Bloodkiller - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Hidden Paradise

“What do you think?” Lin Yi asked after a moment of silence.

Yao Chuan sighed deeply, gripping the note tightly in his hand, but his voice was resolute: “We’ve come this far. How could I not go and see for myself? But how can we hide it from Brother Ye?”

Lin Yi, sitting on the bedside and resting his chin on his palm, chuckled. “That’s the least of your worries. If he’s got something to hide, then he’ll be too distracted to watch us now. After being injured by you, Prince Huai will surely hold a grudge. If he didn’t act last night, he will today… Hmph. Just the fighters in his manor alone are enough to give Ye Xiangming a hard time.”

Yao Chuan frowned. “Though I suspect Xiangming, I don’t have any concrete evidence. If we’ve misjudged and harmed an innocent man…”

Lin Yi scowled inwardly—what a stubborn mule—but he knew Yao Chuan’s nature well, so he offered comfort: “Do you remember what I told you yesterday? Prince Huai only wants two people dead—one is you, the other is the mastermind behind all this. If Ye Xiangming is uninvolved, why would Prince Huai make a move against him? You can rest easy.”

Though he said this aloud, his thoughts were more selfish: If that old prick really vents his anger on Ye Xiangming, that has nothing to do with me.

Yao Chuan’s expression eased slightly. “Still, I can’t risk Yun’s safety. Before going to Mount Jiyun, I must make sure she’s properly protected.”

Annoyed, Lin Yi said quickly, “I’ve already arranged for my sister Ying to protect her in secret. Don’t worry. If you act rashly now, you’ll alert our enemies and put her in even greater danger.”

Yao Chuan considered his words and realized he hadn’t seen Lin Ying in some time—perhaps she had been sent on this errand. Gratitude and admiration for Lin Yi’s careful planning warmed his heart.

Had he thought more carefully, he might have questioned: how could Lin Yi have known in advance that Fang Ruyun would come to Qingzhou? He’d barely left her side since her arrival—when exactly did he give that order? It was clearly a lie.

Lin Yi exhaled in relief, seeing Yao Chuan buy the story. In truth, Lin Ying had been sent to Bianjing the day before—she was long gone. But he comforted himself: At least I didn’t lie about everything. Ye Xiangming’s obsession with Ruyun runs deep—if you try to take her away now, he may reveal his hand too early, and then we all lose.

The two quickly packed and set out. Yao Chuan left a brief note in their quarters, saying he had urgent business and would return in two days. Then they headed off toward Mount Jiyun.

—

Outside the city, two fine horses galloped across the fields, their riders side by side, no more than an arm’s length apart. After some time, the rider on the left pulled on the reins and asked, “Mount Jiyun isn’t far from the city center. We’ve ridden for a while—why haven’t we reached it yet?”

The man in white on the right reined in as well and smiled. “You wouldn’t know this, but Mount Jiyun isn’t a single peak—it’s three mountains side by side. The one in the center is taller than the others, so from afar it looks like a stretch of clouds at the horizon—that’s how it got its name.”

Yao Chuan nodded in realization. “I thought it meant a peak that reaches the clouds.”

Lin Yi chuckled and patted his horse. “Names are given by those who come after. If they weren’t trying to be poetic, it could’ve just been ‘Three-Finger Mountain’ or ‘Rocky Hill.’ Look over there—see that stretch of dark green? That’s Mount Jiyun.”

Following his gaze, Yao Chuan saw three connected peaks not far away, though they were lower than he’d expected. He smiled broadly. “All the better. We should be there before noon.”

With a shared smile, the two spurred their horses forward and rode on in silence.

Half an hour later, they reached the foot of the mountain. While not tall, it covered a vast area—it would take tens of li just to circle its base.

Yao Chuan tied the horses to a large tree and climbed it to get a better view. Lin Yi, resting below, sipped from a water pouch they’d brought along in haste.

When Yao Chuan dropped down, Lin Yi handed him the pouch. “Any luck?”

“Still too far to tell,” Yao Chuan replied after a sip. “But since the clue mentioned the back cliffs, we’ll need to reach the summit.”

Lin Yi frowned. “You may be strong, but we’re unfamiliar with the terrain and poorly supplied. Climbing blindly is risky.”

Yao Chuan nodded—Lin Yi had a point, especially since his leg was still healing. “I saw some smoke nearby. Likely a hunter’s house. Let’s ask for directions first.”

Lin Yi agreed but warned, “Be cautious. Could be another ambush.”

Yao Chuan laughed, then scooped Lin Yi up by the waist and leaped toward the source of the smoke.

Soon, they reached a rustic home and knocked. A gruff hunter answered, suspicious at first but calmed by Yao Chuan’s respectful tone. He pointed them toward the central peak’s northern slope, warning them of wolves and steep cliffs.

When Lin Yi asked about a legendary “Stonefall Waterfall” on the back cliff, the hunter scoffed—he’d lived there over twenty years and had never seen such a thing. “It’s just a bunch of rocks and some caves. No waterfall!”

The two men perked up at the word caves. They asked more, but the hunter grew impatient and warned them not to go up the southern slope, which was dangerous.

After getting enough information, they tried to offer him silver, but the man refused gruffly and slammed the door shut.

As they walked away, the hunter muttered, “Strange… This mountain’s usually empty, but today two people show up asking questions?”

Now knowing the location, the two circled around the mountain and began their ascent from the south, where the cliffs were steeper but time was short.

Yao Chuan offered to carry Lin Yi again, worried about his leg, but Lin Yi snapped, “I’m injured, not useless. You go ahead—I’ll follow.”

Yao Chuan smiled, took Lin Yi’s baggage, and climbed ahead, slowing his pace now and then to check behind. The terrain was tough, but their skills carried them to the summit within the hour.

Near the top, they spotted a camouflaged cave hidden behind tree branches. Yao Chuan pointed it out. “That must be the place mentioned in the blade manual!”

Lin Yi grinned. “It was hard-earned, but we found it. What secret is so precious it had to be hidden here?”

Yao Chuan again carried Lin Yi across the rugged ground, hacked away vines at the cave entrance, and helped him inside.

The cave was surprisingly spacious—about eight feet across in either direction. Inside was pitch dark. Yao Chuan threw a stone into the depths—there was a distant plop and a faint echo.

Lin Yi clicked his tongue. “Looks dangerous… but the secret lies within. How could we turn back now?”

Yao Chuan ripped a strip from his clothing and tied one end to Lin Yi’s wrist, the other to his own. He handed him a fire starter. “Only two left. Use sparingly.”

Lin Yi laughed. “You came prepared. You must be confident.”

He lifted his hand, interlaced their fingers, and smiled. “Even without this, I wouldn’t let go of you.”

Yao Chuan flushed, pretending to be stern. “No jokes now. If your leg hurts, say so.”

With that, they entered the cave. Touching the damp walls, they followed the sound of running water deeper in. Yao Chuan slashed away snakes and insects with his blade. The water grew louder until it drowned out their voices.

Lin Yi yelled near his ear, “This must be a waterfall! I was bluffing earlier—but there really is one inside the mountain!”

Yao Chuan nodded. “But why would someone hide something here?”

As their fire burned out, Yao Chuan reached for his glowing pearl—but Lin Yi stopped him and pointed. “Look!”

A faint misty light filtered through a crack in the rock. They quickened their pace and soon reached a cliffside waterfall fed by a mountaintop spring. The crashing water formed a lake below, five or six zhang deep.

Lin Yi marveled, “So the main peak is split in two… No wonder we didn’t see this lake from the north side.”

Yao Chuan searched the area but found no clues. “Nothing here. Maybe we missed it earlier?”

Lin Yi said, “Have you checked behind the waterfall?”

Yao Chuan did so, braving the force of the water. Behind the rushing current, he felt etched characters on the rock. He called back, “There are words! But hard to read through the spray. Hand me my blade!”

Lin Yi passed the blade reluctantly. Yao Chuan used it to part the waterfall momentarily, just long enough to read:

“Only in despair beneath the sky,
May Heaven’s secret pass your eye.”

He turned to Lin Yi, excited. “It’s true. This is the place.”

The sound of the waterfall thundered louder, as if affirming his discovery.