A young man in purple stepped out, his expression unrestrained. That air of wild abandon about him made him especially conspicuous amid the crowd.
Purple-clad Lu Qing smiled. "Let's not talk about the true heart or the Dao heart. Those things are far too profound."
"Do you have wine?"
This was an illusory place between the Dao heart and the spiritual platform. At his words, Lu Qing raised a hand, and a low table slowly condensed into being. A silver-carved wine pot sat atop it, while a wine cup drifted lightly down before the other man.
"Yes."
Lu Qing gave him that choice.
Purple-clad Lu Qing lifted a hand and accepted the cup. There was an indescribable freedom to him. "Not bad. Clear yet fierce. It can be considered a fine cup of wine."
He praised it, seeming to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing here.
Yet Lu Qing showed no sign of relaxing. This "self" before him was even more unfathomable than the previous two. Still, a faint gleam flickered in Lu Qing's eyes as he recalled certain things from the past.
"All right. Now that we've had wine, it's time to discuss serious matters."
Purple-clad Lu Qing said, "What I seek is freedom. There are too many things in life that fail to go as one wishes; only a moment of freedom endures through the ages."
He casually held the wine cup as he gave his answer, unconcerned and unparticular, as though he were merely mentioning it in passing.
He sought a moment of freedom, not eternal life across endless ages. This was a path utterly different from Lu Qing's true heart, yet it was also an inevitable thought that would arise.
"What do you think of my path?"
He continued drinking, utterly unconcerned whether