g Yuxiu, Si Yunxiang and Xue Hu'er. "I go to keep my word, and besides, I do not know whether the Dawn Spring will welcome you." He looked apologetic. "You are not like us. You are people of the outside, while we are Wasteland castoffs." Xue Hu'er turned into a little fox and leapt onto Shen Mu's neck, driving off the ink flood-dragon coiled there, and hung about him like a scarf. "I am a castoff of the Wasteland too. I will go with you, young master!" Si Yunxiang said shyly, "Marry a chicken and follow the chicken, marry a dog and follow the dog. I am already the Cult Master's widow; wherever the Cult Master goes, the Cult Master's widow must naturally follow." Ling Yuxiu said with a cold smile, "Even a Cult Master's widow must observe the order of precedence, surely?" Si Yunxiang said with a smile, "Is there something the former Cult Master's widow wishes to say?" Ling Yuxiu flushed with anger, then suddenly burst out laughing. "I won't quarrel with you over that. If you won't go, then don't. Blind Grandpa carried me off; my father must be worried to death. I will go back early and let him know I am safe. This bowing and wedding was only Blind Grandpa's obsession — it does not count. If the Holy Maiden Xiang takes it seriously, then you may be the Cult Master's widow. By the way, cowherd, what promise are you going to keep?" "I made a pact with the Sun Warden: to help her light the sun that has gone out aboard the Dawn Ark." Shen Mu stroked the little fox's head on his neck and said, "Ever since I obtained the Sun Jade Eye, I have been running hither and thither with no time to keep the appointment. The longer it drags on, the more her life is worn away. Now that I have come to Mishui Pass, I may as well make the trip to the Dawn Spring; who knows, perhaps I can free her from her confinement." Mishui Pass was very close to the Sea of Stars, and from the Sea of Stars one could reach the Dawn Spring. Shen Mu longed to see the Sun Warden again; he did not know whether her legs had been devoured by the Dawn Ark. Neither Ling Yuxiu nor Si Yunxiang had ever heard of the Sea of Stars or the Dawn Spring, but Ling Yuxiu had seen the Dawn Ark, and said with studied carelessness, "When the Dawn Ark came to Crimson Dragon City last time, I missed it and never saw this Sun Warden. By the way, is this Sun Warden a man or a woman?" "A girl. Her name is Yan Jingjing." Shen Mu answered honestly, "About your age." Ling Yuxiu smiled gently. "Since she is about our age, she is sure to get along with us. I will go and see for myself, and make the acquaintance of this little sister Yan." Si Yunxiang's eyes rolled, and she laughed. "I was seized in a muddle by Blind Grandpa and forced to bow through a wedding, and yet the Cult Master shows no tenderness for the fair sex. Since we are here anyway, it would be good to go and see this Sun Warden, and broaden our horizons." Shen Mu nodded. "The Sun Wardens hold very high station. They are of the God Race, of higher birth than we Wasteland castoffs." "The God Race?" The two women clicked their tongues. Shen Mu summoned a flood dragon; it changed its size at once and revealed its true form, and Shen Mu brought them onto its back. The Dragon Qilin wanted to jump up too, but Shen Mu kicked it back down and said mildly, "Fat Dragon, you had better get more exercise. Ling'er, you keep an eye on him." Xue Hu'er answered that she would. The Dragon Qilin blinked, looked at Shen Mu's smile, gentle as a spring breeze, and could not help shivering. "Cult Master, I won't be a picky eater anymore!" "No more picky eating?" Shen Mu said with a kindly face, "Then why are you still hiding Fire-Element Divine Essence Pills in your cheek pouch, unswallowed?" The Dragon Qilin was startled and blurted out, "How do you know I hid the Fire-Element Divine Essence Pills in my cheeks?" Shen Mu took out a mirror and said in heartfelt anguish, "Look at yourself in the mirror! Anywhere would have done, but no, you had to hide them in your cheeks — and so many of them!" The Dragon Qilin looked hastily into the mirror, and saw his cheeks bulging on both sides as though two great balls had been stuffed into his mouth.