After Sparrow left the Swan Academy he made his way slowly down the mountain road.

Thick fog blanketed the area around him. While the whiteness made navigating the road difficult, it also comforted Sparrow. It felt warm and reassuring and it made the world seem so much smaller only being able to see 20 feet in front of him.

Because he had no destination in mind, no place to go other than the road, Sparrow didn’t pay too much attention to the direction he was headed. He just focused on the sound of his feet as they tapped against the stones and the feeling of the mist on his skin. It took a while, but eventually, he realized he’d left the main road behind and was journeying along a small track.

The further he got, the more he could hear the sound of rushing water until eventually, he came to stand beside a small, but fast-flowing river. The rain and mist in the air had made the river swell extra high.

Sparrow stood for a while and considered whether he should turn back, but he had already walked a long way and he was tired and he could see a rocky overhang a little way down the river.

His feet crunched smooth river rocks together as he walked. The river made a dull howling sound as it rushed by and a bird darted over the rocks singing a three-note tune.

Sparrow copied the bird’s whistle, twice, three times.

‘Could you keep it down over there?!’

Sparrow spun, completely shocked. It was a man’s voice. He hadn’t seen a human for miles and yet, there beside the river sat a man with no shirt on. A small cloth was around his waist, and his legs were crossed.

‘Hello,’ Sparrow said, ‘I thought I was lost.’

‘It’s not good manners to disturb someone who’s cultivating.’ The man said, he looked to be in his twenties with long, unruly hair.

‘It looks like you’re just sitting here doing nothing.’

Sparrow, who was glad for a distraction, sat down beside the man and laughed when he saw the horrified expression on the cultivator’s face.

‘I’ve got a friend who says you should always wear a shirt when it’s this cold.’ Sparrow said, ‘His mum used to warn him about catching colds.’

The cultivating man had shut his eyes and was trying to ignore Sparrow. A tactic that didn’t last long.

‘Are all cultivators this lazy?’ Sparrow asked, ‘You’ve hardly moved a muscle since I’ve been here.’

The cultivating man shook his head, ‘Boy. One day you will learn that this world is so much more than just what you see. It’s in here.’ He tapped his heart, ‘It’s your Qi. Your spiritual essence. I have come here to these mountains to be alone, so that I can cultivate and grow my Qi so that I will be able to turn invisible.’ He held up a jade amulet that sat around his neck, ‘Then I’ll sneak into the kingdom of the demon lord and rescue the woman I love.’

Sparrow snorted and laughed again, ‘You came here to sit in the cold rain, beside an overflowing river just for a girl?!’

The cultivating man groaned and at the same time, began to shiver, ‘I see you are very inexperienced in this world, young one.’

For the first time in their conversation, Sparrow became serious, ‘Yes, I am. I was going to an academy to learn more but then I got kicked out. So that’s what I’m doing here. I’m just following this road, trying to find out more about life and seeing what it can teach me.’

The cultivating man paused and gazed into Sparrow’s eyes.

‘That’s a very wise thing to do. How old are you? And what is your name?’

‘I’m seven and my name is Sparrow.’

Sparrow held out a hand and with a smile, the cultivator shook.

‘Well, young Sparrow. You can call me Brother Han.’ the man gave another shiver and gazed out into the mist, ‘I think you have ruined my cultivation today, but perhaps that is not such a bad thing.’

Brother Han stood. Without moving a finger the water sitting on Brother Han’s skin rose up, moved to the side and dropped away from him. He was completely dry.

The cultivator nodded toward the overhang Sparrow had seen earlier.

‘Come. I have a small cave, we can sit and talk and eat.’