The carriage entered the city gate of Heaven Dou City at dusk on the fifth day. Xiangling lifted a corner of the curtain and looked outside. The first thing she saw was the same towering city walls as before, the streets stretching beyond sight, and the lights of ten thousand homes gradually flickering on.
Big Sister Xiao Wu is back.
She lowered the curtain, sat back down, and waited quietly.
She had finished the introductory section of the Great Simplicity Art, memorized the formulas for the Wind God Leg and the key principles of the Ever-Changing Divine Steps, and could now fully visualize the Lunar Jade Rabbit Visualization Diagram in her mind.
She was no longer Xiao Wu.
She was Mao Xiangling. A brand-new identity, a brand-new self.
The carriage paused briefly at Heaven Dou City's gate. A guard leaned over to inspect the carriage compartment. Seeing the token Xiao Yun presented, he asked no further questions and waved them through.
The carriage proceeded along the main street toward the Inner City. Pedestrians and carriages along the roadside gradually grew more numerous.
Xiao Yun lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out. Familiar Heaven Dou City, familiar brick walls and shops. The old stall selling candied hawthorn at the street corner was still there. He had been away for nearly two months.
After traveling for some time, especially after passing through a peculiar barrier, they continued onward for a while before the carriage finally stopped before Years Manor. Xiao Yun jumped down first, then turned and offered Xiangling a hand.
Xiangling stepped down using the Carriage Shaft. Just as she was about to look over the manor, the sight before her left her stunned—the manor's main gate stood open, and a row of people stood inside. From the eldest