Arrival at Falling Snow City in the Northern Territory

At daybreak, the group returned to Wuxia Village, their hems heavy with morning dew.

The courtyard gate had been firmly barricaded. Shen Ji knocked.

There was little response from inside.

"Miss A Man, it's us. We're back."

An eye watched through the gap in the gate for a while before it was finally opened.

"You're finally back! I kept worrying something might happen to you. Thank goodness you're all right!"

"While you stayed here, did any extreme villagers come to make trouble?"

A Man shook her head. "No. Perhaps they know the village's secret has been exposed, and their hearts have turned to dead ashes, leaving them no strength to cause trouble. There were some good ones, though. They brought me food and apologized, although apologies aren't much use anymore..."

Seeing that she had touched on her grief again, Jiang Tingxue stepped forward and patted her back.

Xie Lingchuan looked at Shen Ji. "The homes in Wuxia Village are scattered. Some villagers may simply have been swept into this, but the authorities will probably charge them with the same crimes. Before we hand over the evidence, we should question them first."

Shen Ji nodded in agreement. "Some of the faces did look quite unfamiliar to me. They're getting on in years, too, with no children at home. Perhaps they knew nothing about this. It really wouldn't be right for the authorities to charge them with the same crimes."

Thus, the group spent the entire day visiting every household in Wuxia Village without rest.

By the time they finished organizing the evidence and the list of names, the sun had already set.

In a remote home in the village, a woman looked at the oil lamp inside and could not stop her tears from falling.

Many years ago, for reasons unknown, the village had established a rule forbidding anyone from lighting lamps after nightfall.

She had once been an embroiderer, supporting her hungry infant by working under lamplight at night.

She had never understood why such a strange rule existed, and had secretly lit a lamp once, but the price had been losing her child forever.

She had been too cowardly to think closely about what the dark shadow that night meant. Instead, she had buried her terror deep in her heart and suffered through each passing day.

Tonight, at last, the lamp was lit.

The next day, the authorities came to make arrests, and Xie Lingchuan's group prepared to leave the village.

A Man stood at the courtyard entrance, leaning against the doorframe in a daze as she held the sealed die.

Mingchi had always been taller and stronger than her, yet after death, only this insignificant trace of ash remained.

From now on, this was all she would have to console her for the rest of her life.

"Miss A Man, have you thought about where you'll go?" Seeing her standing alone in a daze, Zhu Lianqing approached to speak with her.

A Man looked into the distance. "I think I still want to go to the Northern Territory to see the flowers."

"Really? That's perfect, then. We're going to the Northern Territory too. Why not come with us?"

A Man looked at Zhu Lianqing's clothing, then at the matching disciple robes Xie Lingchuan and the others wore. "So you're with those Daoist lords?"

"You weren't wrong in what you thought. We weren't originally together; our paths merely crossed on a narrow road. But something unexpected has happened." Zhu Lianqing lowered her voice. "I'll have to travel with them for a while longer."

A Man smiled. "I see. I just don't know whether bringing me along would inconvenience you all. I'm only an ordinary mortal. I'm afraid I'd hold you back."

"Of course not! Please don't think that. The more people, the merrier."

Just then, the others in the courtyard finished packing and came over. "That's right, Miss A Man. Traveling would still be dangerous for a lone, frail woman like you. We can protect you, too."

As A Man looked at the distinguished, kindhearted Daoist lords before her, her heart could not help softening.

"All right. All right."

How wonderful. How wonderful.

How wonderful it was to have the strength to protect those you loved, to protect the weak.

With the matter of Wuxia Village resolved, the younger members-Jiang Tingxue, Song Wensheng, and Yan Qing-looked so excited that they almost skipped along the road.

The group chatted and laughed as they traveled, and the journey did not feel dull or tedious.

It was the third month, the season of peach blossoms, and the group headed north through the colors of spring.

Since they were traveling to gain experience, there was no need to hurry. They stopped along the way, and whenever they passed a village and encountered demons, ghosts, or spirits in the mountains, they would pause to deal with them.

Thus, by the time they reached the border between the Eastern Realm and the Northern Territory, it was already early summer. Fortunately, Falling Mountain Snow bloomed best in early summer, so they had not arrived too late.

By the time the group entered Falling Snow City in the Northern Territory, the sun was nearly setting.

For the past few days, they had traveled through treacherous mountain passes. Now, at their first glimpse of the bustling, prosperous, renowned city, they all felt some anticipation.

The six of them stood in a row before Falling Snow City's gates, looking up at the imposing inscribed plaque.

"At last, we can get a good night's sleep at an inn tonight." Jiang Tingxue gazed at the crowds surging through the inner city, her face full of emotion.

"Yes, and we can finally eat something delicious." Yan Qing pressed his palms together, looking utterly devout.

Shen Ji glanced at Yan Qing and smiled. "After two or three months eating in the wind and sleeping under the stars, I think our little junior brother has lost weight. Your eldest senior brother will buy you a pork hock later."

Song Wensheng nodded in agreement. "That's why I couldn't bear to make little junior brother Yan Qing train too much when we stopped to rest on the road. Now that we're in Falling Snow City, you need to eat a few extra pork hocks to make up for it. Otherwise, Master will be heartbroken to see you've grown thin from hunger when we return."

Yan Qing nodded solemnly. "I'll do my very best to eat!"

Looking at the others, whose exhaustion was now plain to see, Shen Ji thought for a moment before saying to Xie Lingchuan, "Senior Brother Xie, since our junior brothers and sisters are all tired, why don't we find a nearby inn to rest for tonight and head toward Falling Snow Mountain tomorrow?"

"Mm." Xie Lingchuan's gaze swept over them. "Since everyone's tired, let's rest nearby."

At those words, the three youngsters, Jiang Tingxue, Song Wensheng, and Yan Qing, ran toward the inner city as though set free.

"Master gave me so much spending money, and I haven't spent any yet! While we're in the city these next few days, I'm going to shop to my heart's content!"

"Me too, me too!"

Watching the three of them bound away, Shen Ji did not forget to call after them, "Don't run too fast. It's crowded here-we'll lose sight of you."