Southwestern Great Jin, Falling Star Valley on the outskirts of Kunwu Mountain.
The valley lay in a remote wilderness, surrounded by strangely jutting mountains that encircled a central hollow like an enormous bowl. A faint, peculiar mist shrouded its floor year-round, seemingly capable of absorbing starlight, leaving even the daylight dim. Legend held that fragments of a star had fallen here in ancient times. The unusual earth qi could disrupt spiritual sense and obscure heavenly secrets, making it a natural refuge.
In a sheltered hollow within the valley, Tianjizi already sat cross-legged on a smooth slab of bluestone. A simple chessboard formed from starlight lay before him, and he was playing against himself. His plain gray robes and aura blended almost perfectly with the valley's dim mist. Without seeing him in person, anyone sweeping the area with spiritual sense could easily overlook him.
Suddenly, the hand holding his chess piece paused slightly, and he looked toward the valley entrance.
A fissure silently opened in the void, and Han Li stepped out, his blue robes hanging neatly and his gaze calm. He had concealed his aura even more thoroughly than Tianjizi, seeming no more than a mortal scholar who had wandered into this place by mistake. Only his deep, dark-gold eyes betrayed his extraordinary nature: as they swept over the mist, it stirred faintly.
"Fellow Daoist Han, you've arrived as promised. A pleasure indeed." Tianjizi gently set down his piece and revealed a faint smile.
Han Li nodded slightly and sat on another flat stone opposite the bluestone slab. His gaze passed over the starlight chessboard. "You have refined tastes, Fellow Daoist Tianjizi. Has Senior Xiang arrived?"
"Old Ghost Xiang?" Tianjizi shook his head with a chuckle. "That slippery old fox always appears and vanishes like a ghost. He won't show