"It's not about being brave or afraid, but rather your skill that I doubt."
"Eh, eh, criticizing me is the same as criticizing yourself, Kek. Haven't you already taught me that 'all-void' lesson?"
Lin Lin scoffed. The old man smiled wryly. The way the girl referred to the skill he taught truly showed great disdain. She called it "all-void," yet the name of the technique he passed down was indeed *Khong-in* (Vast Void).
"Even though you have received lessons from me, I am not yet convinced whether you have practiced until truly proficient."
Lin Lin grew angry. She tossed her head and puffed out her chest.
"Morning, noon, afternoon, night, you ordered me to practice, never letting me rest, until I forgot to eat, forgot to sleep, forgot where I was—and you still say I haven't practiced enough, Kek? You truly are an ungrateful person. Oh, disaster, to have a friend just once who is so forgetful of kindness and people's hard work!"
"Hah-ha-ha-ha"
The old man burst into laughter. Truly insane. He was the one teaching the powerful martial arts, yet this brat was scolding him, acting as if she were the one giving him something because she practiced diligently. Truly skilled at twisting reality.
"Alright then, I agree you've trained hard all this time. However, to be able to sneak into the palace kitchen, you must truly master *Khong-in-ban-kin*. Show me once more the *Khong-in-liu-san* technique you learned, exerting your internal energy and *gin-kang*. I think you're ready; let's go to the palace right now, have a huge meal, a feast without paying."
Lin Lin was overjoyed, then drew her sword and performed *silat* (swordplay) with great enthusiasm. However, on the seventh move, she used her *sin-kang* too forcefully and "crackkk"—
The sword she swung broke into three pieces.
The girl was startled and stood stunned, disappointed and regretful, seeing her right hand only holding the hilt while the blade had fallen to the ground. However, *Kim-lun Seng-jin* cheered and clapped his hands, dancing with delight. Lin Lin frowned, pouted, her eyes red, thinking the old man was mocking her.
"Excellent, excellent..."
"You see for yourself, my granddaughter, with the power of *Khong-in-ban-kin*, your poor sword broke into three pieces. Ha-ha-ha, your energy is already formidable; you just haven't learned to control it yet, causing you to damage your own weapon. That's enough, come along to the palace. Not only will we have a grand feast, but you'll also be able to choose a treasured sword for yourself from the treasury room."
Lin Lin's anger instantly vanished like thin clouds swept away by the wind. She leaped close to the old man and hugged his shoulder.
"Is that true, Kek? Come on, let's leave quickly then!"
Laughing cheerfully, the two then flashed away, vanishing into the darkness of the night. *Kim-lun Seng-jin* was not boasting when he stated that every time he came to the capital city, he would surely stop by the palace and enter the palace kitchen. Indeed, this old man's only pleasure was eating, eating delicious food, especially the expensive, savory dishes in the palace kitchen that he could choose without paying.
The old man proved his words with his extensive knowledge of the palace's ins and outs. He knew the path to the palace by heart; he could even choose which section of the perimeter wall was not heavily guarded. This alone proved that he was indeed a "regular customer"
of that forbidden place. From the south side, the wall enclosing the palace complex was very quiet. The gate was already closed, and several guards were chatting inside the guardhouse. Others were patrolling the wall, carrying spears and swords. *Kim-lun Seng-jin* was annoyed seeing the guards continuously patrolling the section of the wall he had chosen to jump over. The wall was extremely high, no less than seven meters tall.
However, the spot he chose was where a tree