Jin Si brought Red Clothes to the Library Pavilion. After circling the wooden building several times, he landed and settled firmly on his belly, his primordial spirit leaving his body and taking the form of a little boy.
He reached out, pushed open the two heavy doors, and stepped over the threshold with his left foot.
Red Clothes froze as she entered. Before her, row upon row of shelves reached all the way to the roof, laden with bamboo slips, silk volumes, and bound books-far too many to count.
She gazed upward for a long while. She had never imagined there would be so many books.
Jin Si raised a hand and pointed at the old wooden desk by the entrance. Its surface had been worn to a shine, and a ledger and brush lay neatly arranged upon it.
"You can read any book in here. Put it back where it belongs when you're finished. Usually, we sit here to read."
He patted the ledger.
"If you want to take one outside, remember to record it here. The three of us will be looking after the Library Pavilion from now on, so forgetting once in a while won't matter much."
Red Clothes nodded and gently brushed her hand across the desk, her fingertips touching a thin layer of dust.
She walked slowly between the shelves, searching, occasionally pulling out a book to look through before returning it. Her expression gradually grew calm.
While reading a roll of bamboo slips, she remembered something and turned to look at the little boy.
"Even the cultivation texts are freely available? Why aren't they sealed away or hidden? Isn't Pillowstar Mountain afraid outsiders will learn from them?"
At this, Jin Si tucked both hands into his sleeves like a farmer. He thought seriously for