Half a Year of Progress

After leaving the County Commandant's office, Chu Bai did not head straight back to Clearwind Courtyard. Swept up in the New Year's festive spirit, he changed into casual clothes and strolled toward Great Locust Alley in the bustling market district.

Noon sunlight fell across the alley, where red firecracker scraps littered the ground.

Compared with the clamor of the streets outside, Great Locust Alley was remarkably peaceful. Even the scent of plants in the air seemed richer here.

Chu Bai walked beneath the enormous old locust tree and brushed the cold, rough bark with his fingertips.

"My lord."

An aged, gentle voice sounded in Chu Bai's heart.

The tree's shadow stirred and took the shape of an old man with a staff, visible only to Chu Bai. The Locust Elder bowed, his manner more respectful than ever.

Chu Bai recalled what Zhang Cheng had said earlier, and the doubts he had harbored finally cleared.

He looked at the Locust Elder and asked gravely, "Locust Elder, you have been rooted here for a hundred years, sheltering the people and accumulating Merit. Why, before I granted you Edict Investiture, did you hide from place to place instead of revealing your divinity?"

"Were you afraid?"

A bitter smile crossed the Locust Elder's face. He sighed. "As you have seen, my lord, grants of Divine Seats have grown increasingly rare throughout Great Zhou. This old servant has a little cultivation, but I am, in the end, only a 'wild thing' born of wood.

"The court's stance toward the divine is ambiguous, and the sovereign's will is hard to fathom. How would this old servant dare presume to know it?"

He paused, his voice carrying the relief of one who had survived a calamity. "Had I revealed myself at the wrong time, or been branded