16. Bookworm, don't you dare underestimate me, Hui Yue'er.

By noon, they had reached Crane Spirit Mountain.

They soon arrived at the highest peak, but the mountain was still shrouded in dense fog, and visibility was extremely poor. Even if someone stood directly in front of them, they might not be able to make out the person’s features. Standing there, they felt as though they were floating among the clouds, suspended between heaven and earth.

Only after they reached the summit did Zhao Chengxian set Hui Yue’er down. They stood amid the vast white mist when someone suddenly patted them on the shoulders. Turning around, they saw Feishu dressed in black.

Zhao Chengxian thought for a moment before saying, “With the fog this thick, finding anyone will be extremely difficult. We should wait. I heard that this place only clears at precisely noon.”

It was already just past midday.

Impatient by nature, Feishu said irritably, “Why don’t we look around? Perhaps we can find them before noon proper!”

Finding anything in that endless white fog was nearly impossible. Besides, none of them knew the terrain. There could be cracks or ravines hidden beneath the mist. Was Feishu truly going to wait until he fell into one before regretting it?

Zhao Chengxian had just opened his mouth to stop him when Feishu had already walked away.

What an unruly subordinate.

Knowing full well that Feishu would never obediently follow his orders, Zhao Chengxian hurried after him. He had promised Xuanyuan Ren that he would take good care of Feishu. If anything happened to Feishu, he would have no way to answer to Xuanyuan Ren.

Hui Yue’er had no choice but to follow them. In a place like this, becoming separated meant they would never find one another again.

The three of them walked through the mist for quite some time, yet found no trace of anyone’s presence. Suddenly, Feishu, who was walking ahead, plunged over a cliff. Hui Yue’er and Zhao Chengxian heard only Feishu’s cry of, “Ah!”

They rushed forward and tried to seize him, but not only did they fail to pull Feishu back—they were dragged over the cliff as well.

Zhao Chengxian clutched the untrained Hui Yue’er tightly. As they plummeted downward, he quickly searched for footholds to break their fall. With his lightness skills, they could land without suffering the slightest injury.

At the same time, he tried to reassure her. “Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine!”

He had forgotten that if this truly was Hui Yue’er, she would never be frightened. After all, she had already endured countless brushes with death.

Hui Yue’er nodded and smiled. “Bookworm, don’t underestimate me!”

The words escaped her instinctively. Only after saying them did she realize what she had done. She cast a timid glance at Zhao Chengxian, but his expression had not changed. She assumed that the wind was too loud and that, being completely focused on finding footholds, he had not heard her.

She felt somewhat relieved, yet also a little disappointed. Deep down, she had hoped he would hear her.

Had Zhao Chengxian truly not heard?

The corners of his mouth curved into a sincere smile.

Perhaps this was what it meant for true feelings to reveal themselves in times of adversity.

They landed safely at the bottom of the cliff. To their surprise, they found a paradise hidden from the world below: a hundred acres of fertile farmland covered in all kinds of flowers and herbs. At the center of the flower fields stood more than a dozen stone houses, each of them rather unusual in appearance.

Hui Yue’er, Zhao Chengxian, and Feishu, who had reached the bottom ahead of them, decided to enter the stone houses and investigate.

They exchanged a glance, then, as though moved by the same thought, set off along a narrow path through the flower fields toward the houses.

Once inside the stone village, they found that although every household’s door stood open, no one was home. Hui Yue’er and the others entered one of the houses at random.

This was clearly not an ordinary farming household. There were no agricultural products inside, only dried flowers and herbs, along with bottles and jars of various sizes.

Curious, Feishu opened one of the small bottles to take a look. Inside was a red powder that resembled pigment. He smelled it and detected the fragrance of flowers.

He turned to Hui Yue’er and Zhao Chengxian. “This may be the place we’ve been looking for!”

Then he handed the little bottle to Zhao Chengxian.

Zhao Chengxian opened it and examined the contents. He discovered that the red powder was precisely the pigment used in the painting inside Phoenix Abode Hall. He nodded.

“That’s right. It seems this is where the Crane Immortal and his disciples lived.”

He could now be certain that this matter was connected to the Crane Immortal’s disciples and their descendants. Otherwise, why would this place contain the very same pigment?

Hui Yue’er laughed and called out, “Now I finally understand why they said we could only find the Crane Immortal on Crane Spirit Mountain at noon! They must wait for the sunlight at midday to drive away the dense fog before going up the mountain. The rest of the time, they stay here studying pigments!”

There had to be a path leading up the mountain. Alternatively, everyone living here might be a master of lightness skills. Either way, there was no doubt that this stone village was the Crane Immortal’s headquarters.

They would return sooner or later.

All Hui Yue’er and the others had to do was wait here.

They had finally found the Crane Immortal’s home.