Xie Liang looked just as he had while lecturing in the hall, expressionless. Yet when Yu Ci looked over, he actually lowered his head slightly.
"I came tonight specifically to offer my thanks."
"Uh?"
Yu Ci felt as though he had fallen into a fog five miles deep, utterly bewildered. He had no idea when he had ever helped such a man of boundless abilities.
In the time it took to exchange those two sentences, the group had already entered the room. Only then did Yu Ci realize that, distracted as he had been, he had led the guests to the wrong place. This was not a room for receiving visitors, but a quiet chamber for brief rests. There was only a low table inside, and everyone had to sit on the floor—not to mention the clutter strewn across the table.
Yu Zhou stroked his beard and smiled. Setting his doubts aside, Yu Ci apologized, "The room is a bit messy..."
"No matter."
Yu Zhou was even more casual. With a wave of his hand, he walked over and sat kneeling beside the table. He sat casually, but that arrangement erased any distinction of rank. Xie Liang followed suit, and seeing this, Yu Ci felt even more that he himself was not free and easy enough.
Baoguang willingly ran off to prepare tea and pour water. Yu Ci also opened his heart and sat across the table from Xie Liang.
Though his heart had opened, his doubts remained unresolved. As soon as he sat down, Yu Ci asked, "This disciple is slow-witted. May I ask what Immortal Master Xie meant by 'offering thanks'...?"
"It concerns medicinal ingredients."
The old Daoist Yu Zhou beside them beat him to it with a smile. "You still do not know? The medicinal ingredients I