At dusk, Mati Mountain.
A swallow circled above the clouds, circling and circling, rehearsing over and over in its mind what it should say and do later, making sure nothing went wrong, before diving down through the clouds and flying into the pavilion.
The martial folk below on Yan Immortal Terrace had already mostly dispersed. Only a few scattered people remained—some sparring, some discussing matters, some arranging to take a stroll together, chatting about heaven and earth.
Inside the pavilion, a young Taoist priest sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes shut.
A Three Flower Cat stood on the left side of the pavilion, lowering her body, raising her rump, and stretching lazily. Once she had finished, she shook her head so hard her features blurred.
The swallow landed at the far right of the pavilion and transformed into a youth.
The young Taoist priest opened his eyes as well.
"Greetings, sir."
"Sir, I kept you waiting. I..."
What he had just rehearsed inexplicably vanished from his mind.
"..."
After a moment of silence, the youth merely bent down and held out his hand. A small red pill lay in his palm. "Sir, please take this pill."
Song You accepted it. After giving it a brief look, he said to the cat beside him, "Three Flower Lady, remain here. I'll be leaving for a while, though my physical body will stay behind. Three Flower Lady, don't think I'm dead..."
The Three Flower Cat turned her head to look at him.
"What?"
Song You shook his head and tipped back his head to swallow the pill.
Heaven and earth shook violently, and his soul left his body.
The world was still the same world, its colors still the same colors. Some things were different, yet he could not say how.
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