Li Tongya, having attended the funeral, changed into a fresh white robe. Realizing it was the hour for Wangyue Lake's market day, he gathered up the monster pelts and various materials he had hunted in the past few days and set off northward.
He rode the winds, circling a few times through the reed marshes. He had intended to wait for the right moment to harvest a whiff of River Essence Qi but saw only yellowed reeds and cracked riverbeds. With no choice, he left empty-handed, frustrated.
"It's been dry for several months, the riverbeds are parched, and the reeds have all turned yellow; where can any River Essence Qi be harvested?"
After leaving the reed marshes, Li Tongya rode the wind towards Wangyue Lake. The waterline of Wangyue Lake had receded hundreds of miles, and the ground was covered with the wriggling maggots upon fish carcasses; many small islands had also emerged on the lake's surface.
