[ The staunch defense of... Jiang Cheng, against himself, comes as something of a surprise. Jiang Cheng is left crinkling his nose in uncertainty, then decides to let the topic go before he and his nephew find something else they don't agree on. Their number of safe topics is rapidly decreasing, and he really doesn't want to ruin this relationship before it's even begun after that rough start. ]

Oh, thanks. Thanks for that. [ Jiang Cheng retorts this dryly, smiling faintly at his nephew all the same. ] I'll have you know I wasn't even third best in Lotus Pier when I became sect leader. The trick is to never let anyone laugh.