Great Tang Dynasty.
Early morning.
A streak of golden light cut across the western horizon.
It tore through the sea of clouds and plunged straight into Chang'an.
By the time the golden light faded, the girl had already appeared atop a tall Gao-rise building within Chang'an City.
Two figures landed close behind her.
The instant he found his footing,
Niu Ben impatiently lowered his head and gently parted the front of his robes.
A bald little chick poked out its bare head.
"Big Sis, look. This is the capital of the Great Tang Dynasty—Chang'an."
The chick blinked, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
As the Demon Emperor of the Great Marsh, she had never allowed Niu Ben to wander about recklessly. In truth, she herself rarely left the Great Marsh.
She had interacted with human cultivators even less.
But now,
before her lay an immense city of blue bricks and gray tiles, with curling smoke rising from cooking fires.
It lacked the Gao-high, ethereal air of a Dao Orthodoxy's mountain gate, yet possessed an indescribable vibrancy.
The chick twisted her bare neck, so captivated by the sight that she forgot herself.
Hu Cuihua beside her was staring just as blankly.
At that moment, both paws gripped the railing, its huge head stretched far out.
Only after a long while
did it mutter, "A hundred thousand homes lie like a Go board; twelve streets stretch like vegetable plots..."
It shook its head as it spoke, even the tail behind it swaying unconsciously.
"This little demon had only ever read of worldly splendor in books. I always thought the humans were gilding their own faces, filling their pages with exaggerated boasts."
"Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I realize that the living breath of this mortal world is even