There was a scholar surnamed Liu. One day, passing through wilderness, he encountered bandits with knives blocking the road. Fleeing in panic, he discovered a giant stone ahead. In his frantic state, he crashed headfirst into the boulder. Who would have imagined—his body actually penetrated the giant stone! Inside the boulder was a palace. A woman in palace dress appeared, claiming to be an immortal. Scholar Liu begged the immortal lady to save his life. The immortal lady agreed, allowing him to hide in the immortal palace. However, the bandits still searched nearby for him, so the scholar couldn’t leave. As time passed, he and the immortal lady grew fond of each other, living two years of divine existence in the palace.

One day, he suddenly remembered that his elderly father and mother had no one to serve them and feared they had fallen ill with age and disaster. He requested the immortal lady grant him some time to return home to show filial piety, promising he would definitely return. The immortal lady said: “I had originally planned to share immortal longevity with you. Since your mortal heart has not faded, then go.”

Scholar Liu returned home bearing jewels and jade, telling his parents of his immortal fortune. Though his elderly father and mother were reluctant in ten thousand ways, they had no choice but to let Scholar Liu depart. Fortunately, the family had wealth sufficient to support their old age.

Scholar Liu returned to the white stone, calling out ten thousand times without the immortal lady emerging. He crashed into the white stone trying to break into the immortal palace—instant death!

Before Han Zhe stood such a giant stone, entirely white in color, only displaying five colors below. On the boulder was a small depression. Every day before sunrise, this small depression would contain a pool of clear water. After sunrise, it would seep into the stone. Everyone said this was jade marrow. Han Zhe knew it was merely water vapor left when clouds passed over the giant stone, gathering into that rootless spring. To cleanse his inner self, he had been pushed by others into the white stone head, going to live what others considered a divine existence of eating white stone when hungry, drinking jade marrow when thirsty, utterly carefree.

His head was empty, with only the notion of food ruling there. Han Zhe would never eat the white stone head. Though he too was somewhat mad, he hadn’t reached the madness of believing he could survive by eating white stone.

Countless times, he had watched his elders and relatives enter the white stone head, ultimately starving to death on the white jade bed, finally dragged out like dogs and casually thrown off the cliff. They called this “shedding the husk”—the truly respectable part had already gone with the white clouds to the nine heavens’ depths, continuing to explore even more distant unknowns.

Han Zhe had failed completely in his great battle with Yun Ye. He needed to spend forty-nine days in the white stone chamber. If he remained, it meant his opportunity hadn’t arrived and he needed to continue cultivating. If only his “husk” remained, then it meant Han Zhe had also followed his predecessors’ footsteps to the unknown realm.

Han Zhe constantly recalled eating dumplings with Yun Ye. Now he felt those dumplings had truly been heavenly delicacies. Extremely hungry people had no rationality. He took a white stone from the jade plate and bit down hard. Aside from one tooth feeling extremely uncomfortable, he had no way to deal with this white stone.

How did those half-eaten white stones in the corner come to be? Han Zhe raised his head, looking at the stones piled in the corner, slowly walking over. He picked one up, wanting to see what difference it had from the one he’d just bitten. The two stones collided, making tapping sounds. No difference—why were these stones covered with teeth marks?

Years of bewitchment had made him believe he wasn’t hungry enough. Only those hungry to the extreme could create miracles. But seven days had passed, and Han Zhe believed he was already extremely hungry. Even if there were a rat, he would swallow it without hesitation, just to soothe his burning, painful stomach.

He really did go looking for rats, but in this palace built of white jade, mice and ants couldn’t survive, snakes and insects couldn’t invade. Even on the five-colored stone outside, there were no living things.

When the tenth day arrived, Han Zhe lay on the floor, arduously licking water from the water pit. He knew he was going to die. He had roared, he had begged—the great door outside had never opened. Now sleeping, he didn’t know if he could wake again.

Bai Nu came, a lotus leaf package in its mouth. Just looking at the red string on it, one knew this was personally wrapped by his sister. Bai Nu dropped the lotus leaf package and ran off through the small drainage channel.

Han Zhe had tried that drainage channel—he couldn’t squeeze through, but apparently Bai Nu could. The lotus leaf package contained only two chicken legs. Rare that Bai Nu hadn’t stolen a bite.

Han Zhe didn’t eat immediately but carefully inspected the food first. Finally, he tore the chicken legs into tiny bits of minced meat, swallowing bit by bit. He even crushed the bones with white stones and ate them, not to mention the lotus leaves wrapping the chicken legs.

After eating, he felt even hungrier. Yet Han Zhe laughed. This was the real illusion. Previously, his appetite wasn’t large—one chicken leg per meal was enough to fill him. But now he still wanted to eat—that must be an illusion.

Fate was a strange thing, seemingly controlled by no one. In Yuezhou, Han Zhe had asked Yun Ye whether strong people could control their own fate. Yun Ye said this was nonsense talk. What was fate? His fate was to live peacefully to one hundred years old, then die of old age in bed. So this fate had nothing unacceptable about it—just walk down the road you’ve chosen and be done with it. What’s the point of worrying about other things?

Having eaten, his mind became his own again, rationality also returned. Not like just now when his heart was thinking about how to catch Bai Nu and eat it without wasting a drop of blood.

This won’t do! Even if you’re my father, you can’t starve me to death, right? Earlier, wanting to kill you was just an idea. Now it’s different—I really want to kill you. Turtle-like longevity has no meaning at all. Living to one hundred like Yun Ye, then dying of old age in bed also seems pretty good. Han Zhe began to grow angry without reason.

Knowing Bai Nu would come again, Han Zhe focused his thoughts on his own plans. Such a large family, always putting their minds on seeking unknowable realms and immortality—what a loss!

A month of quiet recuperation made Han Zhe look even more like an immortal. Although he’d eaten a bit too many lotus leaves and his stomach felt intermittently cold, Han Zhe still placed several stones with teeth marks on his plate.

When the great door opened, Han Zhe forcefully restrained himself from rushing out wildly. He straightened his clothes, lifted his legs, and walked out the door. Outside the door, looking back at the giant stone before him—like a dream.

In that beautiful legend, the scholar with nowhere to turn would plunge headfirst into the white stone and live blissfully with the beauty inside. Why don’t I get a share of such a beautiful legend? Han Zhe thought bitterly. What greeted him was only hunger.

The reason the scholar could plunge into the stone was because the stone chamber’s door wasn’t bolted. After entering, he lost consciousness. The woman in the stone was too lonely, so she deceived him into staying, spending two years together. After growing tired, she sent the scholar away. The scholar, stubborn as death, insisted on returning to annoy people, wanting to crash in again like last time. This time, she didn’t open the door—how could he not die with his head crashing against stone?

This wasn’t a joke. Han Zhe’s family had records. He could clearly point out when such things happened, who the protagonists were, why the scholar was being pursued—all arranged. Sometimes immortals must let outsiders know of their existence. Otherwise, who would hold reverence for immortals in their hearts? However, now these things had nothing to do with Han Zhe. He needed to descend the mountain and reclaim his glory. Not dying in the White Stone Chamber—he was the first person, qualified to be proud.

Han Zhe wore only a thin hemp robe, cloth shoes on his feet, hands clasped behind his back as he descended from the mountain peak. He tried to make every step stable, poetic. The winding little path was covered with thorns. After walking not long, the hem of his hemp robe was torn to shreds by thorns.

Many thorns pierced into his calves. Much blood flowed, and it hurt, yet Han Zhe’s face showed only smiles. Only this way did he discover he was still alive. Due to joy, his senses were much sharper than usual.

Across the thornbushes stood a green-clothed young woman holding a snow-white civet cat, smiling as she watched Han Zhe treading through thorns toward her.

“Why did you think to save me? You should be hoping I’d die.”

“That was before. Now I’ve discovered having an older brother is quite nice. Other people’s brothers dote on their sisters, dote on their disciples, dote on their daughters. I watched enviously, so I also hoped to have a brother to dote on me. Aside from that matter of wanting to marry me, you’ve actually always been a qualified older brother.”

“I told you before and you didn’t believe me, so now I’ll say it again—I never wanted to marry you. Whether you’re beautiful or ugly, in my eyes you’re just my sister. Divine people aren’t omnipotent. Look—your brother also suffers crushing defeat, also nearly starved to death. I’m not criticizing you, but couldn’t you send something else? I ate chicken legs for a month. Now even my burps smell like chicken.”

Han Zhe discovered his current mindset was very relaxed. Putting his arm around his sister’s shoulder, they descended the mountain. Very natural, without half a point of embarrassment, without the slightest feeling of impropriety. This is my sister, my own sister, that’s all.

“There’s no immortal lady inside the White Stone Palace?” His sister raised her head, looking at her brother’s face so close at hand, asking very casually.

“Just a bunch of swindlers. Don’t believe them in the future. White stones can’t be eaten. Remember that. Never go in there in the future. When I grasp great power, if you like it, your brother will give you the White Stone Palace. Raising some flowers and plants inside, preparing plenty of food—actually not bad.”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“I’m not lying to you. The White Stone Palace will be yours in the future. Go live your life well. If you like a man, then like him. With me in the family, I’ll handle all those disgusting people, disgusting matters completely. You needn’t worry.”

Han Zhe heard the young woman’s laughter. He swore this was the first time he’d heard his sister laugh. He couldn’t help but laugh along. That person in the distant cave didn’t seem so terrifying anymore at this moment.

Reaching the cave entrance, Han Zhe pushed his sister into another cave while he himself followed the largest cave to a cliff edge. Thick smoke constantly rose from beneath the cliff. If one walked closer, one would discover the thick smoke contained many sparks.

To Han Zhe, this place was his hell. But to that person sitting on the stone chair, this place was his paradise.