They set out early the next morning. Mu Dai wasn’t in good spirits, with two huge dark circles under her eyes, occasionally covering her mouth to yawn.

Luo Ren looked at her curiously: “Didn’t sleep well?”

She replied glumly: “No.”

As she answered, she felt both relieved and worried.

She was relieved that in the nightmare, even until the end, she hadn’t been able to see that person’s face.

She was worried because that silhouette looked like…

No, no, she immediately denied it to herself. It wasn’t Luo Ren. The silk manuscript clearly stated—”Those who possess the power of the Phoenix Luan Buckle can avoid the possession and harm of the Ominous Bamboo Slips, and are not controlled by the Ominous Bamboo Slips’ intentions.”

Besides, in this world, there are many people with similar silhouettes.

She shook her head vigorously, feeling she was overthinking.

There was another person, ah, no, a chicken in the car who, like Mu Dai, was in low spirits.

Cao Liberation.

These past few days, its schedule had been basically “hotel—car—hotel.” After several days, its gaze had become dull. Cao Yanhua felt that Cao Liberation even pecked at millet in slow motion.

“Little Luo Ge, since we’re going to Longevity Stone today, and there’s no worry about Liberation disturbing the ‘ancestors,’ let it out for a walk.”

Luo Ren had no objection, and others supported the idea. Yi Wansan even pulled out the Tong County tourist attraction brochure he had picked up at the hotel before departure.

“Liberation, let me read to you. Today we’re specifically taking you sightseeing. Five people accompanying one chicken—what an honor for a chicken…”

“Longevity Stone, two meters high, one and a half meters wide, standing at the entrance of the famous Phoenix Son Ridge mountain path in this county. From a distance, it resembles the character for ‘longevity.’ Regarding Longevity Stone, there’s also a magical origin story…”

What followed was a section in small print. Yi Wansan squinted to read it, unconsciously saying: “Damn, Laozi again. This Hangu Pass area has eaten its fill on Laozi’s fame…”

Luo Ren smiled as the car took a turn, heading toward the road out of town.

He asked Yi Wansan, “Read it aloud, what did Laozi do this time? Last time, Shen Gun mentioned visiting a ‘Place Where Laozi Stopped.’ Could this Longevity Stone be where Laozi held his longevity banquet?”

Yi Wansan shook his head, bringing the flyer closer: “Legend has it that Laozi loved collecting strange stones from all over the world…”

Just like Jin Shengtan’s commentary on Water Margin, Yi Wansan read the flyer with his annotations: “Nonsense, they attribute everything to Laozi.”

He continued reading: “One day, while searching for unusual stones, he passed through Phoenix Son Ridge and happened to see this stone. He praised it endlessly, saying it truly conveyed the meaning of longevity equal to heaven and earth.”

Cao Yanhua pursued: “And then?”

“Then nothing. He praised it and left.”

Cao Yanhua burst out laughing: “This attraction is such a scam. This so-called Longevity Stone wasn’t even chosen by Laozi at all.”

Yan Hongsha also laughed, but Mu Dai seemed to recall something, her expression suddenly changing. She grabbed the flyer from Yi Wansan’s hand and pursed her lips as she read that section over and over.

The laughter gradually subsided. Cao Yanhua asked cautiously: “Little Shifu, is there something wrong?”

Mu Dai said, “I just remembered something.”

“Initially, didn’t Laozi feel that the Phoenix Luan Buckle might not be reliable? That’s why he had people find Yin Xi and said he wanted to build an Eight Trigrams Observatory. Do you remember what Shen Gun said at that time?”

Luo Ren felt his heart stir.

That’s right. This part was what Yin Erma told Shen Gun. Luo Ren still remembered the line about how, after hearing Laozi’s instructions, Yin Xi “went deep into the mountains and collected countless stones,” eventually obtaining materials to build the Eight Trigrams Observatory.

With this background, the appearance of “Legend has it that Laozi loved collecting strange stones from all over the world” on Tong County’s tourist brochure didn’t seem so absurd. Vaguely, there was some subtle, ineffable mystery.

Perhaps Laozi had truly visited this Phoenix Son Ridge.

The car stopped at the entrance of the small village closest to Phoenix Son Ridge. The village wasn’t large, with low houses. From a distance, they could see several villagers busy in their yards, some with cattle or mules tied up.

Strangely, upon seeing the car approach, those busy people turned and ran back into their houses.

What did that mean? What was this feeling like, Japanese invaders entering a village?

As Luo Ren was puzzled, those people all ran out again, instantly surrounding the car, some holding baskets, others carrying containers.

—”Lingbao big apples, New Red Star, Little Guoguang, homegrown, cheap, ten yuan per basket…”

—”Local shiitake mushrooms, five yuan per bag…”

—”Hot peppers, can’t buy them elsewhere, pay whatever you want…”

This scene made one’s forehead sweat. Luo Ren and the others withstood the pressure, got out of the car, locked the doors, and said awkwardly: “Thank you, thank you, but we don’t want to buy anything.”

The villagers weren’t persistent, just looking disappointed: “Really not buying?”

Yi Wansan smiled politely: “Umm… may I ask where the ticket office for Longevity Stone is?”

One of the women laughed: “What ticket office? It’s the off-season with few tourists, so there’s no point setting one up. The locals don’t even come; it’s just people like you from out of town with cars. We can tell right away you’re here for tourism.”

As she spoke, she pointed to a small path behind the village: “There, keep going up, less than two li, and you’ll see it. It’s just a stone, what’s so interesting about it?”

After saying this, they all returned to their homes. Someone casually took out an apple, rubbed it against their pants, and took a big bite, then pointed at Cao Liberation: “Is that chicken caught from the mountains?”

Cao Yanhua was very polite: “No, no, it’s a pet, a pet.”

…

As they walked away, they could still hear that person grumbling behind them: “City people, hmph, even chickens are pets.”

The weather was nice, and the small path was particularly quiet. Yesterday’s heavy rain didn’t seem to have affected this area much. The ground was slightly damp but not muddy. Cao Liberation was very excited, circling everyone, running ahead and behind, utterly delighted.

From far behind them, a voice suddenly called out: “Hey… tourists ahead, wait a moment…”

An old man chased after them, fifty or sixty years old, with a sharp mouth and monkey-like face, putting on clothes as he ran, hurriedly, with the buttons misaligned.

He stopped when he got close, his face full of smiles: “Um… I was still sleeping just now. My old lady said there were tourists. Do you all want a guide?”

A guide? He’s a guide?

Luo Ren frowned as he looked at him. The man probably noticed Luo Ren was the leader and kept promoting himself: “My surname is Ding, just call me Old Nine Ding. To be honest, if you don’t hire a guide for this attraction, you’ll just be looking at a stone, which is quite boring. There are some things only locals know. I can tell you about them, explain things, and make your journey comfortable and pleasant. Twenty yuan, how about it?”

Luo Ren smiled and instructed Cao Yanhua to pay him.

Old Nine Ding wasn’t wrong—only insiders can see the essence. Since they had already come, they wouldn’t begrudge these few dozen yuan. It’s always good to hear more.

After receiving the money, Old Nine Ding was all smiles, walking in front to lead the way, never stopping his chatter.

—”I can tell at a glance that you all are city people. I know you must think this attraction is too simple. It definitely wouldn’t get a high star rating, but in Tong County, it’s quite famous. Any outsiders who know about it come to have a look. After all… Laozi, he’s too famous.”

—”Now it’s the off-season. During peak season, we charge admission—two yuan per person. At that time, I earned more as a guide. Honestly, you’ve made the right choice hiring me. I’ve been exploring these mountains since I was little, so I know this area like the back of my hand. These days, almost all visitors wanting to enter the mountains are guided by me.”

—”First, let me introduce the origin of the name Phoenix Son Ridge. Phoenix Son Ridge is very, very large, and the location of Longevity Stone isn’t even inside the ridge. This Phoenix Son Ridge consists of three peaks…”

“The first is called Phoenix Turning Head, the second is called Phoenix Carrying Tail, and the third is called Phoenix Flying to Heaven. It’s said, it’s said that if you look down from very, very high in the sky, these three peaks look like three phoenixes with their heads and tails connected…”

Almost simultaneously, everyone’s hearts jolted, and they abruptly stopped.

Old Nine Ding was puzzled: “What’s wrong?”

Luo Ren smiled, his expression normal: “Nothing, please continue.”

He signaled everyone to follow along and listen carefully.

The highest peak is about two thousand meters. At this time of year, late summer and early autumn, other cities might still be quite hot, but on the mountaintop here, it might even snow.”

“There’s another saying that Phoenix Son Ridge got its name because there used to be many pheasants in the mountains. There used to be so many. In earlier years, we’d bring hunting rifles, stay in the mountains for a night, and could shoot over a hundred…”

“Now the government doesn’t allow it, of course. The pheasants have also decreased. Plus, there are wild animals in the mountains, like black bears, wild boars, wolves—not commonly seen, maybe once every few years, but you never know. That’s why we repeatedly remind tourists to be careful and not to go deep into the mountains…”

As he spoke, they arrived at Longevity Stone.

It was a solid, large stone, situated right at the mountain pass entrance. Honestly, it didn’t look like the character for “longevity” at all. Luo Ren wasn’t interested in this stone; his gaze lingered long on the path leading into the mountains.

The inscription had mentioned that hunters in the mountains, near Longevity Stone, had once seen that literate dog.

This Longevity Stone was still too close to the village. Given the nature of that literate dog, it would likely hide deeper.

He signaled for everyone to continue.

But Old Ding wouldn’t go any further, chuckling slyly: “Ladies and gentlemen, twenty yuan only gets you this far. Going deeper requires additional payment.”

Luo Ren remained composed: “Is there anything else interesting further in?”

“Oh, plenty,” Old Ding said proudly. “As I mentioned, I’ve been exploring these mountains since childhood and have guided many visitors…”

At this point, he lowered his voice: “Sometimes, I even hunt a bit of wild game, to let visitors taste some mountain delicacies.”

Luo Ren thought for a moment, then gave him another fifty: “Keep walking, keep talking, and spill everything you know.”

Old Nine Ding was delighted: “Alright!”

But what he talked about next was quite ordinary—which stone had a strange shape resembling intimate lovers, which tree had once been split in half by lightning but sprouted new buds at the broken part the following year, which visitor had once stripped naked on which cliff to take photos…

As he was talking, he suddenly pointed at a tree and shouted: “This, this!”

“This is called a Chinese cypress. It can live for a very long time and grows fast. Years ago, when I brought a visitor here to play, he even carved characters on the tree…”

Old Nine Ding looked up: “It’s grown so tall, really high.”

Indeed, it was tall, about ten meters high.

Listening to all this talk about stones and trees, Yi Wansan became a bit impatient and asked: “Old Uncle Ding, are there any dogs in these mountains?”

For some reason, Mu Dai felt that Old Nine Ding seemed to shrink back slightly.

But he quickly plastered on a smile: “What dogs? There are wolves, though. As for dogs, they’re all house dogs, for guarding homes. Who would let them run into the mountains?”

After walking a little further, Old Nine Ding stopped and wouldn’t go any further, not even for more money.

Smiling apologetically, rubbing his knees, he said: “It gets harder to walk the further in you go. I’m an old man, not like you young people. Walking too much tires me out. I can’t take it, so I’m heading back now, heading back, hehe…”

Yan Hongsha was displeased, muttering as she watched Old Nine Ding’s retreating figure that those seventy yuan were earned too easily.

For a moment, no one knew what to do next.

Phoenix Son Ridge was too vast. Would they “sweep the mountains” like they had “swept the tombs” the other day? How much time would that take? And what were they looking for? The literate dog? It must be long dead by now. After so many years, its form would have vanished, and bones decomposed—they probably couldn’t find anything.

Yi Wansan had a thought: “Luo Ren, do you think… the seventh Ominous Bamboo Slip might be on that literate dog?”

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Looking around at the mountains, he felt a chill down his spine, and his voice lowered: “I remember in Four Stockade Mountain, that woman who was almost dead came back to life… Maybe this seventh Ominous Bamboo Slip can extend life? That dog, from the late Qing Dynasty until now, is still living in these mountains…”

The wind blew, and the leaves on the Chinese cypress tree not far away rustled. Yan Hongsha felt goosebumps all over.

Cao Yanhua also unconsciously squeezed closer into the circle, his voice trembling: “Little… Little Luo Ge, I… I think we should get some equipment before coming back. This dog is fiercer than that old clam. It’s lived for over a hundred years. If it bites us, we’d be in trouble…”

Luo Ren’s brows furrowed.

Yi Wansan’s point wasn’t without merit. The “hiding” of the seventh slip seemed appropriate here—what could be more concealed than an “animal” hiding in the forest? Sweeping the mountains obviously wouldn’t work here, firstly because the area was larger, secondly because they had few people, and thirdly, if Yi Wansan’s guess was correct and they were dealing with something mobile, it would be much harder to find than stone tablets or graves.

It was possible that at this very moment, a pair of eyes was watching them from the dense forest.

They did need more suitable equipment. Luo Ren nodded: “Let’s go back first, make some preparations, and then return.”

The group began retracing their steps. After a short distance, the calls of pheasants echoed from deep in the forest.

Cao Liberation immediately perked up, raising its head and letting out a loud “cock-a-doodle-doo.”

Faintly, with varying lengths, there seemed to be responses. Cao Liberation became even more energetic, flapping its small wings, puffing itself up as if competing to see who could crow more beautifully.

Everyone found it amusing and stood watching Cao Liberation’s posturing. Mu Dai casually looked up and saw that tall Chinese cypress.

It was tall, over ten meters. Sunlight filtered through the sparse large leaves, making it difficult for her to keep her eyes open.

Suddenly feeling playful, she said: “I’m going to climb up and see.”

She ran to the tree in a few steps, rolled up her sleeves, stomped her boot soles on the ground, then nimbly scurried up.

Yan Hongsha giggled, saying, “I can do that too.”

She tilted her head back to watch Mu Dai, who was indeed very fast. The tree trunk had a lot of friction, making it easy to gain leverage, much easier to climb than a wall. Yi Wansan looked up for a while and said, “I can do it too.”

Cao Yanhua didn’t believe him: “You can?”

Yi Wansan snorted: “It’s like cheating, swindling, and stealing—a survival skill, of course, I can.”

Was he the only one who couldn’t do it? Too embarrassing, even Brother San San could do it.

Cao Yanhua felt a surge of jealousy.

Mu Dai had already reached the top.

At such a height, it seemed precarious. Concerned, Luo Ren couldn’t help calling out: “Mu Dai, come down, slowly, be careful.”

Mu Dai made a face at him from above, as if deliberately trying to annoy him, and indeed came down “slowly,” her legs and arms gripping the trunk as she inched her way down like a koala.

Luo Ren was both annoyed and amused. He walked to the base of the tree and made a gesture with his hands as if to catch her: “Want to jump down? I’ll catch you.”

Mu Dai snorted and said, “My boyfriend told me to come down slowly.”

Luo Ren smiled wryly, truly left without a temper by her.

He could only keep watching as she continued downward, quite steadily. Suddenly, she seemed to notice something and didn’t move for a while.

Just as Luo Ren was feeling puzzled, she abruptly descended rapidly, at great speed. Though he knew she wouldn’t fall, when she landed, Luo Ren still quickly gave her support.

Her face was pale, and she was breathing rather heavily. She said: “That… Ding… Old Nine Ding…”

Luo Ren said, “No rush, take your time, catch your breath.”

He gently stroked her back, unconsciously looking up toward the heights.

Mu Dai’s voice steadied as she said, “Old Nine Ding said he once brought a visitor who carved characters on the tree trunk. The tree grew quickly, grew very tall, and the characters went high up with it. I saw them…”

Everyone gathered around. Yan Hongsha said, “Mu Dai, why are you so panicked? What was written? Is it something scary?”

Mu Dai seemed a bit dazed: “It said, ‘Zhang Guanghua was here.'”

Zhang Guanghua—this name was all too familiar to Luo Ren.

Mu Dai’s Hong Yi, Huo Zihong, whose original name was Li Yaqing, had secretly conceived a child with the already-married Zhang Guanghua. Her father, Professor Li, used his connections to pressure Zhang Guanghua’s work unit’s leadership. The unit issued an order sending Zhang Guanghua to Henan Province’s Lingbao City for a “study exchange” for six months.

Nominally an exchange, it was a way to “sit on the cold bench.” The brother unit had no real use for him, so he would clock in daily, report his presence, and spend the rest of his time wandering around, visiting attractions, and observing local customs.

Old Nine Ding had said he’d guided many outsiders into the mountains and knew this area extremely well. He remembered this tree where Zhang Guanghua had carved his name, and perhaps he also remembered Zhang Guanghua.

Luo Ren took a deep breath.

“We need to find that Old Nine Ding and have a chat.”

It was just noon, mealtime. Pan-fried tofu and twice-cooked pork were set on the kang table. Just as Old Nine Ding raised his chopsticks, a group of people rushed in.

They looked familiar—they were the tourists he had just done business with.

Luo Ren politely stuffed a hundred yuan to Old Ding’s wife: “I’m sorry, we don’t have a place to eat. Auntie, could you help prepare something for us? This is for the food. If it’s not enough, we’ll add more.”

He added: “Take your time preparing, there’s no rush. This place is quite interesting, and I’d like to chat more with your husband.”

After sending Old Ding’s wife away, Luo Ren calmly sat down on the kang, lowered his head close to the dish to smell it, and complimented: “Auntie’s cooking skills are good.”

Meanwhile, Yi Wansan closed the door and latched it, while Mu Dai closed the windows and pulled the curtains, both doing it smoothly.

Five pairs of eyes stared at him alone. Old Nine Ding trembled in panic: “You… what are you doing…”

Looking for someone. Zhang Guanghua, remember him?”

Old Nine Ding trembled again and said, “Don’t know him.”

Luo Ren smiled, unhurriedly picked up the chopsticks, turned them around, and used the tips to pick up a piece of tofu, slowly chewing it.

The homemade stone-ground tofu tasted good.

He asked: “Then, have there been any… unusual dogs in these mountains?”

“Never… never seen any…”

Luo Ren smiled, put down the chopsticks, pulled out his dagger, and slammed it on the small kang table with a bang.

Old Nine Ding trembled even more violently, his tongue constantly stumbling: “I… I…”

He was easily frightened. Before Luo Ren could even begin to show his methods, the man suddenly broke down.

Sobbing, he said: “It wasn’t me, back then… back then I didn’t know…”

He rambled incoherently, sobbing, too frightened to form coherent sentences.

He said that many years ago, when he wasn’t that old, he guided an out-of-town visitor into the mountains. The man said his name was Zhang Guanghua, originally from Luoma Lake, here for a study exchange.

At first, everything was normal. They walked and talked, joking and laughing along the way.

Later, they sat down to rest in a spot not far from that Chinese cypress.

Halfway through their rest, they heard rustling from the forest behind them. Looking back, they saw a shadowy figure. Zhang Guanghua was startled, thinking it was a wolf. Old Nine Ding recognized after a while that it was a dog.

Thinking back now, that dog was very strange. It moved slowly, its fur was somewhat whitish, as if it hadn’t seen sunlight for a long time. Its eyes stared at them, not afraid of people at all.

Zhang Guanghua nudged Old Nine Ding with his elbow and said, “Hey, I’ve heard… dog meat is quite delicious.”

Luo Ren felt a chill down his spine and asked: “You all… ate that dog?”

Old Nine Ding cried out: “No, no.”

“I often provided wild meat for clients. I thought eating things from the mountains was fine. Plus, being greedy, I figured it must be a lost house dog, and there was no one else around…”

So, he and Zhang Guanghua joined forces—one wielding a stick, the other throwing stones—and beat the dog to death.

But when they cut it open, both men were terrified.