Fine rain fell like silk in the mountains, and the mist gathered without dispersing.
Ye Jingtang walked along a narrow path carved against the cliff face, like a mountain dweller walking among clouds and mist. Now and then, he could see a precipitous turn at the end of the cliff, sometimes with arrow slits above it. Judging by their construction, these were defensive passes where one man could hold off an army. But after decades without war, no one guarded them anymore, and weeds and dead leaves covered many places.
Zhe Yunli had grown up on Southern Skies Mountain and knew the surrounding area by heart. Now, like the youngest junior sister of a mountain sect, she carried her long saber over her shoulder and walked backward along the precipitous cliff, occasionally pointing at nearby trees and rocks:
"When I was six, Master’s Wife made me practice calligraphy. I didn't want to learn, but I was afraid of getting beaten, so I hid behind that tree. Then Master came over and caught me right away. When we got back, Master’s Wife scolded me for three days... Jingtang, were you ever naughty as a child?"
Wearing a bamboo hat, Ye Jingtang strolled along as leisurely as if he were in a courtyard and answered with a smile:
"When you were six, I was only eight. I wasn't getting anywhere with martial arts then and got beaten three times a day. How would I dare misbehave? My only free time was in the afternoon, when I went fishing in the river. Once, outside Red River Town, I saw a very beautiful heroine passing through. I gave her directions, and Adoptive Father scolded me for it. He said that when traveling the martial world, I had to beware of women, especially beautiful ones..."