A luxurious yet antique reception room.
The small shrine had just been offered incense, and the peony-shaped glass chandelier on the ceiling was turned on with only its six outermost lights.
Beneath the chandelier, steam rose from the glazed porcelain bowl on the coffee table, with tea leaves floating atop the amber-colored water.
The sofa was arranged around the coffee table in an unclosed circle shape. Venerable Gu and Venerable Qin sat on one side, facing a man and a woman from the Lingxian Sect across from them.
The woman, despite the deep summer heat, wore a black velvet overcoat, her complexion pale and her black hair pinned up behind her head. She donned an exaggeratedly large black hat with a veil hanging down and a mole beside her pitch-black lips.
The man wore a suit, along with a face mask and round glasses, sporting a buzz cut but with bangs in the center of his forehead that converged like a dagger.
