Stepping through snow that came up to his knees, Shangguan Hong looked up at the pitch-black cave entrance, his heart sinking. "This should be the place. It may have frozen shut."
Several years ago, Shangguan Hong had happened to hear a secret from Madam Meng: Stone Fortress had a hidden passage that ran straight downward to the river at the bottom of the cliff, built for drawing water in times of emergency.
For two whole days, Shangguan Hong had circled nearly half the river valley before finally finding this place. The cave entrance was three or four zhang from the frozen river. It did not look especially large, but it was actually a full circle wider than an ordinary water jar, and its perfectly round shape showed faint traces of artificial carving.
To find it, Shangguan Hong had craned his neck until it felt ready to snap.
Looking up from the bottom of the cliff toward Jue Peak, he could not see the summit. It was probably over a thousand zhang high. Just imagining climbing up through such a tiny cavern made Shangguan Hong shudder inwardly, and he secretly prayed that the Dragon King would never choose him.
Gu Shenwei had not brought many men: Shangguan Hong, Old Man Mu, and five assassins trained by Hu Shining, eight people in all.
Old Man Mu also craned his neck to look upward. Thinking that he was small and nimble and that the Dragon King must have had a purpose in bringing him along, he spoke first. "The size of the entrance suits me quite well. But let me say this first: I reckon this passage hasn't been used in years. It might be crawling with snakes, rats, and vermin. If I happen to scream, it won't be because I'm timid, and