Whether one lives a fulfilling, purpose-driven life or one that is free from any sort of karmic and mortal attachment, there will always be people whose mark in one's history will be apparent, whether it is a deeply hated enemy, a worthy rival, an enlightened passerby, a mentor, or just a complete stranger altogether.
And while it is true that Argus has horizons broad beyond compare, such a fact is also something that holds true for someone like him, one of these people he won't, or rather, he shouldn't forget, residing in the manor he finds himself in right now.
"My master doesn't usually like unannounced guests, especially men, but she told me that she finds you quite interesting, Sir Argus."
As an elderly woman walked along with a youthful figure, his raspy voice sounded, echoing across the entire hallway, with the only company to said sound being their footsteps echoing as well, the young figure smiling as he knew the exact reason as to why this particular aide's master is interested in him.
"Argus should be enough, Head Maid Calista, you're this noble house's head maid, and her personal aide, after all."
The young man replied in courtesy as the two of them gradually approached the end of the hallway, finally greeting their eyes is a grand door leading to a certain room, the very same room where this young man's agenda for this trip, the old head maid's master, is situated right now.
'It's quite a rare attitude for young people to have during this age…'
And hearing the words of the young man walking with her, revealing neither a servile nor an overbearing attitude, the old lady couldn't help but smile in admiration as she thinks of those words in her mind, feeling like even if the news about this young man's potentials and inaptitude for mana circulating across the entire noble circle is true, this attitude, or rather, character alone might be enough to guarantee that he will carve a place of his own sooner or later in the future.
"Well then, Sir, no, Young Argus, my master is waiting inside, I suppose that she truly wants to talk with you about something when she personally asked this old lady to immediately bring you to her office."
The head maid said with a faint smile on her wrinkled face as she opens the door, curtly bowing towards the person inside before waving at the young man to enter as well, her actions, her demeanor making anyone feel the professionalism and care as she gracefully closes the door in front of her the moment that the young man entered, almost as if it's a move that she had done for tens of thousands, if not millions of times already.
If the room itself being really big is taken out of the equation, there's nothing in particular that stands out among everything inside, an office that is as normal as any average office can get, a standard five-layer bookshelf with interesting reads, both informational and fictional, said fictional books mostly poems and romantics, while the informational ones appearing to be related to economy, some even war.
What people especially well versed in interior design might find funny is the fact that due to the sheer size of the room, the space between the bookshelf near the wall and what appears to be the receiving area, with a comfy sofa and glass table, right in front of the owner's table, made it so that the room itself feels quite empty, no, barren, so much that even just a shift in each objects position by millimeters might be more than enough of a change for even the dullest of minds to notice.
If one moves past these things though, anyone can distinguish the fact that other than the size of the room, there's yet another exceptional matter that exists within this room, and that is the very person sitting at the opposite end of said office's entrance, the light shining down from the large window behind them obscuring their figure supposedly from anyone's sight for the first few moments they enter the room.
The blinding light made by the giant window and the near-empty room, however, is none of Argus' concerns as his eyes easily acclimated to the shift in the source of light within the surroundings, a virtue of his cultivation, allowing him to easily see the true appearance hiding behind the shadow cast upon by the great sun itself.
Anyone might feel challenged, no, not just might, but will truly feel challenged as one finally gets a glimpse of the lady behind the veil of shadows, not because she's unbearable to look at or there's something hideous about her, but the complete and total opposite.
Anyone will struggle to describe whether if it's verbally or just in their own minds, the charm, the allure that this lady possesses for herself, something that, as Argus himself is well aware of, is an appearance that even those great sages, no, especially them, will kill and wage war for just to acquire.
There's this one odd passage that one sworn brother of the young man told of him back in his days as a great sage, or perhaps it was even before those times of near invincibility, back in the times where he, along with companions he made along the way, are just merrily exploring the firmament, wanting to see all that the entirety has to offer.
"You know, Old Yuan, there are a lot of arguments and conflicts about it, but for me, I think a man can always test how beautiful a lady truly is through one, surefire method."
As this fierce-looking young man spoke towards the black-haired swordsman, the friendly, fearless way of speaking this young man uses towards the swordsman will make anyone's thought of this swordsman being 'that' destroyer of realms disperse into the void.
"I wonder, maybe it is your small junior's reaction?"
Being in a good mood right now, the swordsman couldn't help but say something that would throw the fierce young man off, and his expectations were completely met, as the young man couldn't help but shout as he erupts standing as if he's ready to fight the swordsman at a moment's notice.
"Fuck, Old Yuan, that's a low blow!!"
The fierce young man said as he felt quite dejected, knowing full well that he could do nothing about this swordsman's words, given the huge discrepancy between their strength, a gap that appears to just grow larger and larger as time goes by.
"Anyway, back to the topic, your answer might be close, but not quite, it's the heart!! When your heart beats the loudest, that's when you know that you're standing face to face with the most beautiful woman in the world!!"
Recalling those words, the swordsman from that time, Xing Yuandao, Argus, couldn't help but nod in agreement, a nod that made that fierce-looking sworn brother smile widely, just this approval alone making him celebrate to the point that he was knocked out for days after the drinking party with the swordsman and their friends.
And with the end of those recollections of memories from the past, Argus was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a calm, cold voice from the lady who was still on her comfortable seat, as if she was now too lazy to deal with him.
"If you're also here just to gawk at my face as every single man who came here does, then I suggest, just like them, that you get lost immediately, lest you provoke me more than you already do."