"Where exactly is that passage hidden?"
Yes… where could the passage be?
Mu Jialing unconsciously echoed the woman's voice resonating in his sea of consciousness.
Yu Zhenyan, having steadied her breathing, glanced at Mu Jialing sitting with his eyes shut in deep thought. She turned her gaze toward the Divine Tree Jianmu, her brows locked tightly together.
"Pei Xianqiao, Yao Ranran… as long as I walk out of here alive, you two will never live in peace again!"
"Perhaps no one would pay attention to the place where Master Yan keeps the household records, since everyone is allowed to enter there. But the entrance to the Jianmu lies right there!"
Inside the alchemy chamber, Yao Ranran swayed her bare feet, lips curling upward.
Inside this Yan Fortress, she was probably the very first outsider to discover Jianmu's secret.
…
"Yu Daoyou, this time I am certain. The entrance lies where Master Yan keeps the household registry."
Mu Jialing's gaze was calm, yet beneath it lingered sorrow. Pushing away from the doorframe, he trudged with difficulty toward the inner room.
Yu Zhenyan hesitated for just a moment before transforming into a streak of light, darting inside ahead of him.
Piles upon piles of thin record books stacked together. Mu Jialing coughed out the blood that had been clogging his chest and fixed his clear, quiet eyes upon this place.
"Yu Daoyou… this is it."
His voice suddenly carried weight, as if bearing the full pressure that had descended on Yan Fortress these past days.
Yet within his tone was also a thread of release, almost like relief.
Yu Zhenyan's heart jolted. This time… they couldn't be wrong!
The Fire Sun Fan swept up searing red waves, flinging piles of records into the air. Like the first heavy snow of early winter, they fluttered and fell, and in the midst of it all, a dark opening revealed itself in their pupils, each reflecting a different shade of light.
"Fó-Fózǐ… we've found it. But once we enter, how will we deal with Master Mingzhi?"
Though the entrance was right before her, Yu Zhenyan's heart wavered with retreat.
That true Buddha was far too powerful. Mu Jialing could never stand against him, and what chance did she have?
Yu Zhenyan silently stepped back.
Mu Jialing, though long aware, remained steady and composed. "Amitabha. Within the Jianmu lies a heart. If we can find it… Master Mingzhi will suffer, if not fall."
Yu Zhenyan's eyes widened in shock. A heart?
How could the Fózǐ know such a thing?
"Yu Daoyou, there is no time…" Mu Jialing's eyes carried a flicker of apology.
Apology for letting his unsettled Buddha-heart be swayed by impatience, delaying them.
Apology for secretly eavesdropping on the thoughts of Fairy Ranran, breaking a monk's discipline.
So be it. He would accept the Buddha's punishment later, so long as they could survive today.
The prayer beads in his hand shone with a warm golden light. One hundred and eight beads crumbled silently into dust, each mote of golden brilliance flowing into his body. In an instant, the gaping wound across his chest knit shut, his lips regaining a trace of color.
"Yu Daoyou, I will keep everyone safe."
His clear voice rang beside her ear. Yu Zhenyan pressed her doubts deep down and followed Mu Jialing's golden radiance into the dark passage.
…
"These Jianmu passages are more intricate than they look!"
Yao Ranran studied the scroll, matching each pathway drawn against the roads she herself had once walked.
She nodded repeatedly. "That's right! Grandpa Yang recorded them in detail. He must have feared his old memory would falter, so he drew this.
In truth, if Grandpa Yang often wandered around Yan Fortress visiting relatives, he would know the surface passageways of Jianmu were carved from a single mold. Yet hidden within are mysteries. The meridian-like lines etched into the walls actually mirror the layout of every household in the fortress.
"From each brick and tile to bowls and pots, no matter how the people of Yan Fortress moved their belongings, they always returned them to the exact place they belonged.
And beneath it all, Jianmu's passages follow the same principle. Every minute vein corresponds exactly to the arrangements inside each household courtyard.
As long as one understands the basic layout of each home, they can move freely within the Jianmu.
The one behind this was indeed thoughtful. I wonder if Elder Shang, who stayed in the ring, ever noticed these things? If he never found the master's heart, Pei Xianqiao couldn't kill him so easily either!"
Yao Ranran turned the pages absently.
Elder Yang refined living people. The people worshipped the Buddha statue. The so-called true Buddha took their fleshly pills and placed them in the ancient wells or fresh fruits.
They drank and ate the flesh of their companions, bore healthy children like livestock. Any child born without a spiritual root was cast into the Jianmu. Some became pills, others twisted into evil beings…
Beyond the towering red walls lurked horrors. Evil creatures. Yet they were once the families of Yan Fortress.
…
Mu Jialing quietly listened to the woman's heart-voice while treading carefully down the long, narrow corridor. His steps were steady, not fast, but never hesitant.
In the darkness, Yu Zhenyan followed closely. Her steps seemed casual, yet her brows grew ever tighter.
This Fózǐ… walking blind, yet his footing was precise and light. What ability was this?
She, Yu Zhenyan, was born noble and had seen countless secret arts across the land. Though not versed in every technique, she had at least heard of most ocular arts.
But she had never encountered a method like this.
Mu Jialing's body carried no ripple of spiritual power, his eyes remained closed, his whole presence as calm as a mortal's.
What kind of eye art functioned like this?
Yu Zhenyan was startled, and her gaze upon the Fózǐ rose higher in regard.
For his status, he was indeed qualified to be her equal, even her partner.
…
Would Master Mingzhi place his heart at the center of Jianmu?
Mu Jialing guided her unhurriedly forward, uncertainty still flickering within. In his mind, the safest place for such a thing was always closest to oneself.
Thus, he chose to lead Yu Zhenyan deeper, toward the roots of Jianmu.
…
"That master's heart would never be so easily found. But Grandpa Yang was meticulous. He recorded every path he walked. Only two places remained untouched. This means the master's heart is most likely hidden in one of those two."
Yao Ranran's chest swelled with excitement.
That old man actually left such a crucial record!
If Elder Shang hadn't run so quickly, if he'd just finished reading this scroll, he might have found that heart already.
Yao Ranran recalled the moment Elder Shang had ruthlessly wiped her memories… He hadn't even seen this. And then he ran so fast. Did he even know the path below?
She shook her head, no longer thinking of it, and finished the scroll in full.
…
"This Elder Shang. Fairy Ranran had mentioned him more than once.
The ring. Pei Daoyou. What connection did they have with this mysterious man?"
Mu Jialing's face remained serene as still water, but inwardly he engraved this unseen figure into memory. His steps turned slightly southeast.
If not for Fairy Ranran's aid, he and the others would already be dead here.
Yu Zhenyan followed with quiet astonishment.
…
"There are only two places. Beyond the red walls… or within Jianmu itself."
Yao Ranran closed the scroll and lifted her gaze toward the faint light above.
Beyond the red walls lay nothing but evil.
Yet that master… was no righteous being either.