That night, Wang Xian ultimately failed to get a peaceful night's sleep.
Teacher was gone. A gust of wind swept him into the sky, blew him back to the Academy's rear mountain, and dropped him in the little courtyard.
He sat beneath the tree, staring blankly until dawn, then went to fetch two more buckets of water and poured them into the large vat.
He had originally returned to the Academy just to enjoy a few quiet, carefree days. He hadn't expected them to be disrupted.
Tang Shisan had found him; naturally, other people could come to the Academy too. It looked like his good days were over.
After thinking it over, he descended the mountain as the sun rose.
He didn't go see the dean or look for the blacksmith. He'd already said what he needed to say. What good would saying more do?
Standing beside Qifeng Lake, he watched the mountain stream flow slowly toward him, like a white ribbon descending from the heavens before gathering into a vast, mist-shrouded lake.
It was like a faint, indistinct streak of Sword Qi coming from the mountains.
After a moment's thought, he tore off a petal from the half golden lotus and wrapped it in a square of silk.
Turning around, he bowed deeply to Old Sun, who had hurried over after hearing the news, and handed him the silk.
"What's this?" Old Sun was taken aback. He'd been summoned to the lakeside so early in the morning. What was going on?
Wang Xian sighed. "Boil a pot of water and give it to them to drink... Let everyone have a sip. Teacher, you and the blacksmith, the dean, Long Jingyu, Tang Tian, Bai Xue, Song Tian... Give each of them a bowl."
He wasn't an immortal. He couldn't look