That night, after the sounds outside had completely died down, the old man called Wang Xian over.
"Go down the mountain."
Gu Chen's voice sounded in the darkness, carrying a hint of helplessness. "I'm taking this kid out to see the world."
Wang Xian was silent for a long time.
He listened to the wind outside the window and thought about everything that had happened over the past days.
When he had first arrived at Five-Mile Slope, it had been cold and desolate. Now, after only one spring, it was bustling with people. Sure enough, finding a truly quiet place outside town was never going to be easy.
"Alright." In the end, that was the only word he said.
The moment he finished speaking, Little Fly poked his head in.
He had clearly been eavesdropping all along. Now he grinned and sidled up to Wang Xian. "Blind man, do you have somewhere to go after you head down the mountain? I know the tavern owner's wife. Her place is lively with lots of people, so you won't get bored staying there. I can put in a word for you..."
Before Wang Xian could respond, Gu Chen sighed. "Your body has been tempered well enough, and you've already grasped the basics of sword flight."
He looked at Little Fly, his tone unusually gentler. "What comes next can't be achieved overnight. You'll need to spend time grinding away at it and cultivate slowly. You can't rush it."
Little Fly froze for a moment, and for once, he did not fool around.
Gu Chen turned back to Wang Xian. "The old monk once said that the greatest hermits hide in the marketplace. When he was alive, he often told me that the thing he regretted most in this life was building a temple