A month later.
"This should be the place, right?" Di Yi gazed at the rolling mountain ranges. The scenery was beautiful, entirely unlike the forests of the primeval Great Wilderness, brimming with vibrant, flourishing life.
A month earlier, he had reached the Central Giant City and asked around, gathering a great deal of information. In the end, he had settled on his choice and decided where he would go-the Heaven Mending Pavilion.
He had originally wanted to travel through the teleportation formation in the Central Giant City. Unfortunately, he had none of the currency those people spoke of, so he could not pay to use it.
Thus, he could only travel on foot, crossing more than eight hundred thousand li before finally arriving here.
Of course, he had not hurried straight to his destination. Instead, he had stopped along the way, getting to know this world that was so unfamiliar to him.
In truth, his time had been spent learning about this world rather than traveling.
Otherwise, forget eight hundred thousand li-even ten times that distance would never have required a month.
Through these stops along the way, Di Yi had gained a deeper understanding of the world beyond the Great Wilderness and realized just how vast the Stone Kingdom's territory was.
Across this land, human settlements were like islands in the sea. Tribes and communities dotted the boundless primeval forests, linked by one giant city after another.
Even so, their connections remained tenuous. The Great Wilderness lay between them, with countless mountain ranges barring the way.
"Roar!" The Golden Hou was excited too. Along the journey, it had seen many things and encountered all kinds of strange creatures, a far greater variety than in the Great Wilderness where it had lived before.
It had certainly been an eye-opening experience for the Hou.
"Let's go." Di Yi leaped down from the cliff and stepped onto a road bearing clear signs of frequent traffic, following it into the mountains.
As he drew closer to the Heaven Mending Pavilion-or rather, as he left the small path and joined the main road-the surroundings suddenly became much livelier. There were plenty of people, fierce beasts racing past, and spirit birds spreading their wings.
"No wonder the Heaven Mending Pavilion is renowned throughout the Stone Kingdom," Di Yi remarked as he watched those fierce beasts and spirit birds.
In the Great Wilderness, along the Stone Kingdom's borders, fierce beasts and spirit birds like these were terrifying creatures that could easily unleash great turmoil.
Here, however, they were mounts for people traveling to and from the Heaven Mending Pavilion, battle pets that had been tamed.
Of course, though they were called fierce beasts and spirit birds, Di Yi knew they were actually descendants several generations removed, not creatures that had truly grown up in the primeval forests of the Great Wilderness.
In other words, most were descendants of stolen young, captured and raised in captivity. Only a rare few, for one reason or another, lived in symbiosis with their clans.
That said, there was no denying their formidable strength. Otherwise, what value would there be in raising them? They might even have grown stronger through that upbringing.
"Oh, is that a dragon elephant?" Di Yi looked at a spirit beast covered in densely packed runes, somewhat surprised.
According to what he had learned during his stops and stays in the great cities along the way, dragon elephants were exceptionally precious spirit beasts from Little Western Heaven, descendants of its sacred guardian beast, the White Jade Dragon Elephant.
Anyone who could use a dragon elephant as a mount could hardly be of low standing. They would at least be someone of note in Little Western Heaven.
But did someone like that need to come to the Heaven Mending Pavilion?
As far as he knew, Little Western Heaven was a religious order with an extremely long heritage. Its strength was no less than the Heaven Mending Pavilion's, and its foundations were ancient.
"Now, that's something you don't know." Someone on the road overheard Di Yi and kindly explained that this was perfectly normal. After all, the Heaven Mending Pavilion's fame spread far and wide. Who did not want to become stronger?
Learning a little more was always a good thing.
"See that peacock? Its plumage has five colors, and it comes from a great sect too. There's nothing to make a fuss over." Other passersby chimed in, telling Di Yi that many powerful clans and great sects sent their disciples and descendants to the Heaven Mending Pavilion.
"If many powerful clans and great sects send their disciples and descendants to the Heaven Mending Pavilion, does that mean royal families do too?" Di Yi asked.
"More than that. The Heaven Mending Pavilion is famous throughout the Desolate Region. Neighboring countries on friendly terms with ours often send their royal children here for further training." The passerby nodded and added this explanation.
"Look, speak of them and here they come. See that carriage? Those are people from the Fire Kingdom." Someone pointed to a carriage sweeping across the sky and explained its origins to Di Yi.
"Wait, something isn't right. We do see people from those great sects and royal families on ordinary days, but never as often as today. Has something happened?" One of the passersby noticed something and remarked that the situation was unusual.
"Indeed. A dragon elephant, a Five-Colored Peacock, a royal carriage... why have they all turned up together today?"
The passersby exchanged bewildered looks. Why had these mighty powers of such lofty standing all appeared at once?
In truth, Di Yi also found it somewhat unusual. As far as he knew, however famous the Heaven Mending Pavilion was, it was still a sect with established rules.
Even if someone came from a powerful clan or great sect, it could hardly accept whoever they sent today, then accept another person they sent tomorrow.
Besides, those powerful clans and great sects had their own "dignity" to maintain. They would not all arrive together as though they had arranged it beforehand.
The only explanation was that something had indeed happened, something with far-reaching effects that involved not only the Heaven Mending Pavilion but also these powerful clans and great sects.
Still, none of this concerned Di Yi. After thanking the passersby for their explanations, he continued on his way with the Golden Hou.
The mountains rose and fell, ancient trees covered the land, and mist curled through the air, like a pure land beyond the mortal world.
The closer he came to the Heaven Mending Pavilion, the more graceful, spiritually rich peaks he saw, wreathed in billowing clouds and radiant haze. All kinds of beasts unafraid of humans roamed here as well. They had grown up on this land, living in harmony with nature and the Heaven Mending Pavilion.
There was also no shortage of water among those beautiful peaks. Many lakes glittered with ripples, pristine and clear, with fish gliding through the shallows, their brilliant markings flashing.
"This really is a wonderful place. Even an occasional visit brings a different feeling every time."
"Yes, the elders of the Heaven Mending Pavilion are kindhearted. They let us mountain villagers wander freely through this spirit-rich land, which isn't even part of the outer grounds. Just breathing and circulating our breath here can strengthen our bodies."
"Who could say otherwise?"
A broad road wound through the mountains. On a stretch of grass beside a lake, quite a few people were resting, all apparently residents of villages around these mountains.
Their conversation made it clear that the Heaven Mending Pavilion enjoyed great popular support. It diligently fulfilled the responsibilities of a great sect, giving back to the region even as it flourished.
"It seems the Heaven Mending Pavilion really is a fine place." Di Yi felt he had made the right choice. This was a place where reason prevailed. He had been wondering what he should do if something like the incident in Cloud-Rushing Town happened again.
Now, however, that worry was gone.
"Roar?" The Golden Hou sensed that Di Yi seemed to be in a very good mood, but it did not understand what had happened.
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