No gruesome deaths or mutilated corpses had been reported at Fulao Mountain, so it was not regarded as a dangerous location.

It did take a while for Song Heqing to convince Su Zemin to allow them to travel there, but eventually the softhearted old guy gave in with the warning that Song Heqing had to get his cultivation back on track once they returned. The only downside was that an unwelcome interloper was also coming along...Cui Luoyang. He said it sounded like an interesting place (which was why he mentioned it to Song Heqing in the first place), and Su Zemin also noted that it was better to bring him along just to be safe.

So alas, Song Heqing had no choice but to accept it.

The journey would take five days by sword flight.

Song Heqing used the opportunities he had in these days to his utmost. He could reserve inn rooms so that Qin Yan and he were together, leaving Cui Luoyang on his own. And it was in privacy that Song Heqing began his fiendish plans of enticing Qin Yan…‘fiendish plans’ as in, insisting on brushing Qin Yan’s hair, subtly having him sit closer to him at dinner, holding his hand…once he was even able to have Qin Yan cuddle with him. His happiness was infinite...

On the other hand, Qin Yan was currently like a tourist who had gone from England to Africa. He’d gotten used to Eagle Sect after living there for months, now he was introduced to new sights again. He was a bit twitchy in a way he could not control, and at certain points he unintentionally relied on Song Heqing to put him at ease.

So, while it could not be said the two made great progress in their relationship while traveling, there had been slight improvements. For one, Song Heqing would now hold Qin Yan's hand without asking!

Such a milestone.

They finally reached Feng city, the nearest location to Fulao Mountain. The three of them were walking along the main street, and Qin Yan couldn’t help but stare at the mountain in the distance. It was gigantic, dark green with forest, and covered in a hazy fog.

“So we can’t fly up there?” he puzzled. This seemed to be the case, but he just couldn't understand why.

“If it were any other mountain we could," Cui Luoyang replied. "That fog floats on the tree canopy day and night. It can’t be cleared away with Qi, and any who attempt to fly through it will end up back down the mountain because of a disorientation array. No one knows what creature is keeping the array active...or how many have disappeared so far.”

“But Master Su said it was safe.”

Cui Luoyang had an ominous tone, “You never know for certain in these wild places…”

Qin Yan knew Cui Luoyang was tricking him again, but still unconsciously tightened his grip on Starlight on Obsidian. Paranoid eggplant was ready for danger, too. No matter what he would protect Song Heqing!

Song Heqing flashed Cui Luoyang an icy glare.

“Don’t speak nonsense. There are pathways without fog, so it’s possible to navigate. The mountain lord’s goal is surely to prevent resources on the mountain from being drained. Thus, it only allows cultivators to come and go in a regulated manner.”

Qin Yan relaxed again. He thought that this sort of resource management was probably necessary. After all, all the natural habitats were shrinking into nothing in his human-dominated modern world.

The fog became even denser towards the base of the mountain. Before it looked like a dim haze, now it was like a cream soup covering all the fir trees and rocks. Even though the wind was blowing, it remained unmoved.

Cui Luoyang grinned eerily. “It’s suspicious.”

Qin Yan also was lost in thought as he stared at it, until a blackish shape flashed in the corner of his eye. He lunged over to the nearest alleyway where he saw it, concerned that it was System S.

A nearby child squealed at the burst of movement and ran off, and a few people whispered with concern.

What had caught Qin Yan’s attention was a centipede of regular size, about four inches. Nevertheless he gave a small hiss, thinking about killing it.

Song Heqing held his shoulder. “Calm down. It’s merely a small insect.”

“Hm…” Qin Yan had to agree. He felt Song Heqing grabbing his hand again and was pulled back onto the pathway.

“Sheesh,” said Cui Luoyang, “I almost thought there was a ghost. Little Qin, you're jumpy. Like a guard dog or something. Ahahaha…a guarding eggplant!”

Song Heqing really wanted to clobber this senior brother of his, but just uttered, “Quiet,” with coldness.

The entrance to the mystical Fulao mountain was well-constructed. There was a tall red gateway with paper charms¹ and chimes² ringing, the eerie fog beginning directly behind it. At least four street peddlers stood at either side of the path. They zealously described the treasures on the mountain and why it was a must-stop destination for any traveling cultivator.

“Hey hey! Young Lord.”

An old man with a wart on his cheek had called out to Qin Yan specifically. This was the first time anyone called him a ‘young lord’, so it caught his attention.

The man rubbed his hands together.

“Young Lord, you and your traveling companions are planning a hike up Fulao mountain, right?”

Qin Yan nodded.

“There’s plenty to see up there that’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime sight to behold. With my map, utmost accuracy I assure, you won’t miss seeing the agnatha blossoms, fog lake, or bartering crows!”

Qin Yan just squinted his eyes. Did they want to see those? But they all sounded kind of amazing. He wanted to get to the essence spring, but he also thought that a tiny bit of sightseeing could be forgiven. Maybe.

Song Heqing stated, “No need. We do not intend to visit those spots.”

Oh, maybe not.

“Wait a second…” Cui Luoyang interrupted, “what about the bartering crows? I hear they steal the wealthy’s jewelry, then keep talking about who did the most work and who gets to keep it. I’ve always wanted to see that.”

The man nodded eagerly,  “You’ve good taste. I’ve heard tales as well, and not only do they barter without pause, they’ve also stored the goods in the hollow trees surrounding them.”

Cui Luoyang took out his money pouch. “How much?”

The street seller wrinkled out a paper from the small stack in his hands. “Three silvers, just enough to cover the cost of ink.”

“Huh…” Cui Luoyang forked it over.

The price was high for commoners, nothing for cultivators. If these peddlers could sell even one they would be set for necessities for the next week. Qin Yan peeked at the map and thought it looked sloppy, perhaps because he was used to modern Gaagle maps and GPS.

Song Heqing stepped with Qin Yan towards the gateway, disinterested.

“Senior Cui, if you want to see it, go by yourself.”

“Don’t be a spoilsport…”

Cui Luoyang passed the map to Qin Yan. Now he could read the vague (30% could be a scam) map in detail. It looked like the old ink drawn ones that belong at a museum. How could the paths be so out of scale? Why were there clouds when they’re irrelevant?

"Isn’t this the first time Qin Yan’s been out of the sect in ages?" Cui Luoyang persisted. "If you drag him to the destination and back, maybe he’ll be bored with you.” 

Song Heqing gripped Qin Yan's hand tighter. “Getting to the spring comes first.”

Qin Yan glanced between the two. Invisible sparks seemed to clash.

As they passed through the gate, an ascending set of stairs greeted them. Only three steps up, the fog covered the stairs and surrounding forest grounds to the point that nothing else could be seen. When Qin Yan looked behind himself, the stairway below was also submerged. There was no bright red gate in sight, even the sound of chimes and merchants bickering had disappeared.

There was only the wind, faint and like a groan.

Side paths often appeared. They were all made of dirt, weedy and thin, and there was an odd sense of foreboding when Qin Yan thought of stepping onto one. He told himself to calm down. This definitely isn't like a horror movie setting where they get separated one by one. Eventually, a single wind chime with the word 'flower' painted on it was tied to a branch at the start of a side path, tinkling softly. Qin Yan lifted the map, then paused.

“I think the agnatha blossoms are at this turn.”

Cui Luoyang had a honeyed tone. “Agnatha symbolizes loyalty and eternity. If I give them to my Dao companion, they’ll never be able to forget it.”

Song Heqing frowned but hesitated to rebuke him, instead speaking in private to Qin Yan.

“Do you...want to go?”

Qin Yan furrowed his brow. Was this a trick question to pick a side between Song Heqing and Cui Luoyang?! But Song Heqing seemed to be asking in genuine. They were flowers, so that was sort of inappropriate³Ch 'eggplant lore'. On the other hand, no matter what you'd see flowers everywhere, and he was sort of curious...

Qin Yan averted his gaze. “…I don’t mind going...”

Song Heqing strode towards path with a faint smile. “It’s on the way. We can stop briefly.”

Qin Yan brightened as he followed behind him.

The three were now forced to walk single file, and Qin Yan saw that the path entrance had already disappeared from fog. 

He couldn’t help but ask, “I wonder how people end up back down the mountain?”

“Now this is an interesting topic!” Cui Luoyang praised. “As you can see, the trail here twists around, it’s easier to be disorientated as to which direction we’re going. But I don’t see how, for example, this path could lead some people to flowers and others back down the mountain. There are those who get sent down repeatedly and give up. Heh…”

“So what if that happens to us?”

Song Heqing said, “We only want access to the wood essence spring and will not cause any harm, so there is no reason to prevent us from doing so.”

Hm. Qin Yan wondered if the spring would be even tastier than the rocks. If so, he wasn’t sure what kind of enlightened bliss he would get when he tried it. His stomach felt empty and he swallowed unconsciously.

Song Heqing gave Qin Yan a rare warning look.

“One mustn’t carelessly absorb the raw energy at too fast a rate, or their spiritual veins will be overwhelmed. It can cause serious damage.”

“Oh.” 

“So, you must not directly consume the spring’s energy. A few drops can be diluted, then consumed.”

Qin Yan gave a vague assent. 

Cui Luoyang said, “Look.”

The path opened up ahead. Shimmers of iridescent purple flickered through gaps in the fog and underbrush. As they stepped into a clearing, hundreds of agnatha blossoms swayed in the breeze, wisps of fog lifting away to allow sunlight into the meadow. The flowers most closely resembled gentians⁴, growing in thick clumps throughout the area, and the bell-shaped flowers went down along the stems.

It was a breathtaking scene.

But Qin Yan was conflicted. Should he look or not?! Would it be counted as leering...it was really lovely though.

After a quiet moment between the three of them, Cui Luoyang remarked, “They don’t have much use, so that’s why no one bothers to dig them up…but are they supposed to be in bloom this time of year?”

“No,” said Song Heqing. His eyes were slightly widened as he stared at the scene.

Did he…like those flowers? Song Heqing could appreciate them, but he didn't have too look THAT charmed, did he? Qin Yan felt a vague irk in his heart despite himself, at least until something else distracted him. 

Heavens…is that purple color natural?

There was an unfamiliar voice right beside Qin Yan. He jumped a little and swiveled his head. “Who said that?”

Us, of course. Who else is there?

Song Heqing and Cui Luoyang clearly didn’t hear it.

Qin Yan tentatively asked, “Flowers, er, agnathas? Is that you I’m speaking to?” 

Silly childe! Of course.

Say, what kind of plant-beast are you?

“E-eggplant…”

I have never heard of such a title.

Nor I.

Certainly tis a dumb-sounding name.

Do not say it like that, how rude.

Qin Yan felt his head buzzing and shook it. Each and every individual agnatha was a plant-beast, and they were all trying to talk to him at once. He felt crushed by social pressure and his thoughts turned incoherent.

Song Heqing could tell something was off. “Qin Yan?”