High in the sky, Yi Shuyuan rode the wind across rivers and lakes, flying over towering mountains and rugged ridges.
As he passed Three Signs County in Su Prefecture, faint peals of bells rose from the foot of Mount Xiang.
"Dong, dong."
These were the bells of Xiangshan Monastery. Their peals were remarkably resonant. A larger bronze bell did not necessarily sound louder, nor did striking harder necessarily send its sound farther. Or rather, to Yi Shuyuan's ears, these bells were unusual in themselves.
What had been Xiangshan Zen Monastery a few years ago was now Xiangshan Monastery. With the emperor's calligraphy made into a plaque, its fame had spread beyond Three Signs County to the surrounding region and even throughout Su Prefecture. Its incense offerings had naturally climbed several rungs as well.
Yi Shuyuan did not need to descend to Xiangshan Monastery to know that the one striking the bell now must be Monk Wufa.
But this time, the monastery was not his destination.
The wind swept over Mount Xiang and traveled north, all the way to the border between the two countries, then into the nation north of Great Yong.
Southern Yan and Great Yong now shared fairly similar cultures and customs. Throughout the long river of history, the two countries had attacked one another and accumulated many grudges, but they had also influenced each other.
Even today, their mutual influence ran deep in both economics and culture.
The boundary between the two countries had never actually been precisely defined. In the terms of Yi Shuyuan's previous life, there were disputed territories. Overall, however, they largely used the Mo Mountain range as their border, with frontier cities standing on either side.
With Stoneborn beside him, Yi Shuyuan looked down from high above and could see the relatively modest