Lu dou pulled Bai li yue aside as they walked back to the residence. She had an entranced look on her face. The match had been short but impactful. Senior Zi yu was definitely bound for greatness. 

Lu dou cleared his throat to draw her attention to him. She had been so focused on her thoughts that she hadn't heard him call her.

'What were you saying?'

'I was asking if you'd thought about my proposal? Joining a three star sect will be better than staying in a small sect.' 

He didn't want to sound forceful but instead, his words sounded thoughtless even to his ears.

She smiled softly at him, ignoring his remark. He had come a long way from when she first met him. 

'Thank you, Lu dou but I don't think your path is the same as mine. It'll be better if you give the chance to somebody who truly wants it.'

She didn't tell him her plans about joining a sect. She knew he'd insist she go along with him.

Lu dou was lost for words. Why did she say no? Joining a three star sect would raise her future prospects. 

'The sect can't provide you with the resources you need to progress your cultivation. You'll have to leave sooner or later.' 

He argued.

'I know that.'

'Then join me in my new sect. You will be in the outer sect, but the benefits will be much more than those the Thousand bamboo immortal sect will ever give you.' 

Lu dou wanted her to realise that there was a better place for her. He'd gone to her courtyard one day and discovered that she'd left the sect. He'd met Grand elder Mu there. Lu dou was a fool; he understood even without her speaking that the courtyard belonged to her. He'd realised then that Bai li yue didn't possess a great background. She wasn't the princess of some kingdom living incognito in the sect. Her family wasn't connected in some way to the sect and the mysterious array she'd used belonged to the sect. She had made use of it without their knowledge; taking advantage of him and his friends in the process. 

He didn't hold it against her because despite her duplicity, she had ended up helping them.

 

Now that his future was bright, he had thought to raise her alongside himself, but what did he get? 

Bai li yue didn't say anything more to Lu dou. He would get over the refusal when he realised eventually that life was made up of partings and meetings. Meeting made partings hard, but that was life.

The next few days were busy ones for Bai li yue. She finally informed the three elders of her decision to join a sect and cultivate properly. They weren't against her decision, but wished to know where she was going.

'I don't know yet. I was thinking of journeying to the wei empire. I heard that they are renowned for their swordsmanship. I'll probably join a sect there.'

Qi rong fei who was the most travelled among them recommended a few sects to her.

'How long will you be gone for this time?' 

Sect leader chang asked.

'A few years at least and ten years at most. I won't be able to visit you all during that time.'

'A decade is a short time in a cultivator's eyes. It will pass in the blink of an eye. We'll be fine so go and cultivate in peace. We'll be here when you return.' 

The first elder said. He didn't want their sect to hold her back.

'Yes. Yes. Don't worry about the sect.'

Their assurances warmed her heart all through the rest of her stay. She passed them the magic weapons evaluated by appraiser Hei and the deed to the residence. She decided that Ye zhian will remain in the house as the caretaker. 

Tears streamed down his cheeks when she informed him of her decision. He bowed and showed her reverence when she gave him a booklet containing a few dozen recipes.

'Miss, i, Ye zhian will be eternally grateful. My children and grandchildren -'

'Stop right there. Why are you bringing your descendants into our conversation? You owe me nothing. They also owe me nothing. And another thing: why are you talking as if we'll never see each other again? Are you planning to run away or something?'

'No, no, never. How could you even think that? I'll fulfill my duty till the day I die, and when i do my children and my grandchildren…' 

he went on again about his descendants until she shut him up. 

The rest of the time was spent preparing for her journey. She bought several new robes for herself. This was her first time shopping for clothes in this world. Her journey from the sect to chenyang city had cost her several robes. She tried robes in different styles and materials, but went with the simple robes which were more comfortable. She was going to be a student for the next few years so her dress code had to match her status. However, she gave into temptation when she saw a sumptuous red robe that she had to have. 

She bought and studied an almanac of the wei empire. The country was half the size of the Tang kingdom, but no less powerful. The whole kingdom was dissected by lakes and rivers aplenty lending it the title of the water kingdom. The majority of trade and transport was done over the network of rivers and waterways that ran from north to south and from east to west. One thing that caught her eye was the fact that all the names of towns and cities of the wei kingdom differed from those in tang kingdom. There were places like twin river city, pearlescent waterfalls city, shining lake city all centred around water features. 

She would have to travel inland across the wall that served as a border between the two countries. Once she reached the twin river city, a river hub of some sort, it was a matter of hiring a small boat to take her to her destination. So far she hadn't made a final choice of what sect she wanted to join. She felt there was enough time to decide when she had a better idea of the sects. 

Next, she set about dividing her affairs. Her goal for the next decade or so was to live the normal life of an ordinary cultivator. It included living on a budget. She transferred a small percentage of spirit stones and gold coins into a spatial bracelet more in line with her new identity. It didn't have a large space like her inherited ring, but it held her clothes and food, her bow and sword and her finances.

The rest of her stuff remained in the inherited spatial ring around her neck. There were only two other rings remaining on the chain. She'd sold the other rings and bracelets with the second elder's help. The money gained from the sale had helped her recover a large fraction of the money she'd spent on the house. 

The wooden box containing the bead caught her attention once more. 

A dream bead. 

She still hadn't decided what to do with it. Swallow it? What about living life in the moment, without fear of some portent? At the same time, she was a bit curious. Elder Zhou had seen himself as a young man. She wondered what she'd see if she swallowed the bead.

So what is stopping me? Fear? No, I'm only being cautious.

There was that word again. Caution. It sounded both familiar and strange to her ears. There was nothing wrong with being careful, but caution was the antithesis of risk. If she wanted to live the life of a cultivator then it was only right to take risks. The bead was a relatively safe risk. She picked up the bead from its silk pillow and decided to take a risk. She popped it into her mouth before she could change her mind. It dissolved into a viscous liquid upon touching her tongue tha she quickly swallowed. A bright blue light spilled out of her mouth a moment later followed by nothing. 

'Will I fall asleep now?'

She didn't know what was supposed to. She hadn't asked elder Zhou any questions. After an hour of waiting and nothing happening, she concluded that the bead was either defective or something.

She was debating whether to pack her painting supplies into her spatial bracelet when a noisy bird landed on a tree outside. The chirping was loud, as if the bird was chirping into her ears. It hurt her ears.

Shooo! Shoo!

Her vision swam when she stood up; the room was swimming before her eyes. Once she regained her balance, the room had been replaced by clear blue skies and trees. 

Bai li yue blinked. She was standing outside, on a mountainside overlooking a city on the plain below. The bustling city was growing around an old giant tree. The common people led simple honest lives. They revered the prince in his palace. He was a good man. Fair and just to all who fell under his dominion. The people went about their lives under the silent grace of the tree. Nobles and commoners alike sought protection under the shade of the guardian tree during moments of strife. The tree was their protector: the deity of the land.

She had started out watching the city and its people, but the tree soon captivated her. She couldn't say how long she watched the tree. Days? weeks? months? Month after month, year after year. It stood tall, silent, unmoving.

But a day came when the wind shifted, imperceptible at first, except to the tree and herself who had stood watching the guardian tree. Something was happening at last. Her heart jumped. Whatever it was, it was dangerous. She looked at the tree and back toward the west. It was coming in fast and would arrive in a matter of seconds. 

Danger arrived in the form of a person. A woman in red stepped on the ground at the foot of the tree. Bai li yue to recognise her a second later. It was her: the lady in the painting. 

'Why am I dreaming about her?'

She asked herself, but stopped to focus on the conversation taking.