Who Paints the Eyebrows of the Devoted Lovers - Refined in manner and substance, a gentleman nurtures wisdom through tranquility

The Dragon God's eldest prince, whose whole being seemed steeped in healing purity, was drinking alone. He had just chanted, "My soul is here, here!" over his wine, and the last echoes had yet to fade when someone beyond the garden's low wall answered:

"A guest has come, come!"

Boyu was startled by the voice. His residence was secluded to begin with, and the coral flower garden where he was drinking and reciting poetry lay deep within the grounds behind his study. Farther northeast stretched an open meadow of green seaweed, but both that meadow and the coral grove rarely saw visitors. At the unexpected sound, his raised wine cup froze in midair. Only after collecting himself did he turn his head and make out the newcomer's face.

"Oh? Lord Long Ling!"

Through the rippling, clear blue water, Boyu recognized his unexpected visitor as Long Ling, the foremost adviser to his third brother, Meng Zhang.

"Lord Long Ling, what inspired you to grace my secluded abode today?"

Although their ranks were worlds apart, one nominally a lord and the other his subject, Boyu had always passed his days in idleness and treated this unexpected visitor with great courtesy. The old minister beyond the low wall clasped his hands and answered, "Your Highness, the fragrance of wine merely drew this old servant here. I happened to be passing, and when I heard your exquisitely pure verse, my own poetic fingers began to itch, so I ventured a line in reply!"

"Hmm..."

At Long Ling's words, the gentle, cultured prince of the Dragon God studied him for a moment, then spoke without hesitation through the shifting underwater light:

"I never imagined Lord Long Ling was also a connoisseur of poetry and wine. In that case, how could you pass my door without