Lian Zhuo chatted with Zhang Yu for a while, then glanced at Xu Chengtong standing behind him and asked, "May I ask how this fellow Daoist is addressed?"
Zhang Yu said, "This is Fellow Daoist Xu."
Xu Chengtong made a fist-and-palm salute, but did not say a word.
Lian Zhuo returned the salute and did not ask further.
He had also heard of Zhang Yu's true identity as a Profound Court Inspector, and guessed that Xu Chengtong was likely from the Profound Court as well.
Yet he still addressed Zhang Yu as fellow Daoist. Given their past interactions, there was no disrespect in such a form of address; rather, it made them seem less distant.
Zhang Yu said, "I have been staying at the Divine Pardon Palace Lodge these past few days, yet I have not seen you."
Lian Zhuo smiled. "I know several fellow Daoists here, so I have been lodging at one of their residences these past few days. No wonder you did not see me."
Zhang Yu seemed to think of something. "Are there many fellow cultivators like you?"
Lian Zhuo said, "Quite a few. The daily expense of staying at the palace lodge is no small sum. Unless one is a fellow cultivator serving in an official office, most would rather stay outside. After all, the medicinal powders we use in daily cultivation, as well as the pills used to ward off the outer evils of the void, are already a considerable expense."
Zhang Yu looked outside and saw streaks of light arriving from time to time, but after they landed, most of those who emerged were unfamiliar to him.
With a trace of anticipation, Lian Zhuo said, "Have you heard, fellow Daoist? When this Venerable Shen expounded the Dao in the past, if he deemed