The old rabbit’s leap was swift, yet the Miao tribesman was faster. Just as the rabbit bounded over the head of one of the tribesmen while carrying the old civet, the tribesman suddenly roared, flipped up with a somersault, agile as a bird in flight, and executed a "Kicking the Purple Gold Crown Backward" mid-air. This kick, precisely like a shooting star chasing the moon, landed squarely on the head of the old civet. The civet and the rabbit were instantly sent flying, crashing against a broken stele with a dull thud of snapping bone and sinew.

The old civet, struck and thrown, immediately had its bones broken and tendons snapped, collapsing limply into the grass, unmoving. The rabbit it had been riding lost a hind leg from the impact, spat blood, and fled into the undergrowth like a bolt of lightning, vanishing from sight in a flash.

On the broken stele, there was also a small civet—the one that had been gutting the old cat—which, before the other two Miao men could catch it, plunged headfirst off the stone, eyes wide, vomiting bile until it died. This creature's spirit was too fragile; it had been scared to death simply by witnessing the tragic demise of the old civet.

Blind Chen stood there dumbfounded. Seeing the Miao man kill the old civet with a single kick, the word "fierce" felt utterly inadequate. Blind Chen was an expert judge of skill, and he knew that kick was no mere "Kicking the Purple Gold Crown Backward" from standard martial arts; it was clearly the "Kicking the Fiend in the Head" technique used by the Mountain Movers to subdue zombies. How could this group of Miao people possess such a supreme skill of the Mountain Movers? Could it be...?

Before Blind Chen could fully grasp the situation, the Miao man who had kicked the civet to death approached and spoke in the coded dialect of the Green Forest world: "To pluck the star, one must invite the Hand of the Fiend; the Mountain Mover does not move the Ever-Victorious Mountain: burn the Dragon and Phoenix Auspicious Incense, and drink the waters of the Ten Thousand Lakes." Yun Shen Wu Ji (Deep in the Clouds, Without Trace).

Blind Chen heard the words clearly. "Ever-Victorious Mountain" was the secret code name for the Xie Ling bandits. Since the terms "Fiend" and "The Mountain Mover does not move the Ever-Victorious Mountain" were used, he knew this man was the leader of the Mountain Movers. Blind Chen’s face flushed; he cursed these hypocritical Daoists—who operated under the cover of dark nights and high winds—for being so dishonorable. Here in Western Hunan, they weren't wearing Daoist robes but disguised themselves as Bing family Miao people. He had been flustered earlier and failed to recognize them, causing him to look foolish in front of them. However, in the martial world, "propriety" came first. As the recognized leader of the Ever-Victorious Mountain, he could not lose face. He responded according to Green Forest custom: "High towers stand upon the Ever-Victorious Mountain; heroes from all four directions come hither; Dragon and Phoenix form a bond of old friendship, and the waters of the Ten Thousand Lakes surge onward."

After exchanging the proper greetings, the Miao man burst into loud laughter, clasped his fists, and said, "Brother Chen, long time no see. If Little Bei is not mistaken, Chief Chen should be from the Han family. Why the sudden change of allegiance, claiming to be a Meng family Miao person just now? Are you trying to play games with us?"

Blind Chen, who cared most about saving face, quickly fabricated an excuse. He claimed his ancestors were indeed Miao people, but having lived among the Han for so long, he had often forgotten his origins. Seeing the Miao people just now made him feel a profound kinship—after all, one cannot write the character for "Miao" twice, no matter how close one feels to one's own kind and homeland water.

It turned out this entire group of Miao people were Mountain Movers. The leader, capable of executing the Fiend-Kicking technique, was known as Partridge Whistle. The art of the Mountain Movers had been passed down for nearly two thousand years, producing many extraordinary talents, though most gained fame young and died prematurely. They secretly plundered tombs, maintaining strict separation from outsiders. The world rumor held that "Mountain Movers who open ancient tombs seek the elixir of immortality"—whether true or not was unknown. By the time the lineage reached Yun Shen Wu Ji during the Republic era, the Mountain Movers were severely depleted. Fortunately, there arose Partridge Whistle, a man who was worth a hundred ordinary members. He knew that relying on the remaining Mountain Movers to search for the Pearl of Heaven was a nearly hopeless endeavor. Thus, he broke the thousand-year taboo and frequently communicated with the Xie Ling bandits. The Xie Ling knew that the Mountain Movers were only interested in medicinal herbs and had no interest in gold or jade treasures. Furthermore, Partridge Whistle was highly skilled and known for his generosity and chivalry, so the bandits were willing to ally with him.

Blind Chen and Partridge Whistle were the two paramount leaders of the Mountain Movers and Xie Ling in the current world. They had known each other for years and were sworn brothers, yet they still observed proper etiquette, formally greeting each other again in the woods. Speaking of companions, the other man and woman were Partridge Whistle's fellow clansmen and junior disciples. The woman was skilled in the properties of all herbs and flowers, given the hidden name Hua Ling (Flower Spirit); the man retained obvious traces of mixed descent—his hair was curly, unlike that of a Central Plains native—and his hidden name was Old Foreigner. These names were not Daoist titles but the hidden monikers and nicknames of the Mountain Movers. Both were in their early twenties, still lacking in experience, but Partridge Whistle had no other helpers among the Mountain Movers, so he had to bring them along.

Partridge Whistle and his two companions intended to travel to the border region of Qian and Xiang to unearth the ancient tomb of the King of Yelang. As that area was largely inhabited by cave dwellers, formal Daoist attire would be highly inconvenient, hence their disguise as Bing family Miao people. Passing through Old Bear Ridge, they heard that a 'Yellow Demon' was using an illusion projected onto the ruins of an ancient temple to harm people, having already injured countless innocents. They deliberately detoured through the rain to eliminate it, coincidentally saving Blind Chen’s life.

Partridge Whistle had Old Foreigner and Hua Ling carry the old and young dead civets. He gave a slight bow to Blind Chen and prepared to part ways: "We travel ceaselessly, hoping only for a half-day's leisure before we meet with Brother Lian again. We have pressing matters now, so we must take our leave."

Blind Chen pondered for a moment, noticing the heavy bamboo baskets carried behind the Mountain Movers, which certainly contained their grave-digging implements. The Mountain Mover's Art of Division (Fen Jia) was a supreme grave-robbing technique; why not ask them to lend a hand to help him break into the Bottle Mountain Ancient Tomb? He would take the material treasures, and in turn, give them all the elixirs found within the tomb. He had never attempted a Yuan Dynasty tomb before and suspected it might be troublesome. If he could combine the strength of the Mountain Movers and Xie Ling, what great feat could not be achieved? This exchange seemed highly profitable. Thus, he quickly brought up the matter of the Yuan Dynasty tomb in Old Bear Ridge, hoping to persuade the Mountain Movers to assist.

When Partridge Whistle heard that Bottle Mountain was a place where ancient royalty refined elixirs and sought immortality, he was immediately interested. However, the excavation of the King of Yelang's tomb had already been planned for half a year and was expected to conclude within six or seven days. The Bottle Mountain Tomb was entirely unknown, making any hasty approach risky. He agreed with Blind Chen that as soon as they finished robbing the King of Yelang's tomb, they would immediately come to Bottle Mountain to rendezvous with the Xie Ling forces. Until then, Blind Chen would lead the reconnaissance of the terrain.

The deep burial chambers of the Yuan tomb presented no real obstacle to the Mountain Movers’ Art of Division. However, ever since entering Old Bear Ridge, the Mountain Movers had noticed two columns of rainbow energy often piercing the sky, only to vanish at dawn. As they were in a hurry, they hadn't had time to investigate. For now, it was difficult to determine if this energy was the aura of buried gold and jade, or the demonic energy lingering in the deep mountains.