Only after entering the narrow cleft in the cliff beside the valley did Zhang Tie realize just how well hidden this place was. The fissure was not straight, but curved, winding like a snake. Above it lay gaps between the mountain rocks, while several gnarled pines grew in the middle of the cleft. Their roots gripped the cracks in the dark-red rock walls as their twisted trunks stubbornly stretched out from the narrow strip of sky, yearning for the sunlight and rain beyond. Their clusters of pine needles concealed the place even further. It truly would not be easy for an ordinary person to discover it.
The entire fissure was over twenty meters high, and at its narrowest point, it could barely accommodate two people walking shoulder to shoulder. Beneath that narrow strip of sky, there was also a manmade path with stone steps. However, the path looked as though it had been there for many years, and few people had likely walked those steps. In the shaded areas, a layer of moss had already grown over them.
Yet once they passed through this narrow cleft, the scenery before them abruptly changed, opening into a broad and bright vista. Beyond this cliff wall lay another world entirely.
The peaks on either side formed an enormous gap here, and the mountains and cliffs enclosed the area, making it exceptionally secluded. On a level stretch halfway up the mountain stood a pine forest spanning several thousand mu. Within that pine forest was an elegant, antique residence hidden among the trees. The compound had more than thirty rooms, shaded by lush greenery and veiled by blooming flowers. To the west of the residence, a lively mountain stream babbled past. Flowing through the compound like a jade belt, it curled around the various buildings,