Yuan Shujian still seemed unable to believe it. Only after confirming it several times did he settle down. Steady by nature, he had always kept an eye on your movements in the Central Lands and Yu Province, so your arrival did not strike him as too sudden.
"Mount Zhongnan—has everything there been settled?"
You nodded gently. "Mount Zhongnan was quieter than the rumors said."
Regret flickered through Yuan Shujian's eyes. "A pity I never got to go up and see it for myself."
Then he smiled. "At least you saw it for me."
Though you had not met in years, there was not a trace of distance between you, as if you had parted only yesterday.
Yuan Shujian glanced at the two women behind you. "And these two?"
"Disciples I took in at the East Sea."
Ying Yuan and Qing Yao both inclined their heads in greeting. As their master's friend, he was someone they naturally dared not slight.
Yuan Shujian nodded. "They're fortunate to have you as their master—and to stay by your side."
With a sweep of his sleeve, the cave abode's formations rolled back into place like wind sweeping away clouds, restored in an instant.
He turned to you, concern creeping into his voice. "Those decades at the East Sea—were they hard?"
You gazed at the vast sea of clouds beyond the cave. "There has never been a smooth road in cultivation. Ravines, wind, and snow are all part of the scenery."
You and Yuan Shujian had met in Clear River Commandery. There had been friction between you then, but you became friends at the later Thirty-Six Meridians Star-Plucking Assembly and entered the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury together.
He had been among the first to know you were hiding your abilities on Mount Fangcun.
You walked side by