Lotus Pier had been retaken months ago, but the bulk of the Jiang Sect's new recruits had been needed in the war effort.  With the villainous Wen Ruohan defeated and the war over it is finally time to get Lotus Pier back up and running.

A number of young cultivators tread through shallow water, planting lotus seedlings.  Others are leading boats heavy with wooden planks through deeper channels.  Still more are using that wood to repair raised walkways and construct buildings.  A few are managing the recruitment of new members, looking for especially promising teens and anyone with skill in cultivation.

One man, pale and black-clad, is day drinking on his own in a patch of burned-out ruins at the back of Lotus Pier that hadn't been cleared away yet.