Jason looked him over and said, "My, my, you've grown since the last time I saw you."
Arthur grinned and said, "So have you. You have a beard now."
His comment made Jason laugh. He said, "I didn't want to keep it before. But I didn't have time to shave it during the sect examination. So it grew larger. I fell in love with it after the examination, so I decided to keep it."
As he spoke, he stroked his beard like some sage.
Arthur asked, "How was the exam?"
Jason shook his head and said, "It was bloody. There was a lot of blood. Fortunately, I am not a stranger to blood."
He laughed after saying that.
He was referring to the bloodletting rites that every true child of the family goes through when they come of age. They are taken to the prison where they kill people.
As rich people who rarely encounter dangerous situations that require them to kill, the bloodletting rites prepare their minds for killing. The lesson they learn about the weak being subject to the whims of the strong also prepares them for the life-and-death situation of the regional sect examination.
Jason thought about something and said, "Speaking of the exam, I once saw that guy who challenged you that day."
Arthur asked, "Do you mean the master Sky Claw?"
Jason snorted. "What master? More like master hide and run for dear life. He was always hiding and running. I would have killed him that day I met him if not for the fact that he begged me not to, and I knew him. I let him go because he wasn't worth the effort to kill."
He chuckled after saying that. Then he continued, "I heard from my uncle that his master came to the family today to inform him of the beating that his son took today at the hands of your students."
Arthur shook his head and said, "I don't know what he is talking about. This is the first of this that I am hearing."
Jason laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. He didn't come to report you. Master Owl Claw came to ask for forgiveness on behalf of his unruly student."
Arthur was stunned. He asked, "Who else did he offend in the family? I thought he only offended me."
Jason wagged his finger at Arthur and said, "No, no. You can't think about it like that. He offended you by challenging you, which means he also offended us."
"If it were another thing, it wouldn't matter much to the family. But he offended you in the matter of your dojo by challenging you when it was explicitly stated last time that no one should interfere with your dojo. That is a terrible offense."
"His actions make it as if my going to your fight that day was a waste of my time. He made it as if the fight between you and me and my subsequent promise to you were nothing. It was a good thing that he came to apologize, or he would be in big trouble with the family. And it was a good thing that your students beat him, so we didn't think we had to do anything more to teach him a lesson."
Arthur chuckled. "I guess it was a good thing for me that you were around. I at least have someone in the family to complain to. I don't know anyone else in the family."
Jason asked in surprise, "Really? How come?"
Arthur shrugged. "I know your uncle, whom you came to represent that day. But I have never met him, and I doubt he would recognize me."
Jason shook his head. "Then I guess it was a good thing that I came today. I will introduce you to my uncle. But I doubt you're going to need him. In three years at most, you should be ready for the regional sect examination."
Arthur nodded in agreement. "That's the plan."
Jason said, "Follow me to see my uncle. He has a bad. No matter what he says, don't take it personally."
Arthur chuckled at that and said, "I'll try."
On their way, Jason asked him, "What do you think of this party?"
Arthur didn't care much for the party, but he didn't want to offend the person for whom the party was thrown, so he said, "It is not bad."
Jason shook his head. "It is a waste of time, is what it is. I nearly died several times in these past two years. But the struggle isn't over yet. Even though I got into a sect, the struggle has only begun, and the danger I am in has only increased."
"The sect I got in is full of the best of the best who have seen a lot of blood and can kill without blinking an eye. How can I be in the mood to party?"
He looked at Jason and answered his own question, "The answer is that I am not in the mood for a party. I should be somewhere training because if I am not strong, I will die. Those are the two readily available options for me. Strength or death."
"Yet, here I am wasting time greeting people and supposed to be having fun. It makes me regret deciding to come home instead of going to the sect straight. It also makes me envious of these people I see."
Arthur was surprised. He asked with surprise, "What are you envious of them for?"
Jason sighed and said, "I am envious that they don't have to go to a sect."
His jovial demeanor was gone, and the smile on his face had dimmed. He looked solemn as he spoke.
He chuckled and said, "I know that sounds crazy. I know that most of the people here are envious of me for gaining admission to a sect. But they only see the sunny side. It is the side where I get access to better resources. But this sunny side comes at a cost."