Lin Chaoying originally intended to enlist the help of the Taoist priests from the Temple of Honored Saints to search for Wang Shixiong. However, she unexpectedly gleaned clues from their conversation with ease. Gou'er felt a nagging unease and suggested they first follow Zhou Botong, as he might rendezvous with Big Brother Shixiong. Lin Chaoying, however, responded with certainty: would a mischievous child who stole candy run straight back to their mother? Hearing her speak so casually, Gou'er's heart lightened. He considered suggesting they capture that Taoist priest and question him about Wang Haifeng's whereabouts, thus avoiding a protracted search. But he held his tongue.
The further south they traveled, the more ferocious the wind and snow became. Nevertheless, it only took them eight days to reach the vicinity of Mount Cuihua, and they estimated it would take another four to five days to arrive at Mount Zhongnan. Gou'er caught the scent of steamed buns and saw peach charms and "guan qian" (coins) pasted on the houses of distant farmsteads, realizing that the New Year was just the day after tomorrow. At this moment, Gou'er prayed for the two of them to reunite by the Lantern Festival, how blissful that would be! He looked back at Lin Chaoying, her steps slow and weary on the pathways. Her pace had slackened after the halfway point of their journey, and he worried if her previous injuries had not yet healed.
Mount Cuihua was filled with precipitous cliffs, fallen rocks, and peculiar caves. Lin Chaoying and Gou'er ambled among them until dusk, finally reaching Cuihua Peak. The Heavenly Pond to the east was encircled by mountains, its surface as placid as a clear mirror, its waters like congealed jade. Gou'er went to fetch water for Lin Chaoying to drink and wash up. Lin Chaoying casually sat on the lawn by the pond. Hearing the sound of splashing jade and tearing silk, she looked over and saw two waterfalls cascading directly down near a cave mouth to the southeast. They looked like a male and female pair playfully teasing each other, vying for supremacy, and a chill ran through her heart. After a brief rest, Lin Chaoying stepped towards this cave. Along the way, Gou'er noticed the Eight Immortals Cave and the Wind Cave, forming a triangle with this cave. Four characters, "Su Han Jing Huan" (Scene of Austere Cold Illusions), were chiseled into the cave wall, suggesting the interior would be piercingly cold. Fearing Lin Chaoying's delicate constitution might not endure, he wished to persuade her to spend the night in the Eight Immortals Cave. Alas, he saw Lin Chaoying had already lowered her head and stooped to enter the small cave mouth beside the waterfall.
The passage within the cave grew lower and narrower as they proceeded. Although Gou'er had grown taller in recent years, he was still of a child's build, and a slight bow of his head was more than sufficient. The taller Lin Chaoying had to stoop and crouch to move forward. Even with her special training since childhood, it was not difficult, and moreover, she felt an inexplicable interest in this cave. After nearly half an hour, the space became even narrower and more contorted, with changes in height. They could only support themselves with their elbows, crawling on the ground. After another two quarters of an hour, light shone through from the end. Lin Chaoying poked her head out at the furthest point. A vast, egg-shaped stone grotto, shimmering with light, appeared before her eyes. Glancing around, she realized this end was located in the center of a broken cliff face within the cave.
Lin Chaoying moved her upper body out, clapped her palms against the stone wall below, and then shot out like an arrow, rotating in mid-air to descend. Lin Chaoying had not anticipated the ground was icy. As her right foot landed, she slipped slightly, immediately bracing herself with her left foot. Gou'er landed in the same manner, blinded by the colorful glare of the ice pillars around them. Near the cliff face, he found a large, fixed rock, lit a candle to illuminate the area, and clearly saw their surroundings. Thus, the candlelight and the dazzling light refracted by the ice pillars intertwined on the icy surface, creating countless shadows of Lin Chaoying, flickering in and out of existence, some long, some short.
Lin Chaoying's emotions were stirred by the scene. She drew her sword and chanted, "Rolling up the beaded curtain, she casts a sorrowful glance, together with him until dawn, sleepless." As she chanted, she wielded her sword, chasing after the illusory figures. "Today a guest has arrived, from the Upper Sui, who can convey the host's deep sentiments." The sword moved, the shadows shifted, the sword urged the swift shadows to become more chaotic, expending effort and discarding thoughts, even when letting go, it was in vain; what if she stopped? "Leaning on the clear Huai River, clearly reaching the sea, within it are tears of longing." In Gou'er's eyes, it was as if all the demons and deities were dancing with Lin Chaoying. He marveled, what kind of swordsmanship was so elusive and unfathomable? He wanted to continue watching but feared Lin Chaoying might not be able to endure it and wished to call a halt. "Where are they now? The clear forbidden palace of the Western Garden, the night is long, and dew's essence infiltrates the quilt." The sword drew an arc, striking the ice surface on the ground, and she slumped to the ground despondently. "At this moment, looking at the morning moon in the corridor, it should also be secretly remembered." Secretly remembered... would you?
Gou'er stepped forward to help her up, but she shook her head, stopping him. "I want to practice a new sword technique and refine my old moves here," she said. She then turned and said coldly to Gou'er, "Otherwise, I cannot take his head." Let it be as it was at the beginning.
Gou'er installed ropes at the entrance and exit of the broken cliff for transporting supplies. On several flat and stable large stones, he arranged their living quarters, piled stones to make a stove for cooking, and melted ice for drinking. The cave was incredibly cold; even when the outside had warmed up, it was colder here than the icy wilderness they had first encountered. Gou'er gazed at Lin Chaoying, who sat cross-legged on the ice, meditating. Often, she would sit like this for an entire day and night, or even several days, and then practice swordplay and research martial arts without rest. Undoubtedly, Big Brother Shixiong, having secluded himself in this deep cave for eight years, must have far surpassed his previous cultivation. However, the young lady's martial arts were also incomparable. Her newly created "Sorrowful Glance Sword" alone could contend with ten opponents simultaneously. Moreover, wasn't their reunion meant to be an escape from the mundane world? Why the need to fight to the death? Gou'er sighed, blaming himself for thinking such thoughts, and quickly focused on practicing the homework the lady had assigned him yesterday. Otherwise, he would not be able to cope when sparring with her, thus delaying her progress.
That day, Lin Chaoying practiced hand-to-hand combat and projectile weapons with Gou'er. After a short rest and a meal, she began to spar with her sword, testing their sword skills, Qinggong (lightness skill), and internal energy. Lin Chaoying restricted Gou'er to using only new moves, primarily those created at Nanxi River and the "Sorrowful Glance Sword," while she used the Youxu Cave Swordplay. Although Gou'er lacked Lin Chaoying's ferocity, precision, and cunning, and his cultivation was far inferior, he strictly adhered to the principles, his moves were tight, and he possessed his own combat prowess. Lin Chaoying only gained a decisive advantage after twenty moves.
Lin Chaoying had worried that if she were to reunite with him, the consequences would be unpredictable. If she truly followed him into seclusion as wished, it would be deeply unfair to the young Gou'er, who should be allowed to wander the martial world, gain experience, and live her life. Therefore, she needed to perfect her newly created moves before teaching them to her. This would ensure her safety and avoid entanglement with Youxu Cave. Seeing that she met all expectations in this examination, her heart felt somewhat at ease. "Pack up quickly, we must leave," she said, then turned and returned to sit on the ice to meditate. Gou'er, upon hearing this, was overjoyed and quickly packed their belongings.
Lin Chaoying emerged from the cave, feeling the pleasant warmth of spring. Yet, she was surprised to see the mountaintop still covered in snow. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was pear blossoms blooming everywhere. Following the path southeast, the scenery shifted to vast seas of purple flowers, surging towards green ridges, as brilliant as sunset clouds. Traversing the mountain path and crossing the peaks, one could look down and see layered fields on the continuous mountain ridges, covered in yellow rapeseed flowers, exquisitely beautiful!
With every stretch of road they walked, the scenery changed, like flipping through a painting album, captivating their sight. The two walked and observed, and before they knew it, three days had passed, and they had reached the territory of Mount Zhongnan. Mount Zhongnan was often shrouded in mist, making it difficult to discern direction in the ethereal haze. There were many winding岔道, seemingly running horizontally but branching off vertically. It was nearing April, and sudden downpours were frequent, making it even harder to recognize the path. Lin Chaoying, starting from the west and heading south, meandered to the east. Initially hesitant and fearful, she searched various caves along the way. After more than ten days with no signs, she could not help but feel anxious and dejected. As she climbed up from the bottom of a cliff in a large gully, she exclaimed somewhat irritably, "Let's return to our 'Illusory Light Cave'!" Gou'er knew she was speaking in anger and could only invite her to rest in the nearby woods, eat some wild fruits, and see if she could calm down.
Lin Chaoying sat on a rock, regulating her breathing. She glanced at Gou'er, who was taking out her water pouch to wash the wild fruits she had picked. At this moment, the laughter of two children drifted from not far away. She noticed Gou'er startle slightly, then put down the fruit in her hand and run towards them. Lin Chaoying followed her and saw her silently watching the two children play. The shepherd boy on the left raised his finger upwards, but his mouth said, "Down." The shepherd boy on the right nodded downwards naturally. The shepherd boy on the left burst into laughter, saying, "You stupid ox lost again!" The shepherd boy on the right, unconvinced, said, "This time, I'll give the command!" Gou'er asked, "Did an uncle named Zhou teach you to play?" "No!" The shepherd boy on the left grinned slyly, rolled his eyes, and said ominously, "It was taught by a malevolent spirit from a grave." Lin Chaoying guessed Gou'er's intention and quickly asked, "Where is that grave?" The two children, seeing her appearance, instinctively stepped back, clinging to each other.
Lin Chaoying glanced at Gou'er, who, understanding her intent, approached the two children. Just then, she heard a woman shout from behind the two children, "What are you doing?" The village woman rushed over, encircling the two children with her arms, and said to the shepherd boy on the left, "A'cha, haven't I always told you not to speak nonsense? Hurry and lead Fu back!" Fu was the lean, yellowish cow that A'cha was herding. Gou'er took out a copper coin and waved it in front of the village woman, saying, "Don't be offended, Madam! Our young master has gone missing, so we were rather presumptuous." As he spoke, he placed the copper coin in her palm. Lin Chaoying was surprised by Gou'er's worldly wisdom and felt even more at ease. The village woman immediately bared her teeth and squinted her eyes, saying kindly, "This mountain is not clean; you should quickly go to the Temple of Honored Saints and invite the Taoist priests there to help." Seeing Gou'er frown and remain silent, and having accepted the money, she also empathized with her difficulty in reporting back to her master. Thus, she broke the rule and said directly, "About six or seven years ago, a malevolent spirit came. It emerges to cause trouble a few times every year, forcing us to spend money to invite Taoist priests to perform exorcisms, and we also offered many sacrifices." A'cha mumbled, "The games he played with us were very interesting; he's a good person..."
The village woman sternly rebuked, "That madman is either a demon transformed from a grave or one of the demons! How can he be a good person? That demon specifically feeds on children; he's a half-living, half-dead malevolent spirit!" As she half-dragged, half-pulled the two children away, Gou'er grabbed her left hand and felt another copper coin夹 in her fingers. She immediately stopped. Gou'er said, "Madam, please tell us the location of that grave." The village woman took the copper coin, quickly put it in her embrace, and whispered in Gou'er's ear, fearing that the demon would find out she had leaked information. Then, she hurriedly pulled the two children home to burn incense for blessings.
Following the village woman's instructions, they turned back southwest. At the numerous, virtually identical junctions, they meandered and struggled for four days, arriving at a dense forest.
After looking around, Gou'er walked up to a sophora tree and rubbed it for a while, then exclaimed in disbelief, "We've been to this forest before! We even set up camp here to shelter from the rain." Lin Chaoying walked to the center of the forest and looked around, asking, "Do you see anything else?"
Gou'er walked from left to right and back again, finding nothing unusual. He then looked back from the side and said, "Although it's a bit messy, I can still vaguely make out that the trees are arranged in rows, several in a row, like soldiers in a military formation..." He remembered... his heart suddenly surged with emotion, and he was speechless. He looked at Lin Chaoying; she stood motionless, as still as the trees in the forest, holding her breath, awaiting a command.
Gou'er blamed himself and followed Lin Chaoying through the forest from another side. Ahead was a mountain hollow, and before them lay a patch of green, dotted with clusters of bright red flowers, like a large screen blocking half their view. Upon closer inspection, this large screen was a natural growth of rose bushes in full bud. Turning past the hollow, there was no path forward, so they had to step on the long wild grass and circle along the mountainside. It was past Shenshi (3-5 PM), and the sun was setting. The sunlight shone directly at them. Gou'er watched Lin Chaoying's receding figure ahead, as if she were gradually being swallowed by the sunlight. He sensed movement in the grassy slope, like black shadows darting about, and secretly intensified his vigilance.
After the grassy slope, there was another forest. Lin Chaoying looked up, observing the shadows of the trees and the light, and turned towards the darker area on the right to continue. The beating of her heart grew more intense. Weaving through the hanging trees, they reached the edge of the forest. She could not help but take a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stepped out. When she opened her eyes again, she saw three tiers of steps, with wild grass and moss growing in the corners, resembling a sacrificial altar.