A Promise to Keep

Far away in the Great Tang of the Eastern Lands, in a random village, a somewhat sloppily-dressed painter was looking askance at a rich man who fawned over him with endless words.

"Immortal, sir, I beg of you to paint me. I'm willing to pay any price."

"My paintings are very expensive," was the response.

The rich man nodded enthusiastically, then waved to his retainers to carry over several large chests.

The old painter glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, then cleared his throat. "Well, it seems that the two of us are connected by destiny. Because of that, I'll paint something for you."

He was just about to begin painting when a frown appeared on his face.

"Something just came up," he said. "I need to take a mental journey. Please wait for a moment." With that, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

The rich man didn't dare to disturb him, and simply stood there off to the side, waiting.