Old Matters Stir in the Heart, Quietly Awaiting the Return of an Old Friend

White Crane sent Da Dian back to Fulong Temple of Yinshan Mountain, while Song You rested in this clearing for the night before continuing on the next day.

They were now within Yizhou.

The Daoist and Three Flower Lady continued onward. Late spring was already quite warm; even nights in the mountains were no longer cold, and they often simply found a spot to sleep in the open. When thirsty, they sought out mountain springs or asked for water from households by the roadside. When they ran short on provisions, they bought some in the towns they passed through or from villagers in the mountains. It was all fairly convenient, at least enough that they need not worry overmuch about it.

Yizhou, too, had fallen into chaos.

As the Daoist traveled on, whether villagers sought him out with questions and pleas or he happened across them on the road, he dealt with quite a few Yao, spirits, and monsters causing trouble.

Of course, Three Flower Lady and Swallow did all the work.

Sometimes they received silver as thanks, sometimes a good meal, sometimes plenty of dried rations and fruit. No matter what, it counted as a gain.

And so their pace slowed considerably.

Especially when there were simply too many demons and wicked ghosts in the mountains. Song You would remain in one place eating and drinking while Three Flower Lady and Swallow exterminated monsters. The villagers would treat them with such heartfelt hospitality that they insisted on keeping them overnight for a banquet. At first, he had thought it was merely the villagers' simple warmth. Yet after a banquet and a night's sleep, he would discover that people from the neighboring village had received word the night before and had come at dawn to line up and invite them