Shen Tang climbed mountains and crossed rivers, ending up covered in dust.
After spending over half a month living like a wildling, she finally found her destination.
She was stopped by a tightly shut, round door shaped like a yin-yang fish, its surface covered in seals of various colors, their light dim. Following Jimò Qiu's instructions, Shen Tang raised her hand and channeled the Civil and Martial Qi within her, pouring it into the patterns. As the seals lit up one by one, the tightly shut door began to loosen, and dust sifted down from overhead. A woman's voice rang out from inside the cave: [Who goes there? Hm? How could it be you?]
Shen Tang knew at once that the voice's owner recognized her.
Or rather, she recognized the Shen Tang whose memories were whole.
She didn't bother with pleasantries. "Open the door."
The woman's voice scoffed: [Please verify your identity.]
"What if I don't?"
To open a door with a smart lock, you didn't necessarily need a password or key. You could always tear it off its hinges. Shen Tang didn't think this stone door could withstand her forcing her way through.
The woman's voice: [...Tsk. You're still as irritating as ever.]
The enormous stone door, shaped like a yin-yang fish, slowly swung open.
A rich spiritual energy washed over her, lifting her spirits.
As soon as Shen Tang stepped inside, the stone door shut behind her. Points of light gathered on the mountain wall, forming a phantom figure. As the figure grew more solid, Shen Tang could make out her features: a woman in a fitted outfit, with white sleeves embroidered in gold on one side and black sleeves embroidered in silver on the other. She looked no older than twenty-three or twenty-four, with skin fair as