Cicada-Shedding and Snake-Sloughing was not always the same thing.
Or rather, the same four words could mean different things.
The Earth-Fire Cult's version of Cicada-Shedding and Snake-Sloughing was clearly different from Water-Walker's.
Xu Feng turned to look at the butterfly, then asked Shen Jicheng, "Is this what Daoist Water-Walker looks like after his ascension?"
Shen Jicheng said, "This butterfly is Water-Walker, but he didn't simply become this butterfly. After his ascension, this is only a wisp of essence he left behind in this world."
Xu Feng understood. "Last night, I dreamed this butterfly landed on my shoulder. I thought it was just a dream, but when I woke, there it was, perched on my shoulder.
"So what I dreamed last night wasn't merely a dream.
"It was an omen."
"That's right," Shen Jicheng said. "This is your destined opportunity. I've seen plenty of things like this in my travels. Finding that poem and finding Three Shu Monastery happened at exactly the right time. Any earlier wouldn't have worked, and any later would have been no good either.
"There's no destined opportunity for me here. But you met me, and I brought you up here. That's yours."
His words seemed to hint at something. Gazing into the distance, Shen Jicheng asked, "If you have the time, could you tell me about these strange encounters of yours as tales of the supernatural?"
"Once we're down the mountain, definitely," Xu Feng said. "Definitely."
Then Xu Feng looked at the butterfly resting on his shoulder and said softly, "Daoist?"
Perhaps the air stirred by his voice had disturbed it. The butterfly suddenly took flight.
It did not go far, though. It flew at an unhurried pace toward the graves.
Xu Feng followed it past mound after mound until he reached the final three graves.