He counted the stars as he trudged along the winding hillside.
The reason Lin Mo chose to climb the mountain at night was because he received a note before going to sleep.
The handwriting on the note looked very much like Zhao Zhilan's, and it said that he should go up the mountain at night.
Along the way, pine, fir and elm trees grow interspersed, with lush branches and leaves.
During his childhood on Earth, Lin Mo's grandfather taught him about astrology: he knew the names of the twelve zodiac signs and the ruling star of each sign.
He walked step by step, as if traversing a mysterious labyrinth woven from stone pillars and stalagmites. Gradually, he found himself at the entrance to a dark, unlit cave.
"Am I... lost?" A strange anxiety welled up in Lin Mo's heart. He couldn't help but think, "How could she be here?"
Just as Lin Mo's mind was in turmoil, a clear, crisp laugh suddenly reached his ears. The sound was like a clear spring splashing on a stone, melodious and pleasant, yet carrying a hint of eeriness.
He immediately followed the sound, but after only ten steps, he found himself in a dead end. A wall made of rose-colored and white marble, cold and hard, blocked his way.
Lin Mo turned around in confusion and retraced his steps. He walked and pondered, trying to find a clue. Halfway through, he suddenly discovered a dark hole hidden beneath a protruding, damp rock.
He crouched down, leaned closer to the cave entrance, and listened carefully. Faintly, he heard the sound of water. "Zhao Yue'er?"
"I'm here." Zhao Yue'er's voice echoed in the cave, with a slight echo.
Lin Mo carefully crawled forward, each step landing on the slippery rocks, afraid of falling if he wasn't careful. After crawling for more than ten steps, he finally came to a relatively open space.
When he stood up again, the scene before him made him feel somewhat dazed; his eyes needed a while to adjust to the dim and mysterious environment. Only the torch in Zhao Yue'er's hand burned in the cave, emitting a faint but determined light that illuminated the surrounding darkness.
She stood beside a small waterfall, the water cascading down from a crevice in the rocks with a gentle murmur. The waterfall flowed into a wide, deep, dark pool, resembling a mysterious lake.
The firelight danced on the water's surface, casting orange and yellow shadows that contrasted sharply with the pale green water.
"You were looking for me?" Lin Mo asked her.
“Yes!” Zhao Yue’er replied.
"Then why would you choose such a place?" Lin Mo asked, puzzled. "This godforsaken place is so hard to find!"
“I didn’t initially plan to wait for you here,” Zhao Yue’er said. “But then I heard the sound of water and wanted to see how deep the cave really was.”
She pointed with her torch, "Look, there seems to be another passage over there. I walked along it for a hundred steps and then turned back."
"Have we reached the end?"
“How could that be!” Zhao Yue’er shook her head. “This cave goes deeper and deeper. Do you know that there are thousands of caves hidden beneath this mountain range? They’re like a huge maze, intertwined and interconnected, and might even lead to your mortal realm!”
"The mortal realm? How is that possible!" Lin Mo sneered.
At the same time, he couldn't help but think, "You're not Zhao Zhilan? Otherwise, why would you speak to me like that?"
"Are you really unaware of this?" Zhao Yue'er's words revealed a hint of surprise and curiosity. "Three hundred years ago, there was a servant of the gods who grew tired of the monotonous and tedious life day after day and harbored rebellious thoughts, so he decided to betray his master."
He and his companions passed through these caves, unbeknownst to the servants of the gods.
"And then what happened?" Lin Mo asked eagerly. "What happened to them? Did they manage to escape the Holy City?"
If they manage to escape, it means I can... escape too!
"We were besieged by warriors from the mortal realm and went through a great battle!" Zhao Yue'er said. "Although the servants of the gods are powerful, once they leave the Holy City and the far north, their power will be stripped away, making them no different from the warriors of the mortal realm."
Despite losing the power bestowed upon him by his master, the divine servant still managed to kill the enemy's commander through his own strength.
But the son of that general in the realm picked up his father's flag, put on his father's helmet, and turned on him, cutting him down.
The severely wounded divine servant fought his way out of the enemy ranks and led his troops back north. Mortal warriors followed closely behind, but failed to catch up. Unfortunately, on his return journey, he took the wrong turn.
She swayed the torch back and forth, and the shadows moved and shifted with it. "Then he went deeper and deeper, and when he tried to return the way he came, all he saw was a solid rock, as if swallowed by endless darkness, and he could not even find the shadow of the sky."
Soon the torches in his hands began to go out, one after another, until finally only darkness remained.
"Holy crap, what the hell are you trying to imply by telling me all this?" Lin Mo couldn't help but wonder. "I feel like you're trying to trick me..."
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