Mount Emei, Golden Summit Peak, Golden Summit Chan Monastery.
Golden Summit Peak commanded a broad view, overlooking mountains clustered all around and a surging sea of clouds. Especially at dawn or dusk, when the cloud sea churned through the mountains and the radiance of sunrise or sunset spilled down, it felt as though one had entered a fairyland. The scenery was truly unrivaled under heaven.
Golden Summit Chan Monastery was tranquil and secluded, with ancient trees soaring into the sky, birdsong, and fragrant flowers. Though it could not match Shaolin Temple's vast holdings and great enterprise, in terms of serenity, harmony, and deep foundations, it was no less than Shaolin Temple on Great Vow Mountain.
Master Bai Yue returned to the Sect Gate and went to see Headmaster Jingyun, recounting everything that had happened on the journey, including but not limited to the eight great sects besieging Slaughter Mountain, Shaolin Temple's ascension ceremony, and Xiang Yuan, her bargain-bin junior brother.
Before long, the two arrived at the rear courtyard and entered Headmaster Jingyun's place of secluded cultivation.
It was an utterly ordinary, simple little courtyard. Several tea trees had been planted casually within it. Beyond the back gate stretched a gravel path that led deep into a bamboo grove. At its end stood a bamboo pavilion, bearing four words: "A Bamboo Path Leads to Seclusion."
The gravel path wound and twisted. The bamboo stood tall and slender, its leaves a lush, dripping green. The farther one followed the path, the denser the grove became. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering mottled patches of light and shadow.
The air was permeated by bamboo's distinctive fresh fragrance, clearing the mind and delighting the heart.
Xiang Yuan followed Master Bai Yue into the bamboo grove and felt time slow. Every worry