That night, Liu Xiaolou tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Two formidable competitors for the retainer position had suddenly appeared, and both stood three levels above him in cultivation. How could he sleep well?
Those two competitors were cautious as well, unwilling to reveal their strength beforehand, leaving him unable to glimpse their true capabilities. His cultivation had already been shallow, and he could not know his enemies. Tomorrow, he would surely find it difficult to gain any advantage. He did not know how many retainers Hongluo Villa intended to recruit; if there were few positions, his hopes would likely come to nothing.
At dawn the next day, both the eastern and western side rooms were empty. He had no idea where the two men had gone. There was still plenty of time before the evening banquet, so Liu Xiaolou left the courtyard and wandered leisurely through the villa. There were naturally places he was not allowed to enter, and the villa stewards would politely stop him. He simply walked wherever he was permitted to go, looking around as he pleased, and before he knew it, he had reached the northern part of the villa.
The north of the villa bordered Bailu Lake. Beneath the sunlight, the snow along the shore continued to melt from yesterday, gurgling into the lake and stirring wisps of mist. Standing atop the lake embankment and gazing into the distance, Liu Xiaolou felt refreshed in body and spirit. The worries of the previous night gradually drifted away, no longer weighing on his heart. If I gain it, it is my fortune; if I lose it, it is my fate. Why force it?
He suddenly spotted someone several dozen zhang to his left, sitting cross-legged atop a tree crown. A snow-white Daoist robe fluttered in the