In some wuxia works, as long as the gap isn't too great, martial artists can tell the rough level of each other's internal cultivation the moment they meet. In other wuxia works, even if the gap is as wide as heaven and earth, as long as no one makes a move, neither side can tell the other's internal cultivation. It all comes down to the author's settings.
This world sat between the two, closer to the former: someone of higher cultivation could see through someone of lower cultivation with ease. The moment Ji Zhao came through the door, Ji Bei saw straight through his cultivation.
"Oh... This amount of Rotten Wood inner breath — you actually mastered that Qi Conversion Art?"
Ji Zhao nodded. "Maybe I'm just suited to practicing this sort of thing."
"Should I say thank heaven for the Duke of Wu'an's protection?" It was, after all, only a knack that came in handy now and then. Ji Bei was surprised that Ji Zhao had suddenly managed to learn it, but did not give it much thought. She could not see Ji Zhao's Comprehension, after all, much less the Qi Conversion Art's experience formula.
"I want to practice some martial techniques," Ji Zhao said. "I feel my talent might be higher in that area. Eldest Sister, you probably don't have the time — are there any manuals?"
"No manuals. And if there were, they'd be the Luo River Pavilion's, and I won't pass them on," Ji Bei said flatly. "Besides, with your internal cultivation as it is, even if you learned a martial technique you'd have no inner breath to use it with. Don't aim too high. Train the fist but not the foundation, and in old age you'll have nothing to show for it!"
"I understand." Ji Zhao did not insist. Ji Bei's martial arts came from the Luo River Pavilion, and the Luo River Pavilion did not permit its martial arts to be taught privately, except when matters were urgent enough to bend the rules. But with the image Ji Zhao had, even if he said 'Teach me a martial technique and I'll carry,' Ji Bei would never believe him. "Eldest Sister, if we manage to make it through this, I'd like to go and study martial arts at the Luo River Pavilion too."
The Luo River Pavilion had been founded by Wei Huo, the Duke of Wu'an, the renowned general of the previous dynasty. At the time he had not yet entered court service; he had become Martial Alliance Leader by foiling a demonic sect's world-shaking conspiracy, and he founded the Luo River Pavilion hoping to put an end to the feuds among the various factions of the martial world.
At its height, the Luo River Pavilion had played a role almost like that of 'the martial world's police,' wiping out who knew how many demonic sects — so many that its Scripture Library was filled with nothing but demonic sects' cultivation methods and martial techniques... Sadly, no flower stays red for a hundred days, and as the eras turned, the Luo River Pavilion gradually declined. Still, a hundred-legged centipede stays upright even in death, and anyone who underestimated the Luo River Pavilion would most likely pay no small price for it. They also believed in teaching all comers without discrimination. It could be said that with a Constitution like Ji Zhao's, no sect but the Luo River Pavilion would take him... and even there, he would probably only get in through the back door, courtesy of an outstanding graduate like Ji Bei.
"Honestly, I don't much recommend that you practice martial arts." Ji Bei slowly shook her head. "Your Constitution and your Comprehension are both too poor... But if you insist, I won't stop you. After that walk between life and death, your will to learn martial arts has only grown stronger. Whether that's a good thing or a bad one, I can't say."
Ji Zhao smiled. "Either way, it can't get any worse than it is now."
Ji Bei was taken aback at first, then laughed softly, and the evening meal passed quietly like that.
The next day, Ji Zhao got up and exercised his body a little, but not much, for a good many reasons. First, he did not understand how the human body was built in this world, and the training methods of his old world might not work. Second, in this business of training, it was seven parts training and three parts eating — the seven parts of training could be skipped, but the three parts of eating absolutely could not be neglected. Under present conditions, better to forget it; putting in more training on internal arts, the current meta, was the proper course.
"Hoo..."
After warming up his body, Ji Zhao knocked on Ji Tan's door — she could come into his room without knocking, but it would hardly do for him to walk into hers that way.
"Who is it?" Ji Tan's cool voice sounded.
"It's me."
"What is it?"
"It can't be explained in a sentence or two."
"Come in, then."
Ji Zhao pushed the door open and went in. She was sitting at a somewhat cluttered desk, holding a book about the stars.
Ji Zhao knew from the original body's memories that three years ago, a Daoist passing through Anchun County had taken two nominal disciples here: Ji Tan and Han Shou. From then on, Ji Tan had become full of mystic mumbo jumbo, forever muttering that 'books can't save Great Yan.' Ji Bei often cursed that Daoist a few times over dinner for leading her younger sister astray, but there was nothing she could do about it... Besides that, judging from Han Shou's and Liu Wei's lines in the game, Ji Zhao thought this Daoist was very likely the Daoist Dong in Tang Cheng's army.
That mystic figure was very likely the 'one thread of life' belonging to this world that Liu Qing had spoken of. So Ji Zhao had come today to find out what he could about the Daoist Dong and Han Shou — the former a matter of great importance, the latter bound up with the key to breaking the present deadlock.
"Second Sister really does love divination." Ji Zhao brought in a chair from outside and set it down across from Ji Tan to sit — she was a contrary one too: to show her attitude of 'guests not welcome,' she had moved every chair out of her room except the one she sat on herself. It could be said that if Ji Bei ever worked herself to death one day, it would be entirely the fault of these two younger siblings.
Ji Tan answered casually, "It's all right, I suppose. I'm sickly and frail, after all, and can't practice martial arts, and as a woman I can't sit the imperial examinations either. Other than reading up on unorthodox subjects like these, all that's left is staying home and studying needlework."
Of the three Jis, Ji Bei was excellent in both Constitution and Comprehension, while her two younger siblings were each more wretched than the other: both had been born sickly and frail, the kind for whom practicing internal arts would only shorten their lives — though Ji Tan merely had a poor physique, whereas Ji Zhao was stupid on top of it.
"But Second Sister never used to have this interest." Ji Zhao thought back a little. "It seems it was that Daoist three years ago who sparked Second Sister's interest in these things... What did he say back then? Honestly, I'm a little curious."
Ji Tan brushed him off. "Something from three years ago — how would I remember it clearly?"
She plainly did not want to say. Ji Zhao did not press her, so as not to seem too purposeful, and changed the subject at once. "Speaking of which, didn't that Daoist also take the Han family's Han Shou, Han Zhong'an, as a nominal disciple back then?"
"That did happen." Ji Tan turned the pages of the book in her hands without looking up. "But he wasn't interested in astrology or divination. He cared more about the Daoist's cultivation, and wanted to trick some martial techniques and cultivation methods out of him. Unfortunately, he never managed it in the end."
You remember that pretty clearly, don't you...
Ji Zhao grumbled inwardly, then asked another question. "Was that Daoist's cultivation very high?"
"I don't really understand these things," Ji Tan said. "But he took down Han Shou as he was back then in a single exchange, without even using inner breath. At that level, I'm afraid even the Martial Warden of Qingzhou might not be his match."
Martial Wardens: apart from the vacant seat of the Duke of Wu'an, there were county Martial Wardens, prefecture Martial Wardens and province Martial Wardens. The Martial Warden of the entire province of Qingzhou was without question one of the few great masters under heaven.
Hearing this, Ji Zhao grew more certain of his guess. He was about to ask more when Ji Tan waved her hand, as if bored of it all.
"That's enough, stop bothering me. Go back and practice your arts. If you're really that curious, go ask Han Shou. He's got time on his hands."