"Long are the roads through mountains and waters; rare is leisure in the mortal world."
Swish.
A graceful middle-aged man, like a fine young gentleman in a sullied world, opened his folding fan and fanned himself lightly as he walked atop a towering mountain, shaking his head and softly chanting with a sigh.
Behind him stood an old man with a bitter expression and waxen-yellow skin.
The two stood on the peak, surveying the vast mountains and rivers below.
There was nowhere to climb around the mountain, and its steepest faces were nearly vertical.
How the two had ascended was anyone's guess.
Seeing the middle-aged man absorbed in the scenery, the elder was somewhat unwilling to let the matter go.
"Former Sect Master Ji, several of our martial nephews are fighting endlessly over the position of sect master. These old bones of mine simply cannot talk them around. Please step in and say something. Don't let them bury the Eastern Saint Sect's centuries-old foundations!"
The middle-aged man laughed heartily.
"Junior Brother Gao, don't talk nonsense. What do you mean, former sect master? I, Ji Lan, am not even four hundred yet. Given my lifespan, in mortal terms, I'm merely a young man in his twenties. There's so much I can accomplish, so much!"
Hearing this, the elder surnamed Gao hurriedly explained.
"Yes, Sect Master. You know that wasn't what I meant."
Ji Lan's smile vanished, however, and he gently raised his folding fan between them.
"Stop. My days as sect master ended a hundred years ago."
The Waxen-Faced Elder surnamed Gao hesitated, then let out a long sigh.
"Senior Brother, I still remember the first time I met you. You had yet to distinguish yourself in the inner sect, and you went to tremendous trouble for a bottle of Foundation