Pan Long's out-of-the-blue remark left the King of Nine Mountains, He Ping'an, momentarily speechless. He had no idea how to answer.
He looked at Pan Long in confusion. After a while, he finally dredged Pan Long's face up from the depths of his memory.
Then he looked even more astonished.
"You're... one of the two boys I met at Ghost Gate Mountain?" he asked in surprise. "Did I wander into some Immortal's cave without realizing it and lose decades in a daze?"
Pan Long shook his head. "Only eight years. Strictly speaking, not even eight. I met you in late October of the fourteenth year of the Renchen era. Today's only New Year's Day of the twenty-second year—seven years, one month, and a few days."
"Seven years?!" He Ping'an grew even more bewildered. "But I remember you as a boy who was still a long way from the Innate Realm. And now..."
"Times change, and so does the world." Pan Long smiled. "The ancients said that after three days apart, you should look at a man with fresh eyes. We haven't seen each other in seven years. What's so strange about me changing a great deal?"
He Ping'an stared wide-eyed. After a long silence, he murmured, "This world... changes so fast!"
Pan Long smiled and led He Ping'an to a table in the corner, then had a waiter bring hot wine and food.
"Senior He, you held back and spared my life back then. I haven't forgotten that kindness." The first thing Pan Long said once they sat down put He Ping'an at ease. "As for the elder of my Lineage who died at your hands... in the Martial World, everyone fights with the skills they have. Taking on someone stronger is a gamble with your life. If you lose,