"Lad, stop struggling. Don't worry, we won't die. It's all our fault for getting you into this. If you die, I swear I'll burn joss paper for you, and then we'll go die too," Elder Yun suddenly spoke, his words sounding disjointed, as if he'd transformed. Is he a dotard? Perhaps the injuries are too severe, has he gone mad?

Though Zhou Huan possessed some capacity for analysis, he lacked the strength to sustain it. His vision went black, and he pitched backward, oblivious to everything until he heard someone call his name, which finally brought a sliver of consciousness back.

When Zhou Huan opened his eyes, he saw the familiar little rabbit beside him, ceaselessly nibbling grass. Yet, looking at the rabbit, it seemed to have grown long eyebrows. Suddenly, Zhou Huan snapped his eyes open and surveyed his surroundings: his two apprentices, Dongzi and Tianlang, and the two young women were all gathered around him.

"Master, you're awake?" Shi Bingyuan asked with concern.

In an instant, everyone present crowded closer, murmuring, "Master Zhou," or "Big Brother Zhou."

"Ugh!" Zhou Huan groaned, repeatedly patting his head. "What happened to me? I feel completely unwell. Is there any water?"

"Yes!" Dongzi handed over the waterskin. Zhou Huan gulped down the contents.

"Master Zhou, what about our grandparents? How are they? We returned but couldn't find them," Xiaofang asked incessantly.

Zhou Huan looked around slowly, piecing together the events before he blacked out. He then replied evasively, "Oh, they left with their old friends. Their friends ran off, and they chased right after."

"Are they alright? Did they leave any message?" Xiaofang pressed.

Zhou Huan then answered, "They are fine. Didn't they tell us to meet them at the Dharma Assembly? I believe they will certainly be there."

As he spoke, Zhou Huan felt those two inexplicable streams of energy within him begin to clash again—one cold, one hot—an unbearable torment that caused beads of cold sweat to continuously form on his forehead.

Tianlang, being a Daoist, possessed some medical knowledge and checked Zhou Huan's pulse. After finishing, he exclaimed in shock, "Brother, what just happened to you? At first, I thought you were beyond saving. But now, your True Qi is so chaotic. It's as if there's some mysterious Dharma energy flowing inside you. You must treat this ailment; you absolutely need a reputable physician, or you risk your life, or worse, losing your mind entirely."

"Uncle Tianlang, you can't fix it?" Shi Bingyuan anxiously asked Tianlang.

"I truly don't know what's going on, but—" Just as Zhou Huan said this, his vision suddenly darkened again. He glanced at Xiaofang's small courtyard, which instantaneously transformed into a massive tomb before he passed out once more.

"Master, Master!"

"Big Brother Zhou!"

Everyone seemed deeply concerned for Zhou Huan's well-being. Finally, they agreed to travel through the night, taking Zhou Huan to the capital city to find the best doctor who could prescribe a remedy to smooth out the volatile True Qi inside him.

All night long, they carried and supported Zhou Huan up the mountainside. Throughout the journey, sweat continuously streamed down his brow. The two young women, to be fair, meticulously cared for him.

By the next day, these few had crossed Mount Dahei and reached the foot of Mount Lianyun. The little rabbit was still searching everywhere for grass to eat, and after filling its stomach, it would run back to Zhou Huan and gnaw at his arm until the skin was raw and hairless.

Xiao Yun stepped forward and slapped the rabbit lightly, snatching the small creature into her arms. "You little pest, stop chewing constantly! Big Brother Zhou is so ill, and you're still disturbing him. How can he rest? If he dies, this entire mission will be meaningless!"

The rabbit looked quite aggrieved, but it continued to chew the dry grass it had picked up from the ground.

Mount Lianyun was twice the height of Mount Dahei. The scenery here was lush and beautiful; clouds draped over the halfway point, and the peaks were tipped with faint white snow, suggesting permanent, year-round snowpack. This place was truly a paradise on earth.

Cool gusts of wind wafting from the valleys carried a hint of damp moisture, making one feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Alright, everyone listen up. We will rest here for two shichen (four hours). Sleep if you can. After resting well, we'll ascend the mountain tonight. We must reach the summit before sunrise to cross the icy, snowy regions atop the mountain during the day."

In the Northeast region, such a mountain should be rare. With perennial snow cover, traveling at midnight could easily cause severe freezing. They could only make progress during daylight when the sun was out, aiming to descend to the relatively milder halfway point before sunset. Such a travel plan was likely something only Tianlang, who had traversed this area before, could have considered.

Just as they were preparing to rest, Dongzi suddenly noticed movement on Zhou Huan's body. Zhou Huan was constantly murmuring for water. The two young women took turns pouring stream water into his mouth. Then, Zhou Huan's body suddenly became as intensely hot as a raging fire, seeming as if it was about to ignite.

"All of you should rest. Xiaofang and I will look after him tonight. You'll need your strength to carry him up the mountain later, so sleep now!" Xiao Yun was remarkably sensible. However, that rabbit remained annoying; it kept gnawing near Zhou Huan, chewing and chewing, its eyebrows growing longer.

The night wind was indeed chillingly eerie. Strangely, at night, this divine place called Mount Lianyun revealed sight of unclean entities.

Xiao Yun and Xiaofang huddled close together. Suddenly, they saw glowing orbs of fire slowly drifting through the treeline on the distant peak. These fireballs were moving in their direction, their speed increasing until they vanished near the stream where the two paths of light converged.

A moment later, Xiao Yun and Xiaofang heard voices laughing by the stream. Indeed, chatting and laughing in the night—were they human or ghosts?

"Sister, can you hear what they're saying?" Xiaofang felt a degree of terror, as they had no real experience with ghosts, only fragmented tales they'd heard from elders.

Xiao Yun, however, was braver, having walked the roads at night often and seen various graveyards, though she had never encountered anything unusual and felt no fear toward such things.

"Little sister, stay here. I'll go check. If things look bad, wake them up immediately." As Xiao Yun started to rise, she felt a hand firmly grasp her arm.

"Xiao Yun, don't go. Those are lonely souls. They are just passing by to play for a while and will leave!" The speaker was Zhou Huan. For some unknown reason, Zhou Huan had suddenly sat up, his legs crossed in a meditative posture, mumbling something under his breath.

Seeing Zhou Huan awake, the two young women were overjoyed and almost cried out, but Zhou Huan stopped them. "It's late. Don't shout. Hurry up and sleep. I will meditate, and I'll wake you when it's time to depart!"

As expected, the two girls, being inexperienced, felt reassured by Zhou Huan's words and quickly fell asleep, though they positioned themselves close beside him.

Zhou Huan himself didn't know why he had awakened. He heard the continuous chatter near the stream, and seeing that everyone beside him was asleep, Zhou Huan tentatively attempted to inscribe a ghost-repelling talisman. Whether it would work or not, he couldn't tell, but in his heart, he continually felt inadequate.

Zhou Huan followed the sound toward the stream. When he reached the bank, he saw two women playfully splashing water at each other, clearly enjoying themselves. Under the moonlight, he looked closely at the two figures. One woman was quite striking, with long, high ponytail and simple cloth attire. The other was dressed in fine silk and satin, wearing a pair of gleaming gold bracelets, holding an embroidered fan commonly used by wealthy young ladies.

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