Invitation to the Upper Realm

When the Stone Gate of the Closed-Door Cultivation Chamber opened, Ji Wenyuan was standing outside.

"Market Master, someone has come to visit."

Ji Wenyuan's expression was somewhat subtle.

"Who?"

"The Yuanyang Sect Master, Zhou Mingyuan."

Li Yuan's steps paused slightly.

"Where?"

"The main hall."

In the main hall, a middle-aged man sat upright in a guest chair.

Zhou Mingyuan's face had become much thinner.

The spirit qi fluctuations of his Nascent Soul cultivation were restrained with extreme precision; without close inspection, they were nearly impossible to detect.

"Fellow Daoist Li." Zhou Mingyuan rose and lightly cupped his hands. His voice was soft, his speech unhurried.

"It has been a long time."

"Sect Master Zhou."

Li Yuan sat down opposite him.

Zhou Mingyuan took his seat again. He did not rush to address the matter at hand, instead exchanging a few pleasantries about recent events. His tone was mild and his wording proper, like the customary small talk between old friends.

After circling around for a while, the topic naturally turned to the Remnants of Mo Province.

"I heard that Fellow Daoist brought a group of people back from Mo Province some days ago?" Zhou Mingyuan lifted his tea bowl and gently blew on it.

"Eleven people," Li Yuan said.

"Remnants who had remained underground in Mo Province for several centuries. Their cultivation was low, and they lacked spirit qi. I brought them here and settled them in the marketplace to handle some miscellaneous work."

"Mo Province..." Zhou Mingyuan set down his tea bowl, his fingertips tapping lightly against his knee twice.

"Spirit qi is impoverished in that place. For the Remnants to have survived for several centuries was already no easy feat. Fellow Daoist is kind-hearted to be willing to take them in."

He paused.

"But what I am curious