Lush grasslands and forests stretched endlessly ahead. The clear, azure sky loomed vast and distant, while far-off peaks wore a hazy white veil of millennia-old snow. Plump flower buds peeked out from the cliff’s edge.
At the entrance to the mountain cliff, waterfalls formed by melting snow cascaded down both sides. They flowed steadily along the rock face, creating tiered, semicircular pools below. The crystal-clear water shimmered invitingly, a mere sight enough to make one’s mouth water. As the morning light filtered through the misty air, one could reach out and catch droplets infused with the scent of peach blossoms, instantly refreshing both body and spirit.
This was the world-renowned Cliff of Myriad Waters and Thousand Mountains!
After witnessing this mountain, no other could compare. After seeing these waters, all others paled in comparison.
Cai Zhao was left breathless by the breathtaking scenery. Suddenly, the prospect of staying here for three years didn’t seem so daunting.
Song Yuzhi approached slowly, smiling at the wide-eyed, gaping young girl. “Junior Sister Cai, do you have anything to say?” He expected to hear an excited outburst, as few remained unmoved upon their first visit to the Cliff of Myriad Waters and Thousand Mountains.
Cai Zhao snapped out of her reverie. “Oh? Ah! Yes, indeed I do! Senior Brother…”
“I’m not the eldest senior brother,” Song Yuzhi corrected, his proud brow relaxing.
“Oh, second senior brother then.”
“Nor am I the second,” Song Yuzhi continued to correct.
“Third senior brother?” Cai Zhao ventured cautiously.
Song Yuzhi nodded.
Cai Zhao couldn’t help but look around for her parents, the Cai Pingchun couple. She wanted to point out that the Qingque Sect had only sent their third disciple to receive the Luoying Valley delegation, which seemed disrespectful. Perhaps they should just head home. Frustratingly, her parents were nowhere to be seen, having disappeared with little Cai Xiaohan.
She turned back, took a deep breath, and continued, “Third Senior Brother, I…”
“Do you think my father and elder brother are too ostentatious, their attire too extravagant for martial artists?” Song Yuzhi suddenly asked.
Surprised, Cai Zhao replied, “Not at all. It’s not excessive.”
Noticing Song Yuzhi’s expression of disbelief, she quickly added, “Actually, those in the know understand that what glitters isn’t always truly precious. Take your robe, for instance, Third Senior Brother. Though it looks plain, it’s made of ice silkworm gauze, isn’t it? Many in the martial world would give anything for just a pair of fire-and-water-proof gloves made from that material. The gold thread embroidery is likely the work of the legendary Needle Granny Zhuo. We once tried to invite her to open a branch in our Luoying Town, but couldn’t even find a trace of her.”
Song Yuzhi: …
The young girl’s implication was clear: his father was merely a tasteless nouveau riche, while his attire was truly extravagant.
“Third Senior Brother, I have more to say,” Cai Zhao smiled apologetically.
Song Yuzhi closed his eyes briefly. “Please, go ahead, Junior Sister.”
“It’s like this,” Cai Zhao began, her face serious. “I know Qingque Town is home to many retired martial arts heroes, each with their own untold stories. I understand the reasons behind this, but—”
Raising her voice slightly, Cai Zhao continued in her usual polite tone, “However, Third Senior Brother, could you ask our master to reconsider? Each profession requires its expertise, and these heroes aren’t cut out for business. There are many other things they could do instead. For instance, given their undoubtedly colorful life experiences, they could write memoirs.”
“They could write about former lovers they brushed paths with, sworn brothers who became bitter enemies, or regrettable accidents that caused harm. We have several bookshops in Luoying Town that offer fair prices and honest dealings. The covers are designed by renowned artists from the martial world, and our customers have good taste.”
“The shop at the town’s entrance favors stories of tangled love and difficult choices. The one at the far end prefers tales of martial arts dreams, cliff-jumping, and forced power cultivation. Though the old shopkeeper plans to retire soon to be with his grandchildren, his son likes stories of old grudges and generational vendettas. Rest assured, the royalties would be generous.”
“My point is, that running a business, dealing with customers, and maintaining a welcoming demeanor is a complex art. If these great heroes lack such talents, they shouldn’t open shops. It’s a shame to see Qingque Town so quiet and unprofitable, wasting such prime locations.”
Cai Zhao’s heart ached at the thought. Given the Qingque Sect’s preeminent status among the six Northern Chen sects and in the entire martial world, the town must see countless visitors each year. It was like starving while sitting on a mountain of treasures.
“Hey, Senior Brother Song, why aren’t you saying anything?” she called out.
Song Yuzhi’s smile had completely vanished. He stared at Cai Zhao for what felt like an eternity as if a trumpet flower had suddenly sprouted on her face. Then, expressionless, he turned and walked away, ignoring Cai Zhao’s calls.
Was this the girl raised by Cai Pingxu, whom his father despised to the bone? Well, if Cai Pingxu had been equally infuriating in his youth, his father’s restraint in not resorting to voodoo dolls all these years was rather commendable.
Watching Song Yuzhi’s retreating figure, Cai Zhao couldn’t understand why he’d suddenly become angry. It was then that she realized how out of place she was on the Cliff of Myriad Waters and Thousand Mountains. The area bustled with sect disciples, some carrying items, others guiding various disciples to different lodgings.
Song Shijun, the leader of Guangtian Gate, second only to the Qingque Sect among the six Northern Chen sects, had just arrived. He wasn’t there for Cai Zhao’s discipleship ceremony or to visit his third son studying abroad, but to attend the bicentennial memorial service for the Northern Chen Ancestor.
Besides the six descendant sects, several friendly sects had also come to pay respects. Cai Zhao had noticed some monks and nuns arranging luggage near the cliff, likely from Galan Temple and Hanging Sky Nunnery. Knowing that Abbess Jingyuan of Hanging Sky Nunnery didn’t get along with her aunt Cai Pingxu, Cai Zhao decided to make herself scarce.
In no hurry to find her parents, Cai Zhao thought she’d take advantage of the beautiful spring day to explore. With hands clasped behind her back, she strolled forward like a carefree young shopkeeper.
Legend had it that Mount Jiuli was originally a mystical iron pillar connecting the mortal realm to the heavenly court, used to guide worthy souls to heaven. During a celestial upheaval, the pillar’s top was broken off, and the receiving palace above collapsed. The remaining part of the pillar in the mortal world became a massive mountain range.
The mountain’s rich spiritual energy attracted nine primordial beasts to cultivate there, along with numerous demons who built their lairs. Thus, the celestial ladder became a demonic mountain, devouring countless lives and spreading miasma and poisonous swamps, devastating the surrounding lands and waters until bones filled the valleys. As Cai Pingxu had told young Cai Zhao, immortal cultivators eventually subdued the demonic mountain, and the Northern Chen Ancestor, left to guard it, renamed it Mount Jiuli.
Cai Pingxu shared this ancient tale to familiarize young Cai Zhao with Mount Jiuli’s topography.
The main peak of Mount Jiuli was formerly known as Sky-Piercing Peak, aptly named for its immense height. Legend held that no one had ever reached its summit. Like the abyss Cai Zhao had passed earlier, all who attempted to scale Sky-Piercing Peak never returned.
Perpetually snow-capped, the peak’s millennia-old snow had transformed into impenetrable ice, impervious even to the sharpest weapons. This icy fortress continually encased any creatures that perished on its slopes. In theory, Sky-Piercing Peak harbored no traps or mechanisms; its terror lay solely in its boundless height.
One veteran climber, who had retreated halfway up, recounted his ordeal. He had climbed day after day, enduring bone-chilling cold for three long months. The frigid air nearly convinced him he had died, his initial determination long since swept away by howling winds. Though the azure sky seemed tantalizingly close, the summit remained eternally out of reach.
Mortal flesh has its limits. With no vegetation or animals on Sky-Piercing Peak, climbers could only bring their provisions. Yet they couldn’t carry much, as over time, the food would freeze and crumble into icy grains, barely sustaining life and potentially causing illness if consumed long-term.
Those who perished on the mountain were often the most strong-willed, refusing to give up. When their food ran out, they either froze or starved on the return journey, or pushed forward to die on the ascent.
Many, like this veteran, became discouraged and abandoned their quest midway.
Ning Xiaofeng theorized that no mountain peak was truly unreachable. He suspected an ancient, masterful illusion array on Sky-Piercing Peak, set by immortals of old, too advanced for mortals to break. Given that even array masters had perished on the mountain, Ning Xiaofeng merely mused about this possibility, with no intention of testing his theory.
Cai Pingxu often told Cai Zhao that the Qingque Sect occupied the most defensible location in the world, and this was why.
The sect’s main residence, Muwei Palace, faced south with its back to Sky-Piercing Peak. It overlooked Wind Cloud Peak to the front, with a bottomless chasm before it and the celestial snow ridge behind. By simply raising the iron chains, no enemy, regardless of their skill, could breach its defenses.
What infuriated their enemies most was the stark contrast between the lifeless, frozen Sky-Piercing Peak and the perpetual spring of Muwei Palace below. The palace enjoyed sweet spring water from melting ice and snow, surrounded by forests, orchards, meadows, streams, and even fields of wheat and rice, along with vegetable gardens and livestock farms—legacies of some long-ago sect leader’s poverty alleviation efforts. With an abundance of fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish, and meat, Muwei Palace could withstand any siege indefinitely.
This natural fortress allowed the Qingque Sect to repel countless attacks during the Demonic Cult’s peak, eventually leading to their counterattack and victory.
During sieges, the Demonic Cult would taunt, “Come down if you dare, you Qingque turtles!” The Qingque disciples would retort, “Come up if you can, you Demonic bastards!” This cycle of vengeance continues to this day.
Once, an innovative Demonic Cult genius devised a plan to use poison gas. They set a massive fire on Wind Cloud Peak, hoping the rising heat would carry the toxic fumes to Muwei Palace.
However, the poison was blocked by the mist between the two cliffs. When the mountain winds blew, the fumes even drifted back towards the Demonic Cult members, backfiring spectacularly.
One might wonder why the usually fickle mountain winds only blew towards Wind Cloud Peak when poison was involved. Perhaps it was simply nature’s mysterious way.
Interestingly, when Cai Zhao stood on Wind Cloud Peak, dense fog obscured her view of the opposite Cliff of Myriad Waters and Thousand Mountains. Yet when she stood on the latter looking back, she was amazed to find only a thin mist above the chasm, allowing her to see the people on Wind Cloud Peak.
Indeed, nature works in mysterious ways.
Plucking a lovely, twisted peach blossom from beside a clear stream, Cai Zhao meandered into the fragrant fruit grove. As mealtime approached, she paused beneath a tall fruit tree, gazing at the ripe fruit hanging from its branches. Visions of steaming, aromatic dishes—braised meat, shaomai dumplings, seafood rice, and pan-fried eel—danced through her mind.
Considering herself a discerning food connoisseur, Cai Zhao refused to settle for such a casual meal. She turned on her heel, deciding to give Qingque Sect another chance—perhaps their cooks were exceptionally skilled.
As her hunger intensified, she quickened her pace. Passing through the fruit grove, she suddenly heard a commotion nearby, punctuated by a shrill, urgent girl’s voice.