The scent of meat gradually filled the air.
The aroma of wine grew richer by the moment.
Outside the ruined hall, night was drawing near. Snow fell like a waterfall, splashing across the night sky, while the biting wind cut like knives and howled without end.
Yet it could not disperse the warmth within the hall.
The bonfire blazed fiercely, driving away the ink-black night and offsetting the bone-piercing chill.
Su Yi, dozing in the rattan chair, gave a long stretch. He picked up the roasted meat and feasted heartily, washing it down with warmed wine.
Over the past year, he had roamed mountains and rivers, played amid the mortal world, ignored worldly affairs, and paid no heed to its turmoil. Even when he encountered disputes and storms, he would merely cast them a cold glance before drifting away.
His mind and spirit had settled. In tranquil stillness, he savored the great beauty of heaven and earth and the myriad forms of all living beings.
Though his cultivation had not improved, it had become increasingly refined and profound.
To the people of this world, he was merely a travel-worn passerby.
To himself, this was a rare journey of emptying himself.
Nurture a spirit of carefree freedom; temper a heart unburdened by all attachments.
Only by cutting through entanglements and retreating into the mortal world, by being alone, could one stand beyond worldly things, leap free from the cage, and clearly recognize oneself.
When one walked too fast and in too much haste, one often overlooked the scenery along the way.
At the root of it all, his previous breakthroughs had come too quickly, and he had weathered too many storms. Trapped deep within the game, he had inevitably been exhausted from running for his life, unable to act as he