Shi Potian could not bear to disturb her, so he rested his head on the table for a short nap as well. Tianxu and Qingxu instructed the young Daoist attendants to clear the table, then the two of them went back to their own quarters to rest. For a time, the entire Shangqing Taoist Temple was wrapped in a profound and tranquil silence, as quiet as an uninhabited realm.
Liu Xiaowan had a sweet dream and woke up in a haze, still carrying a trace of a smile. Upon waking, she saw that there was no one around and that Gouge was fast asleep on the table, which amused her a little. The moment she stood up, she noticed that the copy of *Zhuangzi* had slipped from her lap, so she hurriedly reached down to pick it up. Forgetting which page she had been reading, she placed it back on the table with a touch of embarrassment and walked out of the room alone.
It was now the early morning of the next day. Gouge was woken up by a faint, murmuring sound, which turned out to be the Daoist priests of Shangqing Taoist Temple engaged in their morning recitation, every single one of them chanting the *Dao De Jing* and the *Huangdi Neijing*. Gouge could not understand the words, but he felt a reassuring strength emanating from them. He stood up feeling quite refreshed and stretched lazily, only to find that Liu Xiaowan was nowhere to be seen, so he went outside to look for her.
Chapter 17