"I am Shangguan Yue Ling, disciple of the Mysterious Sun Sect. Today, I humbly bring my junior brother, Bai Langtian, to pay his respects to Elder Guo."
…
Beside her, Langtian quickly stepped forward, doing the same. He pressed his hands together, his posture stiff but sincere.
"I am Bai Langtian," he said. "It is an honor to pay respects to Elder Guo."
And then… he fell silent and remained in that bow, as though waiting for the elder to acknowledge him—waiting for permission to rise.
But no answer came.
Only the soft rustle of air, and the distant ripple of water in the pond.
It was Yue Ling who gave his arm a gentle nudge and whispered with a small smile,
"Junior Brother, Senior Gu has already passed. You don't need to wait for him to excuse your bow."
Langtian straightened quickly, and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Oh heavens, I forgot!" he laughed softly. "It's just… he looks so alive!"
