Chapter Eighty-Four: A New Path

Xiao Ding and Yue Yurou emerged from the snake cave, preparing to descend the mountain, when Xiao Ding suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Yue Yurou, curious, asked, “What’s wrong, Brother Ding?”

Xiao Ding surveyed the surroundings and replied, “We can’t just leave like this.”

“Why not?” Yue Yurou asked.

“In the coming days, plenty of people are bound to reach the summit. If anyone finds this snake cave and goes inside, once they see those mushrooms, the ones left behind won’t be safe for long,” Xiao Ding said, frowning.

“You’re right. Such miraculous treasures shouldn’t be destroyed by ignorant hands. Those yellow mushrooms might turn red in a few decades, but if someone picks them now, it would be a shame,” Yue Yurou said, looking at Xiao Ding.

“Before, the stone cave was guarded by the giant snake, so no one dared enter. Now that the snake is gone, anyone could get in,” Xiao Ding explained.

“So what should we do? Should we block the entrance?” Yue Yurou suggested.

Xiao Ding thought for a moment and said, “It seems our only option now is to seal the entrance. There’s nothing else we can do.”

On the right side of the rocky hill, the two found a massive stone, weighing at least seven or eight hundred pounds if not a thousand. Unable to move it by himself, Xiao Ding fetched a sturdy branch to use as a lever, gradually shifting the stone to the mouth of the snake cave, pressing it tightly against the opening.

Afterward, Xiao Ding carefully examined the spot, filled any gaps between the stone and the cave with smaller rocks, poured water over it from his flask so it would freeze, then scattered snow across the surface to cover all traces.

Only when the surface showed no sign of the cave’s existence did Xiao Ding finally exhale in relief. He found a tree branch and swept away the marks left from moving the stone, then covered the area with more snow before calling Yue Yurou to prepare for descent.

“Brother Ding, shall we take the same path down?” Yue Yurou asked.

Xiao Ding shook his head. “No, we need a different route.” He continued, “We stumbled upon the century-old treasure of Sunset Mountain, and somehow came into possession of so much gold, silver, and luminous pearls. If we run into others, it’s sure to arouse greed. So we must avoid people as much as possible.”

“Brother Ding, I’ll follow wherever you lead,” Yue Yurou replied.

After orienting themselves, Xiao Ding tied the two large bundles together, slung them over his shoulder with one in front and one behind, so there was no need for a carrying pole. Yue Yurou shouldered the bag containing the ashes of her fellow disciples and her master’s belongings, walking beside Xiao Ding as they headed toward the forest on the right.

Xiao Ding carried a branch, sweeping away their footprints in the snow as they walked, to prevent anyone from tracking them. Only once they reached the dense thicket deep in the woods did he discard the branch, no longer bothering with their tracks.

The path they had climbed was directly east of Sunset Peak, and to return they needed to go east as well. To avoid encountering others, they chose to descend from the southern slope of Sunset Peak before turning eastward.

There were no proper paths on Sunset Peak; even the eastern ascent route existed only because so many people had trodden it over time.

Descending from the southern slope, the route was difficult, but they faced no real danger. Once below the snow line, the temperature rose, and they shed the layers of clothing they had scavenged from corpses, feeling much lighter.

As they continued downward, walking became far easier than trudging through snow, and their pace increased. Encountering neither people nor fierce beasts, by noon they had reached the base of Sunset Peak.

Here, the forest was lush, lacking the pile of corpses found at the eastern base and free from wild beasts. Presumably, the animals had all gathered on the eastern side to gnaw at the dead.

After descending, they still needed to turn east. Though it was hard to find direction in the forest, they had already identified their bearings atop the mountain, using the sun’s position and the inclination of the trees to navigate. For Xiao Ding, this was not especially difficult.

They rested briefly at the mountain’s foot, ate mussel meat, drank from their flasks, and then walked eastward.

This climb had brought both gains and losses for Xiao Ding. He had inadvertently obtained the mountain’s century-old miraculous treasures, luminous pearls, and other riches; but he still hadn’t found Mei Ruoshuang, which was his true reason for venturing into the mountains.

Yet Sunset Mountain was vast, covered in primordial forests. To search for one person in such an immense wilderness was nearly impossible.

Xiao Ding sighed quietly to himself, thinking that if he truly couldn’t find Mei Ruoshuang, there was nothing more he could do—he had already given it his all.

Their return journey was swift and smooth. First, they could be sure of their direction; second, they were already familiar with the terrain; third, they encountered neither wild beasts nor people. Whenever they did come across other martial artists, they carefully avoided detection.

Recently, the mountain paths had been marked by slaughter and corpses. Most carnivorous beasts, attracted by the scent of blood, had feasted well and rarely ventured out during the day.

By dusk, they reached the cliff where they had once rested. There were many stone caves at the base of this cliff. Xiao Ding had previously rescued Yue Yurou here.

They walked east along the cliff until night fell, then found a suitable cave to rest. They finished the remaining mussel meat, ate a bit of dried food, drank their fill, and huddled together inside the cave.

Yue Yurou, still claiming she dared not sleep alone, squeezed into the cave with Xiao Ding.

For several days now, Yue Yurou had not left Xiao Ding’s side, never venturing off alone. Even for the simplest needs, she would have Xiao Ding turn his back and stand guard. When Xiao Ding answered nature’s call, she would turn away and wait nearby.

At first, Xiao Ding found it awkward, but eventually he understood Yue Yurou’s timidity. It was during such a solitary moment that she had been captured by the Twin Demons of the Northern Desert and nearly lost her life, leaving her with a lingering trauma.

The night passed uneventfully. At dawn, they ate a simple breakfast and continued on their way.

Now it was the eighth day since Xiao Ding had entered the mountain. Before leaving, he had told Zhao Laixi that if he didn’t return within ten days, they needn’t wait for him—he would likely have met a grim fate.

Not wanting his family to worry, despite not finding Mei Ruoshuang, Xiao Ding resolved to return within ten days. Including today, he had three days left for the journey.

With a clear direction for their return, unlike the aimless wandering of before, Xiao Ding estimated that if they hurried, they could make it back by the tenth day.

They quickened their pace, heading due east, not following the marked route from before, since that had involved many unnecessary detours.

By evening, they found themselves at the broken cliff where Xiao Ding had once been chased by the giant bear, forced into a dead end.

Standing at the edge, Xiao Ding looked at the protruding stone and felt a surge of emotions. He recalled how he had almost become the bear’s meal, nearly fallen to his death, and how, thanks to that stone and his quick reflexes, he had preserved his life.

Lost in thought, he was suddenly pulled from his reverie by Yue Yurou tugging at his sleeve. “Brother Ding, look! It seems there’s someone over there!”