She stayed in Cloud Remote Ancient Village for two or three days.
Early one morning, Bai Yujun put on a conical hat, slung a pack over her back, and prepared to leave. Mu Duo came to see her off, deeply envious that Bai Yujun could wander and sightsee wherever she pleased. Yet constrained by her status, traveling the world was nothing more than a distant dream.
Ever since Bai Yujun had arrived at Cloud Remote Ancient Village three days ago and Mu Duo had greeted her with a delighted smile, Mu Duo had not smiled again.
"Old Mu... ptooey, Old Duo, give me a smile. This snake can grin for no reason at all, so why are you, a human, wearing such a cold face? Come on, smile for your lord."
"..."
Mu Duo lifted the corners of her mouth, which counted as a smile.
"Won't smile? Then how about... your lord gives you one?"
"..."
Under Mu Duo's speechless gaze, Bai Yujun stepped upon the clouds and flew into the sky, using the great southern wilderness fog as cover as she headed toward the primeval forest. In only a few breaths, the mist remained, but the snake's shadow was nowhere to be seen.
The Sea of Mist churned, and a slender figure flickered in and out among the clouds.
The southern wilderness was Bai Yujun's childhood home, a sacred land for countless living creatures. It held vast forests, innumerable rivers and lakes, where birds, beasts, fish, and insects thrived and multiplied. Every time she came to the southern wilderness, she felt an indescribable comfort.
She recalled how she had once hidden every day in cracks between rocks and thickets just to survive, stealing bird eggs, eating grasshoppers, and fighting mongooses. The days had been a little bitter, but they