At the foot of Thousand Wood Mountain.
Zuo Liang wore a blue, narrow-sleeved combat Daoist robe. Unlike an ordinary Daoist robe, its hem fell only past her knees, and her calves were wrapped in thick gaiters carved with intricate defensive runes. Metal plates covered her bracers as well, densely engraved with runes.
Her hair was pinned up with a wooden hairpin, and her delicate face carried a chilly aloofness. Dressed like this, she resembled a prefectural soldier clad in padded armor.
Several hundred years had passed. The rashness and liveliness she once possessed had long vanished, replaced by calm steadiness. Looking at her, one could not help but feel trust.
"Come on. Don't keep them waiting too long."
A voice came from beside her. It was the Sanhua cat, Mimi, standing atop a huge boulder beside the mountain path leading to Thousand Wood Mountain's summit.
Zuo Liang nodded. After drawing a deep breath, she stepped forward.
Her Master had brought her here many times while he was still alive. But after her Master failed his advancement and perished, her status in Thousand Wood Temple plummeted. She was even ostracized by the other Artifact Cultivators of East Water Mountain, ultimately forcing her to leave Thousand Wood Temple.
Fortunately, she had met Yang Rong and the other core disciples of Thousand Wood Temple while following her Master. That allowed her to return to Jinhuai City and manage the businesses her Master had left behind. Later, through her ties with the demon race of Baishui Lake, she came to know the demon race of Ningzhou Road, and by a twist of fate entered the Demon Domain, where she finally obtained an opportunity to advance.
For all these years, she had lived under another's roof in the Demon Domain. Only she knew the bitterness