We left Pale Moon Lake City behind us, heading west. As we left the gates and trundled along the road, there was a palpable easing of tension from the Lord Magistrate and Lady Wu. “I’m glad that's all behind us,” Teacher declared, slumping over to rest his head on Lady Wu’s lap. He picked up Xue Ji’s tail, which had been wrapped around Lady Wu’s waist, and buried his face in it. The fox-woman hummed with amusement from where she was sitting, reading a scroll. “To think, I once wanted that to be my life. I would have gone as bald as Bao from the stress!” We all chuckled at his muffled voice, and Lady Wu patted his head. “Court politics were certainly… interesting,” I agreed. “But as an outside observer…somebody else can deal with all that shit.” “The cities produce the greatest of wonders, and the most difficult of challenges,” Lady Wu agreed. “And what about you, Meiling? What did you think of the city?” Meimei paused to consider the question, gathering her thoughts. Finally, she spoke. “It was interesting. There were so many artisans in one place; so much fascinating food, wonderful architecture, and just people. All those scrolls in the Archive… it was vibrant. Alive. (...)