The fury of the strong winds was like a furious weather, so strong that even stones were shaken from their places and tender branches of trees were broken and blowing with the wind. Then a tree branch broke and hit Gu Zong directly on the head, who was already struggling to walk. As soon as the branch hit Gu Zong's head, he looked at the tree with a dangerous expression as if it were his sworn enemy, but he continued walking nonetheless. Gu Zong's clothes were flapping in the wind as if they were about to be torn away. However, unlike Gu Zong, who was struggling to walk in the strong winds, Grandmaster Gongzhang in front of him was walking straight and calmly in this stormy chaos as if there was no storm at all. When Gu Zong saw this, he stared at the Grandmaster for a moment. Then, without looking back, Grandmaster Gongzhang spoke in a voice that reached Gu Zong's ears even amidst the strong winds, "Gu Zong, do you know why we are walking in this storm?"
He stopped right there, saying this, but Gu Zong's eyes widened in surprise, his inner voice whispering only one thing: "How can I hear his calm voice even in all this noise?"
Just then, Grandmaster Gongzhang turned back to him, and Gu Zong could only stare at him, his face so calm, as if he were standing at the bottom of a calm ocean, not in a storm. Gu Zong replied, "Sorry, I didn't understand...!" Suddenly, Gu Zong's eyes widened as he said this, unable to hear anything he had said. He tried repeating the same words, but to no avail. He still couldn't hear his own voice amidst the winds.
Just then, Grandmaster Gongzhang, standing in front of him, spoke calmly, pointing two fingers at Gu Zong. A golden glow emanated from the tips of his fingers, clearly visible from a distance. "Although it's the function of this spell seal that you can hear my voice, you can hear my voice even without the spell seal, Gu Zong. Try it." His voice was so calm that even if the storm hadn't occurred, the voice would never have reached Gu Zong. But the Grandmaster's words filled Gu Zong's eyes with deep thought. He froze in place, his eyes narrowed as if he were caught in a circle of his own questions. But the Grandmaster, seeing Gu Zong's thoughtful face, broke into a smile. With that smile, the Grandmaster turned and calmed the energy in his fingers again. He said to himself, "Question...? It's amazing that a question can invent anything." Saying this, the Grandmaster began walking forward, and seeing him move forward, Gu Zong was forced to follow.
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The storm continued throughout the night, and Gu Zong and the Grandmaster continued walking through the storm.
Morning came, and the sun rose like a sparkling diamond, painting the sky a thousand morning colors above the falling snow. The breeze had calmed, and the fragrance of the buttercup flowers wafted through it. Gu Zong was resting with his back against a tree, but as his nose detected the scent of the buttercup flowers, his eyes jerked open. As he opened his eyes, he looked around. There was a faint glow on his face that occasionally touched his lips, but there was nothing around except dry leaves and fallen yellow flowers. And then, sensing the emptiness in the atmosphere, Gu Zong's face sagged and drooped. He stood up with a slow, almost expressionless movement and dusted his clothes, but then a voice came from behind, "A waking body with a sleeping soul is of no use, Gu Zong…" These words pierced Gu Zong's ears like the tip of a sword. When he looked back, there stood Grandmaster Gongzhang, holding an apple in his hand. He took a few steps forward and handed it to Gu Zong, saying, "Gu Zong, just as a flower is incomplete without fragrance, the moon without moonlight, so too are these sacred hungi robes and jiuhuang yin zither nothing without your pure soul." Saying this, he continued walking but did not pick up his luggage. Gu Zong watched intently as the Grandmaster walked away without his own luggage, only to have his face drop even more, knowing that he would now have to carry his own luggage. Some time later
Gu Zong walked behind Grandmaster Gongzhang, carrying his and the Grandmaster's luggage. He was out of breath and his face was tired, but he still said in a tired voice, "What did you mean...?" Hearing his voice, the Grandmaster's steps stopped on the frozen snow. "Why don't you ask yourself, if you're carrying so much luggage for a journey where it's not needed, would you still carry this burden?" With that, Grandmaster Gongzhang moved on again, leaving Gu Zong standing there with slightly wide eyes. This time, Gu Zong's eyebrows and nose wrinkled at the Grandmaster's reply. "Can't this man just talk to you directly?" Gu Zong said, frowning and looking at the Grandmaster. He placed his own luggage and theirs on the road and continued walking alone.
