Coming Together

Once questions of leadership had been resolved, Wu Ling's group progressed as quickly as they could away from the Pilgrim's Road and any signs of civilization. Were the group restricted to the Martial path cultivators among them, they likely would have moved several li further, however, neither Fang Lin nor Yu Jinqi were accustomed to this type of physical exertion.

"I know Brother Fang and I are weak," Yu Jinqi acknowledged when they finally stopped alongside a swift-moving stream to camp for the night. "But Brother Wu isn't a Martial cultivator. How have you kept this pace so well?"

"Never underestimate the legs of a zither player," Wu Ling said with a wry smile as he surveyed the place they'd chosen to rest for the night. "We kneel for hours at a time playing to entertain. Compared to a day of kneeling and playing, a day of walking isn't so bad."