Lan Wangji had been so entirely convinced that Magnus was roughly the same age as Sizhui that this does take a moment to sink in properly, and his face is blank during this process. He does, however, apply himself to thinking about the answer before he speaks.

"One of the aims of cultivation is immortality," he says, "and high cultivation can slow the aging process even if immortality is not attained." This is why he looks approximately ten years younger than he is, for instance. "With the passage of time, wisdom is always accrued. You may be neither sixteen nor twenty-four." Ageless being certainly isn't right, either. Magnus is no distant and aloof immortal atop a lofty peak. He is warmth and life personified. "You are yourself. It may be that you need to discover what that means as you go along."