The morning after the Continental Ascension Toast broke over the Floating Mountain with the calm, honeyed stillness of early autumn.
Across the great courtyards, thousands of festive lanterns hung silent beneath the morning dew, their silk tassels stirring in the alpine breeze. The mortal emperors, sect patriarchs, and sky envoys who had cheered until their voices turned hoarse were now snoring peacefully in the guest pavilions, comfortably wrapped in thick down quilts and dreaming of plum wine.
Near the southern rim of the floating peak. There, the cloud-waterfalls cascaded two thousand meters down toward the forest canopy, a solitary blue sphere rolled quietly along the damp flat stone slabs.
Lin Xiao had chosen not to maintain his human scholar form. While walking on two legs was useful for drinking from tea bowls and shaking hands with nervous monarchs, it needed constant micro-shifts of balance and stance. As a round, forty-inch blob of azure jelly, movement was easy. He simply flattened slightly at the front, let gravity do the work. Then he rolled along with a soft, rhythmic squish-plop-squish.
Behind him, padded paws made no sound against the stone. Xiao Hei trotted at his flank, having tightly packed his twelve-foot lunar wolf body down to the size of a cheerful black hunting dog. His midnight fur caught the amber dawn light, his intelligent ruby eyes scanning the empty terrace with quiet satisfaction.
