Early the next morning, Su Yu was awakened by birdsong.
The Daoist temple's guest room was very simple: a wooden bed, a table, a chair, and a calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall that read, "The Dao follows nature."
The sky outside the window had only just begun to brighten. Mountain mist seeped in through the cracks around the door, cool and carrying the scent of bamboo leaves and earth.
Kurama was still curled up on the quilt, her tail covering her nose as her belly rose and fell. Su Yu did not wake her. He got up, washed, and pushed open the door. The ginkgo tree in the courtyard glimmered gold in the morning light, and someone stood beneath it.
Zhang Qinwan wore a moon-white cotton-linen jacket, her hair pinned behind her head with a wooden hairpin. Holding a bowl of soy milk, she was looking down at the koi in a stone basin.
Hearing the door open, she looked up and smiled at Su Yu. "Morning. Did you sleep well last night?" Her voice was soft, tinged with a Jiangnan accent, like silk soaked in water.
"Not bad." Su Yu walked over. Kurama had somehow woken up and followed at his feet, rubbing her eyes with her paws.
Zhang Qinwan glanced down at Kurama, bent over, and set the bowl of soy milk on the ground. "Want some?" Kurama looked at Su Yu. He said nothing, so she stuck her face into the bowl. Zhang Qinwan watched her, the corner of her lips curving slightly. Then she stood and dusted off her hands.
"The Celestial Master said you wanted to look around the mountain today?"
"Yeah. I want to see Mount Longhu's magic."
Zhang Qinwan nodded without asking further questions. She turned and headed out of the courtyard.