The cold wind on the mountain showed no signs of relenting, ruffling the cat’s fur as she walked. At first, she wrinkled her face and shrank her head back against the chill, but the wind atop the mountain was everywhere. Walking through it, there was no way to avoid it.0

Eventually, seeing the Daoist and the jujube-red horse continuing ahead and moving farther away, she hurried to catch up. Once she adjusted to the wind, her face relaxed, as though the biting chill no longer bothered her.0

“Daoist priest!”0

Her soft, light voice carried through the wind. Without careful listening, it was almost impossible to hear.0

“What is it?” the Daoist replied.0

“We’ve arrived in Changjing!”0

“Yes, we have.”0

“This seems like the place where you called the thunder!”0

“Yes, it is.”0

“And the place where the fox gave us a gift!”0

“Yes, that too.”0

“I have an amazing memory!”1

“Indeed.”0

The Daoist kept walking as he looked down toward the valley below.0

The winding dirt path along the mountainside remained as it had always been, with a few scattered merchant caravans making their way down toward the city. The small pavilion on the hill still looked the same, though now there was no one playing the zither or pouring wine.0

“We’ve traveled so far...”0

The calico cat stretched her neck to peer down at the scene below.0

Her fur moved with the wind, giving her a bold and spirited appearance.0

The cat’s understanding of the world was unlike that of humans. Being young,...0