When the White Boat arrived, Qing Mo, having received the radiant message several days earlier, was already standing before the lake at the entrance to the estate to welcome them.
Behind him stood another dozen or so Creators, six men and six women, all of them ordered from Kaiyang Academy.
When the cabin door slid open and Zhang Yu stepped down from the vessel, Qing Mo led the others in bowing to him. In unison, they said, "Greetings, sir."
Zhang Yu nodded. He glanced at the Creators. There were too few people in the outer residence, but with these people now, the gaps would be sufficiently filled.
He led Xu Chengtong and the others into the estate, had Qing Mo arrange for them to rest separately, then went into the inner courtyard and emerged in a loose Daoist robe.
He then sat on a cushioned mat laid out in the viewing corridor and took out a Daoist text to read.
After arranging everything, Qing Mo returned. Seeing Zhang Yu reading, he did not dare disturb him and waited beneath the steps, ready to receive instructions at any time.
After a while, he heard Zhang Yu say, "Come up."
He bowed, then walked onto the viewing corridor. "Sir."
Zhang Yu said, "You have diligently guarded the estate these past two years and handled every matter properly. You deserve a reward. What do you want?"
Qing Mo offered no polite refusals. He knew Zhang Yu could see through his thoughts at a glance, so he said, "Qing Mo asks for nothing else. I only hope that, like Azure Dawn and the others, I may receive a set of robe armor."
Zhang Yu nodded. "It is indeed inconvenient for you to handle affairs here without robe armor. Very well, I permit you to