Each of the four seasons-spring, summer, autumn, and winter-had its own scenery and distinctive features.
The morning dew of Cloud Roost City still clung to Chen Shi'an's cycling gear. His wheels rolled over the road as he rode west.
The first stop on this journey was Chazhou City, just west of Cloud Roost City.
The Little Taoist rode at an unhurried pace, maintaining a speed of just over thirty kilometers an hour while admiring the ever-changing scenery along the way.
Whenever a stretch of road grew dull and repetitive, he rode a little faster;
When he came across particularly striking scenery, he slowed down. Sometimes he even pulled his bicycle over, dismounted, and stood with his feet on the ground, admiring the view for a long while before taking out his phone for a photograph as he left;
The sun gradually rose, and the morning dew on his cycling gear evaporated without his noticing.
He had left home at six. By ten that morning, he had already ridden beyond the administrative boundaries of Cloud Roost City and officially entered Chazhou City.
Administrative boundaries divided one city from another, but geographically, they did not create any obvious dividing lines.
For example, the boundary between Chazhou City and Cloud Roost City was marked by a national highway where two towns met. The adjoining areas were on the outskirts of both cities, with no concentrated clusters of buildings across the broad stretches on either side, only connecting roads.
Chen Shi'an observed his surroundings as he rode. When the glossy black asphalt beneath his wheels abruptly turned into pale gray concrete, a small stone marker engraved with "Chazhou" appeared by the roadside.
"Heh, they really wouldn't pave a single extra inch of asphalt into their neighbor's territory."
Amused, Chen Shi'an stopped his bicycle right