After a night of pleasure, Shi Chun lost his long beard. Bian Weiying thought it looked ugly, and Shi Chun cared quite a bit about his appearance. Besides, the beard got in the way, so Bian Weiying personally shaved it clean off.
After he had spent several days on the mountain, the fantastical spectacle of the Aurora Lights finally appeared in the night sky.
That night, Pang Tiansheng, the steward of the Disciplinary Affairs Court, received a top-secret assignment: accompany Shi Chun as cover and cooperate with his every move. Shi Chun had disguised himself, so Pang Tiansheng had no idea who he was.
Several more days passed before Shi Chun, whose time was precious, quietly left the mountain. Looking back at the towering Mount Wukang, he no longer felt the awe he had years ago. He realized it was merely a small sect with a few unusual features.
What puzzled him was why the Demonic Path had failed to conquer even such a small sect. He could not understand what had made them look ahead and behind in such hesitation back then.
Turning away again, he entered Linkang City and departed through the Xun Gate within the city...
In the Eastern Victory Royal Capital, an elderly man in his eighties followed another man into the wooded hills outside the city.
The old man was none other than Jin Fu, Clan Leader of the Golden-Haired Rat Clan. He did not know the stranger leading him either, but the hints the man had offered were impossible to resist, leaving him no choice but to follow.
At last, in a densely wooded mountain hollow, he met the man who had haunted his waking thoughts and dreams: a smiling Shi Chun.
And, of course, there was Wu Jinliang, plumper now and beaming cheerfully.