Opening the Altar

"Phew..."

The river stretched vast and boundless.

On the Heavenly Altar, Liang Qu lay flat on his back, opened his mouth, and exhaled a breath of hot air. The white mist drifted away against the river wind and vanished completely.

The sky was dark and overcast, without even a wisp of sunlight in sight.

Even if they scattered the clouds, once the ship headed north and entered new waters, it would soon be blanketed over again. It was utterly pointless.

"Mr. Lan, looks like it'll snow today. Should I keep sunning myself?"

"Sun yourself." Lan Jicai sat on a small stool, peeled open half a guava, pinched the rind, and stuffed it into his mouth. He mumbled, "Come down whenever it starts snowing."

Before he had finished the half-guava, heavy snow began to drift down.

Perfect timing.

Liang Qu flipped down, brushing ice crystals from his shoulder. "Mr. Lan, why do I have to sit on the Heavenly Altar and bask in the sun? Does it really do any good?"

After six straight days of sunning himself, the Heavenly Altar was still the same Heavenly Altar, and Liang Qu was still the same Liang Qu.

Having cultivated the Body Consciousness Method, Liang Qu was exceptionally sensitive to changes in himself. He had not felt that sitting atop the Heavenly Altar in the sun had done him any good whatsoever, so he decided to ask plainly. If it truly had some special purpose, he would disperse the heavy snow and go back to keep sunning himself.

"It does no good."

"It does no good?"

Liang Qu stared wide-eyed.

Lan Jicai answered without hesitation, "Aren't you a fisherman? Don't you pray to the gods before putting out to sea to fish?"

"..."

"I once went to the South Sea to observe the