Chapter Five: A Brief Respite in the Mountain Village

Shortly after Han Tianyue and his companions left, the little sapling's blossom bore fruit. The fruit ripened swiftly, then transformed into a single seed. When the seed split open, to everyone's astonishment, a butterfly emerged from within. The butterfly fluttered its wings a few times in the direction Han Tianyue and the others had gone, then vanished into the mountain range.

Leaving aside the mystery of the butterfly, Han Tianyue and his group pressed forward along their path. At last, after sunset, they spotted a small mountain village.

"Where there are people, there can’t be danger!" Feng Shang exclaimed with delight.

But Fang Zhe, beside him, spoke with a chilling tone, "Aren’t you afraid this could be a haunted place?"

Night had fallen, the darkness pressing in, and a cold wind swept through the area. Feng Shang eyed the faint and lonely lights glimmering in the village, glanced at the desolate mountain ridges all around, and felt his heart lurch with unease.

Han Tianyue reassured him, "Don’t worry, this isn’t a haunted village."

"Are you sure?" Feng Shang looked at Han Tianyue, skeptical.

Han Tianyue explained, "Ghosts dwell in cold, damp darkness. But look—though we’re deep in the mountains, this village lies on the sun-facing slopes. When the sun rises, its rays will reach here first—that’s one thing. Besides, though you’ve never been a ghost, you should know the ground here is warm, there’s geothermal heat—where there’s warmth, there is life."

With this explanation, Feng Shang felt relieved.

"But," Han Tianyue added, "that doesn’t mean there’s no danger here."

The final comment nearly made Feng Shang faint.

"Han Tianyue is right," Mao Xuanzi chimed in. "We’re not in school anymore; we must remain vigilant."

So the four of them entered the mountain village.

Because of its remote location, the village was quite dilapidated. The stone houses, clustered together, were crumbling and weathered.

Yet when the villagers saw the strangers arrive, they greeted them with unexpected warmth. An elder, evidently a figure of some authority, stepped forward and welcomed them heartily. "Welcome to our village!"

As the villagers ushered Han Tianyue and his friends inside and offered them hospitality, it surprised the group.

"Our little village has little to offer you, so please forgive us," the elder said. Through their conversation, Han Tianyue and his companions learned that this man was the village chief—and the most learned among them.

What puzzled Han Tianyue was why the villagers were treating them with such enthusiasm.

The chief explained, "In the past, a monster plagued our village. Many of our young men and women were seized and eaten. But then a young outsider, much like yourselves, came and drove the monster away."

Han Tianyue, Mao Xuanzi, Fang Zhe, and Feng Shang listened with rapt attention.

The chief continued, "In the end, we discovered the young person was a woman, and she was deaf."

Han Tianyue grew excited and interrupted, "Was she seventeen or eighteen years old?"

The chief nodded.

Han Tianyue pressed on, "Did she have red hair?"

The chief looked puzzled. "How do you know that?"

Han Tianyue leapt to his feet, tears shimmering in his eyes. "Prince, I finally have news of you!"

To be certain, Mao Xuanzi asked, "Chief, do you recall her name?"

"I don’t remember," the chief admitted. "She was deaf, so we couldn’t communicate with her."

A nearby villager spoke up, "But I heard her say two words—it sounded like 'Empress.'"

"That’s it, it must be the Prince!" Han Tianyue remembered how the Prince often spoke of being 'Empress' and always insisted she would become Empress before Han Tianyue could become Emperor.

"Yes, it must be her!"

Overflowing with excitement at this news of the Prince, the group could hardly contain themselves. But the hour was late, and the mountain road treacherous—they would have to wait until dawn to continue their search.