Morning in the City of Wuyinwas still wrapped in mist.
The streets were not yet busy.Only the soft sound of brooms could be heard,from merchants preparing to open their stalls.
Li Yuan quietly opened the door to his room.He was staying at a place that wasn't flashy,yet held a warmth that was hard to explain.
The Dusk Sky Inn.
Located in the eastern part of the inner market,tucked away behind a narrow alley filled with climbing vines.
Its sign was made of old wood,but the letters were beautifully carved:
Dusk Sky – A Refuge for Those Who Walk the Path.
The inn wasn't large.Just two floors, with eight rooms on each.But the interior was clean, orderly,filled with the scent of warm spices and cinnamon.
Paintings of twilight skies from around the worldhung along the corridors.
Li Yuan had been staying for three days.He had booked a room for seven,as he didn't want to rush.
And this place…was perfect for reflection.
Room number three, second floor—its window faced a small garden behind the inn.
There, a soft trickle of water from a little pond.Now and then, the chirping of small birds.
This morning,he walked down the inn's wooden corridor.His steps were light, calm.
At the end of the corridor, a bamboo bench—usually used for morning tea by the innkeeper:Madam Lu,a wise old woman with quiet eyes.
Today, Madam Lu was nowhere to be seen.Perhaps she was still preparing breakfast for the guests.
Li Yuan sat on the bamboo bench.The morning breeze swept through his hair,now slowly growing longer.
He gazed at the sky,still tinged with violet.
"Three days have passed...And I haven't found anything, yet I've lost nothing either."
In his hand—a small notebook,the one he filled every night.
Today, the next blank page awaited him.
"Dusk Sky… such a quiet place.But too much stillness can become a fog to understanding."
Li Yuan stood.He had made a decision.
Today,he would step deeper into the heart of Wuyin—not merely to wander,but to search for something unspokenby teacher or book.
"Understanding doesn't always come from meditation—sometimes, it waits behind the noise of the world…"
And so,his steps moved through the alley,out of the Dusk Sky Inn,toward the next chapter of his journey.
The heart of Wuyin City—a place where everything seemed alive.
Laughter, merchants' cries,the grind of cart wheels,and countless footsteps filled the air.
Li Yuan stood amidst it all,silent.
He looked no different from any other passerby.His new clothes bought during his visit to the market two days prior were simple,yet clean and well-fitted.
No longer wearing the robes of the Qinglong Academy,he had become part of this world:not a student,not a scholar,but merely…
an observer.
"This is life in the outside world…bustling, yet everyone seems alone in their own thoughts."
The main market of Wuyin City was divided into three sections:
the food lane
the arts and crafts lane
the martial arts lane
But among all these,what drew Li Yuan's attention was not the valuable goods—but the movement of people.
A young boy stole a pastry and was chased by an old vendor.Two women exchanged stories while haggling over cloth.A young man played a musical instrument, and a small crowd paused to listen.
"Every movement, every step, seems to have its own purpose.But do they truly understand where they are going?"
Suddenly, Li Yuan stopped.
Amidst the crowd,there was a narrow alley that looked different.
Few people passed through it.But for some reason,he felt drawn to it.
The alley was tight.Its walls were made of old stone overgrown with moss.The end could not be seen from the outside.
But from within,Li Yuan could feel something… breathing.
"Not the breath of a human.Not the breath of the wind.But the breath of a place."
As if a hidden awareness resided there—waiting for someone quiet enough to sense it.
"I did not come to this city to shop,or to seek knowledge from others.I came… to understand."
And to understand,sometimes one must step beyond the noise.
Li Yuan entered the alley—without hesitation,without a word,but with eyesbeginning to seebeyond what is seen.