This place was far less perilous than Hua Mountain, with the Divine Path meandering through, the forest deep and shadowy, morning mist drifting, mountain streams babbling, the scenery utterly pleasant.
Occasionally, they would even see macaques, leopards, wild deer, and white cranes darting through the thick brush, curiously watching them.
In such splendid surroundings, Li Yan, however, had no time to appreciate them.
Because Wang Jingxiu, the old Daoist, kept pestering him incessantly.
"Last night I was pondering," the old Daoist remarked, "the method you proposed is indeed quite good, but colored glaze burns to reveal its five-colored splendor, akin to jade stone in beauty, yet also brittle and fragile. Do you know of any way to resolve this?"
"The colors of colored glaze are difficult to fix; there must be something within. If we could find a way to remove it, then perhaps we could produce clear colored glaze…"
"I'm afraid it won't withstand fire and water…"
