The next thing they knew, they were someplace else. They stood on a hillside overlooking a valley. Patches of green mixed with dull brown to signify the changing of seasons. In the distance, Annchi and Lanying saw a castle surrounded by houses.
"Wow! Where are we?" gasped Lanying.
"We are in the Kingdom of Shangdi." replied Yinglong.
"It is beautiful." said Annchi.
"Where do we go from here?" asked Lanying.
"Follow this road we are on," indicated Yinglong, "Then head for Shangdi Castle. The king there is good and will help you get started on your journey."
"Yinglong, how do we get into the palace? Surely there will be guards there."
"When you reach the gate, just tell the guards there that I sent you to see the king."
"But sir, surely you know that the guards are not going to believe that a couple of commoners were sent by a wizard. They're going to want proof." pointed out Annchi.
"Hmm, you do have a point there."
He made a red sash appear in his hand.
"Here, take my sash as proof."
"Thank-you." replied Annchi as she took it.
"The sash also holds my emblem on it. Now, all you two need is . . ." said Yinglong before waving his hand.
There on the road appeared two horses. One was white, and the other was golden brown.
"Oh! They're beautiful!" Lanying replied, amazed.
"Thank you for everything Yinglong." thanked Annchi as she got on the white horse.
Both of them knew how to ride horses because their village used to be known for their horse farms, but since the Invasion, things went into decline.
"My pleasure, Annchi."
"Man, it's been a while since I rode a horse." commented Lanying.
Unfortunately, when she got on the horse, she was facing the back! It was pretty obvious that she hadn't been on a horse in some time.
Annchi giggled and said, "Oh, Lanying! When you get on a horse, you're supposed to put your right leg on the right side of the horse, not the left."
Realizing what she did wrong, Lanying quickly dismounted and got on correctly.
"Sorry about that." she apologized.
"Are you two ready?" Yinglong asked.
"Ready as we'll ever be." said Annchi.
"Then go and good luck to the both of you."
As the two friends rode off, Yinglong quietly said to himself, "May the spirits of this world protect you on your quest . . . Princess."