Liu Hui had a good sleep in his own home. No matter how luxurious the beds were outside, none of them could match the comfort of his own bed at home.

Liu Hui woke up early the next morning. His mother got up even earlier than him and was already busy preparing things for the ancestral worship ceremony. Since his father's health hadn't been good lately and he wasn't suitable for mountain climbing, his mother had to stay behind with him. Liu Hui would have to go alone this time.

Looking around at the familiar surroundings and watching his mother busily prepare, a warm sense of happiness welled up in Liu Hui's heart.

After breakfast at 8:30 am, Liu Hui shouldered a large backpack filled with sacrificial items prepared by his parents. To pay respects to his grandfather, he first had to reach the old village on the mountain before heading further into it. His ancestral home lay in a small village atop the hill. After his father left for work outside the mountains years ago, only Grandfather remained living there alone. And Grandfather's grave was even deeper in the mountains beyond that village. At normal pace, he should arrive at the destination by around 4 pm.

The entire journey from Pingding Town to the old village consisted of mountain trails without roads. Traveling usually required walking or horseback riding. Previously Liu Hui would need until noon to cover this distance. But after his body transformation program enhanced his physical capabilities, these rugged paths now posed no difficulty at all.

Liu Hui adjusted his backpack and left the town. After taking a turn where there were no onlookers around, he burst into a sprint. Though the pack carried nearly twenty pounds of supplies, it barely affected him. With each powerful stride covering five to six meters, his speed surpassed normal ground running. As he ran faster and grew more exhilarated, he astonishingly leaped onto tree branches. The dense mountain forest provided continuous coverage between trees. Initially he had to measure distances carefully before landing, but as his body adjusted to the rhythm, his arboreal traversal became increasingly fluid.

Like a monkey, Liu Hui began darting from branch to branch with increasing velocity until moving through the canopy felt as natural as running on flat ground. The sheer thrill of it made him emit joyous whoops that echoed through the forest.

By taking the most direct route through the trees, he reached the first mountain peak in record time. Looking back at Pingding Town from his vantage point, Liu Hui noticed its peculiar geography - completely encircled by towering mountains on all sides. The town itself sat atop a plateau platform about four to five square kilometers wide, yet only half as high as surrounding peaks. From this elevated perspective, he realized the plateau actually resembled an artificial mountain summit whose peak had been sheared off into flatness. He marveled at nature's incredible craftsmanship.

After brief rest on the mountain ridge, Liu Hui resumed his journey through the nearly deserted wilderness. With no need to conceal himself now, he maintained breakneck speed through the trees. A trek that normally required four hours was completed in just one and a half.

The remote village had long relied solely on subsistence farming and hunting, its residents enduring harsh conditions until recent rural infrastructure improvements finally brought electricity. Now with worsening living environments and diminishing opportunities, most villagers had relocated, leaving only a handful of stubborn residents behind.

Liu Hui first returned to his grandfather's old house which held many cherished childhood memories. After thoroughly cleaning the dwelling and airing out damp bedding materials on the ground, he rested briefly before continuing toward the deep mountain where Grandfather was buried.

According to legend, a geomancer had once spent considerable time searching through these mountains until finding an auspicious spot called Yunwu Valley for the burial site. The location supposedly featured all four ideal feng shui elements - the valley in front as "case mountain," surrounding peaks as "backing mountains," left side with "Azure Dragon" formation, and right side with "White Tiger" alignment. The buried ancestor would thus receive concentrated energy blessings from nature itself.

The geomancer had initially hesitated since proper feng shui traditionally required water elements, but he noticed the perpetual mist in Yunwu Valley could be considered an equivalent to a sea of clouds - fulfilling the necessary requirement through natural phenomena rather than physical bodies of water.

Liu Hui arrived at the valley entrance in under two hours. With no nearby inhabitants and total isolation from human activity for years, only Grandfather's lonely grave remained here. He first cleared weeds around the tomb, cleaned up scattered trash, and loosened some soil before proceeding with rituals.

From his backpack he unpacked carefully prepared offerings - yellow incense, black incense, golden paper money, three sacrificial meats, boiled eggs, fruits, side dishes, firecrackers, and other necessary items. His parents had been exceptionally thorough in their preparations for the ceremony.

First came homage to Shangdi, the Earth God. Liu Hui arranged nine sticks of yellow incense alongside offerings before igniting them toward mountain peaks behind the grave site.

"Venerable Land Deity, I am Liu Hui from Pingding Town. Thank you for your protection and care over my ancestor Liu Yuanlin. May Grandfather enjoy perpetual peace and blessings in the afterlife."

After nine bows of reverence and purifying items with incense smoke, he inserted sticks into an offering censer.

Proceeding to pay respects to his grandfather, Liu Hui arranged seven black incense sticks alongside golden paper money, sacrificial meats, fruits, boiled eggs and side dishes before the grave.

"Ancestor Liu Yuanlin, your filial grandson Liu Hui has come bearing offerings. My current life's achievements in career and love fulfill my family's hopes for prosperity. May our lineage continue with health and fortune through generations."

After purifying items again with incense smoke and placing sticks into censer, he began burning golden paper money while lighting firecrackers. Once all ancestral offerings were complete, he crushed boiled eggs to scatter around the tomb perimeter.

As dusk approached - when tradition advised completing mourning rituals before 6pm - Liu Hui sat silently by Grandfather's resting place, sharing stories about his recent life adventures including acquiring a dimensional trading device and updates about his girlfriend Liang Jingyue. He promised to bring her here next year to see the family's medical clinic achievements recognized nationally.

Lost in memories until sunset, he finally bid farewell to his grandfather before packing up supplies. With most ritual items consumed, the backpack was now half-empty as he approached Yunwu Valley again.

As evening light bathed the landscape, Liu Hui stood at valley's edge and gasped - for the first time ever, the perpetual mist had completely dissipated! The normally cloud-shrouded abyss revealed an astonishing sight: entirely devoid of vegetation with barren yellow soil exposed like a desert plain.

This discovery sent chills through him. Local legends told of young men rappelling down before only to report memory loss and inexplicable phenomena. Though skeptical, Liu Hui had always accepted mist as valley's defining feature until now.

Curiosity overcame caution. With enhanced physical abilities, he descended easily to the base where loose soil felt like shifting sand dunes. A full inspection revealed no hidden caves or treasures - just a desolate wasteland beneath the clouds.

Disappointment faded when ascending to mid-level cliffs, he spotted an elevated platform jutting from rock face - exactly matching cinematic tropes of secret treasure locations!

Yet there were only two things on this mysterious outcrop: a dangling unconscious woman caught in vines and her tattered backpack. Her clothes were torn into rags, body covered with blackened wounds oozing foul odors. Liu Hui carefully freed her from dangerous position before administering water through cracked lips.

Though barely conscious, the girl's weak breath confirmed she was alive. After cleaning wounds and stabilizing her condition, he realized she must have fallen while sightseeing - fortunate to survive only due to vine entanglement.

With no treasures found but burdened with rescued girl, Liu Hui carried her up cliff using rope binding, then hurried back toward village before nightfall.

As darkness deepened, the woman regained consciousness during their journey. Through painstaking eye-blink communication, Liu Hui learned she was Hong Kong native Hu Xian'er whose passport indicated 21 years age and address at No.158 Shekou Wan. Her sudden appearance coinciding with valley's strange mist clearing left him puzzled.

Back in ancestral home, he found water shortage forcing multiple trips to fill cisterns before lighting stove for both soup and bathing purposes. The girl proved difficult to clean due to severe wounds but gradually regained strength through nourishment.

Her Hong Kong passport explained origins while mysterious circumstances surrounding her fall remained unresolved. As midnight approached with no cellphone signal restoration yet, Liu Hui kept vigil over his unexpected guest wondering about the strange events converging in this mystical mountain valley.

"Hey, I can't understand what you're saying. If there's someone who speaks Mandarin here, please come to the phone," Liu Hui said into the receiver.

A stunned silence followed before the voice switched to Mandarin: "Who the hell is this? How did my daughter's phone end up in your hands?"

"Calm down sir. Your daughter is right beside me, but she suffered an injury and can't speak at the moment."

"You bastard! You've kidnapped my daughter—I'll kill your whole family! Do you know who I am?" The man screamed through the receiver.

"Please remain calm. I haven't kidnapped your daughter. She was in an accident in the mountains when I found her. She's seriously injured and currently unable to speak," Liu Hui explained.

"Turn on the camera so I can see my daughter!"

Liu Hui activated the video feed, panning the camera around Hu Xian'er to give the man a full view from all angles.

"What in heaven's name... my poor girl, what happened to you?" The father's voice cracked as he took in his daughter's condition.

Liu Hui covered the microphone with his hand and asked Hu Xian'er: "Is this really your father?"

She blinked once.

"Would you like him to take you home?"

Another blink of her eyes.

"Hu sir, I recommend you arrange transportation for your daughter immediately. Her condition is quite severe," Liu Hui said into the phone.

"Right right! I'm being foolish. Young man, where exactly are you?" The father suddenly realized himself.

"My location is a small town called Pingdingshan under Bashan City. When can you arrive?"

"How do we get to that town?" Hu sir rushed his companions to record the information.

Liu Hui detailed the route to Pingdingshan.

"What's your name, young man? Can I have your contact details for verification?" The father still seemed uneasy about Liu Hui's identity.

"My name is Liu Hui. I'm sharing this phone with Miss Hu Xian'er. You can simply call her number."

"I'll leave my daughter in your capable hands. We're departing immediately and will keep you updated during our journey," Hu sir hung up hurriedly.

After ending the call, Liu Hui noticed Hu Xian'er seemed agitated.

"Miss Hu, your father knows about your situation now. He's coming to take you home. Rest well and conserve your strength—I'll help you descend the mountain tomorrow," Liu Hui comforted her.

Hu Xian'er blinked up at him through tear-filled eyes. She was wearing his shirt which barely contained her curves, her long legs bare beneath it as damp hair clung to her skin like a second layer of silk. Despite visible bruises marring her body, she radiated an unsettling vulnerability that made Liu Hui's breath catch in his throat before he abruptly turned and slammed the door behind him.

Lying on his bed later, Liu Hui cursed himself for his despicable thoughts—what kind of monster lusted after a helpless girl in such dire straits? He reached instinctively for his phone but found it dead. Considering Hu Xian'er's father might call again, he left the battery inside anyway despite his reservations.

The knowledge that she lay just down the hallway made sleep impossible. Eventually he sat up and splashed cold water onto his face to quell the simmering tension in his chest.

Though cooled now, exhaustion eluded him entirely. In frustration, Liu Hui powered on his dimensional trading device and began scanning coordinates according to his established algorithm, waiting for each input before switching to another set if no response came.

Tonight's luck seemed extraordinary—on the nineteenth coordinate attempt, a voice crackled through the screen suddenly.

[Author's Note: Special thanks to bookworm Ben Beng who sent me a donation plus 4 recommendation votes (12000 words this update). I take writing seriously and maintain quality by avoiding irrelevant content in my work. I aim for daily output of approximately 6000 words, pushing hard today to reach 12000 if possible. As always, kind readers please support with follows and recommendations!]