Elder Zhen Ren continued to stroke his beard, his eyes flashing with wisdom.

"To be lost isn't seen as something negative, it is part of the natural flow of life, or… the Way," he said gently.

"When you try too hard to force direction or clarity, you move away from the Way. But when you allow yourself to simply be lost, to stop resisting and let the world guide you, you eventually realign with the natural order of things."

Adam felt his heart stir at those words.

Allow yourself to simply be lost… stop resisting and let the world guide you… realign with the natural order of things, he thought to himself.

"Don't fight your confusion, Brother Ao," Elder Zhen Ren continued. "Accept it. Let yourself drift for now. In stillness and surrender, the path will reveal itself naturally."

Adam sat up straight. He suddenly felt enlightened by those words.

Yes, he thought. He's right!

Confusion is the mist before the mountain. When the mist clears, the mountain still remains!

He turned to Elder Zhen Ren and beamed. "Auhh-auhh!"

"Hoho!" Elder Zhen Ren chuckled heartily. "I do not know what you're saying, but I assume you are satisfied with my answer?"

"Auhh!" Adam nodded repeatedly.

"Hoho!" Elder Zhen Ren laughed.

That caused even Adam to laugh.

Together, they laughed and laughed and laughed.

A few moments later, Adam's laughter abruptly stopped. He poked the Elder's shoulders.

"Hmm? What is it, Brother Ao?"

Adam bent over again, then carved two more words on the ground:

"Sake. Meat."

The Elder's brows rose in surprise, and soon he revealed a sly smile. He bent over and drew a line across "Meat".

Then, he said in a hushed voice, "But I am certain Elder Xun has a secret stash of alcohol in his manor."

Adam laughed.

He laughed jovially.

"Come, come." Elder Zhen Ren gestured to the youth. "I shall introduce you to some of the Elders. They are good friends of mine. Oh, have you met the host of the gathering yet?"

Adam shook his head in an awkward manner.

"Bad manners, Brother Ao!" Elder Zhen Ren lightly reprimanded. "Come, then. Let's go visit Elder Xun. Elder Ge should also be nearby."

With that said, he walked towards the manor.

Adam watched his departing back with a faint smile on his face. After the earlier conversation with the Elder, he became more and more certain about his theory about the Magi of Yen-Lu. Still, he needed a more direct confirmation.

With a light chuckle, he followed after the Elder.

***

It had to be known that, despite not wielding great physical and arcane prowess compared to the rest of the Elders of the sect, Elder Zhen Ren was very influential and had immense power within the Baihua Sect.

He was, after all, the one who controlled the sect's finances. Anything that required funding—which just happened to be almost everything—needed Elder Zhen Ren's approval.

That's why Adam was able to meet several Elders of the sect. Although it was only a brief interaction and he didn't speak at all, just the fact that he had been personally introduced to everyone by Elder Zhen Ren carried a lot of weight.

"Brother Ao, I finally found you!" The Sword Dragon's booming and excited voice echoed inside the manor.

Everyone turned their attention to him, curious about who he was greeting so warmly. And when they saw that it was a masked man standing beside Elder Zhen Ren, they couldn't help but wonder about the mysterious man's identity.

Bai Xun approached Adam with a warm smile, then cupped his fists. "Welcome to my humble abode, Brother Ao."

"Auhh." Adam grabbed Bai Xun's right hand, much to the latter's surprise and everyone else's, and pulled the sleeves, observing the injury.

"Auhh!" He then gave a thumbs-up.

Bai Xun laughed heartily. "The sect's Medicinal Pavilion is one of the best in these vast lands. Naturally, they are very skilled when it comes to healing."

"Auhh-auhh!" Adam moved his hands around.

"…Uhm, yes?" Bai Xun's lips twitched.

Adam shrugged. "Auhh…"

Basically, what he wanted to say was: I'm somewhat of a healer myself. You should have come to me!

The next moment, a strikingly beautiful young woman, dressed in a light green hanfu, approached them.

She faced Adam and cupped her fists, gracefully greeting him. "Instructor Ao."

"Auhh!" Adam waved at Bai Ge with a light smile.

He then made a few fighting gestures, which Bai Ge immediately understood.

"Apologies," she began in a reserved tone. "I have been busy with certain sect-related matters, so I haven't been able to train with you. Since Senior Brother Xun doesn't care about internal affairs, I have to be the one to shoulder his responsibilities as well."

Bai Xun's eyes twitched, and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "Junior Sister, please! You know I was recuperating these last few days. And before that… uh, yes, I was in seclusion!"

"Yes, of course." Though Bai Ge replied in a flat voice, the sarcasm was obvious.

Meanwhile, the rest of the people inside the manor were now very intrigued. This mysterious masked man seemed to be close to not only Elder Zhen Ren, but also the Sword Dragon and the Sword Phoenix.

Suddenly, all of them wanted to be in Adam's good graces.

"Auhh-auhh!" Adam gestured to Bai Ge, asking about what she meant.

"Are you asking about the sect-related matters?" Bai Ge asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Auhh-auhh! Auhh!" Adam made a few fist gestures, then gestured for her to explain.

"Oh, you are wondering what could possibly be more important than training?" Bai Ge blinked.

"Auhh!" Adam nodded, satisfied.

Bai Ge turned to Elder Zhen Ren, looking to him for confirmation. The latter said with a light chuckle, "Go ahead. It's not a secret."

The Sword Phoenix nodded, then turned to Adam and explained:

"Delegations from the Tsuitsui Clan and the Kusakabe Clan will arrive next week, so I have been busy preparing. Since they are our neighbours, they will visit us first, and then together we will leave for the headquarters of the Arcane Alliance."

The Tsuitsui and Kusakabe Clans are part of the Nine Great Sects and Clans, Adam thought, intrigued.

Suddenly, Elder Zhen Ren's eyes flashed with a peculiar light. He stroked his beard and suggested:

"Elder Xun, Elder Ge, what are your thoughts on bringing Brother Ao with you to the Arcane Alliance headquarters?"

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