Ye Qi was squatting at the cliff’s edge looking down at the rolling dense fog. When he heard Xu Laifeng call out “Young Master He,” he was clearly stunned for a moment, but didn’t stand up. Instead, he responded with a completely confused expression. “Huh?”

You San asked baffled, “Didn’t you say his surname was Ye? How did it change to He?”

The three surnamed Gao also glanced over strangely. Changling was calculating from what angle she could unexpectedly kick Xu Laifeng off the cliff, but then saw Ye Qi prop himself up on his knees and straighten up, saying, “Sigh, I’ve still been recognized… That’s right, I am the legendary successor of Old Crane from Heming Mountain, proficient in occult secret arts. Young Master Xu truly has keen eyes.”

Xu Laifeng’s expression said “I’ll just quietly watch you make things up.” Ye Qi took two steps forward and looked back at him deeply. “It’s not that there’s no method to dispel this mist, but crossing this formation won’t be easy… If one enters the wrong path, it becomes a place of eternal damnation…”

Not knowing which word struck Xu Laifeng, upon hearing this, his eyes first flashed, then he nodded. “Since Young Master He has a method, why not speak it out and let us deliberate?”

When the others heard “successor of Heming Mountain,” their gazes held no small amount of admiration. Changling was shocked by this routine, but before she could react to why Xu Laifeng didn’t continue exposing him, she heard Ye Qi say, “This fog is condensed from marsh gas beneath the mountain valley. It disperses when encountering fire or heat. As long as we can find a huge fire fan and wave it back and forth to create a hurricane, I believe we can drive it away for longer.”

Gao Miao said, “In this barren mountain wilderness, where would we find a fire fan?”

Ye Qi’s eyes curved as he looked behind at the clusters of palm trees. Xu Laifeng followed his gaze and immediately laughed, stroking his fan. “Got it! We cut down the trees, burn the leaves, and use the trunk as a fan handle—wouldn’t that be a fire fan?”

Only then did everyone understand. Gao Xuan happened to be carrying an axe and immediately went to chop trees without another word. Gao Kui and Gao Xuan were the most robust and volunteered to be the “fan holders.”

After Xu Laifeng ignited the tree leaves, Gao Kui and Gao Xuan simultaneously grasped the thick trunk. With a “Hey!” the “fire fan” swept through the air with heavy force, instantly stirring up waves of clouds several zhang high. The stone pillars standing tall like bamboo shoots once again appeared before their eyes. The visible vista was even broader than before.

Ye Qi and Xu Laifeng almost simultaneously stepped forward. Looking at the scenery ahead, both had different expressions in their eyes, saying in unison, “Don’t stop!”

Hearing this, Gao Kui and Gao Xuan continued fanning vigorously. The burning heat pierced through the moist air. When all the obstructing fog before them dispersed, Ye Qi’s brows furrowed—he seemed to have discerned something, appearing somewhat incredulous.

Just then, Gao Miao laughed heartily. “Gentlemen, I’ll go first!”

“Don’t—” Just as Ye Qi called out, Gao Miao had already leaped toward the stone pillar. The pillar’s surface was uneven, but his skills were decent enough. After barely standing firm, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound. That stone pillar sank downward without warning. With that pillar as the center, a circle of surrounding cliff pillars collapsed thunderously. Gao Miao cried out in shock. Before he could even take a second step, his entire body fell into the deep valley along with the collapsing mountain rocks—

You San had also wanted to go first, but was frightened by this hair-raising scene until his legs went soft. “Wh-what’s happening?”

“Mechanisms…” Gao Kui’s face turned deathly pale. “Are… are all these mountain stones mechanism traps?”

“This is a constellation mechanism.” Xu Laifeng’s pupils contracted. “Each of these pillars represents a ring of constellations. It seems… if we can’t find the correct method to break the formation, the outcome will be the same as Gao Miao’s.”

“The Twenty-Eight Constellations Formation?” Changling only glanced once before turning her head in surprise. “Isn’t that…”

She didn’t continue the rest of her words. Ye Qi nodded at her and whispered in her ear, “It is indeed our He family’s Twenty-Eight Constellations Formation.”

Gao Xuan stared dumbfounded, forgetting for a moment to continue “fanning the flames.” Seeing the clouds and mist rising again, Ye Qi suddenly said, “Brother Gao, please continue fanning!”

Xu Laifeng looked at Ye Qi and saw his eyeballs rapidly rotating, all the high and low constellation formations entering his eyes. The next moment, Ye Qi suddenly raised his head. “The position where we’re currently standing is Vermillion Bird, while the opposite cliff is Black Tortoise. The key to crossing this formation is to go from south to east, from east to west, and then west to north…”

You San didn’t understand at all. “What south, east, west, north… Young Master Crane, I didn’t understand a single word you said…”

“Whether you understand isn’t important. In any case, as long as you follow the sequence, there won’t be any mistakes.” Ye Qi pointed to the third stone pillar from their position. “The first position is ‘Zhang’ of the Southern Seven Mansions.”

Everyone saw the position he indicated, but no one dared take the first step. Even Xu Laifeng was quite hesitant. Ye Qi’s mouth curved as he tested, “Island Master Xu, do you not dare trust me, or do you not dare be the first person to cross the formation?”

Xu Laifeng glanced at him, thinking: What’s my relationship with you? Why should I trust you? Who knows if you’ll try to use this opportunity to kill me? You want to goad me into being the first person to cross the formation… Bah, as if I’d believe you…

Island Master Xu’s internal drama hadn’t finished playing out when suddenly a figure flashed past him. He saw Changling rise like a floating leaf, landing cleanly and decisively on that “Zhang” position. Ye Qi’s heart nearly leapt straight out of his mouth. Almost simultaneously, he whipped out the long whip in his hand, wrapping it around her wrist, his voice even changing pitch. “Come back quickly! Who told you to go over?”

Changling stood expressionlessly on the stone pillar, saying calmly, “Look, nothing happened, right?”

The layers of stone pillars… remained as motionless as mountains.

The moment before, everyone had been shocked breathless by this young lady’s death-defying operation. Now, the air remained completely silent for two full breaths before Ye Qi slowly exhaled, swiftly retracting his soft whip. With the air of a great expert, he looked at Xu Laifeng. “Hmm, just as I predicted.”

Xu Laifeng: “…”

Big brother, looking at your soul-lost expression, wasn’t that just a guess?

Changling asked, “Stop wasting words. What’s next?”

Ye Qi saw not a trace of hesitation in Changling’s eyes—she clearly had bone-deep trust in him. His heart jumped as he stepped forward and pointed behind Changling. “‘Yi’ position! It’s the one counting from the left, number…”

Before he could finish saying which number, Changling had already leaped gracefully to that “Yi” position. This time she didn’t even turn her head back, saying directly, “No need to explain. I understand the constellation formation. Just keep calling them out.”

Only now did Ye Qi reveal a genuine smile. Next, he called out one by one in a clear voice, “‘Zhen’ position, ‘Jiao’ position, ‘Kang’ position, ‘Fang’ position…”

Each word paused only for an instant. Changling’s footfalls were also merely momentary. These stone pillars had been immersed in damp fog and miasma for years, their surfaces slippery, but for her it was like flowing clouds and water, light and easy. It was as if what she trod upon beneath her feet were merely ordinary practice stakes. Watching this, Xu Laifeng thought: Why does this Miss Jing’s skill seem so familiar?

When the last word “Xu” fell, Changling had already planted herself firmly on the opposite cliff, calling to Ye Qi, “What are you still standing there for?”

Just as Ye Qi was about to move, You San quickly grabbed this lifeline. “Wait, wait, wait! Young Master Crane, I can’t remember all those position names you just called out…”

“Then just follow right behind me.” Ye Qi looked back at Xu Laifeng. “Island Master Xu, have you memorized all the formation positions?”

Though Xu Laifeng couldn’t understand this constellation formation, his memory was exceptional. Having heard it once, he had firmly carved this formation-breaking method into his mind. He nodded. “Young Master He, please go first. I’ll handle things here.”

“Brothers Gao, please make one more effort and fan vigorously twice.” Just as Ye Qi’s words fell, his entire form suddenly rose. Compared to Changling’s “calm composure,” his movement technique was even more “ethereal and elusive.” With just a few rabbit-rises and falcon-falls, he had instantly leaped several steps. You San, who prided himself as “third best in lightness skills under heaven,” barely managed to keep up with his rhythm. Upon landing safely, he quietly looked at this handsome pair of man and woman, thinking of how high their lightness skill cultivation was—feeling both admiration and shame, only hoping that after this affair he could return to the forge and properly study his craft.

Seeing three people leave at once, Gao Kui and Gao Xuan feared being abandoned. But to cross this formation without someone “holding the fan” was absolutely impossible. Seeing the sky gradually darken with no way back, Gao Xuan anxiously said, “Island Master Xu, you can’t just leave us behind like this…”

Xu Laifeng said, “You two quickly put down the tree and follow me. Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Kui and Gao Xuan felt as if granted amnesty, hurriedly tossing the scorching trunk aside. Xu Laifeng stepped three positions at once, giving them time to keep up. When they were halfway through the formation, dense fog rose again. Xu Laifeng waved the folding fan in his hand, opening up a path several chi wide. The two men behind followed relentlessly, pursuing the backs of those ahead. In the blink of an eye, the cliff was right before them.

Changling saw that Xu Laifeng didn’t flee first and said softly, “This person is actually quite honorable.”

Ye Qi shook his head ambiguously. “Not necessarily.”

Changling looked at him somewhat puzzled. At this moment, Xu Laifeng had already leaped over with the two men. The six of them had barely and precariously crossed this terrifying strange formation, each with their own feelings. Xu Laifeng deeply knew he had just measured a gentleman’s heart with a petty man’s mind. He stepped forward and clasped his fists toward Ye Qi. “Thanks to Young Master He’s assistance. Otherwise, even if I came ten or eight more times, I’d probably still have difficulty passing smoothly.”

“Just lip service—Island Master Xu needn’t be polite.” Ye Qi leisurely rolled up his sleeves and looked toward the misty path ahead. “Shall we continue walking then?”

Perhaps having experienced the previous high-difficulty natural mechanism formation, the subsequent descent became much smoother. There was neither the imagined passing through five gates and slaying six generals, nor did any demons or monsters appear halfway—the further down they went, the lighter the mountain fog became. You San and the others carelessly removed the damp cloths from their faces.

After the six traveled several more li and were approaching the mountain’s base, Xu Laifeng’s leading footsteps suddenly stopped.

Ahead was a wild grass-covered slope. Its steepness was almost a vertical descent. Below was heavy smoke and fog—unknown what lay beyond.

“Good heavens, I thought we’d arrived. This can’t be another trap, right?” Gao Xuan and Gao Kui reflexively looked left and right, seemingly pondering whether to chop down another tree and throw it down to test.

Ye Qi’s ears twitched. He faintly seemed to hear some sound. Changling heard it too. The two exchanged knowing glances. Touching their toes down, their bodies floated down like a gentle breeze, then simultaneously spun and grabbed grass roots, letting the remaining force carry them sliding down—Ye Qi, afraid Changling would knock or bump into something, flipped his body just before reaching the slope’s bottom and pulled her into his embrace, using his own back to scrape against sand, stone, and grass until landing with a “thud,” his outer garment nearly worn through with a hole.

Seeing this sickly fellow still playing gentleman at such a time, Changling was so angry she nearly gave him a taste of her “pot lid head.” Ye Qi quickly blocked his face. “Don’t hit, don’t hit! I had good intentions. You’re a young lady—you couldn’t possibly be comfortable having your clothes torn with ten or eight holes for people to see, right?”

Changling coldly withdrew her hand. “What does a few holes matter? It’s not like I’m streaking naked.”

“What do you mean ‘what does it matter’? It’s extremely significant. I won’t allow anyone to see even a single inch of your body…” Ye Qi said this far when, hearing movement from above, he quickly whispered in her ear, “Except me, of course.”

“Smack!” Young Master Ye’s forehead received a predictable slap.

Just then, a child’s voice suddenly came from behind the clouds and mist. “Oh my! There are people here. Who are they?”

The two looked toward the sound and saw a four or five-year-old girl appear before them, staring at Changling and Ye Qi with round eyes, her expression surprised. “Brother Adou, come quick and see—there’s an immortal sister and immortal brother here.”

Another seven or eight-year-old boy ran over. Seeing Ye Qi and Changling stand up, he pulled the girl behind him and said to her, “Are you silly? They’re humans, not immortals.”

“Nonsense! Look how good-looking they are.” The girl blinked her eyes. “Would there be such beautiful people anywhere in the world?”

Brother Adou examined them carefully again. “They are good-looking, but their clothes are too ragged. Immortals’ clothes all flow—they definitely aren’t immortals… Who are you really?”

This last sentence was directed at Changling and Ye Qi.

Ye Qi was floating in bliss enjoying the praise and didn’t think to answer. Changling was about to speak when suddenly there was an “Ouch!” and Gao Xuan and Gao Kui rolled down in a ball. Xu Laifeng and You San, having good lightness skills, didn’t fall into a “dog eating shit” position. The girl lightly exclaimed, “These people aren’t quite as good-looking… so they really aren’t immortals.”

“Not quite as good-looking” Xu Laifeng also saw these two children and asked, “Why are there two little brats here?”

“Who’s a brat! I’m called Adou!” Hearing Xu Laifeng speak disrespectfully, Brother Adou immediately became hostile. “Who are you? What are you doing at our village?”

Changling and Ye Qi weren’t surprised. The reason they dared leap down earlier was because they heard children’s laughter and boldly tried. Changling found it strange that someone with Xu’s martial arts couldn’t hear it. Ye Qi first bowed politely to Brother Adou. “My humble surname is Ye. We several people all came from Yanling Mountain. Unfortunately, we fell from the high cliff and mistakenly intruded upon your village… Eh, Brother Dou, you said this is a village?”

Brother Adou saw him smile with such good cheer, his voice warm and pleasant, and slightly lowered his guard. “You already know our mountain is called Yanling Mountain, yet you don’t know about our Yanling Village?”

Everyone was stunned—they hadn’t expected that outside this mountain was Yanling Village, and hidden inside the mountain was another Yanling Village.

“This Ye has shallow learning and didn’t expect there to be such a different world here.” Ye Qi smiled. “I wonder if Brother Dou could lead us to tour your esteemed village, broaden our horizons, and perhaps get a drink of water?”

Brother Adou hesitated, glancing at the people behind Ye Qi, unable to decide for a moment. Ye Qi said, “These are all my companions. Though not quite as good-looking, they aren’t bad people. I can guarantee it with my face.”

Xu Laifeng: “…”

You San: “…”

The Two Gaos: “…”

Changling silently glanced at the shameless young marquis. Unexpectedly, Adou nodded. “Alright, then follow us.”

The two children held hands, singing little songs while leading them left and right, along a shallow stream, through a verdant dense forest. The view suddenly opened up.

Under the evening glow, ahead lay an endless estate. Golden-green rice fields spread out, surrounded by green mountains. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from farmhouse roofs. Terraced fields layered upward like forest pagodas. Cattle and sheep could be seen everywhere chasing about. Fruit trees all over the mountains emitted a refreshing fragrance. Looking out, a scene of tranquility and peace—truly like something from a painting.

The several people who had expected to encounter all sorts of demons and monsters in a desolate ruined village couldn’t help but be shocked seeing this utopia.

Even more incredible was that not only was this village beautiful, but the villagers were also extremely simple and warm-hearted.

Learning of outsiders visiting, not only did they not pick up sticks to club them out, but the village chief even had people slaughter chickens and sheep, warmly entertaining them.

Brother Adou was the village chief’s son, and the other girl was his cousin, called Sister Aguo. Throughout the entire meal, they circled around Changling and Ye Qi, constantly asking what the outside world was like and whether there were many immortals. Changling found her extremely cute when speaking, and a rare hint of a smile floated on her cold face. “There are no immortals in the world—it’s all others blindly deceiving you.”

Ye Qi nearly spat out his rice and stuffed a chicken leg into Changling’s bowl, stopping her from continuing to destroy childhood dreams.

Xu Laifeng sat with the village chief, chatting for the duration of the meal, generally figuring out this village’s situation—overall, it was a reclusive village. The young villagers were mostly native-born, having never left the village. But the village chief’s home had quite a few ancient books, suggesting these people had originally migrated in from outside. It was just unknown for what reason they didn’t let the next generation leave the mountain.

The village chief said, “This rule was set by our fathers’ generation. All these years, whenever anyone desired to leave the village, they ultimately couldn’t escape the fate of being dismembered by evil spirits… Even outsiders can’t escape this calamity.”

You San slurped down an entire bowl of mutton soup and nearly choked upon hearing this. “What do you mean? You won’t let us leave either?”

“It’s not that we won’t allow it, but that the mountain god of Yanling Mountain won’t allow it.” The village chief mystically glanced at them several times. “Though you all fell in by accident, having this fate is the will of the mountain god. From now on, you are all villagers of our Yanling Village.”