Chapter 1335 - 1011: Skytop Mountain

A drop of cold sweat slid down from Lu Xiao’s forehead.

Back when they were still in the Shen Mansion, when Shang Ruyi told her she was coming to relieve the siege of Xiazhou, she had already found it strange—especially after setting out and seeing that the entourage consisted of only this small number of men and horses, her puzzlement only deepened. The crisis in Xiazhou was a military peril; if she wanted to defuse it, she could only do so by striking the Western Turks attacking Xiazhou. Yet as they neared Sui State, Shang Ruyi suddenly, half intentionally and half casually in her words, brought up Zuo Heng’s rebellion, mentioned Duke Xiao Shan Zuo Chen An, and spoke of the Left General’s Tomb. Only then did Lu Xiao understand her plan.

She meant to use the treasure buried in the Left General’s Tomb—that wealth enough to stir men’s hearts and tempt enemy states—to lure the Western Turks.

And now she had indeed gotten what she wanted: Ashina Zhuxie had really come with his men.

But Ashina Zhuxie coming with his men did not mean that the crisis of Xiazhou was truly lifted, because this Western Turkic Khan had brought only a portion of his own tribe’s troops, while Xiazhou was still under attack by Western Turk forces; this fact had not changed. And now Ashina Zhuxie had fixed his gaze on the Left General’s Tomb as well.

If they could not produce the treasure the other side wanted, then Ashina Zhuxie would most certainly not let them off easily.

That was exactly the situation now.

What Shang Ruyi was doing was practically digging her own grave.

At this thought, suspicion crowded Lu Xiao’s heart all the more. She was reluctant to underestimate this Princess Qin; after all, she had witnessed her methods more than once before. Yet this time, her move to resolve the crisis was almost tantamount to setting herself on fire; in anyone’s eyes, it was exceedingly foolish.

Was this truly a plan devised by that same clever and quick-witted Shang Ruyi of the past?

Just as Lu Xiao’s heart was filled with doubt and she was all the more suffocated by the powerful pressure she sensed emanating from Ashina Zhuxie, Shang Ruyi, however, was not frightened by the threat implicit in his words. She merely smiled faintly and said, "Khan, you certainly are not the least bit polite."

Ashina Zhuxie said, "If I were polite, I wouldn’t have come."

Shang Ruyi said, "Since the Khan’s goal is so clear, then I hope your men won’t be polite either when it comes to exerting themselves. After all—"

She had not finished speaking when, in the distance, a group of people suddenly appeared.

The Turkic soldiers all instinctively went on alert, but on closer look, those people’s clothing clearly marked them as the guards accompanying Shang Ruyi. After they returned, their leader walked up to Shang Ruyi and bowed, then said, "Princess, we circled Skytop Mountain the whole night; we can confirm there is nothing unusual at the foot of the mountain."

Shang Ruyi nodded, then said, "You’ve worked hard. Go down, get something to eat, and rest for a while."

"Thank you, Princess."

As those men withdrew, they cast a glance at the Turkic people in the nearby camp, and another at Ashina Zhuxie and Lei Yu, whose faces both showed some perplexity. Though they were somewhat surprised by these two’s presence, seeing that both sides were coexisting without incident, they said nothing more, lest they stir up trouble. Each withdrew to ask his brothers what had happened during the night.

At this moment, Lei Yu seemed to think of something and murmured, "You sent men to look for—?"

Shang Ruyi nodded.

Then she added with a smile, "Unfortunately, this night’s effort was in vain."

Ashina Zhuxie also began to come to his senses—among the Han people of the Central Plains, especially nobles and high ministers of some standing, when they died they often used mountains as their mausoleums, choosing a high mountain with auspicious geomancy as their blessed ground on which to build their tombs. If Duke Xiao Shan Zuo Chen An, who once held sway over the court and the realm, was truly buried in Skytop Mountain, and even set up a decoy tomb to avoid inviting disaster and the covetousness of the world, then the entrance to the mausoleum must be extremely well hidden. Therefore, Shang Ruyi had sent that group out to search all night just to find the entrance to the Left General’s Tomb.

But clearly, they had returned empty-handed.

At this time, Shang Ruyi again smiled and brushed her clothes lightly, then said, "It seems the Khan really will have to see his men exert themselves more."

As she spoke, she slowly turned her head and looked past the camp toward the distance, at those twin peaks, one tall and one short, almost stabbing straight into the clouds. The higher peak at this moment loomed like a giant before everyone’s eyes. The sky was still dim, mist coiled around it, and that sense of vastness, mystery, and danger weighed heavily upon the heart, making one’s breath hitch.

"After all, if it’s not at the foot of the mountain, then it can only be on the mountain."

"..."

"But none of us here knows what, exactly, lies upon Skytop Mountain."

|

Skytop Mountain was originally a vast mountain range lying south of Sui State City, stretching for dozens of li, a natural barrier against dangers coming from the south. Yet in former times, there was no such name as Skytop Mountain; as for what it was called, that had been lost along with the change in the mountain’s terrain.

And the change in the terrain had occurred more than ten years ago.

It had been a nearly world-shaking quake, such that even those living in Luoyang City felt it. That tremor tore that grand and majestic range apart like soft silken cloth, and even ripped the earth open in great fissures, forming enormous ravines. Upon the ground was left this single mountain with twin peaks: one soaring into the clouds, its exposed dark stone bristling like reverse scales that covered swathes of the mountainside, every pointed "scale" aligned as if in worship, all directed toward the summit. In the stone hollows clouds and mists drifted, and even higher they coiled thickly; even on clear days it was difficult to see the summit’s true form. The other peak was somewhat lower, only half the height of the higher one; most of the time the whole mountain’s shape could be seen, its tip slightly tilted, pointing toward the higher peak’s summit.

The striking form of these twin peaks, one tall and one short, set people’s imaginations running. Thus rumors arose: it was said an Immortal had cultivated the Way within this mountain, and when ascending to heaven, the boundless power he emanated tore apart the former great range, leaving behind these two peaks to aid his climb to the sky. The lower peak became the first stepping stone, the higher peak the second ascent; once both steps were taken, he reached the mountain’s top and became an Immortal.

And so this mountain of two peaks gained a name—Skytop Mountain.

After eating breakfast and resting for a time so that everyone could recover their strength, they began their ascent.

Since it was a mountain that could be climbed to reach the heavens, it was naturally not easy to scale. In truth, Skytop Mountain was not devoid of human traces; because of the legend of an Immortal’s ascent, many had come seeking transcendence and the Way. The party set out at dawn, walked half a day to reach the foot, and lifting their eyes, they saw a winding, twisting little path climbing into the heights. After walking another half day, the slope grew ever steeper, and the path up became increasingly treacherous; often it hugged the very edge of a cliff, and one glance downward revealed a bottomless abyss at their feet.

Shang Ruyi only lowered her head for a single look before swiftly withdrawing her gaze.

Just then, a low cry of terror suddenly sounded from behind.