"Long confined within a cage, at last I return to nature..."
Amid the vast mountain forests, a young man in sumptuous black robes, his long hair reaching his waist, sat astride a giant snow-white wolf as lithe and powerful as a dragon, reciting in a clear voice and looking utterly content.
The man and wolf were none other than Fang Qianyuan and Little White, who had left Shangyang City and temporarily freed themselves from the sect to wander about and clear their minds.
On this excursion, no paperwork wearied his body, and no worldly affairs troubled his heart. He felt like an idle cloud or a wild crane, light and unburdened by cares.
Coupled with his earlier insights, Fang Qianyuan felt a ease and freedom unlike anything he had known before.
Fang Qianyuan suddenly realized, to his surprise, that he had become rather enamored of this feeling.
"Hmm, by now, they should have settled down and obediently accepted the arrangements."
As the mountain path ahead gradually disappeared, giving way to a high clifftop terrace with a distant view of undulating mountains like a long dragon vanishing into the boundless Forest Sea, Fang Qianyuan swung himself off Little White's back and brought her to the edge of the cliff.
The sun was sinking in the west, and the clouds filling the sky shone with seven colors beneath its golden light, dazzling in their splendor.
Fang Qianyuan narrowed his eyes slightly and stood gazing at the setting sun for a long time.
At length, a silky touch roused him. Little White had grown impatient with waiting and nudged him with the top of her head, protesting with equal parts petulance and endearing innocence.
"All right, all right. It's time to eat. I'll get you something right away!"
Fang Qianyuan smiled and stroked