Daoist Ji and Yu Ren walked through open fields.
They did not walk on the official road, did not take a boat to travel on the Luo River. They walked where human tracks appeared the least, deep within the weeds. Their Daoist robes were covered in bits of grass, a mantis crushed to death beneath a walking stick.
Because it was hard for him to walk, Yu Ren was very slow. Daoist Ji had to consider the speed of his disciple and naturally could not walk too fast. However, they had clearly been in the snowy plains to the north of Mount Han just a few days ago, so how had they appeared here, in the plains from which that imposing city could be seen?
That city had no walls, but on this day in which the blue sky seemed to be washed clean, it was still visible from several dozen li away. This was because of the city's high platform, the tall mountain on its outskirts, and its countless other buildings that stretched to the clouds.
