After finishing a hearty breakfast at the Chen family home, Yuelong and Xiao-Kai prepared to say their farewells. 

“Gong-zi, where will you and Xiao-Kai go?” Xiao-Ling asked. “You could stay a few more days.”

Yuelong bowed. “Thank you, but I have my reasons to go. I cannot stay in one place for too long.” He was worried that the people from Qianyang would find him.

Madam Chen, with tears in her eyes, said, “You will always be welcomed here. You don’t know how grateful we are to you.”

Xiao-Ling’s father placed a bag in Yuelong’s hands. “Please take this. It is just a small compensation for all the trouble you went through to help us.”

Yuelong felt around the bag. It was heavy, and the contents felt solid. He instantly knew that it was money. Even though he hadn’t brought his wallet, the Qianyang teachings of selflessness still remained in his heart. He handed the bag back to Xiao-Ling’s father. “Thank you, but I cannot take it, for a cultivator of the Dao should have no need for this.”

The man shot him an odd look. Xiao-Ling’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she whispered something to her father. Her father smiled and handed the bag to Xiao-Kai.

“Xiao-Kai is not a cultivator, so he can take this bag,” he said. “And plus, he is a growing boy. He’ll need the money to buy food.”

Yuelong thought for a moment about what he said and concluded that there wasn’t anything wrong with it. Xiao-Kai was, indeed, not a cultivator, and he did need food to accommodate his growing body. At this, Yuelong and Xiao-Kai bowed to the Chen family, gave thanks, and left the household.

After a while, they came to a meal-serving inn at the edge of town. Xiao-Kai peeked hungrily into the inn and looked back at Yuelong. Immediately, Yuelong understood what the teen wanted, and they headed inside.

“Welcome! Please come in!” the waiter welcomed. “What can I get you guys?”

“Xiao-Kai, what do you want?”

“Umm… steamed buns!”

“Is that all?”

“Uhh…”

Xiao-Kai never had the privilege of learning the proper names of whole dishes. Up until now, the only foods that he could ever eat were either scavenged or stolen; who knew which dishes they came from. The only dish name he remembered in passing was steamed buns, because every morning, the bun vendor would call out onto the streets, “Steamed buns! Freshly steamed buns!” And so, even if Xiao-Kai did want to eat something other than steamed buns, he wouldn’t know what to ask for. Even more, because he had been faced every day with violent responses from the people he begged from, he had become quiet and shy.

Yuelong encouraged him. “It’s okay. Order whatever you like. I’ll take a bowl of noodles.”

“Alrighty then!” the waiter said, before going into the kitchen to prepare their food.

Xiao-Kai looked at Yuelong and asked, “What are noodles?”

Yuelong looked at the teen in surprise. “You don’t know what noodles are?”

The teen shook his head.

“They are long and thin, like very thick strands of hair,” Yuelong explained, gesturing with his hands, “and they can be eaten with sauce or soup.”

“Oh! The soft worms!” 

“Soft worms?”

“I only had them when I was still with old nai-nai. But she disappeared, and I haven’t had any since.” 

“When did you first eat it?”

Xiao-Kai took a moment to think. “That time the streets were all red and everyone was happy! And there was a lot of food, too! Old nai-nai gave me a bowl of soft worms that day.”

That was probably the New Year, Yuelong thought. He noticed the hint of disappointment and sorrow in the teen’s eyes when he mentioned the old lady. Perhaps we should look for her?

Before he could ask about her, the waiter announced, “Your food has arrived!” 

Steaming hot white buns the size of fists were brought in on a plate, accompanied by an aromatic bowl of scallion oil noodles. Xiao-Kai’s eyes went wide with happiness. Never in his life had he seen steamed buns this white and fresh, and he eyed at the bowl of noodles with excitement.

Yuelong noticed and put the noodle bowl in front of Xiao-Kai. “Go ahead, give it a try.”

Xiao-Kai proceeded to pick the noodles up with his bare hands and stuff them into his mouth.

Yuelong was speechless. The waiter stared in shock, nearly dropping his tray of empty bowls and cups.

Xiao-Kai tasted the saltiness of the soy sauce first, then the umami flavour of the fermented sauce, and finally a hint of sweetness. The noodles were warm and chewy in his mouth. The more he chewed, the more flavours he tasted. The scallion was subtle at first, but it lingered on his tastebuds even after he swallowed the bite of noodles. He wolfed down the rest of it.

“Slow down, slow down! I have so many things to teach you…” Yuelong gave his head a good-natured shake. “Waiter! Another bowl of noodles, please!”

Soon, they finished and paid for their food. Yuelong considered his options. We can’t stay any longer in this village, or Qianyang might find me. We could go to the next village, but it’s far, and Xiao-Kai hasn’t learned qinggong yet… Yuelong glanced at the nearby border of the forest. Actually, now might be a good time to start.

Yuelong led Xiao-Kai out of the village. As they walked deeper into the forest, the surroundings became quiet and serene. After the ordeal of the past few days, Yuelong now cherished the immense comfort he felt from the peacefulness of this environment, which reminded him of his home on Qianyang Summit. How is Mother doing? I hope she gets well soon. Yuelong’s mother, who used to take care of the sect’s library and internal affairs, had fallen sick right after Lanyue went missing.

“Xiao-Kai, were you born in Xian Nu Village?” Yuelong asked, to distract himself from the homesickness.

“What village?”

“The village that we just came out of.”

“No.”

“Oh?” Yuelong glanced at the teen.

“I came from a different village,” Xiao-Kai explained casually.

“How did you get to Xian Nu Village, then?”

“My mom left me on an ox cart that took me to another village. I wanted to go back home, but I got lost and found this village instead.”

“Shall we get you back to your mother, then?” asked Yuelong, who knew the feeling of separation.

At the mention of Xiao-Kai’s mother, the teen’s face darkened.

“And I don’t want to see her. She didn’t want me. She left.”

Yuelong didn’t respond. He had never been good at comforting other people. But he knew that, despite Xiao-Kai’s words, deep down, the teen did want to see his mother. Perhaps now just wasn’t yet the time for a reunion. 

Soon they came to a small forest clearing. Sitting in the middle of it was a small old bamboo house, surrounded by wildflowers that stood out against the greenery. As they walked closer to the house, they noticed that a pond was there, too.

Xiao-Kai walked quickly ahead, bending down to look into the small pond. Yuelong walked up to the door and knocked. There was no answer. He pushed the door open, and a strong musty smell punched him right in the nose. It was dim. The windows were all tightly shut. The only way that light came into the room was through the door that Yuelong just opened and through the narrow slats of the window screens.

Yuelong opened the windows to let the fresh air flow in. He looked around at the dust-covered furniture. I guess this can be a new start. He walked out to the porch and took in the view. Tall bamboos surrounded them on all sides. The wildflowers waved in the breeze. Yuelong closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. There was a faint fragrance coming from the forest—a good amount of natural energy for cultivation.

“Hey, Xiao-Kai!” Yuelong called. “Come here!”

Xiao-Kai dropped the stick that he was fiddling with and went to Yuelong. “What is it, ge-ge?”

Yuelong looked around the forest one more time, recalling what Jiutian Xuannu had said to him about the boy. He smiled. “It’s time for you to become my first disciple.”

---

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The sound of wooden sandals on stairs announced the arrival of the priestess.

“We humbly greet your holiness,” the servants bowed.

The priestess’s face was covered with a fan. She waved her left hand at the servants. “You may rise. We are in a hurry. Chixi Mojun is waiting for us.”

One of the attendants, with their head bowed, approached her and announced, “Your holiness, the litter is ready. We can leave any moment.”

“Good! Now let’s get to it.”

The priestess stepped into the litter and pulled the veils closed around her. The light that shone through washed the interior in maroon.

“Take off!” announced the attendant.

Four people, each holding one handle of the litter, stood up in unison and began walking towards the beach.

Litters were vehicles that operated on manpower, usually through burly men of the streets. Normally, they were used only as means of short transportation. But this was the means that the priestess chose to travel across an entire ocean. She sat calmly in the carriage, fanning herself as she peered at the horizon of the ocean.

Just as the servants’ feet were about to touch the waters of the ocean, a small cloud appeared underneath them. With every step they took, the cloud carried them higher and farther. A moment later, they were a dozen feet above the ocean, with Bi An Island far behind them.

Ai-yah, demon lord, what to do with you?