"Is that girl doing well now?" the old woman asked.
"Very well. She was promoted to an inner sect steward last year."
"That's good." The old woman turned the sole over and continued stitching. "You people from the immortal sects aren't really so different from us common folk. If someone has ability and is willing to use it for others, then they're a good person."
Su Han sat on the stone stool without replying. Dusk grew deeper and deeper. The gold-red hues in the stream gradually turned dark purple, and the distant mountains were reduced to blurry black silhouettes. After finishing her last few stitches, the old woman bit off the thread, gave the sole a shake, and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
"Young man, stay in town tonight. There's an inn around the corner ahead. The proprietress's surname is Liu. Tell her Granny Chen sent you, and she'll knock three copper coins off the price."
Su Han smiled and thanked her, then rose and headed toward town. After taking a few steps, he heard the old woman murmuring behind him as if talking to herself, "People from the immortal sects... aren't all so high and mighty after all."
That night, Su Han stayed at an inn in Willow Creek Town. The guest room was tiny: one wooden bed, one table, and one chair. An oil lamp and a small dish of peanuts sat on the table. He sat at the table and copied the Heavenly Dipper Righteous Qi Technique for a while—the three hundred copies from his punishment still had more than two hundred left, and he could not neglect them just because he was traveling. As he was copying the seventh time, he heard a baby crying in the next room. The crying came and went for the