"You can't just go in! Get in line!"
When Su Xuan rode his white horse to the gates of Jiuding Men, he was stopped. An elderly woman, over sixty years old, wouldn't let him in. The female alchemy apprentice, Xiao Yun, who had been at the door yesterday, was nowhere to be seen.
"I have an appointment with the Third Elder," Su Xuan explained to the old woman.
"Who do you think you're fooling?" The old woman raised her eyebrows. "How come I didn't see you yesterday?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Su Xuan's white horse. She had never seen such a conspicuous mount before and was convinced Su Xuan was trying to deceive her.
"It was my brother who came to make the appointment yesterday," Su Xuan said patiently. "He came riding a golden crocodile."
"Ah, I know that man." The old woman nodded, but then added, "But he is he, and you are you. You have to get in line; that's the rule at Jiuding Men. No matter who you are, you can't break the rules!"
