The first camel formation had been installed. Although armor and tall shields hadn’t been added yet, the camels’ load was relatively light—they could even run slowly for two steps. Though some small troubles inevitably occurred, such as a few lazy camels being dragged along by other camels, Yun Ye felt these were no longer serious matters. As long as he could prove his idea was feasible, that was enough.
With the first one successful, constructing the rest proceeded very smoothly. Watching the camel city gradually becoming reality, Yun Ye was extremely satisfied with the camels’ temperament.
Docility was the camels’ most important trait. Yun Ye rarely saw camels lose their tempers. No matter how harsh the environment or how much they carried, camels always accepted everything submissively, silently bearing it all. When they really couldn’t stand it anymore, they would just walk back and forth a few steps and spit at people.
Just a mouthful of saliva—Yun Ye felt that even if it was spat in his face, it didn’t matter. As long as they didn’t stubbornly refuse to move forward like donkeys or back up when beaten, they were good animals. Each grid had ten soldiers familiar with camel temperament in charge of commanding these gentle creatures. Watching the first fully armed formation easily marching back and forth across the desert, whoever saw it would be amazed.
Artists continuously painted the camel city because the Empress wanted to see where exactly her camels were being used, so one marching diagram after another appeared under the painters’ brushes.
Climbing slopes was still problematic. Small slopes were fine, but once they reached steep slopes, the load on the camels would change, easily crushing the camels at the back. This was an unsolvable problem. After testing the camel city’s maximum climbing ability, those academy students recorded this data in top-secret files that not everyone could view.
Watching the ice and snow of the Tian Shan mountains melt, Yuan Shoucheng became restless again. It was already April—this was the best time for mountain climbing. If they didn’t go to Heavenly Lake now, he could tell from Yun Ye’s indifferent attitude that Yun Ye didn’t care at all when they climbed Tian Shan.
The Emperor’s edict lay before Yun Ye. This wasn’t easy to disobey. If it were just Old Yuan and himself, one sentence—”a general in the field need not accept all orders from his sovereign”—could push it away cleanly. But with two eunuchs standing beside him who had accompanied the camels here, there was no way to refuse.
Ten days—this was Yun Ye’s final concession. He only had ten days. Regardless of whether they reached Heavenly Lake within ten days, Yun Ye would return immediately. He didn’t have the leisure to waste on such boring matters.
Setting out as soon as decided, early the next morning Yun Ye led Wu She and thirty veteran soldiers to depart, followed by a thousand elite cavalry as escort. Dan Ying had already gone to Suiye City to find Qu Zhuo and the others. Yun Ye believed they needed Dan Ying’s help more.
Galloping on fast horses for a day, they reached the foot of Tian Shan. Looking at the familiar Tian Shan mountain range before him, Yun Ye’s thoughts seemed to return to long ago. He wanted to go to Tian Shan yet feared going to Tian Shan. Every time he went to a place he had been before, Yun Ye’s mood was never good.
The soldiers were lighting fires and cooking. Yun Ye came to the small river at the mountain’s foot, scooped up two white stones, and struck them together. Immediately sparks flew out. Green stones could also produce sparks, but not as large as those from white stones.
In April’s weather, the mountain’s foot was dotted with flowers while the peak remained snow-covered. The enormous glacier in the valley was quietly melting, so the water here was very clear—no fish, not even a bit of sediment.
After dinner, Yun Ye sat in a soft chair, continuously striking flint stones. Each time sparks leaped up, Yun Ye’s face would appear in the darkness, looking particularly eerie.
“This old man knows that making you leave the military camp at this time to search for immortal lands in Tian Shan is somewhat unfair to you. But Marquis Yun, you must also understand this old man’s feelings. Yuan Shoucheng began studying the Way at age seven—it’s been over a hundred years now. Everyone wants this old man to live eight hundred years. Do you know why this old man struggles on without dying?”
“If not for that wisp of Dao fire in my heart that won’t extinguish, this old man would have wanted to die long ago. When Yan Zhitui died, this old man wanted to die. Living longer is already pointless.”
“Over a hundred years of life have let this old man witness all of humanity’s life, death, glory, and disgrace, the blooming and falling of flowers. If life cannot continue long-term, living one or two more years has no meaning whatsoever for this old man.”
“You come from White Jade Capital—this old man has carefully investigated and confirmed this is so. You have too many mysteries about you, so many they cannot be ignored. The celestial phenomenon in Longyou left this old man so astonished I could barely control myself.”
“According to the portrait in your family shrine, we recreated your master’s appearance. The Daoist sects throughout the realm searched diligently for ten years yet still know nothing about him. This must be the technique of concealing shadow and hiding presence.”
“You and your master walk between heaven and earth, yet not one person in the world knows of your existence. This old man sometimes imagines—a blue-robed old man, holding you at two or three years old, walking through bustling markets, casually plucking a pastry and placing it in your hand, while the pastry seller knows nothing, thinking it was just a gust of wind lifting the curtain that shields his wares from dust.”
“You master and disciple traveled throughout the mortal world yet left no traces, watching mortals age, watching mortals fall ill, watching mortals hack at each other, just like an outsider. Yun Ye, you can’t fool me. You watch the disputes in court just like someone watching two wild dogs tear at each other—helping when it looks right, leaving them to their fate when it doesn’t. This transcendent, otherworldly aura is uniquely yours in this world.”
“You think this old man’s pursuit of longevity appears very foolish, so you disdain this old man’s character. That doesn’t matter—it’s fine. Since this old man seeks longevity, naturally I’ll be misled by superior persons.”
“This mountain before us is a sacred mountain. What this old man saw last time wasn’t just wild men and snow dragons. When we go up this time, you’ll surely be astonished.”
Yun Ye looked up at Yuan Shoucheng and said, “You’ve lived over a hundred and twenty years—isn’t that enough? Ten years ago, the average lifespan per person in the Great Tang was only thirty years. Not one of the longevity methods I know of isn’t extremely evil, and in the end they all come to nothing. Old Yuan, you’re too greedy. No matter what you saw on Tian Shan, it won’t have much attraction for me. Sleep early. Tomorrow at the fourth watch we’ll begin climbing the mountain. Bring your own equipment—falling into an ice crevice will cost your life. At that time you’ll truly have longevity, as solid ice will wrap your body and preserve it for ten thousand years.”
Seeing Yun Ye still unwilling to reveal his secrets, Yuan Shoucheng sighed deeply, turned, and returned to his tent.
Yun Ye returned to his tent and immediately went to sleep. At the third watch he opened his eyes. Liu Jinbao lit a candle and helped Yun Ye dress. This time Yun Ye wore all short garments. The soles of his shoes had long steel spikes, and he held a snow pole in his hand—these were essential for crossing glaciers. His backpack contained only two thick whale-wax candles and some dried meat. These things had to be carried personally and couldn’t be entrusted to others. When real crisis came, no one could help anyone else.
After eating breakfast, Yun Ye’s party followed the glacier into Tian Shan. The Tian Shan at this time was very different from the Tian Shan Yun Ye had seen in later generations. At least back then, the glaciers had long since disappeared. Now, walking on ice with crunching sounds excited Yun Ye greatly.
It became light early on the plateau. Yun Ye, wearing sunglasses made of dark jade crystal, looked up at the sky overhead. Today was a good day—no wind, not a single cloud in the sky, and visibility was high. This was the best day for mountain climbing.
The glacier was very long, with enormous fissures constantly appearing. This was the result of the glacier’s continuous movement. The huge ice blocks contained various kinds of stones, some of which looked quite valuable.
“Watch the road, don’t look around everywhere. When walking on ice, you must constantly watch the road beneath your feet.” Yun Ye slapped Liu Jinbao’s head covered with a dog-skin hat.
“Master Wu She isn’t watching the road. The old gentleman is looking up at the sky.” Liu Jinbao muttered.
“You’ve gained some skill—now you know how to talk back. Can you compare with Master Wu She? Even if the old gentleman covered his eyes, he wouldn’t fall into a ditch. Do you have that ability?” Yun Ye scolded Liu Jinbao, drawing roaring laughter from other veteran soldiers.
“Marquis Yun, if you had given me our own disciples last time, this old man might have already witnessed the sacred mountain and wouldn’t need to come a second time.” Yuan Shoucheng wanted sunglasses, but Yun Ye wouldn’t give them. There weren’t even enough for his own soldiers—who had time to worry about the old Daoist?
“Our own disciples are for fighting, not for scouting your path. Finding immortals is your private matter. The disciples are the nation’s treasure—how can they be squandered by you at will?”
One of the old Daoists seemed very angry. His old ancestor was being described as worthless by Yun Ye, which felt uncomfortable. He wanted to lose his temper but was forcibly suppressed by Yuan Shoucheng.
The entire glacier was a full hundred li long. The ice surface had been melted into pits and bumps by the sunlight. Some small depressions filled with water created a convex lens effect. Yun Ye put his hand in to test and found the water was actually warm. Using this warm water to wash his face, he instructed everyone to rest.
“Marquis Yun, we’ve only walked for less than two hours. We should walk more and try to cross this glacier before nightfall today.” That Daoist finally found an opportunity to mock Yun Ye.
Too lazy to say much to such a fool, Yun Ye took down a small piece of bear fur from his back, spread it on the ice, and instructed the veteran soldiers to begin preparing hot food. In such a treacherous environment, exhausting one’s physical strength was seeking death.
Milk curds and butter were added to the thin gruel, giving it an extremely strange taste. But it could quickly replenish the body’s needed calories, and butter could prevent lips from cracking. Unpleasant as it was, it was an indispensable treasure on the plateau.
Yun Ye didn’t reject the taste of butter, nor did Liu Jinbao. When they were on the grasslands, he and Yun Ye had eaten plenty of it. The veteran soldiers never cared what they ate—as long as it was food, they didn’t reject it. Wu She was like Liu Jinbao, quite fond of butter. When the old gentleman researched his tea ceremony, he had added plenty of this stuff.
Only Yuan Shoucheng and the four Daoists suffered. Hearing Yun Ye say they must drink this thing, they could only swallow it in small sips, occasionally making dry retching sounds.