"Dragon Cypress, I'm heading home first!"
As Xianglan Mountain appeared on the horizon, Ink Orchid left these words behind, sprang up with its legs, and darted away.
Ink Orchid had been away from its territory for over three months.
This time, Dragon Cypress had also been gone for 68 days; by now, it was the end of autumn.
The Dominating Throne headed straight to the pond at the foot of the mountain.
The eleventh broad leaf of the Deep Blue God-Given Seed was fully unfurled, with the plant standing over six meters tall.
The weather had cooled, growth had slowed down, and it was about to enter dormancy.
"Azure!"
Dragon Cypress called out.
The Dominating Throne slowly descended, coming close to the water's surface.
In all this time, the fruits beneath the leaves had only grown a little, greenish grains about the size of peas.
But the rice sown in late spring had long since ripened, forming a long golden stretch along the pond's edge.
The lotus leaves had begun to wither.
