This is a majestic peak.
It is one of the mountains, not the most steep among them. But the stone wall faced by the two girls must be the most jagged one. This stone wall is the side of the mountain, almost vertical as if it had been struck down by a huge axe. But it is not smooth either. After tens of millions of years of wind and rain erosion, it has become uneven. The interlaced stone thorns that protrude like canine teeth are full of small holes. No one cares about it and there is nowhere to polish it.
Is this the mountain where the immortal Shui Wujun said he retreated? Yin Quan squinted his eyes and raised his head, trying his best to look up to the top of the mountain. His neck was sore from looking up, and he could only see blurry clouds and strange rocks at the end of his field of vision. This is indeed a dangerous peak that is enough to escape the world. Then again, since you have claimed to "close the gate", can you really meet those visitors?
"The person we are looking for is at the top of the mountain." Shui Wujun also glanced upward, then turned to her, "I will take you up from here. Although it is not the main road, it is the most convenient shortcut."
Ye Yinquan nodded and frowned slightly. She vaguely remembered Shui Wujun saying that there was a special way to climb to the top of the mountain, but there didn't seem to be any hiking trails here. She still refused to speak, but fortunately Shui Wujun seemed to read the confusion in her expression.
"It doesn't mean that you can only get where you want to go by walking. If you limit your method of travel to just your legs and mount, then everywhere can be a road."
Ye Yinhua didn't seem to understand what she was talking about, and she raised her eyebrows slightly in understanding.
"Master Lintian—the master we want to meet is the gentleman who taught me the immortal method." Shui Wujun thought for a while, and the explanation in words was far less direct than the demonstration in action, so as she spoke, she held The handprints have been formed and are constantly changing and flying. "The person in charge in the underworld once gave me a set of chains, called the Demon Binding Rope. It also has many stories in the past. As long as you know, I can use it with this set of magic to create a shortcut for us... look."
Shui Wujun quickly finished a set of techniques. Ye Yinwan listened to her words and stared at her hands intently, feeling suddenly dazzled. Of course she couldn't understand it, but she felt a shimmer of light surging between her fingers, like a colored breeze or a stream of water carrying algae, with its own path and rhythm.
"rise!"
The sealing came to an abrupt end, and a series of crisp metallic sounds came to my ears one after another, from different positions in the same direction, one after another, with about the same gap. The sound made her feel bad, like a sign that someone was about to go to jail.
At the end, Shui Wujun pointed towards the mountain wall, which was the direction from which the sound came. Only then did Yin Huan dare to follow the gesture and look over, opening his lips slightly in surprise.
Chains, endless chains, came from nowhere and filled her field of vision. They crisscross among the rocks, like creepers that have grown on the cliffs for many years. But these cold and hard vines suddenly appeared out of thin air, and Yin Quan could not find their roots. Her eyes jumped between the chains, trying to grasp the clues, but quickly gave up. They seemed to have no beginning, but the end was clear. The intertwined metal vine chains extended all the way up, submerged in the mist that she couldn't see clearly, and went straight to the peak, seeming to be as high as the sky. No matter who looks like this, they will feel dizzy.
Did Mizumu-kun mean to let her climb up the chain together? Ye Yinquan was a little embarrassed. She was not afraid of this dangerous method, but with her skills and physical strength, it didn't seem like something she could do. What's more, it's freezing cold in the twelfth lunar month of winter, and the temperature of metal... If I touch it with my hand, I think it can be taken off, and I'm afraid I will have to peel off a layer of skin.
She looked at Shui Wujun hesitantly. The latter didn't know what she was thinking, but he happened to take a few steps forward and squatted down in front of her:
"Come up. I'll take you up."
She hesitated for a while, always feeling embarrassed to trouble others. But having said that, there were also troubles along the way. To put it bluntly, a living person was a burden to the impermanence of six paths. But since the ultimate goal was for her, she didn't know whether all this was a matter of course or whether it was meant to cause trouble for others from the beginning. Seeing her hesitation, Shui Wujun hooked the fingers of both hands and motioned her to hurry up and not waste time. She then carefully grabbed him and exhaled the air from her lungs deeply, as if this could reduce her weight.
The sound of wind whistled past Yin Quan's ears, from gentle to strong, and finally turned into a uniform whistling, not noisy, giving the illusion of weakening. She thought maybe her ears were used to it, because the wind that blew past her temples and slapped her face was still fierce, causing a tightness on her face, as if her face was being stretched against her skull. This tight feeling is like the sound of wind. The senses gradually get used to it and soon become numb, leaving only a coolness.
Isn't Shui Wujun cold? She may be used to it, after all, the speed at this time is brought about by her Qinggong, not to mention that she is carrying a little girl who is not a child on her back, so it is probably slower than her usual speed, right? Yin Huan tried to raise his head and looked over her shoulder, watching Shui Wujun's fingers quickly grasp a chain and then fly past it, like a nimble bird flying to the next place. The chains seemed to be moving as well, and they quickly jumped up to the top of the mountain together with them.
She still couldn't see where the chains were connected. They were not vertically up and down, but horizontally and vertically, involved in the rocks and ravines, like a large and disorderly net covering the mountain wall. Shui Wujun could always grab the one that was most convenient for exerting force, and with a gentle lift, he took her up a long way.
The scenery around her was retreating rapidly. At first, Yin Huan could still see the surrounding earth. It was like the world seen from a bird's eye view in a dream reflected in her eyes in the real world, which made her feel a little novel and also... Somewhat bored. They soon disappeared, leaving only the monotonous grass and rocks and a small patch of sky flying past in a blur, leaving them far behind.
Similar sights made Yin Quan gradually lose her judgment of time and space. She didn't know how high they had climbed and how long it had taken them. The scenery around her seemed to repeat itself for a long time, and it seemed that only a short while had passed. She suddenly felt a sense of being turned upside down, and it took a while before she realized that Shui Wujun had gently placed her on the ground.
"We're here." Shui Wujun said to her.
She was startled and a little dazed. She felt that the calm scenery in front of her was still in motion, and the wind on her face was undulating like an illusion. She also walked lightly, as if there were air currents lining her. There is only light dry grass on the ground, not much vegetation. Maybe it is too high here, but it is not enough for snow to accumulate. There are no roads here, or rather, there are roads everywhere.
Yin Huan kept her head down and just looked at her feet - she had always been like this. But not long after walking, Shui Wujun suddenly stopped and let out a soft sigh:
"Why are you here?"
"Earlier, I had a feeling in my heart, and I will tell you to come here at this time, so I will come here to greet you two."
It was a strange male voice that she couldn't describe. But if there is a sound to the melting of the first snow, that must be it. Yin Huan was still a little confused. She shook her head and looked forward following the sound.
Standing there was... a man of unknown age. His face is very young, like a handsome young man. Although he has long hair dyed with frost, the white color is not as withered as that of an old man, but closer to the newly fallen snow or the purest feathers of a white crane. His expression was very indifferent, not like a young man at all, and he was even too far-flung to be a worldly person. Although he was standing not far away, Yin Huan felt that he was very far away, so far away that he was about to drift away at any time and merge into the clouds in the sky. But he seemed kind again, showing a shallow and warm smile to his old friend:
"Shuiwu-kun, we haven't seen you for a long time."
"It is true that some time has disappeared. However, Master Lintian still looks as young as before."
Master Lintian shook his head when he heard this.
"Even so, even as an immortal, I have reached the end of my life."
When he said this, he didn't express any regrets, he just described it calmly. After finishing speaking, those eyes glanced at them lightly:
"This is... the child you mentioned to me when Xianhe wrote?"
Yin Huan subconsciously shrank his head and moved away from Shui Wujun. He didn't know whether it was because he was shy with strangers, or because he was worried about the hope that was within reach but unknown. Shui Wujun lowered his head and stretched out his hand to stroke her messy hair.
"That's right. I'm not good at magic, so I can only bring her here to see if you can help."
"There are many possible causes for the things you talked about with me. I need to know more about this girl so that I can identify the specific situation and know how to solve it." Master Lintian stepped forward and lowered his eyes. He raised his head and sighed softly.
"You guys come with me first."
They followed Master Lintian and walked in the opposite direction from the way they came. After a while, Yin Quan saw a small courtyard. It was simple and clean, which fit well with the imagination of a hermit's residence. The courtyard was empty, with only some simple wooden and stone tables and benches, and no servants or disciples in attendance.
"This is my place of cultivation." Master Lintian, who was leading the way, opened the courtyard door. He seemed to have read her thoughts and said, "I usually meditate here alone, and there are few visitors. I just take care of my simple daily life. I don't dare to delay Miss Yin Huan's affairs, so I have to be careless about the tea and meal reception."
"It doesn't matter."
Master Lintian took them into a side room. The furnishings inside were also very simple. There were several futons, a low table, some pens and ink, yellow paper, cinnabar and other items. Yin Huan sat down next to Shui Wujun and listened to her and Master Lintian briefly retelling their stories, from the strange behavior of the midwife at birth to the final recent tragedy. Master Lintian occasionally asked questions about details, but more often than not, he just lowered his head and pondered. In his long life, he must have dealt with many mysterious and strange things. He may have seen similar situations, but it is difficult to make a conclusion with just a few words. Until Shui Wujun finished speaking, after a period of silence, Lintian Master looked at Yin Huan and asked gently:
"Miss Yin Huan, I want to take a little blood from your fingertips, draw a talisman, and find out something unknown to you and me. Maybe it's the people and things you have come into contact with, or a more distant past... Do you mind?"
Of course she doesn't mind, it's better to say that the current price is much lighter than she expected to pay. She shook her head and stretched out her delicate hand. After Master Lintian saw her hand, he let out a small sigh. She probably knew that compared to others, her hands were too thin and white. That's natural. She stays in the house all day long and doesn't see the sun all day long. It's normal for her to be much whiter than others. In fact, when there was no one in the courtyard, a maid came to open the door and let her go out to exercise and bask in the sun. She came out a few times and found it boring, so she went back into the house. There was only the same scenery outside the house, which she could see from the window all year round. She knew every flower and tree like the back of her hand. What makes her even more unbearable is that this behavior is really the same as walking a dog - she feels unspeakably offended, but there is nothing she can do about it. The elders remembered it, felt pitiful and gave them a chance to relax, and then hurriedly drove them back into the circle. Although no one meant this, she knew that even those maids would pity her in their hearts. She just felt like a caged bird. After being locked up for too long, I don’t want to go out anymore. Just like even if the cage door is opened, the thin chain tied to the foot can never be broken free.
At least for now, the chain is broken.
