By the Misty Rain Lake, rain and mist veiled the shore.
Tang Shisan stood in the garden as the days passed. Little by little, the thrill of breaking through and the sorrow of Wang Xian's departure faded away.
After putting away her spirit sword, she stood dazed, gazing at the vast lake before her.
After watching for a long while, she turned from the pair of mandarin ducks on Misty Rain Lake and headed for the flower hall.
In spring, the Imperial City of Jinling burst into a riot of colors. Wang Xian was no longer there to see it.
She wondered whether she should take Meng Xiaolou back to the Kunlun Mountains for a visit.
Almost eight years had passed since she last left.
Before she knew it, she had been back from the Academy for more than ten days. After her breakthrough, she seemed like a different person, with endless energy every day.
Even after standing in the garden and practicing her sword for two whole hours that day, she didn't feel tired.
When she returned to the tea room, it was unusually quiet.
Who could have guessed that since his breakthrough, Meng Xiaolou had rarely practiced swordsmanship or cultivation? Instead, he liked to sit alone by the window and drink now and then.
He had no companion; he just drank by himself, because Tang Qingyu wouldn't let Ximen Tinghua learn from Meng Xiaolou.
A plate of peanuts sat on the table, and half the wine in the jug was gone.
Meng Xiaolou had been drinking for ten days, but still couldn't make sense of it.
Fine wine in this world seemed to taste worse and worse, like drinking knives or a ball of blazing fire.
Seeing Tang Shisan glide in, he raised his cup high, tilted back