The third day of the ninth month.
It was an ordinary day. Chaos still reigned across the Zhongzhou Continent. The north was already growing cold, while the south remained as picturesque as spring.
Deep in the forest behind Qianmu Temple, a small celebratory dharma assembly was beginning in Shen Xiaozhu's Dao Field. Since entering the sect, Shen Xiaozhu had been in secluded cultivation and hadn't even taken a single disciple, so only her fellow disciples were in attendance.
Wang Ping did not attend this assembly. His cultivation had reached a critical point. Besides, his presence would have made the junior disciples uncomfortable.
Ten days after the assembly ended, Shen Xiaozhu quietly left the mountain gate with her Spirit Cat. She headed for the port in Shang'an Prefecture, planning to take a merchant ship south to visit Hu Mountain Country.
