Sage Chang Gen returned to the Taoist Saint Hall late at night.
The Saint Hall Main Hall was deserted. The things on the two tables had changed greatly since he'd left. On the reclining chair where his Eldest Disciple usually rested, only a white Thin Blanket remained, half of it fallen to the floor.
The papers his youngest disciple had spread across the table were only half-finished. Judging by the dried ink, she hadn't been here for quite some time.
Sage Chang Gen fell silent.
Without his Eldest Disciple, it felt as if he'd returned to a time long ago, when the vast Taoist Saint Hall had been utterly silent, with not a soul in sight—only silent portraits and candlelight.
He waited until morning before his Eldest Disciple finally crossed the threshold outside the hall, carrying a food box.
Mei Chengyu walked into the Saint Hall Main Hall with an easy expression, set the food box on the table, pulled over a chair, and sat down beside it. Without even looking up, he asked, "Master, how did things go when you went to test yourself against the Mechanism Clan?"
Sage Chang Gen replied, "I was only helping test their new mechanisms, not competing against the Mechanism Clan."
Mei Chengyu said, "Isn't that the same thing?"
Sage Chang Gen continued, "The Mechanism Clan's Eight Winds Cage has the upper hand."
"Can it hold you, Master?" Mei Chengyu finally looked up, intrigued. "It couldn't last time, could it?"
Sage Chang Gen replied, "They improved the Eight Winds Cage."
Mei Chengyu asked, "Who made the improvements?"
"The Baili family head," Sage Chang Gen said. "Baili Chi."
At the name, an image of a figure in a black cloak surfaced in Mei Chengyu's mind, and the man's voice echoed in his ears. He forcibly