Red Jade Rice

The forest floor was carpeted with pine needles, piled thick. They felt soft beneath the feet, like walking on clouds.

Shen Hui walked beneath an old pine tree and flicked his sleeve.

A Clear Wind rose from the flat ground, sweeping away the pine needles and loose soil to reveal the hard earth below.

The wind then gathered the scattered needles into a low wall half a foot high, enclosing a round pit.

With a casual point into the pit, a cluster of flames dropped down.

The dry pine needles caught fire at once. Orange-red flames leaped up, their warm glow casting the surrounding pines into shifting light and shadow.

The young Sun Chengying was quick to catch on.

Seeing the fire had been started, he immediately ran off to gather firewood without waiting for his master's orders.

After making a round through the pine forest, he returned carrying a large armful of dead pine branches and cones, which he neatly stacked beside the fire.

Seeing someone take the lead, Lu Huan happily followed at his heels to gather some as well.

Yet she brought back more pinecones than branches, her arms cradling a full bundle. A few even fell to the ground as she ran back.

The four sat in a circle around the fire.

Old Daoist Mo Yunsong took several dry flatbreads from his shoulder bag, skewered them on sharpened branches, and slowly toasted them by the flames.

Shen Hui, meanwhile, brought out the braised meat and several wild pears they had bought in town earlier and shared them among the group.

Once the provisions had been roasted golden and fragrant, with little crisp blisters puffing up across the flatbreads' surfaces, Old Daoist Mo Yunsong fished a small cloth pouch from deep inside his bag and opened it