In the following days, Shen Gun became completely obsessed with the question of “Where did Peng Yi go?”

During the latter half of their journey, he twice made startling statements about this matter, offering bold hypotheses.

The first time, he said, “Could Peng Yi have entered a water spirit?”

His reasoning was: by burning himself to ashes, he wouldn’t need to worry about exposure, but his soul would remain intact. He could then enter a water spirit. Peng Yi had entered a water spirit and gone into deep hiding.

Jiang Lian’s response was: “Even if his soul entered a water spirit, his soul would still need to explain why he suddenly self-immolated, right? If you say he simply preferred cremation as his method of death, he could have easily entrusted someone else to do it after he died. Hastily burning himself would arouse suspicion no matter what.”

Moreover, this hypothesis still couldn’t resolve the issue with the box—the box was the key to opening the Nine Twists Intestine. That box was so eye-catching; how did Kuang Zu manage to take it away without anyone inside noticing?

The second time, Shen Gun asked: “Could he have… betrayed us?”

Jiang Lian sighed: “At that point, would his betrayal even matter?”

True enough. The Chi You faction was already planning to go into complete hibernation. What would be the point of accepting a traitor at that time? Would they spare him and keep him as a friend? Besides, if he had betrayed them, how would Kuang Zu have had the opportunity to finish digging the secret tunnel?

It was truly mind-boggling. Shen Gun mumbled incoherently, then tilted his head and fell asleep.

Jiang Lian continued driving, occasionally taking out his phone to check for a signal.

He felt he should notify Meng Qianzi. This round trip would mean being out of contact for four or five days. If he left without saying anything, she would surely be worried sick.

Also, he needed to say something to Meiying. Otherwise, she would wake up to find him and the box gone, which would likely make her suspicious.

After driving a bit further, perhaps due to a nearby base station, the signal suddenly recovered to about three-quarters strength. After much hesitation, Jiang Lian stopped the car. Although it was still early and not yet daylight, he feared this might be his last chance.

After getting out of the car, he dialed the number.

It connected fairly quickly. Sure enough, the voice on the other end was fuzzy, tinged with the irritation of being awakened from a sweet dream: “Hello?”

Jiang Lian smiled, easily imagining her drowsy, annoyed expression as she huddled under the covers: “It’s me.”

Meng Qianzi seemed to wake up a bit more: “Calling so early?”

“Just missing you.”

Meng Qianzi burst out laughing and scolded him: “Talking nonsense again.”

Jiang Lian deliberately kept his tone light: “After you all left, I’ve been feeling quite bored. Meiying is just guarding the box all day anyway. I’m planning to drive around these next few days, see some scenery… Have you reached Xining yet? I’ll come find you in a few days.”

“Not yet. We only made it halfway yesterday. Elder Sister is getting on in years and complained of fatigue, so we found a place to stay. Shen Gun’s friends didn’t stop, though; they continued straight to Xining. I reckon that by the time you all arrive, they should have recovered.”

Mentioning this, she complained to Jiang Lian: “I only found out on the road that this trip is quite troublesome. Old Lady Duan’s funeral needs to be arranged, and there are many matters to settle for those mountain dwellers who perished… I suspect the preparations will take more than half a month. Had I known, I would have stayed with you for a few more days. Rushing me to leave so early—when we arrive in Xining, we’ll just be waiting around anyway.”

The trivial matters would naturally be handled by the mountain dwellers. As for important matters like booking the venue, setting the date, and sending out invitations, based on familial closeness, Gao Jinghong should be making the decisions. Standing on the sidelines, she would merely be a companion.

Jiang Lian consoled her: “It’s a funeral, after all. Your Elder Sister must be very distressed. Just keep her company a bit more.”

Meng Qianzi clicked her tongue: “Don’t you dislike my Elder Sister? Why are you suddenly concerned about her?”

Jiang Lian brushed it off: “Well… elders are still elders, after all.”

Before hanging up, he “inadvertently” mentioned that while driving around sightseeing, the signal would likely be poor. If he couldn’t be reached for a while, there was no need to worry too much.

Meng Qianzi snorted and said, “Who would worry about you anyway?”

After hanging up, Meng Qianzi turned off the bedside lamp, rolled over, and prepared to go back to sleep. But strangely, she found herself tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

After a while, she turned the lamp back on, sat up abruptly, and after pondering for a moment, put on her clothes, got out of bed, and opened the door.

This was an old hotel. Though the decor was somewhat outdated, it was considered luxurious accommodation in this area.

Meng Qianzi went to ring the doorbell of the room diagonally opposite, pressing it repeatedly without consideration.

Soon, the sound of footsteps came from inside. The sound reached the door, and having recognized her through the peephole, the door opened quickly, and the person immediately bowed respectfully: “Qianzi.”

It was Meng Jinsong.

Meng Qianzi gave a slight “mm” and walked right in.

Meng Jinsong hurriedly stepped aside.

Seeing his almost reflexive action, Meng Qianzi suddenly felt a twinge of regret.

The last time, perhaps she shouldn’t have lost her temper with Meng Jinsong. Since then, Meng Jinsong had become much more submissive, as if his previously straight back and shoulders had suddenly collapsed. Before that, Meng Jinsong would give her advice, argue with her, and even tease Xin Ci. After that, it all stopped. He would even subconsciously avoid her, and when they did meet, he was so polite it bordered on trepidation.

When she lost her temper, she hadn’t anticipated this outcome.

Meng Qianzi cleared her throat: “You can contact people at the camp, right?”

Meng Jinsong quickly nodded: “Yes, we still have people there clearing things up.”

“Make a call. I have something to ask.”

The signal at the camp wasn’t very stable. Meng Jinsong used a satellite phone to call. The person who answered was still half-asleep, mumbling under his breath. Upon suddenly hearing Meng Jinsong’s voice, he became more alert, and when he heard that Meng Qianzi was also present, he immediately became fully awake.

In the past day and night, the only reportable events at the camp were related to Shen Gun and Jiang Lian. The man haltingly explained the situation and stammered through answers to their questions.

“Yes, the Seventh Aunt instructed us to cooperate as much as possible with Master Shen, saying he had business to attend to. Later, when Master Shen needed a car in the middle of the night and asked for yaks to be prepared at the valley entrance, we naturally… cooperated.”

“Yes, Brother Lian seemed unaware of this. He even exchanged clothes with the driver and drove away—we figured, since Brother Lian is friends with Master Shen, his disguise and getting into the car might have been to surprise Master Shen. Their working together seemed normal, so we didn’t… think much of it.”

“What they took… oh, the driver said he helped Master Shen carry a box, and it was quite heavy. Other than that, just some of our standard equipment that was already in the car, enough for use: mountain ghost baskets, flamethrowers, probably guns too.”

“Yes, they were headed to the valley entrance called ‘Caidan.'”

…

After hanging up, Meng Qianzi checked the time.

It was just past seven. Day breaks late in the Tibetan region; at this hour, it was still dark outside.

No wonder, she thought. Jiang Lian was never particularly clingy. Calling before daybreak to say “I miss you” was an attempt to cover something up.

Taking the box to Caidan Valley entrance—where they… going back to the Nine Twists Intestine?

Meng Qianzi tried calling Jiang Lian again, but the signal was poor and wouldn’t connect.

They had all just managed to escape from the Nine Twists Intestine, with injuries and deaths. Why would they go back? And with just two people? Shen Gun had zero combat capabilities. If they encountered any trouble, Jiang Lian wouldn’t even have anyone to help him.

Meng Qianzi’s scalp tightened. After a brief consideration, she immediately instructed Meng Jinsong: “Arrange a car for me. I need to go back. Elder Sister and the others are probably still asleep. When they wake up, please tell them I’ll be quick and won’t miss the funeral arrangements.”

Though he hadn’t heard much of the phone call, from her inquiries, Meng Jinsong had guessed some of what was happening: “Qianzi, are you going back alone? How about I come with you? We can bring a few more people. With your leg as it is, trying to traverse the Caidan path alone would be very difficult.”

This was indeed true. Meng Qianzi immediately nodded: “Good, as soon as possible.”

When the car reached the Caidan Valley entrance, just like before, there were already Tibetans waiting on horseback, leading yaks.

Jiang Lian was at a loss for words: so this was Shen Gun’s plan—one person, a pile of equipment, and one yak!

Unable to communicate due to the language barrier, the Tibetan man just said “Oya oya” a few times and handed the yak over to Shen Gun. Jiang Lian helped Shen Gun load the equipment onto the yak’s back. When moving the box, he noticed it had become much heavier.

A thought struck him: “Is the beast bone inside?”

“Not just that, the road bell is in there too.”

He remembered the road bell that Shi Jiaxin had couriered from Wuwu Town. It had helped him when he “lost his soul” earlier.

“Are we burning that too? Will burning just one be effective? I recall the Sheng family had more than one bell, right?”

“Yes, more than one. Collecting all nine bells is impossible. The Sheng family’s last gathering place was Bawan Mountain, but they dispersed a few years ago. No one knows where they went. Fortunately, the road bell is the foremost of the nine bells, and this one is the mountain-guarding bell. It’s like a series circuit—burn one, and the others will be affected. Even if they aren’t destroyed, they’ll lose their efficacy.”

That sounded somewhat reasonable. Jiang Lian was curious: “Was this mentioned in the message too?”

Shen Gun shook his head and pointed to his brain: “Messages are static—I read what I’m given. But don’t forget, because I have Peng Yi’s blood in me, I can occasionally access his memories and feelings. It manifests as intuition or subconscious behavior. I find this part most reliable—because messages can be fabricated, but feelings are most authentic.”

Regarding the road bell, Shen Gun had previously called both Ji Tangtang and Shi Jiaxin separately.

Ji Tangtang had remained silent for quite a while before saying, “It’s probably better without this thing. The Sheng family lived in fear and hiding because of it. I still remember how that large group of women lived like prisoners in the karst cave. From now on, they should be able to live normal lives.”

Shi Jiaxin was equally silent, saying only one sentence before hanging up.

He said, “If only you could have dealt with it earlier.”

Shen Gun understood his meaning. If dealt with earlier, perhaps You Si wouldn’t have died. But then again, if it had been handled earlier and the Sheng and Shi families had dispersed sooner, would Shi Jiaxin still be the same Shi Jiaxin? Would he have even met You Si?

Jiang Lian’s words interrupted Shen Gun’s thoughts: “What else? What else should be in there?”

Shen Gun snapped back to reality and counted off one by one: “The mountain gall, I have it with me; the water spirit, it’s in the Shifting Cave. After the mountain gall destroys the water spirit, there should be no water spirit left, which is similar to burning it; the breathing soil is also in the Shifting Cave; and then there’s…”

Even though there was no one nearby, he still lowered his voice: “Miss Meng’s golden bell. I couldn’t bring myself to ask for it.”

Jiang Lian added, “Even if you asked, she probably wouldn’t give it to you. She’d just get angry.”

Shen Gun looked down at his stomach: “So, I think we can do without such a small item. After all, the golden bell isn’t crucial. Missing just one thing won’t be fatal. At worst, my wound won’t heal completely. As long as it doesn’t continue to fester and can heal ninety percent, I’ll be satisfied.”

Once they entered the mountains, the two men’s suffering began. Jiang Lian never imagined that the first enemy standing in the way of burning the box would be the yak.

He didn’t know how to drive a yak, and Shen Gun was only half-proficient. The yak would move forward when it felt like it and stop when it didn’t. If they wanted it to go left, it would deliberately go right. It took them an enormous amount of effort to steer their stubborn horns in the right direction.

Shen Gun, gasping for breath, said: “How can this be? Last time, the yak was so easy to drive.”

Jiang Lian, also sweating profusely, added with a cold laugh: “Last time, the mountain ghosts took care of everything. You just followed along. Of course, you had hot meals to eat and peaceful sleep. This time, what gave you the courage to go alone? Without me, I’m afraid you wouldn’t have taken a few steps before being trampled flat by the yak.”

…

That day, the two of them set up camp to rest in the afternoon. Since overnight stays in the wild required someone to keep watch, Jiang Lian refused to let Shen Gun do it. But driving all night, walking all day, and then immediately taking watch duty for another night—even an iron man couldn’t endure that. He could only adjust his schedule and catch up on sleep during the daytime.

As a result, their travel speed was greatly reduced.

The next day, as usual, Jiang Lian crawled into the tent in the afternoon. His wounds had just healed, and he was expending energy every day with less sleep time than watch time, so as soon as he closed his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, it was already dusk.

As Jiang Lian opened his eyes, he thought of Meng Qianzi and realized his lie about “poor signal” probably wouldn’t hold up for long: Qianzi wasn’t stupid. Poor signal day and night—who would believe that?

He sighed, sat up, and went to unzip the tent door.

The zipper unlocks from top to bottom. As the fabric at the edges gradually collapsed on both sides, having just opened a small gap, Jiang Lian yelped in surprise and fell back into a sitting position.

Meng Qianzi was sitting right at his tent entrance, with an interrogating posture that rivaled a formal tribunal.

No, perhaps he was dreaming. Having just woken up, his mind wasn’t clear…

Jiang Lian cautiously approached the gap again.

Just as he got close, he was startled again: Meng Qianzi suddenly moved forward, her two bright eyes positioned right in the gap. After a pause, her eyebrows raised, her eyes full of pride.

She said: “What are you afraid of? Why are you hiding? Can you escape?”

With that, she snorted and then disappeared.

His lie exposed, Jiang Lian sat awkwardly for a while, feeling he should bravely face the situation, so he unzipped the door and came out.

It was completely dark now. He noticed several additional yaks not far away, as well as several tents of various sizes. Sentry posts had been set up at high points with people keeping watch. A roaring bonfire crackled, sending up sparks.

Preparations for dinner were underway.

Meng Qianzi put on quite a show of her displeasure, all in her posture and raised chin. Leaning on a specially-made walking stick, she acted like a commanding leader, preferring to inspect the half-boiling soup pot rather than properly look at Jiang Lian, let alone engage in conversation with him.

Jiang Lian had made up his mind—as soon as she looked at him, he would smile. After all, her anger was all in her posture and wouldn’t last long.

Sure enough, by mealtime, the atmosphere had loosened. Jiang Lian and Shen Gun were invited to dine with Meng Qianzi.

Meng Qianzi ate in her tent. When the two men arrived, she didn’t even raise her head, continuing to chew slowly. Two untouched portions of food sat beside her.

Jiang Lian pulled Shen Gun to sit down, picked up his soup bowl, and first criticized Shen Gun: “Had I known we’d end up with so many people anyway, why did you have to create all those complications? And make me pull that yak for two days?”

Meng Qianzi held back a laugh and snorted coldly: “Serves you right.”

Indeed, Jiang Lian continued criticizing Shen Gun: “Did you hear that? She says you deserved it.”

That shameless face—there was no one quite like him. Meng Qianzi glared at Jiang Lian, who immediately implemented his strategy and smiled back, the kind of smile that said, “No matter how much you dislike me, I still like you.”

Meng Qianzi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She cleared her throat and first looked at Shen Gun: “Shen Gun, there’s something Elder Sister asked me to ask you.”

Shen Gun was just picking up a piece of potato with his chopsticks. Hearing this, his chopsticks became unsteady, and the potato slipped away: “Huh?”

Meng Jinsong had selected five people with two vehicles to head to Caidan.

He and Meng Qianzi took one vehicle separately. Less than an hour after setting out, Gao Jinghong’s call came through.

Meng Qianzi felt she wasn’t being unreasonable: “Elder Sister, Jiang Lian and the others might be in danger. I’m rushing to check on them. I know the funeral matters are important, and I won’t miss them.”

Gao Jinghong was at a loss for words, only repeatedly emphasizing “It’s not allowed” and “It’s dangerous there.”

Meng Qianzi remained patient: “I know it’s dangerous there, but I’ve been there once already. I know my limits and will be careful. Elder Sister, don’t just keep saying it’s not allowed. If you won’t let me go, at least give me a convincing reason.”

Gao Jinghong blurted out, “If you don’t believe me, go ask Shen Gun. He wouldn’t support you going there either.”

Meng Qianzi’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately replied: “Fine, I’ll ask him.”

…

Meng Qianzi turned her chopsticks around and tapped the edge of Shen Gun’s bowl: “Without me, could you even have hot soup and rice to eat? Tell me, why didn’t you support me coming?”

Shen Gun hesitated for a moment. Actually, he felt that in such matters, the person involved should have the right to know. However, he had also promised Gao Jinghong to keep it confidential.

He compromised: “It’s like this, I met your Elder Sister on this trip and learned some things about you.”

So there was a reason? Meng Qianzi was startled and sat up straight.

“You know Master Ge Da, right? When you were little, Master Ge Da read your fortune. You can learn the specifics another time, but basically, what he said was somewhat… similar to what the mantis man at the Three Rivers Source wrote.”

Meng Qianzi reacted quickly: “That I would die on the celestial ladder?”

It wasn’t exactly that. Master Ge Da had said, “broken line, departed branch enters the great wilderness,” but for now, he’d let her understand it that way.

Shen Gun nodded: “Sacrifice the phoenix feather, burn the dragon bone, see the celestial ladder. Last time you came out safely because you never actually saw the celestial ladder. But this time we’re going to burn the box, and I think it would be better if you didn’t go.”

Meng Qianzi felt a bit uneasy. She looked at Jiang Lian: “Are such prophecies… really credible?”

Jiang Lian said softly, “Qianzi, better safe than sorry. Now that you know, why not avoid it? Even if the prophecy isn’t credible, just follow it anyway, at least for peace of mind.”

That made sense. Meng Qianzi wasn’t going to gamble with her life: “Then can I at least escort you there? Or I could stay far away, always mindful to avoid the celestial ladder?”

That seemed like a possible solution. Shen Gun hesitantly nodded. As for words like “heartless preservation of life” and “severing emotions and love,” since they had nothing to do with this matter, he swallowed them for now.

This issue could be set aside, but there was still another matter. Meng Qianzi continued unhurriedly: “What’s this about burning the box? Why the sudden urgency to burn the box? If you don’t burn it, will it cost you your life?”

She’d guessed right—it was a matter of life and death.

Actions speak louder than words. Shen Gun instinctively moved to lift his clothes, but Jiang Lian’s quick hand stopped him: “We’re still eating here.”

Shen Gun had already explained all about Peng Yi once and was too lazy to repeat it, nor was he interested in revisiting it. After the meal, he patted his backside and left, leaving Jiang Lian to slowly explain everything to Meng Qianzi.

It was truly a long story. Jiang Lian talked for a very long time, first sitting outside the tent, then moving inside as the night grew colder, and finally closing the door as the wind began to blow in.

By the end, each wrapped in a sleeping bag, they huddled close together. The story finished, and all was quiet outside.

Meng Qianzi listened until her head spun, trying to piece together a thread of understanding: “So, Peng Yi had Kuang Zu take out his blood and the box. Shen Gun is an N-generation descendant after Peng Yi’s blood fusion. Someone like him is born with a mission, to complete Peng Yi’s unfinished obsession?”

Jiang Lian gave an “mm” of agreement: “At that time, Peng Yi probably intended to send out intelligence, though I strongly suspect he knew Kuang Zu would covet the box.”

Meng Qianzi continued: “So he also schemed to make Kuang Zu the keeper of the box and provide as much information as possible.”

Exactly. Jiang Lian sighed in admiration: “Peng Yi was truly skilled at utilizing everything, understanding that one shouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket—using the phoenix eye to hide the phoenix feather; using Kuang Zu to safeguard the box and essential information for entering Kunlun; and once true descendants glimpsed the method and opened the box, they could receive the real mission he left behind.”

Meng Qianzi figured out a bit of the meaning: “He also set the key term ‘mountain gall’ for his descendants. Anyway, the cultivation of the qilin crystal takes a very long time, so he had plenty of time to try repeatedly. His descendants would search generation after generation.”

Finding the mountain gall was finding the key to destroying the water spirit.

Finding the Kuang family and the box meant obtaining the dragon bone fragments, the phoenix feather, and the key to open the mountain intestine.

Opening the box meant having to follow his design: enter Kunlun, enter the mountain intestine.

Finally, destroy the water spirit, burn the box.

Over these long years, almost all of Peng Yi’s plans had caught up with changes. The only twist was the emergence of Yan Luo.

Yan Luo caused the opening of the mountain intestine to be advanced by several decades, and his hasty entry was just to fish for a qilin crystal.

But what if there had been no Yan Luo? Without Yan Luo, there wouldn’t have been the entanglement between Kuang Tongsheng and generations of Kuang family women. Jiang Lian wouldn’t have been adopted and would have continued wandering the streets, never appearing in western Hunan, never meeting her with that single punch…

Human encounters are truly mysterious things. Thinking small, it’s just brushing shoulders in passing; thinking big, it involves thousands and tens of thousands of years of layered foundations.

Meng Qianzi unconsciously leaned into Jiang Lian’s embrace.

Jiang Lian held her, lowering his head to kiss her temple and forehead: “Now, the only thing I still can’t figure out is where Peng Yi went.”

According to the information Shen Gun received, after completing the mountain intestine, it needed to be retracted, and the box was the only key, equivalent to a door being locked from the inside with the key locked inside the room. What kind of design did Peng Yi create that allowed the box to be taken away without anyone inside noticing?

He murmured, “Really, these past two days, thinking about it has given me a headache. Shen Gun chants ‘Where did Peng Yi go?’ at least twenty times a day. He probably never asked ‘Where did Dad go?’ so persistently. Where else could one go inside that mountain cavity?”

Meng Qianzi casually replied: “There is a place.”

Jiang Lian was stunned: “Where?”

Meng Qianzi said with surprise: “Haven’t any of you thought of it? The entrance to the afterlife! What did Old Lady Duan go to Kunlun for? To light the dragon bone and illuminate the entrance to the afterlife. Sacrifice the phoenix feather, burn the dragon bone, and see the celestial ladder. Yan Luo also said that when the dragon bone was lit, what was seen was an ‘entrance.’ Where else could one go inside the mountain cavity? An entrance, there’s another entrance.”

Holy shit.

For a moment, Jiang Lian’s heart almost stopped beating.

Yes, an entrance. How had he and Shen Gun not thought of it? Above the stone platform, there was an entrance.

After the brief near cessation, his heart began racing wildly: he still didn’t know exactly what the entrance was, but if Peng Yi had entered it while holding a fake box, in full view of everyone, then everyone would believe Peng Yi had taken the box with him.

This way, Kuang Zu taking the box wouldn’t raise any questions: a man who had already died had taken a box that disappeared into the entrance, that’s all.