Heavy snow swirled and billowed over the mortal world.
Anyone walking along the road sank half a foot into the snow, all the way up their calves. Every uneven step was a struggle, leaving few travelers on the road and scarcely a soul in sight.
An outer disciple of the Cloudreach Sect had accepted a mission to clear the snow with his spells. He went back and forth, clearing a path for passing travelers.
A man and a woman stood in the snow, each holding an umbrella, their eyes following the disciple at work and smiles playing at their lips.
The disciple gave them a puzzled glance. He recognized neither of them and went on clearing the snow, making his way into the distance.
He had never known Chu Ge in the first place, and Chu Ge was not wearing the robes of an Inner Sect Disciple of the Cloudreach Sect at the moment, but an ordinary martial wanderer's fitted outfit... And Qiu Wuji did not look much like Qiu Wuji right now, either.
She, too, wore an ordinary martial wanderer's outfit, looking dashing and spirited, but without her imposing solemnity within the sect. She had made a few small alterations to her face, adjusting the tips of her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes to make her features look more ordinary.
Qiu Wuji was not good at disguises. Anyone who knew her would still recognize her, but for those who had only seen the sect master from a distance or only seen her portrait and were unfamiliar with her, her bearing was so different that they really would not immediately think of the world-renowned Sect Master Qiu.
Master and disciple had left the mountains, flying on their swords for less than an hour before stopping at a town