Autumn sunlight dappled the mountain sides as they left Cloud Recesses, leaving a busy XiChen to look after clan duties. Only Lan SiZhui and Lan JingYi accompanying them made Wei Ying feel a bit better. It was decided to keep their traveling party small for efficiency; they had not heard or seen anything from the Yangsui sect for a while, and it seemed a certainty that they might try something.

Their first destination was a temple situated two hundred miles away, a fair distance on horseback. Wei Ying was already feeling it, and was not looking forward to the evening and actually getting off the horse.

This journey was uneventful and they reached the town by nightfall, after only taking one break in between for lunch. They found an inn and rested for the night.

During breakfast the next morning, a thought occurred to Wei Ying.

"Do we know anything about the origins of the box?" He was whispering as they were currently sitting in a public room with strangers. "I feel as if understanding how it came to be here would be helpful."

The children didn't know anything and Lan Zhan just hummed a negative.

Wei Ying had been distracted ever since they had left Gusu, his mind pondering what to do with the mirror if that's what they were carrying inside the box. He had examined the box over and over again, trying to find the rest of the verse with no luck. The only other possibility was if it was inside the box.

He had so many questions, his head was buzzing. And the problem which was forefront in his mind: how to save the people who were cursed? And without upsetting important people?

So he was startled when Lan Zhan tapped his hand to get his attention.

"We are being watched, covertly." He motioned with his eyes.

Wei Ying discreetly looked around, and sure enough, a group of men were obviously looking at them but trying to hide it. As his vision expanded, he saw another table of men mirroring their behavior.

"Ambush?"

"Probably, not sure."

"What shall we do?" JingYi squeaked out.

"Do we have a plan?" SiZhui was calmer.

"We don't want them to know where we're going, but we can't stop them following us."

"We can lead them to an open space and deal with them there." Lan Zhan suggested.

"If they're anything like the ones that attacked Koi Tower, we should be fine. They were generally unskilled." SiZhui added.

"Then let's leave together." Wei Ying stood up and they left.

Sure enough, as they left the town in a completely different direction, they were followed. When they speeded up, they were chased all the way until Lan Zhan led them to a clearing.

The children tied up the horses and watched.

The men jumped off their horses and advanced, swords already unsheathed. But they were no match for the capable Hanguang-Jun. Bichen flashed with a white blur, eliminating the threat in no time. Wei Ying just watched in amusement.

As a parting gift, he slashed the saddles on the horses to delay any pursuit.

The temple they wanted to visit was half way up the mountains that surrounded the town. They were able to reach by midday, leaving their horses tied to the gates.

A wide pavilion opened up before them, connecting a huge courtyard to the main temple.

"We should pay our respects." Wei Ying said, leading them inside, past the bridge on their left.

A priest came out to greet them. He had an open, friendly face which had Wei Ying smiling before he reached them.

"We don't have many visitors," the priest said, bowing. "How may I help you?"

"We were passing by and thought to make our prayers as travellers."

The priest smiled and led them inside. "You are most welcome. Prayers lead to good fortune."

"When was this temple built?" Wei Ying asked. He had a feeling that this was not the right location but there was no harm in finding out.

"The temple was erected three hundred years ago. The bridge is older and solid despite it's age."

Wei Ying's ears perked up at that but he didn't say anything. They followed the priest to the main hall where a huge statue of the Queen mother stood. She was decorated with a flower garland, fruits and incense as offerings. They each lit their own and made their prayers.

Later, he said to the priest, "we are tired from traveling, may we stay here for the night? We will leave before morning."

The priest was happy to have guests and served them milk before they lay down to rest.

It was a clear night, the evening star appearing before the moon. Silently, they made their way to the bridge. It was crude in design, covered in lichen and moss, stone crumbling.

Wei Ying pulled out the box from the Qiankun pouch in his sleeve. Then, not too sure what he was supposed to do, he held it up so the moonbeams landed all over it. The writing became clear once again, but it was the same as before. No other text appeared. Wei Ying tried pressing all around the surface in case it was pressure sensitive though nothing happened.

"Can't we break it open?" JingYi complained.

"Items like this are often protected. So far, no wards have been able to unseal it." Wei Ying replied. "Patience is key."

Yet, after no luck, they decided to start on the next leg of their journey under the cover of darkness. Lan Zhan left a gold piece for the priest to find in the morning, to thank him for his hospitality.