Hong Yuan was not surprised in the least. He glanced at Granny Meng. "The legendary Granny Meng of Ghost Fan Tower is also a Ferryer of Rebirth Ferry?"
Granny Meng smiled. "I hardly deserve to be called legendary in your presence, Young Master Hong. But I am indeed a Ferryer. And the most senior of its elders, at that."
At this, Hong Yuan looked her up and down several times.
Granny Meng stood gracefully, her pale green robes fluttering in the breeze, making her look all the more lovely and ethereal. She smiled sweetly. "Seniority doesn't mean old age. As for my age, well, I can't tell you that."
"I became an elder of Rebirth Ferry only because, when Limitless Daoist secretly founded it four hundred years ago, the Granny Meng of that generation was among its first members."
Hong Yuan nodded. "So has Rebirth Ferry's Granny Meng come to ferry me across? Or to offer me a bowl of Granny Meng's soup?"
"Neither." Granny Meng clasped her hands behind her back. A touch of playfulness appeared on her serene face, and her clear, crystalline eyes sparkled with life.
"I came to claim some credit from you, Young Master Hong. After all, I did lend you a little hand this time."
As her clear voice rang out, she skipped lightly forward.
"Please follow me, young master."
Some time later, outside a secluded courtyard in the western outskirts of the provincial capital, Hong Yuan stood on high ground. His gaze swept across several hundred feet, taking in everything within the courtyard.
"This is hardly a little hand," Hong Yuan said with a soft sigh.
The courtyard was not large. Its main hall consisted of three spacious rooms, with two rows of buildings on either side. Hong Yuan could clearly sense several