The Old Woman's Request

After returning to Jade Dragon City, Xu Yuan continued his secluded cultivation.

One evening, as dusk settled, Bi Qiong knocked on the wooden gate of Xu Yuan's small courtyard.

She wore a plain, clean blue-green dress. Her face was expressionless, but deep in her eyes lay a trace of exhaustion and resolve that could not be dispelled.

"Senior Brother Xu."

Getting straight to the point, her voice was calm to an almost excessive degree. "Master asks that you come over. She says she has something to discuss."

Xu Yuan was sitting on a stone stool in the courtyard. Hearing this, he raised his eyes to look at her. After not seeing her for some time, Bi Qiong's aura seemed even more restrained, yet there was a faint tautness to her, like a bow drawn to its limit.

He set down the Wood Essence Pearl he had been idly turning in his hand. "Oh? What guidance does Senior Su have for me?" Xu Yuan rose to his feet, his tone somewhat puzzled.

Bi Qiong did not answer. She merely stepped aside from the doorway. After a moment's pause, Xu Yuan still got to his feet.

One after the other, the two returned to the two-story wooden building with its little courtyard.

The old woman, Su Wan, was not reclining in her lounge chair as before. Instead, she sat upright in the seat of honor, her back ramrod straight.

She had changed into a washed-faded gray Daoist robe, her hair combed with meticulous precision. An unusual vigor shone from her withered face, like the last flash of light before a dying lamp went out.

Several delicate dishes and a pot of spirit wine had already been laid out on the table.

"Young Friend Xu has arrived. Please, sit." Su Wan's voice was