Qingyun Mountain

"Ah, you're all awake?" Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice came from the corridor behind them.

The three turned around at once and saw a young Taoist standing there in a blue robe, looking quite spirited. He strode over and said, "As it happens, several masters wish to see you and ask you some questions. Come with me."

Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu exchanged a glance, then both looked at Ye Yun. Rising to their feet, Lin Jingyu said, "Yes, please lead the way, sir."

The young Taoist glanced at Lin Jingyu, nodded, and said, "Follow me."

Following the Taoist, the three left the courtyard. Before them lay an even longer, broader circular corridor, with red pillars standing along its edge every twenty feet or so. An arched gateway stood between every pair of pillars.

They walked along the corridor, passing one archway and pillar after another, and discovered that each archway led to a small courtyard nearly identical to the one they had just left. This appeared to be where the Qingyun Sect disciples lived.

Leaving aside everything else, there had to be no fewer than a hundred such small courtyards from the scale alone. It was clear just how numerous the Qingyun disciples were.

After walking for quite some time, they finally saw the end of the corridor: an incomparably towering white wall. A great gate had been opened beneath it, its two thick wooden doors ten zhang high. They had to crane their necks to look up at it, and it was impossible to imagine where such enormous timber had been found.

The young Taoist paid it no mind. He likely passed through it every day and had long since grown numb to the sight. His face showed none of the awe visible on the two children, and he walked straight through the gate without expression. Ye Yun was accustomed to the skyscrapers of the modern world, so though he was curious, he was not overly surprised and followed close behind the young Taoist. Only when Ye Yun and the Taoist were nearly out of sight did Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu hurriedly catch up.

The moment he stepped through the gate, even Ye Yun, who had seen many grand sights on television, was somewhat stunned. Beyond the gate stretched an enormous plaza, paved entirely with white jade that gleamed brilliantly. One look at it made a person feel insignificant. In the distance, clusters of white clouds drifted beneath their feet like gauze. At the center of the plaza stood huge bronze cauldrons every few dozen zhang, arranged in three rows of three, nine in all. Wisps of smoke occasionally rose from within them, carrying a clear fragrance that lingered without dispersing.

"This way." Seeming to understand what the three children were feeling, the young Taoist smiled faintly. He let them stare for a while before calling them back to their senses and leading them onward.

What he had seen on television was nowhere near as breathtaking as witnessing it in person. Beyond the gate lay the Cloud Sea, one of Qingyun Mountain's Six Sights, followed immediately by the Rainbow Bridge. At the far end of the plaza stood the Rainbow Bridge, a stone bridge with no supports or piers, rising through the air. One end rested on the plaza while the other slanted straight upward into the depths of the white clouds, like a soaring dragon leaping into the heavens, solitary and majestic.

Before they even reached it, they heard the sound of flowing water. Beneath the sunlight, the entire bridge shone with seven colors, like a rainbow fallen from the sky into the mortal world, dazzling and magnificent beyond compare. Water flowed continuously down both sides of the bridge, crystal clear, yet not a single drop touched its middle. Sunlight streamed through the clouds onto the bridge and refracted through the flowing water, forming brilliant rainbows.

Seeing the three entranced by the breathtaking view, the young Taoist warned, "Be careful. Beneath this bridge is a bottomless abyss. If you fall, there will be no burial ground for your body."

Directly ahead of the Rainbow Bridge stood Jade Purity Hall, the main hall of Qingyun Temple atop Tongtian Peak.

Some things could never be fully described in words. The shock of standing there in person was impossible to understand without experiencing it firsthand. For a modern person accustomed to steel-and-concrete skyscrapers, this landscape, like an earthly paradise, was even more overwhelming.

When Ye Yun stepped down from the Rainbow Bridge, he was still dazed. But the moment he reached the edge of the pool, he snapped awake. He remembered that Qingyun Mountain's Spiritual Venerable, the Water Qilin, dwelled in this pool. Moreover, when Zhang Xiaofan and the others had gone to Jade Purity Hall in the original novel, this enormous creature had appeared.

Speak of the devil. As they climbed the stone steps and were about to head toward the gate above, a roar like thunder erupted from the depths of the pool. Looking over, they saw a massive whirlpool suddenly form at its center. A moment later, enormous waves surged upward, and a huge figure burst forth, sending water spraying across the sky.

Ye Yun knew this was coming, so the instant the whirlpool appeared, he hid beside Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu. Taking advantage of his smaller stature, he let Lin Jingyu and the others shield him from the spray. As for the young Taoist, he had slipped away the moment the whirlpool appeared.

Ye Yun avoided the first spray of water but not the second. The moment he saw the Water Qilin, he froze in shock and failed to dodge the water shaken from its body, leaving him drenched from head to toe.

What a mighty beast! It would be amazing if I could use it as a mount! Ye Yun thought as he stared at the Water Qilin, which stood three or four stories tall. Then he saw its enormous head extend toward them.

Though he knew the Water Qilin would not harm them, anyone would instinctively fear such a colossal beast. Fortunately, the young Taoist drifted back at that moment, raising one palm before his chest as he respectfully said, "Spiritual Venerable, they have been specially summoned by the masters."

The Water Qilin glared at him, snorted, and even rolled its eyes as though it were truly thinking. Then it ignored the three of them, swayed over to the dry ground beside the pool, lay down, yawned, and lazily lowered its head. Basking in the sun, it fell asleep.

The young Taoist motioned for the three still-shaken children to continue and said, "The Spiritual Venerable is an ancient beast subdued by our sect's Ancestor Qing Ye a thousand years ago. It is called the Water Qilin. Back then, when Ancestor Qing Ye expanded Qingyun and slew demons, it rendered great service. It is now the spiritual beast that guards Qingyun Sect, and we respectfully call it the Spiritual Venerable."

After saying this, he bowed once more toward the Water Qilin. Ye Yun and Zhang Xiaofan were still staring blankly when Lin Jingyu tugged them and gave them a meaningful look. They promptly joined him in bowing respectfully to the Water Qilin. The Water Qilin did not turn its head or move at all, however. Its thunderous snores suggested that it probably had not seen them.

After the three had paid their respects, they continued onward. Climbing the tall stone stairs, they soon saw a golden plaque in the distance bearing the words "Jade Purity Hall." Before the magnificent hall, they found its doors wide open and its interior brightly lit. Within stood the sacred tablets of the Three Pure Ones: the Primordial Heavenly Lord, the Treasured Heavenly Lord, and the Way of Virtue Heavenly Lord, all imposing and solemn.

Before the sacred tablets, dozens of people stood in the hall, both Taoists and laypeople. They were evidently all members of the Qingyun Sect. Seven large sandalwood chairs stood before them, three on each side and one at the center in front. Yet only six people sat there; the last chair in the right row remained empty.

Familiar with the story, Ye Yun knew that the chairs belonged to Qingyun's Seven Peaks Leaders. Whether he could return home depended on how the six people seated there arranged his future. If one of them accepted him as a disciple, everything would be fine. If not, returning home would likely be very difficult.