Gather the true adepts of the feathered stream, refine the breath to attain long life.
Lick the alchemical cauldron of Huainan, blow upon Zijin's jeweled reed pipes.
- Jie Xiu
Early on the first day of the seventh month, when dawn had barely broken, the young man on Thousand Birds Cliff, his head full of thoughts, was already out of bed.
After a flurry of activity, Xing Yan was fully dressed in formal Daoist attire. Having finished fussing over himself, he began urging the two members under his charge to hurry and put on the formal Daoist robes he had collected especially for them the day before.
After another spell of bustle, the three members of Four Seas Hall looked utterly transformed:
Xing Yan wore a black Daoist cloak, the Sky-Piercing Crown on his head and Cloud-Climbing Shoes on his feet. With his lofty crown and broad sash, an immortal air filled his sleeves; anyone who failed to look closely might truly have mistaken him for some venerable elder of profound virtue.
The two girls had also changed into pale yellow Daoist robes, with Lotus Clogs on their feet and snow-white Carefree Headscarves covering their heads.
This elegant, understated attire did nothing to diminish their beauty. Instead, it made them look all the brighter and more exquisite.
The Scripture Lecture Assembly of Shangqing Palace on Mount Luofu was to begin midway through the hour of the Hare that day, on Pinewind Terrace at Vermilion Bright Peak. Now, with his sleeves fluttering, the Four Seas Hall Master led the way, taking his members along the winding path toward that peak.
Pinewind Terrace lay on the sunny southern side of Vermilion Bright Peak, a vast expanse of stone polished as smooth and clean as a mirror. To its south, a rugged cliff