.

Qian Shu carefully took a few yellowed books from within his robes and placed them on the table. "Lord Su, where would you like to begin?"

"We can skip the formulaic essays for the imperial examinations."

Su Yu thought for a moment. "I want to learn ancient characters and understand the history, customs, and geography of the Great Xia. If there are any accounts of ancient legends, I’d like to hear about those as well."

"Very well. We shall begin with this ’History of the Great Xia’."

Qian Shu’s somewhat aged voice echoed through the study. "In the First Year of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Grand Ancestor journeyed north with his sword. He slew a true dragon in the Celestial Break Mountain Range of the Central Province, bathed in its Dragon Blood to forge the Nine Cauldrons, and thus established his dominion over all under heaven..."

Su Yu listened, captivated.

He listened to the lecture while flipping through the book, matching the spoken words to the complex characters on the page.

As each character imprinted itself upon his mind, a peculiar feeling began to well up inside him.

Suddenly, text flashed before his eyes.

[You have read a historical text, gaining insight into the past and present. You have acquired the new skill: Reading.]

[Skill]: Reading (Entry-level 25/100)

’Su Yu’s heart leaped with joy. ’So reading really is a skill! And I’ve already reached the entry-level!’’