The courtyard was tranquil.
A disciple of the Lu Clan led someone inside, then bowed and withdrew.
The newcomer wore a bamboo hat and had a gaunt, withered frame. He was the Zhou-surnamed stall owner from White Jade Plaza.
Stall Owner Zhou stood in the courtyard, looking at the figure in black.
His Adam's apple bobbed, yet for a long while, he could not utter a word.
A sudden urge to retreat rose in his heart.
Was his decision too absurd? To stake the fate of the entire Cauldron Sect on a woman he had only met once...
What right did he have to make such a decision on behalf of the thousands of lives in the sect?
But...
He slowly clenched his fists.
What could possibly be worse than their current plight?
Reduced to Pill Slaves, driven day and night by those fiends. The slightest disobedience meant death.
Rather than suffering every torment in that den of tigers and wolves until the oil ran dry and the lamp went out—
He might as well take a gamble.
Gamble that the woman before him could shelter the Cauldron Sect.
That she could find the entire sect a true path to survival.
With that thought—
Stall Owner Zhou took a deep breath, stepped forward several paces, and gave the young woman a deep bow.
"I am Zhou Xuan. Greetings, Senior."
This time—
He gave his full name.
Then he slowly raised his head.
From beneath the shadow of his bamboo hat, resolve flashed in his eyes.
"I... have thought it through. I boldly beg Senior to act and save my sect from the depths of fire and water."
After saying that, he took the pair of orange-yellow gloves from his robes and presented them with both hands.
"This is my sincerity."