Hearing their banter, Lin Mu chuckled softly. "Good to see you're learning something useful in daily life, Meng Bai. Though I suppose this lesson might save your life one day."
Daoist Chu gave a wise nod. "Indeed. I have taught him many principles, but this one is the most sacred of them all—never, under any circumstance, ask a woman her age."
The laughter that followed rolled through the air, echoing faintly in the high winds. Even Cattaleya's laughter joined theirs, bright and full of amusement. Meng Bai rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, but he was smiling too.
As they flew further south, they passed over the vermillion fields before the air gradually grew colder, and the rich colors of autumn began to fade.
Frost began to appear on the tips of the trees below, and thin mists rolled over the rivers. The faint silver outline of distant mountains rose against the horizon, the Glacial Ranges were not far now.
