After the cultivator came out, he released the paper crane again. It circled about outside, and several months later, during one of Chong An's patrols, it returned to his hand once more.
The moment he received it, he sensed a connection of qi. Through a certain mysterious resonance, he instinctively knew that the other party was summoning him to meet.
After thinking it over, he decided to meet the master of this qi.
He remembered what Zhang Yu had written in the talismanic edict. Once he reached Celestial Xia, he could simply do whatever he needed to do and follow his own heart. He need not answer to anyone during that time, nor did he need to report to anyone.
This was in fact exceedingly dangerous. If his private meeting with this person were discovered and no one could testify for him, then he would be unable to clear himself of colluding with Origin Xia.
However, he trusted his teacher, and his conscience was clear. After all, that divine soul had only attached itself to him after being altered; it was not originally a part of him.
Having made up his mind, he steadied himself and waited for an opportunity. Having come this far, he could not afford to be hasty.
Several more months slipped by, and the year was nearing its end. During this period, the two sides exchanged messages once more and finally agreed to meet near the Origin Xia Dock.
The terms of their mutual oath stipulated that neither side's envoy dock was subject to the other's jurisdiction, nor could either use any means to inspect the other without permission. Communicating there, they need not fear any divination or observation.
Chong An did not rush to meet the other party. Instead, he continued waiting for an opportunity