"Milady means... he might be an expert? His cultivation has been concealed?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not." Lady Bai Gu turned back to face the Bronze Mirror. "But until I know for certain, I will not act rashly. I have waited too long for this opportunity. I will not let insufficient intelligence ruin everything."
She picked up her bone comb and continued brushing her hair.
The comb slid from root to tip, each stroke unhurried.
"Go. I want the results within five days."
Without a word, Xi Shu turned and vanished into the darkness of the corridor. Its footsteps were incredibly faint, nearly merging into the silence the instant it stepped out of the Stone Chamber, like a drop of water falling into a deep pool.
The Stone Chamber fell quiet again.
Lady Bai Gu sat before the Bronze Mirror, brushing her hair stroke by stroke.
The Bronze Mirror reflected her flawless face, as well as the wall behind her where a painting bearing a doggerel verse hung.
As the comb passed through the ends of her hair, her gaze shifted slightly in the mirror for an instant—settling on the painting reflected in the corner of the mirror.
Then she withdrew her gaze and continued brushing her hair.
Five days later.
The wild grass along both sides of the official road had begun to yellow. Whenever the wind blew, it made a fine rustling sound, like countless dry fingers rubbing together. The sun hung low in the west, stretching shadows long and casting the travelers' figures onto the dusty road, swaying with every step.
The pilgrimage party did not travel quickly.
Tang Monk rode White Dragon Horse, gently fanning himself with a paper fan. Every so often, he stopped to recite a few lines of the Rebirth Mantra for a wild chrysanthemum