Chapter 110 - When the Heavenly Eye Sees Mortal Striving, Each Heart Conceals a Worldly Guile - Part 1
At dawn, the sky cleared, revealing every mountain peak crowned in white.
The mountains and rivers remain unchanged, old but never dying; silent observers, they show no emotion toward the births, deaths, joys, and sorrows of the mortal world. And for those with feelings, all that was left in the end was loneliness and sorrow.
“If Heaven itself had feelings, it too would grow old,” Li Yuan remarked wistfully. He thought again of his Eternal Youth, feeling a slight stir within.
He had only been here for two years, but he might still live another two centuries, two millennia, 20,000 years...and so on. Eventually, would he become like these mountains and rivers,unfeeling and undying?
“Bah, who am I kidding?” he laughed at himself. “In these times, living that long is just a fancy dream.”
He refocused on the mountain path ahead, trudging through the snowy trail like walking across a white serpent’s back.
He rose early that day to climb Little Ink Mountain in search of birds. Though there was a ghost domain hidden in the depths of that mountain, he knew it would pose no threat as long as he didn’t go near it. This had already been verified during his last trip.
Back then, he’d set out in the morning one day and encountered the eerie place around midday the following day. So as long as he stayed within half a day’s travel, he should be safe.
Returning to old ground, he recalled the tiger nicknamed Calico. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided not to look for it today. His goal this time was birds, and he already knew where they gathered in Little Ink Mountain. Familiar with the terrain, he passed through the entrance between two peaks, slipped through a narrow gorge, and made his way into the rear forest.
The woodland behind the mountain was wild, perfect habitat for birds.
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Time passed, and the sun drifted across the sky.