Chapter 117: They Are Not Kongs
"Well met. I'm known as Kong Paike," Paike returned Sheng Yue's introduction without a hint of unease on his face. He accepted her offering of the pitcher and turned to his left.
He introduced himself to the beauty sitting on his other side as he poured. The girl smiled ever so slightly, but it completely thawed the otherwise frigid perfection of her face.
"Well met. I'm known as Sheng Xue," She answered smoothly and took the pitcher from his hands. After their brief interaction was done, she turned to send the pitcher on down the table.
Looking across the table, Paike saw that his twin was going through a similar thing as he was handing the pitcher over now.
Interestingly enough, all four flanking them were in Emerald. Rather high in it, too, if he wasn't mistaken. Paike was surprised as they couldn't be more than a year older than him. They were just reaching their full growth, so maybe two years. Still, their age, combined with their rank, made them among the highest-ranked cultivators in the entire sect. They would be elders soon if they could advance. He could only sense a handful of cultivators in or above the fourth realm of any age in the entire place.
He had expected that he would get the attention from someone in his own realm, but it appeared that his family was more important to them than just his personal power. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. So he just chose to ignore it.
Taka would need a second to get their plan rolling, so Paike fulfilled his social roles and started a polite conversation with Shend Yue as Shend Xue finished her introductions. "Your cultivation is quite impressive for anyone, let alone someone so young."
A direct compliment, delivered as a leading statement and genuinely, was one of Taka's favorite ways of talking with new people. It was a great way to put them just a little off-balance or to see how savvy they were. If they were able to accept the compliment, it was telling, and if so, how they did was also. Was it demure, or did they feel the need to play it down or spread the credit to others? Each thing would tell you about the person if you were looking for it.
"I'm sure it is no less impressive than yours, Kong Paike. You can't be more than 17 years of age?" Sheng Yue said. So she couldn't accept the compliment; that wasn't uncommon at all. Sometimes it spoke to confidence issues; the other option was more likely here: that she was trying to flatter him, such as by overestimating his age. Most boys liked to be seen as older, or it gave him a chance to brag that he had achieved his cultivation even faster.