The fourth floor of the Immortal-Inviting Tower.
Its furnishings were simple yet elegant: a table for tea and two chairs facing each other.
The light was dim. A flickering candle illuminated only a thick, carved table of yellow wood.
No servants moved through the room. All was quiet.
An old man who appeared to be in his eighties or nineties wore a blue robe. Deep wrinkles furrowed his face, and a faint glimmer shone beneath his sparse, graying brows.
He ran a hand over the tabletop. It felt cold. Slowly, he drew back his withered palm.
He was Su Jing, the Chancellor Su whose power dominated the court and the realm.
The small upper room had only one open window. Moonlight passed through its lattice and fell across a corner of the table.
Through that window, he could clearly see the Gathering of Beauties Banquet taking place below.
But the old man had little interest in it. Age had long since dulled his appetite for the bustle of the young. He merely narrowed his eyes at the moon hanging high above.
Just then!
Su Jing slowly raised his head toward the door, then stood.
A middle-aged man walked slowly into the room.
Tall and slender, he wore a scholar's robe faded almost white. Soft black hair fell loosely over his shoulders.
None of his features was remarkable on its own, yet together they gave him an indescribable handsomeness.
He was the Academy's Third Master.
The old man grinned. "Third Senior Brother. It's been a long time."
Their appearances were the reverse of their ages.
Su Jing was younger than the Third Master, yet looked far older.
The Third Master studied Su Jing and shook his head gently. "Wuxin, why dress yourself up as though you have one foot in the