In the blink of an eye, thirty-four days passed.
That night, Fang Shu sat in his little courtyard, gazing at the bright white moon in the sky. He could not help recalling the days when he had consumed moonlight on Chaotic Ridge and cultivated through breathing exercises.
But he did not dwell on it for long. He immediately readied himself, wearing only a plain moon-white Daoist robe, then formed a hand seal and slipped out of his courtyard.
Night had fallen. Although the Immortal Prefecture grounds remained brightly lit, and day and night made little difference to immortals,
compared to daytime, the night was still much quieter. In particular, many of the beasts in the mountains were resting or lying still, not daring to move about carelessly.
Following the instructions Senior Brother Wu Tong had written, Fang Shu flew to the foot of a certain mountain within the Immortal Prefecture grounds. He immediately descended from the clouds, landed at the mountain's base, and proceeded uphill on foot.
For such a "chance encounter" with a master of the prefecture expounding the Dao, one could not simply fly straight up. It would be one thing to miss the opportunity because one's aura had been concealed, but if one barged in and disturbed the master's mood, that would be disastrous.
As he made his way upward, insect cries filled his ears without cease, while fireflies rose among the mountains like a scattering of stars.
Walking upon the wind, Fang Shu truly found himself in the mood for a nighttime stroll.
Before long,
he reached the mountainside and discovered that, as expected, he was far from the only one who had come here.
Others were also making their way toward the summit, some alone and some in groups.
As they passed one another, everyone