On the White Jade Plaza outside the Purple-Gold Immortal Vein's main hall, the night breeze was slightly cool.
Leftover food lay scattered around after the banquet, and the air still held the mellow fragrance of spirit wine and the restless air left by the various factions' insincere socializing.
Thick clouds obscured the moonlight. The dim light lent the grounds, now stripped of their splendor, an air of murderous chill.
Zhou Xuan turned around and looked at the Old Man in Hemp standing three paces away.
Zhou Xuan did not follow the lead of his words.
He casually set his empty wine cup on the jade table beside him, producing a crisp clink.
"That's a strange thing to say, Senior."
Zhou Xuan looked at the old man, his tone even.
"Back on the Floating Dao Arena, I'd backed Old Dog Great Hua into a corner. He was about to leap over the wall like a desperate dog."
"That shout of yours came at just the right moment. It ripped away Great Hua's last scrap of cloth covering its shame."
The old man said nothing, merely listening quietly.
Zhou Xuan folded his arms and continued laying out his reasoning. "I've met plenty of reclusive masters. Those who've truly seen through the mortal world wouldn't so much as lift an eyelid even if the sky collapsed."
"But you hid in a corner, fanning the flames, as though afraid Great Hua wouldn't die fast enough."
"That hardly seems like the conduct of a detached master who's seen through the mortal world."
"A true master wouldn't speak out on an occasion like this."
Zhou Xuan stared into the old man's cloudy eyes.
"Unless you had a reason that compelled you to speak."
At this, the old man suddenly gave a self-mocking laugh.
His laughter was