Old Li led Chen Chong onward.
Why "led"? Because Old Li was flying forward with Chen Chong dangling from his grasp like a little chick. Chen Chong's feet never touched the ground, his entire body wrapped in a supple force, like a leaf swept up by the wind.
Trees, boulders, and stone steps raced backward on either side, blurring into streaks. Old Li held himself straight, his robes fluttering as his feet stepped through empty air, each stride carrying him several dozen feet. He looked like an immortal.
Chen Chong had no chance even to speak. Wind filled his mouth and nose, and he could only narrow his eyes and watch the Pine Roost Sect shrink beneath him. They swept over the Bamboo Sea, over Qiyuan Terrace, and over peaks he had never visited, before finally landing in a deep valley.
The valley floor lay deep in shadow, enclosed by cliffs on every side, with vines hanging down their faces like curtains. There was a clearing in the valley where not a blade of grass grew, its stone surface smooth as a mirror. Old Li set Chen Chong down and motioned for him to take out his Qiyun Treasury token.
Chen Chong took out the token. Its golden surface glimmered in the dim valley. He raised it, and a moment later, a clear, ringing cry came from overhead.
An enormous blue-green bird descended from the sky, its spread wings like clouds, its trailing tail feathers like lengths of silk. It landed in the clearing, tilted its head, and took the token in its beak. Then it lowered itself, signaling for Chen Chong to climb aboard.
Chen Chong sat on the bird's back. Its feathers were soft and warm, like a living cloud beneath him. The great bird beat its wings