Bai Qianqian sprinted all the way, her nine fox tails streaming into nine snow-white afterimages in the wind.
She scarcely stopped.
From the foot of Jade Splendor Mount Hua to Brocade Screen Valley, she ran back over dozens of li of mountain trails. So distracted was she that she even forgot to use her true qi. Her lungs filled with the taste of blood, yet she refused to slow a single step.
The stockade gates of Brocade Screen Valley had only just been erected, and the fresh pinewood still carried the fragrance of resin.
Her clanspeople were busily hauling stone and building houses. Women washed clothes beside the stream, while children chased one another between piles of timber-a scene of peace they had not enjoyed in far too long.
Sure enough, a Ji Clan checkpoint stood at the valley entrance. Two warriors in Southern Mo light armor stood with their hands on their sabers. Recognizing her fox ears as she raced toward them, they did not stop her, but stepped aside to let her through.
Inside the gates, her father, Bai Gong, was discussing the construction with High Priest Bo Rong.
Bai Gong was powerfully built, his square face weathered by wind and frost, yet none of that could conceal the relief between his brows. Bo Rong was already six hundred years old, his hair and beard snowy white. His cloudy old eyes remained sharp, but his depleted origin qi left him reclining in a cushioned sedan chair, his face pale as paper.
"The young clan leader is back!"
Someone shouted, and all of Brocade Screen Valley erupted.
The clanspeople set down their work and flocked toward the gates.
News of Bai Qianqian's return spread like boiling water thrown into hot oil. Every face shone with excitement and relief. Their