On the stone walls of Goose City, Prefect Ma Bonde, clad in a suit of armor, paced back and forth anxiously. A circle of government officials stood around him, their faces taut with nervous terror, alongside a sparse number of city defense soldiers. Daoist Xi Menzi had gone to pursue those White Lotus demon cultivators. If the Daoist returned triumphantly, all would be well. But if the plan failed, and the White Lotus demon cultivators came to Goose City seeking retaliation, then these mortals would have to be the first line of defense.
Ma Bonde pinched his stiff, cold shoulders. This armor doesn't fit well at all, he thought. It can't accommodate my already misshapen figure; wearing it feels so awkward. Coupled with the bone-chilling wind blowing from above and the gnawing hunger in my belly, I almost feel like I've returned to the dream world.
