The moment Chen Ping'an arrived at Jise Peak on Luopo Mountain, he awoke. He found himself in the Patriarch Hall's White Jade Square, where Ning Yao steadied him, and the two stood together by the railing.
The moonlight was still and hushed, the green mountains dripped emerald, and clouds and mist billowed like spread floss. Perhaps colored by his state of mind, the mortal world seemed never to have been so peaceful.
Ning Yao had deliberately not landed over at Jiling Peak. She asked through inner voice, "What happened just now?"
As though he had slept too deeply, Chen Ping'an's mind was still somewhat muddled. He rubbed his eyes and said, "In a daze, I seemed to have seen quite a few extraordinary people."
Ning Yao mistook it for several Heaven and Earth Connections that had allowed Chen Ping'an to glimpse truths akin to the "Dao" or an "ancestral land." Curious, she asked, "What do you mean?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head and asked, "How are you?"
Ning Yao stopped asking further questions and rolled her eyes. "How do you think I could be?"
Chen Ping'an said quietly, "I think we could drink wedding wine twice in a row."
Ning Yao's face reddened slightly.
Chen Ping'an reached out and gently rubbed the crease between her brows, asking with concern, "Are you all right?"
Ning Yao said, "It's nothing. At worst, I'll need a few dozen years to cultivate and restore myself again."
Chen Ping'an asked softly, "How are Xiao Mo and Xie Gou?"
Ning Yao said, "They're all right. On the surface, Xie Gou had it worse. Three rounds of 'scattered Dao' dispersed more than thirty Ancient Dao Lineages, dropping her to the Nascent Soul Realm."
"In truth, Xiao Mo lost far more. His Natal Flying Sword, 'Lotus Threads,' and