The autumn wind was grim and chilling.
Withered leaves fell, and a light drizzle filled the air.
Atop Whale Leaping Peak, the cold wind howled, and banners whipped violently.
At the far end of the flat, wide plaza.
Stood the council hall, with its carved beams and painted rafters. Wind chimes swayed under the eaves, their tinkling lonely and desolate.
WHOOSH...
A clock tower stood tall in the center of the plaza.
Qi Canghai, who had been missing for days, was there. His white robes fluttered as he set down the bell hammer. Holding a Sandalwood Bead, he looked down from his high vantage point at the towering, crimson figure on the plaza, from whom white mist was steaming, and said with a voice full of approval:
"Not bad. To have achieved so much in such a short time... you can truly be called a prodigy."
His smile was gentle, with no trace of hostility.
His eyes were filled with admiration.
The scene was somewhat reminiscent of their first meeting.
And yet.
