All afternoon, Annie, Lin Daiyu, Tanchun, Xueyan, and Zijuan had lunch aboard the ship.
After roughly four or five shichen, near dusk, when Daiyu and the others were starting to feel drowsy, the brand-new Cloudskiff finally descended slowly at the entrance to a valley deep in a desolate mountain forest.
"Ha!"
(｀)
As soon as the flying ship came to a stop, Annie was the first to leap down, unable to wait another moment.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Naturally, Lin Daiyu and Tanchun followed her, along with Daiyu's maids, Xueyan and Zijuan.
As they stepped off the ship, the view before them opened up. Looking ahead, they saw a quiet, secluded valley with excellent terrain. If they hadn't been looking down from the sky, it might have been difficult to spot the place from the ground or from a distant mountaintop.
Beside the path at the valley's entrance stood a blue-green boulder several zhang tall. Its surface was smooth, and three large, ancient-looking black characters had been carved into it in powerful strokes: "Qing Nang Sect."
Beyond the boulder, the path wound into the valley, where numerous pavilions and buildings had been built against the mountains. Their dark-tiled roofs and white walls, with upturned eaves and corners, were half-hidden among tall pines and cypresses. From afar, they gave the place the refined air of an immortal's abode. The spiritual energy here also seemed a little denser than in the surrounding area.
"This is..."
Tanchun studied the scene before them. Her brows drew together, and a note of uncertainty entered her voice.
"This place..."
"Doesn't look much like some secluded sect of cultivators. It looks more like a martial arts sect?"
She had grown up in Rongguo Mansion and had seen a little more of the world than most. She had