Zhang Bian raised a hand, and Sun Ningyuan hurriedly fell silent. Only then did he remember not to speak of it in public. After all, what Tang Changsheng needed was far too strange...
The others exchanged glances. An old man with a white beard smiled and said, "We were all eager to see the True Person because we wanted to show our devotion. Look, I even brought something!"
The others nodded one after another. Ever since Zhang Bian had offered a book and become Tang Changsheng's disciple, they had followed his example, scouring everywhere for ancient texts in hopes of finding Heavenly Book Characters to present to Tang Changsheng.
Then they, too, might leap over the dragon gate in a single bound, as Zhang Bian had, and become true practitioners.
No one understood the value of such an opportunity better than people who had spent decades groping their way alone, never once finding the true entrance.
Just then, a gentle voice drifted over. "Whoever wishes to see me may come in!"
Sun Ningyuan and the others were overjoyed. As Zhang Bian stepped aside, they filed in.
It was a spacious study, its windows bright and its furnishings spotless, arranged in an elegant old style. It was divided into an inner room and an outer room.
The inner room was plainly meant for secluded cultivation. In the outer study, Tang Changsheng stood before a huge desk, writing with a brush.
"True Person!" Sun Ningyuan cried, beaming as he tried to report his achievement, but Tang Changsheng stopped him with a wave. Instead, he said to the white-bearded old man, "You first!"
People called the white-bearded elder Old Cheng, though his real name was Zhang Tiecheng. He was a master designer and an expert in Green Crow.
Sun Ningyuan's villa, including the