Silent Star Lake: a quiet night, with starlight flowing backward. That was how the lake got its name. Across its surface, countless stars glittered overhead, their points of light gathering on the water and shining brilliantly. Yet the seemingly flat lake appeared to reflect them in countless mirrors, creating a peculiar scene. From afar, it looked as though the starlight had fallen to the ground, only to flow back up again, lending the tranquil waters an air of mystery.
A covered boat rocked on the calm lake. At the stern, a burly, barefoot man with a straw hat on his back rowed in silence.
At the table inside the boat's canopy sat several people. One was a middle-aged woman in plain clothes, with a wooden hairpin in her hair. She had tied up her black hair, exposing a long, slender neck. A few freckles dotted her nose, but she was still rather pretty. She had the highest cultivation among them, at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, and sat there without a word.
Another two were a grandfather and granddaughter whom Lu Xiaotian knew: the Zhao grandfather and granddaughter, Zhao Yuanjun and Zhao Li, whom he had met at Earthflame Mountain. Zhao Yuanjun was now a first-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator. It seemed his fortune had been quite good; to succeed in Foundation Establishment at his age was exceedingly rare. As for his granddaughter, Zhao Li, she had grown into a graceful young woman. Both sides had practiced concealment techniques, but as soon as they drew near, they sensed the familiar aura on one another. The Zhao grandfather and granddaughter clearly hadn't expected to run into Lu Xiaotian here, either.
There were three others: a young man in fine clothes carrying a fan, Wu Xing, and his younger sister, the woman