After parting ways with Wang Jue, I headed straight down the mountain to the location he had indicated. Miao Village was a small settlement nestled within the embrace of the mountains—peak upon peak, ridge upon ridge, making it incredibly easy to mistake one mountain for another without a sharp sense of direction. Fortunately, my own sense of direction was sound; just last night, I had navigated purely by memory to find the exact mountain where Hua Jinlan’s body lay.

Upon reaching the mountain Wang Jue had directed me to, I was struck by the startling similarity it bore to the one I had just left. The mid-slope was covered in a grove of small trees, and within that grove stood an old tree with strangely twisted branches, just like the one that had pinned Xiao Shu to the stone previously. Had I not been absolutely certain that I had walked in a straight line from the site where Hua Jinlan was buried, I would have surely been thoroughly confused. Simply put, the two mountains were like twin brothers, sharing perhaps nine-tenths of their features. After circling the area, I noted the one difference: there were no yellow talismans posted by the high monk, nor was there the newly erected grave for Hua Jinlan. In other words, if we hadn't made slight alterations to the first mountain last night, distinguishing these two places would have been nearly impossible.

If the surrounding undulating ranges all shared this characteristic, then consistently finding the same mountain again would prove far from simple. Seeing this, a sudden realization struck me. Perhaps the mountain where we found Hua Jinlan’s body wasn't the same one we went to the night we captured Scarface. I might have led Xiao Shu and Old He up the mountain based only on the hazy memory of that night with Scarface, with Old He constantly complaining I was lost since there were no signs of a struggle anywhere. In reality, we never found Hua Jinlan’s body on that mountain; instead, we triggered a mechanism and were transported to another dimension, retrieving her body from that alternate space. Yet, afterwards, the Village Head, Hua Gu, and the high monk accurately found us, and that same dark night, I managed to locate Hua Gu and the high monk while carrying Wang Jue—there was clearly some profound mystery involved.

Lost in thought, I arrived beneath the strange, gnarled tree. Mimicking my previous action, I tentatively touched one of the bizarrely shaped branches. A resounding, earth-shaking rumble echoed from behind me. I looked around and saw, exactly as Wang Jue had described, a hidden cave entrance right against the mountainside. It seemed that after triggering the mechanism, the two boulders blocking the opening had rolled aside.

One or two faint lights flickered from the dark mouth of the cave, suggesting someone was inside. Mustering my courage, I walked to the entrance and called out loudly, “Is anyone in there?”

A faint rustling sound drifted out, like hushed whispers or perhaps soft crying.

It seemed the people inside were cautious; no one spoke for a long time. I had no choice but to raise my voice again: “This is Ming Xiaoyu! Are Old He and Xiao Shu here? I’ve come to get you; Hua Jinlan has been laid to rest.”

That shout proved effective. A series of hurried running sounds echoed from within, growing closer. As the runner reached the entrance, a familiar voice called out, “We’re here…”

When he reached the opening, I caught a glimpse—it was Xiao Shu!

We had only parted yesterday, yet seeing him now felt like years had passed. We embraced, like comrades reunited after a long separation.

He exclaimed happily, “How are things outside? Was Wang Jue rescued? All the young ones are at the ancestral hall. The Village Head ordered Ah Mang, Old He, and me to protect the elderly, women, and children here. Besides the three of us, there are no other able-bodied men, which is why we haven't left this place.”