After saying goodbye to the two little squirrels.
The man, the ox, and the cat packed their bags, the wind still blowing behind them.
They passed through the woods and continued onward.
Jingmen Mountain lay ahead.
But "ahead" still meant several hundred miles of mountain trails.
The denser the woods grew, the harder the trails became to walk.
The mountains on either side rose ever higher, making the valleys seem all the more unfathomably deep.
When the man, the ox, and the cat grew hungry, they built a fire and cooked on the spot, eating dry rations to fill their stomachs.
When thirsty, they drank from streams and springs, crossing mountains when they came to mountains and wading rivers when they came to rivers.
Just as they had a hundred years ago, they retraced the old paths.
A verse suddenly came to mind.
Everyone has a Compass Needle of their own; the root of all transformations lies within the heart.
Yet those past perceptions were upside down, searching outside among the branches and leaves.
In the past, he had Old Ox for company.
Now he also had a cute Kitten who knew how to look after others.
Li Ping'an never felt lonely as he gazed at mountain after mountain and forest after forest, feeling that Haoran Qi.
Day after day, he woke in these woods, paying no heed to the mortal world,
Quietly savoring it all.
He cupped spring water in his hands, light and shadow shimmering between his palms.
"Time to eat," Kitten said.
"What are we having today?"
"Rice mixed with cured meat."
"What kind of meat?"
"Just eat, Big Ping’an." Little Girl dodged the question, filling Big Ping’an's bowl to the brim with rice and plenty of cured meat.
"I'll pass. A piece of dry flatbread will