“This way please, Master Rou,” Xiulan said with a small bow—and that was what triggered the end of our little respite. Suyan would be staying back with Zhuye and a complement of bees, while the rest of us would be continuing onwards. I wanted nothing more than to continue to catch up with everyone, Gou Ren and Xianghua especially… but that, unfortunately, would be for later. We all had obligations. So we changed into our good clothes… which for both of us was just putting our outer coats on. Meimei wanted to be seen as a no-nonsense, austere lady. While she was way less self-conscious about her body now, she was still uncomfortable about wearing too flashy clothes... at least in front of strangers. Meimei had no problem busting out the really nice stuff for family and friends. I offered my arm to Meiling, who took it with a small smile. We set off into the ancient halls once more, our friends an honour guard around us. The passageways of the Dueling Peaks felt less gloomy than they had been the first time. When I was here previously, the atmosphere had been that of a mausoleum. Grand, impressive… and dead. This time, it felt alive. Energetic, almost. “It feels like it was supposed to,” Tianlan whispered in my head. She sounded both fond and impressed. “Our little Blade of Grass… she's done a good job. They all have.”