"If I was just a nobody from the sticks—not the Emperor of the Kirin Clan—would you still want to marry me? Could you be like her, and give up your most precious treasure for me, maybe even risk your life for me, without a second thought?"
Shannon's eyes flickered. "So... you think I got close to you just to get something out of it?"
Jun Lionhead didn’t say a word. He just stood up and strode out.
"A person’s identity and looks—that’s all part of who they are! Why pick it apart?" Shannon’s voice got heated. "So, if Grace wasn’t gorgeous, if she was a total beast, would you still treat her the same way?"
Jun Lionhead replied coolly, "I would." Then he walked out.
Shannon stared after him, her eyes starting to shimmer with unshed tears.
...
That day, Grace and Shannon got Apricot Hill sparkling clean—and even planted a little veggie garden.
On the way back, Shannon stayed silent.
Grace nudged her, "So, what did you say to my master just now? Why the long face?"
Shannon glanced at her, shook her head, and said, "Grace, you know what? I really envy you."
"Envy me?" Grace pointed at herself. "You're a princess of the East Roy Empire, top disciple of the world's best talisman master, and you envy me?"
"I really do envy you..."
"Tell me, what exactly do you envy about me?"
"You're so brave."
"Oh... I get it!"
"Get what?"
"You chickened out today!"
"Oh, stop!" Shannon laughed and shook her head.
"Next time! Next time, we'll plan a strategy, pump up our courage, and go for it!" Grace was practically bouncing with excitement. "But first, I have to go to Drake Abyss. I'll bring you along when I get back."
"You still want to go?"
"Of course!"
"How are you going to do that? Didn't your master already say no?"
"I just thought of someone who might help me get to Drake Abyss."
"Who?"
"Master Sage Dao," Grace said. "He's super powerful—he's gotta have a way."
"Hmm..." Shannon nodded. "Go for it! I'm waiting for your good news."
...
Back at the Spirit Alliance, Grace told Rina Chu and Bobby she needed to make a trip to Vermilion Nation to find Master Sage Dao.
But Rina Chu said, "Master Sage Dao is at Greenleaf Temple!"
"Greenleaf Temple?" Grace was stunned. "You mean the one right in Sigil City?"
"Yep!" Rina Chu said. "I saw him at Greenleaf Temple!"
"When did you go to Greenleaf Temple?"
"Just... a few days ago! When you went to Wuyue Nation, I went to Greenleaf Temple to burn incense, and I saw him there."
"Wow, that's a crazy coincidence..." Grace said. "Back when we were in Blue Moon Nation, he was there too."
Then when we went to Vermilion Nation, he went there too!
Now we're in Sigil City, and he's here as well!
"Yeah! It really is a coincidence." Rina Chu and Bobby both agreed.
"Then I'm going to find him right now!" Grace declared.
Rina Chu said, "I'll go with you!"
"Alright!"
So the two of them headed off to Greenleaf Temple together.
Sure enough, Master Sage Dao was there.
But he was staying in a tiny, tucked-away courtyard—nothing like the grand setup he had in Vermilion Nation.
"Master!" Grace asked, "What brings you here?"
"As the saying goes, water flows downward, people climb upward. For us monks, it's the same—only in the temples of great nations can we truly advance in our practice." Master Sage Dao replied.