There was no one in Mu Dai’s room. Similarly, no one was in Meihua Jiuniang’s room either—only an empty wheelchair remained, with the brocade cover draped over the armrest.

Luo Ren’s throat went dry, his temples throbbing wildly. He tried to stay calm, but his mind remained in chaos. Cao Yanhua stood awkwardly, holding the rose, unsure whether to hand it over or not.

Zheng Mingshan, hearing the commotion, rushed over with a displeased expression.

These two men before him, though one was a newly accepted disciple and the other was Mu Dai’s “boyfriend,” approved by the Master, were still outsiders who had just arrived. What right or reason did they have to barge into the Master’s room?

Seeing that Luo Ren showed no intention of speaking, Cao Yanhua swallowed hard, eager to explain to Zheng Mingshan.

“My Brother Luo means that his adversary might have come. This flower… is proof. The flower was in my Little Master’s room, and both Little Master and Grand Master are missing.”

The advantage of being intelligent is understanding everything after hearing it once, and beyond understanding, comprehending the complex relationships behind it.

Luo Ren had an adversary—whose signature was probably carrying a rose—that person had already arrived, placing the rose in Mu Dai’s room—and now both Mu Dai and Master were gone.

Zheng Mingshan took the rose, sniffed it casually, and tossed it aside absentmindedly.

He said, “Is that all? If that’s all, then leave. Master doesn’t like outsiders in her room.”

Luo Ren tried to remain calm. “Senior Brother, Mu Dai, and Master might be in danger.”

Zheng Mingshan stared at him and finally shrugged, clearly impatient.

“I don’t know what kind of character your adversary is, but let me remind you, my Master Meihua Jiuniang is truly formidable. I can’t even last thirty moves against her, not to mention she’s with Mu Dai.”

Could anyone in this world simultaneously subdue both Meihua Jiuniang and Mu Dai? Zheng Mingshan didn’t think so.

Luo Ren stood motionless. “Mu Dai and Master might be in danger. Senior Brother, I need your help.”

What stubborn thinking! Why wouldn’t he understand?

Zheng Mingshan had no choice but to point inside the room.

“Look for yourself. Are there any signs of a struggle?”

“But Master isn’t in her wheelchair.”

Zheng Mingshan laughed. “Who says she must sit in a wheelchair? Luo Ren, my Master, has been disabled for over sixty years. Do you think that in all this time, she hasn’t learned to walk with crutches or some kind of prosthetics?”

Luo Ren was stunned. Was Zheng Mingshan suggesting that Meihua Jiuniang had walked out by herself?

Zheng Mingshan didn’t bother explaining further. He walked directly to Meihua Jiuniang’s bedside. It was also a Hui-style full-topped bed, much larger than Mu Dai’s. Zheng Mingshan grabbed the intricately carved wooden panel on the right wall and pulled with force. Surprisingly, it opened.

He said to Luo Ren, “See for yourself.”

Luo Ren went over.

Now he understood. The bed was placed against the wall. The large full-topped bed was essentially surrounded by wooden cabinets, but this one had a short, narrow passage in place of one cabinet, leading to a narrow door in the wall.

Meihua Jiuniang’s room had doors at both the front and back.

Zheng Mingshan closed the wooden panel again.

“Luo Ren, as you know, my Master is old-fashioned. In the early years of martial arts, the succession process for sect leaders was extremely complex. Saying one had to ‘cross five hurdles and defeat six generals’ wasn’t an exaggeration. Of course, with the decline in numbers now, we can’t put on such elaborate displays, but if Master wants to take Mu Dai away privately to do something without letting us know—I find that perfectly reasonable.”

“The only unexpected thing is that your adversary somehow found his way here.” Zheng Mingshan glanced at the flower he had tossed on the ground. “Your problem, you solve it.”

Zheng Mingshan’s casual attitude might have made sense, but thinking that the visitor could be Cheetah, Luo Ren couldn’t possibly remain calm.

“Where would Mu Dai and Master most likely go? I need to find them.”

They probably wouldn’t wander around town. This town was nestled against the mountains, so they had likely gone into the mountains.

Zheng Mingshan felt a headache coming on. He guessed Luo Ren’s thoughts and gestured outside. “Look at this fog yourself.”

“Around dawn is when the fog is thickest in this town. Misty Town sits at the foot of the mountain, so you can imagine how much denser the fog would be in the mountains. I guarantee that even with a powerful flashlight, visibility would be at most ten meters. Besides, almost no one from this town ventures into the mountains.”

“Why not?”

“There are two explanations. First, the mountain’s shape and pathways are very strange, like a maze with nine turns and eighteen bends. People who go in usually don’t come out.”

He paused, looking at Luo Ren. “This is true.”

Initially, he had been curious too. Relying on his professional skills, he had gone in with equipment, but after walking just a short distance, he became alarmed and quickly left.

“Second, it’s said that before the Liberation, fierce bandits occupied these mountains, ruling them like kings. Although they were later eradicated, traps set in earlier years remain in the mountains, making it too dangerous. That’s why, although Misty Town leans against the mountain, the people here have never relied on the mountain for their livelihood.”

He gave a dry laugh. “Tourism couldn’t be developed either. Otherwise, why do you think such a perfect location? That’s because early explorations failed. Instruments malfunctioned when brought in, compasses didn’t point north, and with the year-round fog, even satellites overhead can’t map out what’s inside.”

Luo Ren found this unreasonable. “Then how would Master and Mu Dai go in?”

Zheng Mingshan glanced at him.

“How would I know? I’m not the one inheriting Master’s lineage.”

That night, just after dinner, Mu Dai went to knock on Meihua Jiuniang’s door.

The door didn’t open. Master’s voice came from inside: “The time hasn’t come yet. Wait.”

Until when? She didn’t say. With their parting imminent, Mu Dai wanted to find Luo Ren, but feared that Master might call for her right at that moment.

She calculated the time herself and knocked a few more times. The last time, Master asked her, “Is the fog thick?”

She looked back. The dense fog had nearly obscured the night, encompassing everything. Using her usual joke: a huge dumpling wrapper about to turn Misty Town into a dumpling.

Only then did Master let her in.

As soon as she entered, she sensed something unusual. Meihua Jiuniang was still sitting in her wheelchair, but the brocade cover was draped over the armrest, and each of her amputated legs was fitted with a prosthetic.

These prosthetics were different from ordinary ones. Mu Dai had heard from Zheng Mingshan that Meihua Jiuniang had lost her legs before she was twenty. With a youthful determination, she had made a bet with herself and spent five or six years training until she could move swiftly with crutches. Later, finding crutches cumbersome, she had designed her special prosthetics based on those used by the disabled. Made of a special material, they looked like concave, curved golf clubs—lightweight, sturdy, yet flexible and elastic. Mu Dai had only heard about them but had never seen Master use them.

This must be them. She couldn’t help staring.

“Mu Dai.”

Hearing Master’s solemn tone, she quickly collected herself, stepped forward, and knelt on the yellow brocade cushion, respectfully answering, “Yes.”

“You know that Master intends to pass the lineage to you?”

“Yes.”

“For a small sect like ours, there isn’t much of a lineage to speak of. But even if only one person remains, there should be rules to follow and principles to uphold. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

“Entrusting you with the lineage is like entrusting you with a responsibility. You must show commitment. Put aside your girlish temper, willfulness, and carelessness. From now on, you must consider the consequences of your actions, be cautious with your words, and keep secrets even from your closest loved ones. Even if life seems hopeless, you must continue living normally for the sake of this responsibility. Can you do this?”

“I can.”

Meihua Jiuniang’s tone softened. “Mu Dai, think carefully about what Master has said. I don’t want you to just give a pleasing answer; I want you to truly fulfill it. Can you?”

Mu Dai thought it through carefully, then nodded. “Master, I can’t promise absolutely, but I guarantee I will fight to the death to fulfill what I’ve promised you.”

Meihua Jiuniang smiled, and after a while, gestured for her to come closer.

“In the future, this Guansi Pailou will be yours.”

Mu Dai nodded. “Senior Brother said the same, but…”

She hesitated.

“But what?”

“Why is this house called Guansi Pailou? There isn’t even a pailou in this compound.”

Meihua Jiuniang said, “Because it’s not Guansi Pailou; it just bears the name Guansi Pailou.”

Mu Dai was confused.

Meihua Jiuniang didn’t explain. “Go, open the cabinet at Master’s bedside. There’s a brocade-wrapped package inside.”

Mu Dai followed her instructions. Opening the hidden drawer, there indeed was a brocade bundle. It wasn’t large, nor was it heavy when picked up, but its shape seemed strange.

She brought it before Meihua Jiuniang, who didn’t take it but instructed, “Open it and see.”

Mu Dai carefully unwrapped the bundle.

This was… a bat?

She held the bat’s wing and raised it, examining it carefully in the light. It was a wooden bat carving, dark red as if lacquered, apparently quite old. Many places had been rubbed to a glossy finish. The wings seemed to have a joint, but no matter how she tried, they wouldn’t move. Most curiously, there was an eye mask covering its eyes.

Why would a perfectly good bat need an eye mask? Batman? Mu Dai wanted to laugh. She reached out to lift it, but Meihua Jiuniang said calmly, “Don’t touch.”

This meant she shouldn’t lift it. Mu Dai sighed and was about to put it back in the wrapping when Meihua Jiuniang said, “Look again.”

Mu Dai knew she must have missed something.

She examined it carefully once more and finally discovered that on the bat’s underside, there was a concave carving of a miniature but lifelike… wooden kite.

What did this mean?

Meihua Jiuniang spoke up. “You must have heard of a master carpenter in history called Lu Ban? Legend has it that he once made a wooden kite that could fly in the sky for three days and three nights without landing.”

So? Mu Dai held the bat, puzzled. When her gaze fell on the concave carving again, she suddenly realized. “Master, you’re not suggesting that this bat was made by Lu Ban, are you?”

Meihua Jiuniang didn’t speak, but her expression confirmed it.

Mu Dai was both amused and bewildered. “So this bat can fly into the sky, too?”

“Yes.”

Mu Dai stopped smiling.

What was wrong with Master? She spoke so assertively. Was she… confused?

Meihua Jiuniang seemed to know what she was thinking. “Remove the bat’s eye mask.”

Mu Dai hesitated for a moment but reached out to remove the mask. Surprisingly, the bat’s eyes were silver beads that seemed to rotate in their sockets. The moment the mask was removed, the seemingly fixed wings suddenly flapped with a creaking sound.

Caught off guard, Mu Dai almost dropped the bat.

Meihua Jiuniang said, “Mu Dai, Master couldn’t wait for it in this lifetime. Master can’t say clearly whether you’ll be able to wait for it in yours.”

As she spoke, her gaze seemed distant, as if penetrating through the walls, through the layers of fog in the town, suddenly returning to years past.

That was also a night when her own master had suffered a fatal knife wound. The bandage was almost soaked through with fresh blood, yet he still held on to his last breath, explaining to her in detail.

—Perhaps one day, someone will bring seven keys…

—This silver-eyed bat will lead you to the real Guansi Pailou…

Meihua Jiuniang slowly stood up from the wheelchair. “Come, Mu Dai, follow me.”

Mu Dai, bewildered, followed Meihua Jiuniang through the passageway in the full-topped bed, out of the house, into the cold, fog-shrouded night where one could hardly see their fingers held in front of them.

Only Meihua Jiuniang’s voice murmured in her ear.

—It’s said that Master Lu Ban, though talented, was stingy. He feared others would learn his intricate mechanisms, so the silver-eyed bat he made could only fly at night, and only on a night like this with no light, enveloped in thick fog where nothing could be seen.

Mu Dai stumbled, nearly falling. The fog seemed to penetrate her eyes, making visibility impossible.

“Mu Dai, use your blood to smear on the silver-eyed bat’s eyes, and it will guide your way.”

Blood? Mu Dai fumbled around, rubbing her fingertip against a nearby wall edge, scraping it hard. Then, with her bleeding fingertip, she slowly smeared blood over the silver-eyed bat’s eyes.

Looking down, the bat in her hand first appeared as an indistinguishable black mass, then two points of silver with a tinge of blood began to shine. Finally, her hand suddenly felt lighter, and with the sound of flapping wings, the bat flew forward into the fog.

Meihua Jiuniang said softly, “Follow it.”

Something was hitting the window hard, flap-flap-flap.

Yan Hongsha woke up groggily, first reaching for her phone to check the time—2 AM.

Why had she woken up? Her mind was foggy.

What was that sound outside?

The next second, she suddenly realized: Cao Jiefang!

The lights downstairs were on, and Zhang Shu’s angry voice could faintly be heard. Yan Hongsha was so panicked she didn’t even have time to put on her shoes, rushing downstairs almost barefoot.

Oh no, oh no. Zhang Shu had said if Cao Jiefang crowed again tonight, he would cook it—this little creature was so troublesome. Even with its beak sealed with clear tape, it had come up with a new trick of hitting the window. Did it truly not want to live?

Downstairs, she first saw Zhang Shu holding a broom and standing at the entrance to the courtyard, cursing angrily, “So damn shameless! Setting traps for cats and dogs is one thing, but now trapping chickens!”

Huh? Wasn’t Zhang Shu angry because Cao Jiefang had disturbed his sleep?

Looking into the courtyard, she saw Yi Wansan was also up, crouching in the corner, using his phone as a light. That dim glow in the darkness hurt her eyes.

Yan Hongsha walked over, her soles hurting from stepping on something. Only then did she remember she hadn’t worn shoes. Too lazy to go back up, she endured the pain and walked over, crouching next to Yi Wansan. “What’s wrong?”

Yi Wansan pointed his phone screen toward the ground. “Look.”

More than a dozen chicken feathers!

Yan Hongsha stammered, “Who, who plucked our Jiefang’s feathers?”

“I’m not asking you to look at the feathers, look at this!”

Yan Hongsha leaned in closer to look. It was rice, scattered in small piles.

“Smell it.”

Yan Hongsha dipped two grains and brought them to her nose. “Alcohol?”

“This is called drunk rice, used to catch birds and trap chickens.”

Yan Hongsha was puzzled. “How do you know?”

Yi Wansan snorted but didn’t answer her.

How did he know? In his poor youth, the reason he could occasionally enjoy a meal of roasted chicken wings was precisely because of this unorthodox wisdom.

He looked at Yan Hongsha. “Someone went to the trouble of trying to trap Cao Jiefang. Why? It’s not even a rare breed.”

Why? Yan Hongsha had no time to ponder. She saw Cao Jiefang perched on the bar’s windowsill, its feathers trembling. More than a dozen feathers had fallen to the ground—they were heading toward plucking their Jiefang bald!

Yan Hongsha said, “You poor little thing…”

She held out her hands, and Cao Jiefang flew into her arms with a fluttering sound.

Yi Wansan also stood up. “That was close! It’s a good thing Cao Jiefang didn’t eat any of this drunk rice. Otherwise, it would have been trapped and carried away, lost forever in the vast sea of chickens.”

Yan Hongsha stroked Cao Jiefang’s little head, praising it, “Good chicken! Not accepting handouts, showing integrity!”

Cao Jiefang raised its head irritably, the clear tape wrapped around its beak gleaming even more in the light.