The long night felt as if it stretched for a thousand years.
The Elder stood beneath the eaves, gazing upwards. In the pitch-black night, the sky was filled with stars.
His face, etched with anticipation, also revealed a trace of excitement.
Lin'er slowly emerged from the house and stood beside his uncle.
Perhaps it was the influence of the snow mountain, but the wind that blew as night fell carried with it the distinct scent of the cold peaks.
Feeling the chill in the wind, Lin'er advised his uncle,
"Uncle, let's go back. It's cold out here."
The Elder turned his head, a smile gracing his face. He then looked back at the starry sky and said to Lin'er,
"Do you know? In ancient times, our clan was likened to the stars in the heavens.
Everlasting and without end.
I believe that if another clan were oppressed, they would find it difficult to wait a thousand years for an opportunity to rise."
Lin'er also looked up at the sky. The stars that night were exceptionally brilliant.
He understood his uncle's thoughts. As a member of the Ghost Charm clan, who wouldn't wish for a brighter future?
The two gazed at the stars for a long time before suppressing their excitement and returning indoors.
The Elder had waited there for three days. The next morning, he woke the two of them.
"Today is the fifth day of the fifth month. We must ascend the mountain."
The groggy pair finally remembered that it was indeed the fifth day of the fifth month.
With a yawn, they followed the Elder up the mountain.
Upon the vast expanse of white snow, the surroundings were desolate.
The lonely, cold wind blew intermittently.
The Elder looked ahead with great expectation.
Thirteen Niang said,
"Elder, the elders are not familiar with the paths of Wanxue Mountain. If they come, they might get lost."
This was also a concern for the Elder, so he asked Thirteen Niang,
"Do you have any good ideas?"
Thirteen Niang rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a moment, and then said,
"I have it! We can use the reflection of mirrors to help the elders find us."
The Elder felt this method was feasible.
"Good, we'll do as you say. However, we left in a hurry and didn't bring mirrors."
Thirteen Niang had already anticipated this.
"No need to worry, I brought one."
As she spoke, she took a small, round mirror from her sleeve.
She placed the mirror in her hand and touched it lightly. It enlarged slightly, becoming the size of two palms pressed together.
"Elder, look, what do you think?"
Thirteen Niang happily picked up the mirror and played with it.
The Elder looked, very satisfied, and nodded slightly, saying,
"Excellent. I believe with the mirror to guide them, they will find us with ease."
Lin'er looked towards the horizon, where the sun, just beginning to show, resembled a fiery blaze, and said softly,
"I think they will arrive tonight."
The Elder also said,
"Then we shall wait."
As night fell, the faint moonlight cast a hazy glow over the entire mountain.
In the solitude, only three figures waited anxiously.
Lin'er held the bronze mirror, and its reflection flashed forward in the moonlight.
Suddenly, Thirteen Niang seemed to spot something and pointed ahead, saying,
"Elder, Lin'er, look quickly, that looks like a person."
The two were filled with surprise and looked intently.
From a distance, they saw a figure, like a limping black donkey, making its way with difficulty through the snow.
As the person drew closer, they heard him speak,
"I am Elder Heiyi of Dongzi Mountain. I pay my respects to the Elder."
Upon hearing it was Elder Heiyi, the Elder hurried forward to greet him. They clasped hands tightly, their excitement palpable.
The Elder asked him,
"It's been many years, how have you been?"
Elder Heiyi's usually stern face softened.
His eyes, as he looked at the Elder, were filled with genuine emotion.
He said,
"A thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye. To see you again, Elder, is enough."
The Elder also said,
"After we parted that day, I thought we would never meet again. I never expected this day would come."
"Yes, it seems Heaven also pities our Ghost Charm clan, allowing us to personally end this."
"Yes, to end it all with our own hands."
As the two were caught in their emotions, they suddenly heard a long call from behind.
"I am Elder Wangu of Nanqi Mountain, specially here to meet you, Elder."
Hearing the voice, they all turned to look.
They saw a person approaching in tattered cloth, leaning on a walking stick, walking with some difficulty in the snow.
Yet, he pressed forward bravely. The Elder also called out to him from afar.
"Wangu, you've finally arrived."
Elder Wangu responded,
"Elder, I have arrived."
As he drew near, he also saw the Elder who had arrived first and couldn't help but laugh.
"Elder Heiyi, after a thousand years, you're still the same, unchanged."
Elder Heiyi also teased him,
"And you too, Old Gu. After all these years, you're still the same."
"Hahaha, if you haven't changed, how could I?"
Seeing that their conversation had reached a natural pause, Thirteen Niang and Lin'er stepped forward together, cupping their hands in greeting.
"Greetings, Elder Wangu, Elder Heiyi."
The two turned their heads and saw Thirteen Niang and Lin'er.
Elder Heiyi said,
"Thirteen Niang, we know each other, of course. But who is this young man?"
When they had parted ways, Lin'er had not yet been born, and for a thousand years, the various factions had had no contact, so they naturally didn't know who Lin'er was.
The Elder smiled slightly and introduced them,
"This is my nephew, named Lin'er. When we parted, he had not yet been born, and had never met you elders."
"So that's how it is. This young man looks quite intelligent. He will surely achieve great things in the future."
Elder Wangu observed Lin'er's face carefully, reaching this general conclusion.
Lin'er smiled shyly and humbly cupped his hands, saying,
"You flatter me, Elder. Compared to you, I know very little. If I am to become accomplished, it will likely be in some years to come."
Elder Heiyi stroked his beard and laughed heartily.
"A young hero, indeed. I have high hopes for you too."
Receiving such affirmation, Lin'er was overjoyed and quickly said,
"Since both elders think so highly of me, I will not disappoint your expectations and will become someone who can help our clan."
"Good, I believe you."
As if in a trance, they heard another call from behind.
"Elder Zhuliuyun of Ximen Mountain, I pay my respects to the Elder."
"Elder Mo Xuefu of Beifeng Mountain, I pay my respects to the Elder."
They all turned their heads in unison and saw two figures, supporting each other, approaching under the faint moonlight.
Thirteen Niang looked shocked and murmured to herself,
"I never expected Elder Zhuliuyun to actually come."
The group slowly stepped forward to greet the two.
Upon seeing them, the two were also filled with emotion, their hearts stirring with a touch of sadness.
Elder Zhuliuyun, upon seeing the Elder, was overcome with grief and choked out,
"Elder... I... I have arrived."
The Elder tightly grasped his hand and comforted him,
"You've worked hard all these years."
Mo Xuefu also said,
"Elder, it's been many years. How have you been?"
"Good, I've been well all along."
Saying this, the Elder took out the jade pendant from his embrace and returned it to Elder Zhuliuyun.
"This is yours, keep it safe."
Elder Zhuliuyun carefully took it, tucked it into his embrace, and turned his head slightly, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall.
Elder Wangu and Elder Heiyi also stepped forward to greet them.
"Brother Zhu, Brother Xue, it's been many years. Are you both well?"
Elder Mo Xuefu replied,
"I am well. We have lived peacefully all these years, but Brother Zhu has suffered much more than us."
Elder Zhuliuyun slowly calmed himself, turned his head, and showed a smiling face, saying,
"It's nothing much for me. Although the Four Cities are watching us, it's still peaceful, and they haven't done anything to us."
Thirteen Niang and Lin'er seized the opportunity and stepped forward together, saying,
"Thirteen Niang, Lin'er, greetings, Elder Zhuliuyun, Elder Mo Xuefu."
Elder Mo Xuefu and Elder Zhuliuyun also looked at them with confusion, not knowing who these young people were, and directly asked,
"And who is this?"
Elder Wangu kindly explained to them,
"This is the Elder's nephew, named Lin'er. When we parted, he had not yet been born."
"So he is the Elder's nephew. He has a distinguished appearance and looks intelligent."
"We also find this child intelligent. He will surely be a capable person in the future."
"Indeed. Since we have all gathered, Elder, let us begin the council."
The Elder smiled mysteriously, his gaze full of intrigue as he looked ahead and said slowly,
"Let's wait a bit longer. Someone else has not yet arrived."
The group was bewildered and full of questions.
Elder Zhuliuyun curiously asked,
"Besides us, is there anyone else?"
The Elder said,
"You'll know when they arrive. Our operation this time cannot proceed without them."
"Who could be so important?"
The group remained confused, unable to guess who else could be so crucial.
Since the Elder had spoken, they did not dare to inquire further and could only wait patiently.
After waiting for a while, they suddenly saw two white figures, appearing and disappearing in the hazy moonlight, approaching rapidly.
As the two drew closer, they both cupped their hands and said,
"Xue Gucheng, Yan Wushuang, greetings to the Elder and everyone else."
The group looked on in a daze. The two were dressed in white, and their faces were covered with white masks, causing some suspicion about their origins.
Upon seeing the arrivals, the Elder was overjoyed and introduced them to everyone.
"These two are the renowned Twin Devils of the Snow Blade. This is Yan Wushuang, and this is Xue Gucheng."
Upon hearing their titles, everyone was astonished. The Twin Devils of the Snow Blade were famous, known to all as righteous and chivalrous heroes.
While this might be an honor to others, it was not necessarily a good thing for the Ghost Charm clan.
Seeing the suspicion on everyone's faces, the Elder explained to them,
"These two are our allied brothers, here to help with the rescue. Both heroes are unparalleled in righteousness, so there is no need for suspicion."
Hearing this, the others finally relaxed. Since they were people the Elder trusted, there was no reason for doubt.
Thus, they cupped their hands in greeting, and the Twin Devils of the Snow Blade returned the gesture.
The Elder then introduced the people behind him to the Twin Devils of the Snow Blade.
"This is Elder Wangu of Nanqi Mountain, and this is Elder Mo Xuefu of Beifeng Mountain.
This is Elder Heiyi of Dongzi Mountain, and this is Elder Zhuliuyun of Ximen Mountain.
The two behind me are Thirteen Niang and my nephew, Lin'er."
After hearing this, Xue Gucheng and Yan Wushuang bowed to everyone again.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, the Elder said,
"Since everyone is here, we shall not delay. Let us begin today's council."
With that, the Elder took out a jade whistle and blew a long, clear note into the air.
As if summoned, the Wanxue Spider emerged from the snow and came before them, then turned and walked behind.
The Elder called out,
"Everyone follow the Wanxue Spider, and it will lead us to tonight's meeting place."
The Wanxue Spider led them through twists and turns into a snow cave. The cave was naturally formed, smooth, and bright.
Looking up, they saw a small opening at the top, from which the moonlight drifted down.
In the center of the snow cave was a large, square block of ice, half a foot high and a zhang wide.
The Elder walked over and struck it forcefully. The cave trembled slightly, and suddenly, several ice chairs rose from the ground around the ice block.
With a wave of his hand over the smooth ice, a vivid, three-dimensional map of the snowscape appeared.
This was a marvel of miniature holographic projection.
Everyone took their seats in turn and began their discussion.
The Elder spoke first,
"I have summoned everyone here today for one purpose: to discuss how to rescue the young girl, Liu Muye.
As far as I know, she is imprisoned in the Wuji Abyss within Qianmen Cave to the west.
This Wuji Abyss was constructed a thousand years ago by the enemy leader of the Xizi Kingdom as a bottomless prison.
Now, it is used by the Four Cities, who have deployed large numbers of elite soldiers to guard Qianmen Cave, making it difficult to approach.
Let us devise a foolproof plan to rescue her."
Xue Gucheng thought for a moment. He had some knowledge of Qianmen Cave. Since he had agreed to participate in the rescue, he would share all he knew.
He said,
"I know of Qianmen Cave. It was originally the place of quiet cultivation for Liu Wu, the uncle of Liu Shinian.
Later, Liu Wu was summoned back by the City Lord of Nanhai City, and he converted the place into a prison."
The Elder immediately understood the implication in Xue Gucheng's words and asked him,
"Are you saying that Liu Wu knows how to break the Wuji Abyss?"
"Yes, but after he returned to Nanhai City, he disappeared without a trace. We don't know where he went."
"Good. Since we know there's a way to break it, we can send people to find his whereabouts later. Let's discuss how to enter Qianmen Cave."
Regarding this matter, Elder Zhuliuyun had considerable experience. He said,
"When I was coming, I learned from Brother Mo's scouts that Qianmen Cave is guarded by a total of 360 elite soldiers.
The general guarding Qianmen Cave is the foremost warrior of Nanhai City, General Zuomen."
The Elder had also heard of Zuomen's bravery. He was a formidable warrior, unbreakable by a thousand men and capable of blocking ten thousand. With him guarding the place, it would indeed be difficult to get in.
The Elder sighed, as if facing a monumental challenge. He analyzed,
"This is indeed difficult. I've heard that Zuomen is skilled with weapons and is a brave man.
If we were to charge in, we likely wouldn't gain any advantage."
At this point, Yan Wushuang had an idea and voiced it.
"Before my master retired, he sparred with Zuomen. My master once said that although Zuomen is a brave man, he is extremely fond of women. He is not to be trifled with.
I believe that if we can exploit his weakness for women, it will be the key to entering Qianmen Cave."
Hearing this, the Elder's spirits immediately lifted. He hadn't expected such a difficult problem to have such a simple breakthrough.