Before long, Gongshu Ban arrived after hearing the news.
Gongshu Ban was a spry little old man of around sixty, with fashionable short hair combed to a glossy sheen.
When Fang Qianyuan saw him, he was wearing a short leather jacket and holding a black jade pipe about three inches long, puffing out clouds of smoke as he walked.
Behind him followed a mechanical puppet shaped like an iron vat. It had two long legs forged from refined steel and stood about two feet tall in all. Its rounded vat-body held all manner of tools and miscellaneous objects, while slender arms about as long as its legs gripped the rim. It walked with a creak and a clatter, both swiftly and steadily.
"Ah, Elder Ling is here. Is this our guest from the Azure Cloud Sect?"
Gongshu Ban took a deep pull on his pipe, slowly exhaled, and looked at Qianyuan.
Fang Qianyuan rose and nodded in greeting. "Greetings, Master Gongshu. I am Fang Qianyuan of the Azure Cloud Sect. Our sect master sent me here."
Gongshu Ban paused in surprise. "So you are the young friend Fang whom Fellow Daoist Yu recommended. I truly never expected you to be so young."
Although Gongshu Ban's cultivation was only at Human Rank, a master's standing in the Artifact Sect was equivalent to that of an Earth Rank Expert. Thus, the old man showed not the slightest loss of bearing before a young expert like Fang Qianyuan.
He looked Fang Qianyuan up and down a few times and said, "Please, sit."
They all took their seats as hosts and guest. Ling Ning sat with them as well, exchanged a few pleasantries, then excused himself and left.
His main purpose in coming here had been to establish Fang Qianyuan's intentions and whether Gongshu