Huang Shuyao looked at the senior brother in front of her and calmly said, "Thank you, senior brother."

Huang Shuyao sat sideways opposite him. Although she had only been at Divine Sword Manor for two or three days, she had gained some understanding of the place.

Divine Sword Manor was divided into four levels: direct disciples, inner sect, outer sect, and recorded disciples.

The people who were just beaten up were the seniors from the outer sect, while she, having just arrived, could only be considered a recorded disciple. To enter the outer sect, she still needed to pass the outer sect assessment.

Huang Shuyao was quite annoyed by those seniors who were like flies, but she couldn't refuse them. After all, it was hard to decline such enthusiasm, and besides, she needed to learn more about the manor, since knowing one's environment is the key to adapting better.

She could also see that the seniors from before had a strained or even hostile relationship with this senior brother in front of her.

He let her sit down, which understandably made her a bit apprehensive.

"Are you new here?"

Li Feng, though also new to Dragon Gate Town, didn't miss a beat as he postured. Huang Shuyao nodded slightly, "Yes, we arrived three days ago."

"I heard that this year the outer sect is holding a quadrennial Martial Arts Tournament, are you one of the participants?"

Li Feng raised his eyes to look at Huang Shuyao.

Huang Shuyao nodded, then shook her head. Li Feng looked on as she explained directly, "I did participate in the Martial Arts Tournament, but was stopped in the top 32."

"However, an Elder took notice of me and, through a recommended spot, gave me the opportunity to come here."

Oh.

Li Feng wore a look of enlightenment and didn't say much more, just continued eating his meal.

Sitting across the table, Huang Shuyao felt a bit awkward. What did this senior mean, and why did he wolf down his food while ignoring her?

Is this a punishment?

Unsure of what to do, she sat there watching him eat. It seemed inappropriate, but starting to eat without being invited felt impolite and unladylike.

Huang Shuyao took a deep breath, biting her lip as she asked Li Feng, "May I ask the senior brother's name?"

Li Feng lifted his head, looking at Huang Shuyao, "It seemed they called my name earlier."

Huang Shuyao felt thrown off, a bit miffed. Of course, she knew his name; she was merely trying to start a conversation.

"Bai Yutang!"

Li Feng said, then looking into Huang Shuyao's eyes, realized, "Oh, right, you haven't eaten yet, have you."

"Waiter, another set of bowls and chopsticks, please."

"Whatever you want to eat, feel free to order."

Huang Shuyao blinked, looking at Li Feng across from her. It seemed he wasn't punishing her but was, in fact, simply a clueless straight guy.

She had worried too much.

Li Feng wasn't paying much attention to Huang Shuyao; he continued eating unconcernedly. Since she'd only been in Dragon Gate Town for two or three days, there wasn't much information she could offer.

Had those other guys not tried to establish authority by targeting him, Li Feng wouldn't have chatted her up at all.

After all, past interactions with Huang Shuyao had been uneventful and our eight characters didn't match—a clash of zodiac signs, if you will.

Once again, the table fell silent, with only Li Feng swiftly devouring his food while Huang Shuyao watched him eat.

Li Feng couldn't be bothered.

But just then, footsteps echoed up the stairs once more—many from the sound of it, quick and not like those coming to eat.

"Bai Yutang, after dragging grandpa into trouble, you've still got the leisure to run here to Yan Gui Building for a meal. Truly, I'm impressed."

Lin Ao had changed clothes already, now accompanied by seven or eight others.

In the outer sect, Lin Ao was quite a figure. Though not in the top ten rankings, his brother Lin Xiong was ranked fourth.

With his brother as a backing, Lin Ao was someone who could strut confidently in the outer sect. Although some were beyond his provocation, those could be counted on two hands, and clearly, Bai Yutang was not one of them.

Huang Shuyao turned to look at Lin Ao and his group, silently thinking about how Bai Yutang seemed to attract trouble from everyone.

"Tsk, the beauty is unfamiliar!"

Huang Shuyao, after all, was an attractive beauty, able to compete with Wang Jin'er in terms of looks. Plus, Huang Shuyao practiced martial arts from a young age and cultivated Qi through the Xingyi Sect.

This made Huang Shuyao's temperament superb, with a graceful figure that caught any man's eye at a glance.

Lin Ao also glanced at Huang Shuyao, tsk, what an exceptional beauty.

And this beauty looked unfamiliar, likely a new recorded disciple this year. Bai Yutang sure had a nose for such things, lacking in martial prowess but enviably expert at courting women.

"Beauty, are you new here?"

Hearing the question, Huang Shuyao had to respond. Here, she was just a fresh newcomer, a recorded disciple.

Her master had warned her, the Ancient Martial World was strictly hierarchical, quite unlike the secular society where women were worshipped as goddesses.

"Replying to the senior brothers, I am Huang Shuyao, arrived in Dragon Gate Town three days ago, awaiting the outer sect assessment."

Lin Ao, watching Huang Shuyao rise with a voice like a nightingale, almost drooled. Tsk, he thought she was exceptional already, but now standing up, she's even more so.

Tall and elegant, both beautiful and melodious. In Divine Sword Manor, she could rank high, likely comparable to the daughters of the Lin Family.

Such an exceptional woman nearly got taken by Bai Yutang, this wretched fellow.

This couldn't happen.

"So, a newly arrived junior sister. I'm Lin Ao, my brother Lin Xiong ranks fourth in the outer sect, and I am also a prominent figure in the outer sect."

"Junior sister, you're new and might not know much about the manor's affairs, so be wary of being deceived by sweet words."

"Thank you for the warning, senior brother, Shuyao understands."

"Junior sister, you seem unclear about my point—it's not someone else I'm warning you about, it's the person before you."

"Do you know who he is?"

"Um, Senior Brother Bai introduced himself earlier."

"Haha, just knowing a name isn't enough," Lin Ao laughed coldly, looking at Li Feng, sitting there calmly.

"Junior sister, you should listen carefully. The person before you is the most useless, bottom-of-the-barrel one in our outer sect, not great with martial prowess but looking like a little lapdog."

"He specializes in using that pretty face to trick women, so be wary not to be fooled by his appearance."

"If he just scams money, that's one thing, but if fooled for your virtue, you'd deeply regret it later."

"Good thing you met me, otherwise you might fall into a trap."

Lin Ao provocatively looked at Li Feng as he spoke.

"Isn't that right, Bai Yutang?"

Li Feng sat at the dining table, listening to Lin Ao's monologue, then turned his head, "I guess the lesson earlier went into a dog's belly instead?"

"Truly a dog that forgets the pain after eating."