In a room behind the courtyard, Hou Niao met two old men playing a game of Go. One faced him, while the other had his back to him.
The old man facing him had refined, handsome features. Rather than the aloof indifference of a worldly master who regarded people as so much grass, he looked toward Hou Niao at once, smiling. This seemed to be Tan Xiao's master, Yuan True Person.
Though he said nothing, Hou Niao understood what he was conveying: encouragement to speak freely. "I am Hou Niao of Shanmen. Brother Tan invited me to visit the Chu Sect many years ago, but I have delayed until today. Please forgive me, Senior."
The old man paused, as though remembering something, then shook his head and sighed.
"...Born between heaven and earth, wherever we lodge is home. Wherever we settle, swallows build their nests; wherever we wander, cranes leave prints in sand. Wild dew dampens the traveler's robes; streamside flowers smile at the old retreat. Still better than serving as magistrate of Yangshan, where bamboo and thatch hem in the ocean's edge.
"Decades have passed, and those who have departed number like the sands of the Ganges. It weighs on the heart. Had you not come, I would have forgotten, but since you are here, tell me about it..."
Something stirred in Hou Niao's mind, and he more or less understood the reason for this visit. Just as he had guessed, there was no unforgettable love affair, nor any so-called opportunity. Separated by ten thousand miles, never having known one another, there was even less reason to speak of karmic obligations.
Most likely, it had merely been a passing sigh upon hearing that an old acquaintance had departed this world. But he was an Infant Transformation Ancestor. He could