On the first day of the twelfth month, Saint Byakuren instructed her disciples - Seiran, Kogasa, Kyouko, and Nazrin - to depart from her temple and seek wisdom from the four divine beasts.

Seiran found Shou, the colossal, white tiger of the west, striding through the steamy, oppressive jungle that was her home. She commanded the young apprentice to follow the path of right view, which means seeing things as they are - never fooling oneself, never being fooled by others, keeping a skeptical, but open mind, and being mindful of your own biases and assumptions - and the path of right action, which means never being a hypocrite and always practicing what one preaches.

Kogasa came upon Seiga, the capricious, vermilion phoenix of the south, dancing through fallen leaves in the perpetually autumnal forest she dwelled within. She recommended that the girl follow the path of right speech, which means being honest, avoiding conflicts, being polite, and forgoing gossip, as well as the path of right livelihood, which means living a life where one is not forced to kill, steal, abuse or manipulate others, or overindulge in intoxicants.

Kyouko discovered Kasen, the noble, azure dragon of the east, surveying the lightning-ravaged mountains she presided over. She advised the apprentice to follow the path of right intention, which means promoting goodwill, harmlessness, and the renunciation of personal desires, and the path of right diligence, which means trying to eliminate personal qualities like wrath, ignorance, and greed, while cultivating qualities such as compassion, critical thinking, and generosity.

Nazrin located Suwako, the wise, black tortoise of the north, slumbering at the bottom of a gargantuan, winding ravine she is said to have carved out herself. She implied that it would be in Nazrin's best interests to follow the path of right mindfulness, which means being in control of one's own mind - not a slave to idle daydreaming, negative feelings such as despair and anxiety, or unreasonably strong emotions - as well as the path of right concentration, which means being self-reflective, being aware of how one's words and actions affect others, not being easily distracted or led astray, and to meditate regularly and rigorously.

The four disciples returned on the final night of the twelfth month, older and wiser than when they had set out. Saint Byakuren had but one question: which paths were the correct ones to follow?

Seiran asserted that the paths of right view and right action were the true paths. Kogasa said that the paths of right speech and right livelihood sounded ideal. Kyouko was confident that the paths of right intention and right diligence were the best ones, and Nazrin believed that the paths of right mindfulness and right concentration were likely the most favorable.

Saint Byakuren simply smiled at all of them.
