"Immortal Pei, are you leaving just like that? Won't you stay for a cup of tea? Or perhaps to chat a bit? I was hoping you would pass a message to your master for me..."
Seeing that he couldn't keep Pei Yuanjing there, Cen Wenjin pulled in his highly competent steward, Cen San, to help persuade him. As a result of this entanglement, Pei Yuanjing was hooked!
Behind him lay Xie Wenren, ill in bed, his eyes and tone devoid of any respect for Pei Yuanjing, just as Pei Yuanjing was about to leave, he blurted out:
"Pei Yuanjing! The Defrocked Monk Maha is a disciple of Emperor Tathagata, untouchable by anyone, I understand. But what about Li Ping'an? He is, after all, a man without a sect or school, just like us Taoist cultivators. He is even more formidable than you! His realm is even higher! Are you afraid of him too?"
"Oh?"
Pei Yuanjing suddenly paused, his eyes sparking with intensity, he turned back and stared intently into Xie Wenren's eyes:
