On the afternoon of the third day, the terrain changed.
When they left the Pine Roost Sect, pines covered the mountains. As they went farther, the pines dwindled one by one, replaced by broadleaf trees with thick, fleshy leaves so dark they were almost black. The stone steps gave way to a dirt path that felt soft underfoot, their heels kicking up wet mud.
The smell in the air changed layer by layer, too. First came dampness, then a faint trace of sulfur, until even the air they breathed felt sticky.
Yu Che took off his outer robe and draped it over his arm.
Chen Chong glanced at him.
In all three days, the boy had not fallen a single step behind.
Not only that. When Chen Chong walked faster, he walked faster; when Chen Chong stopped to rest, he stopped too, his breathing steady, not even a bead of sweat on his forehead.
At first, Chen Chong thought he was simply walking too slowly. Later, he tried picking up the pace, climbing more than a dozen li uphill without stopping. When he looked back, Yu Che was still three paces behind him, his breathing long and even, as though he were meditating on the Bamboo Platform.
"Junior brother." Chen Chong stopped.
"Hmm?"
"What realm are you in now?"
Yu Che paused, as though he had not expected the question. He looked down at his hands before answering, "Marrow Cleansing."
Chen Chong fell silent for a moment.
The Marrow Cleansing Realm. The same as him.
The boy was fifteen or sixteen, a year or two younger than this body of his.
Only then did the pieces fall into place. Why Luo Yu never let Yu Che touch the Outer Sect's miscellaneous arts, why he made him sit on the Bamboo