The old man nodded with a smile.
"Oh? So that's how it is—then I was the presumptuous one, stumbling into your place of cultivation."
"Earlier, I sensed someone attempting to take the spirit liquid protecting my spring. I assumed an outside enemy was spying on it and struck in haste. Only after we exchanged blows did I learn that your aura was upright and proper, not that of an enemy. I was rash and discourteous first; I hope you can forgive me."
After speaking, he clasped his hands and gave a deep bow.
Silver light flickered in Su Yang's eyes before he laughed aloud. "No harm done, no harm done! It was truly I who had my hunting instincts stirred. I mistakenly took that Creation Spring for an ownerless rare treasure and rashly reached for it—that was the real discourtesy. Fellow cultivator Qu Teng, please do not blame me."
He took the initiative to address him as a fellow cultivator.
"Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared, I shall take my leave."
He turned to go.
"Please wait, fellow cultivator!" The old man raised a hand to stop him lightly. "This Myriad Tree Sea stretches for several million miles, and fellow practitioners rarely visit. Today, I have had the fortune to meet you. If I do not offer even a little hospitality as the host, people will say this old man is miserly and heartless."
After a pause, his smile turned warm and gentle. "Why not come to my humble abode? You and I can brew tea and discuss the Dao, verify what we have learned, and sharpen each other. Would that not be a delight?"
"Such gracious hospitality is difficult to refuse, so I shall not stand on ceremony—though after speaking so freely for a while, I still do