A crane's call was a highly distinctive, unmistakable sound. The white crane at the head of the flock called for a while, and soon the others joined in.
In the twilight, a flock of white cranes calling beside the marshland made music born of nature, as though their voices had dispelled every shadow around them, including the dark clouds in people's hearts.
The wandering Sorcerer holding the compass could not help breathing a sigh of relief, and his expression relaxed.
"We're all right now. Heaven sent these cranes to help us. Whew... we're safe."
As he spoke, the Sorcerer looked beside him. Clearly, his companions had already relaxed without needing his reassurance.
Ordinary people's spiritual perception was clouded by desire and turbulent energies, but that did not mean they had none. Often, they could still sense certain things-the sinister presence and fear just now, for instance, or the clear, pure feeling of this moment.
Even the horses that had just been frightened had settled down, standing docilely where they were.
Thanks to the muddy water below, the woman and child who had fallen from their horse had suffered little more than a bedraggled appearance.
The others hurried over to help the mother and son up.
"Sister-in-law, get up!"
The child had already clambered to his feet on his own and was staring wide-eyed at the wondrous, graceful white cranes.
"Mother, those are cranes, aren't they? I've never seen one before!"
The woman was smiling too. She reached out to wipe the muddy water from her child's face and pull the aquatic weeds from his clothes.
"It's my first time seeing them too!"
It was not just this mother and son. Many of the others had only ever seen white cranes in paintings or embroidered on cloth.
The white cranes called