[ Perhaps you’ll be (un)fortunate enough to encounter a man clad in nothing but a monocle, running swiftly through the forest. Bounding alongside him is a qilin, its shiny fish scales reflecting the lights of the will-o-wisps. His long hair is unbound and flying loose behind him, and his skin is covered in scars.

Gu Yun had been offered a robe, and he’d initially taken one; but after hearing the explanation of the ritual’s significance, decided not to do things by half-measures, otherwise what is he here for? He’d participated in the ritual preparations, so he can’t even complain about the temperature: magical warmth flows through his body. So a little ways from the starting point, he’d slipped the robe off, folded it, and rolled it up. Now he’s got it clutched in one hand, like a silken relay baton.

If his cheeks are flushed, that’s just from the exertion, right? The famously shameless Marquis of Order couldn’t possibly be embarrassed about running around in the altogether.

Nothing to see here folks, move along. ]

[ Gu Yun stops at the fairy fountain, by this time having inadvertently acquired a woodland entourage of creatures:

a partridge
several types of other birds, all calling, clucking, or cooing
five hinds with golden collar-like rings about their necks
and waddling behind are quite a few geese and swans

Fortunately, his qilin keeps them from coming too close, occasionally chasing away the cheeky pair of doves that want to perch on his bare shoulders.

At the water’s edge, he encounters a group of tiny fairies, all busy doing… something to a mouse. Er, are they milking it? He’s not going to look too closely; hence he doesn’t hear their piping voices nor perceive their tiny lips moving. Instead, feeling a bit thirsty, he kneels down and cups his hands in the water, bringing it up to drink… and spattering a few drops on the stone in the meantime.

Immediately a vision appears: himself, ten years younger (and clothed) being met at the doorway of the Marquis mansion by a teenage boy, handing him a bowl of noodles with an egg dropped in—and the eggshell, too.

Gu Yun startles, letting his hands drop, spilling the rest of the water. After a while, he sighs helplessly. ]

Chang Geng…

[ Nine previously-dancing fairies are aggressively pushing Gu Yun (who now finally has his light robe on) out of the fairy circle, holding their ears and cursing. ]

Hey, hey, hey, I’m just playing along, where’s the harm in it?

[ The “harm” in clutched in one hand: a tiny jade flute, from which he has been “playing along” with horrific, ear-splitting results. And now that he’s been pushed out, he has another problem: he hasn’t returned to full size. ]

Um… ladies, if you don’t mind, could you possibly…

[ He is very small, and he has no money, so you can imagine the kind of stress that he is under. Particularly as, while he’s complaining, one of the geese is waddling towards him with a certain look in her eye.

Gu Yun knows he’s a snack, but he doesn’t want to become that kind of snack. Uh, help? ]

[ He thought it was going to be a blanket, but this thing is clearly a mat, inexplicably covered in bright colored circles. He squints at the writing in one corner. ]

“Twister”?

[ In a deep, eldritch tone, the black knight speaks: “Tis but a scratch!”

Gu Yun, fully clad in actual armor this time, holds his trusty windslasher aloft; its blades are still dripping with black blood. ]

A scratch? Your arm’s off!

[ Indeed, the mangled remains of the Black Knight’s arm are lying inert on the ground. But just as Gu Yun speaks, that arm wriggles, leaps up, and reattaches itself to the Knight's shoulder.

“I’ve had worse,” he says, derisively, as he shakes his arm out and wiggles his fingers.

Gu Yun’s long brows draw together. It isn’t going to be so easy, getting this thing’s sword. He readies himself, lifting his wind slasher once more. ]