The fifth month of house arrest brought a dangerous new development to the master courtyard: Yan Shuo was feeling restless.
It wasn't a spiritual restlessness. His Heavenly Dao curse was still perfectly frozen beneath Tantai Zhi's supreme Yin seal. It was a purely physical, incredibly mundane desire to stretch his legs. For over a hundred and twenty days, his entire universe had consisted of a heated jade cushion, a peach tree, and a koi pond.
Furthermore, ever since Tantai Zhi had given him his new, flawlessly sharp haircut, Yan Shuo felt a sliver of his ancient, sovereign pride returning. A man who looked this majestic shouldn't be confined to a garden like a potted plant.
He stood up from his cushion, smoothing the front of his pristine white robes.
