Little White Dragon answered in acknowledgment.
He straightened his clothes and headwear, climbed the stone steps, and knocked three times on the vermilion-painted doors.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The crisp sounds echoed through the silent mountain woods.
Before long, with a creak, the main doors swung wide open.
It was no servant boy who emerged, but a woman whose beauty had lingered into middle age.
Though she wore an embroidered jacket and a gold dangling hairpin in her coiffure, with faint traces of age at the corners of her eyes, nothing could conceal the wealth and allure that radiated from her very bones.
Holding a handkerchief between her fingers, she smiled before speaking. Her gaze swept over the group before finally settling on Xuanzang.
"Masters, where have you come from?"
The woman's voice was warm and gentle.
Xuanzang stepped forward, holding one palm upright before his chest, neither servile nor haughty. "This humble monk has been commanded by the emperor of the Great Tang in the Eastern Land to journey to the Western Heaven, worship the Buddha, and seek the scriptures. We were passing through your Precious Place, and as it is already late, we have come to ask for lodging for the night. We will leave at daybreak tomorrow and dare not trouble you further."
Hearing this, the woman's smile deepened.
"So you are holy monks from the Celestial Empire. Please, come in, come in! My humble home may have no rare delicacies, but it does have a roof to shelter you from the wind and snow."
With that, she stepped aside to let them through.
Leading the tiger and carrying their loads, the party entered the estate.
The moment they passed the spirit screen, a wave of warmth washed over them. It was many times warmer than outside.
Zhu