Some time had passed since Miss Pepper came to visit Lin Hai and bought two special plants. The weather gradually grew colder, which also meant Midtown High School's winter break was approaching.
Snowflakes drifted down outside the window, while the heater hummed inside the classroom. Peter pressed his face against the glass, his warm breath forming a small patch of white fog on it.
"It's snowing!" He turned excitedly. "Do you think the New York River will freeze over? We could try swinging on the ice!"
"And then break our necks." Gwen organized the books she would need over winter break without even looking up. "My father said this winter will be the coldest in nearly ten years."
Harry put down his notebook. "So what are all of you doing over winter break?"
The corners of Gwen's lips lifted slightly. "My father finally saved up three years' worth of vacation. He's taking us skiing in Switzerland."
She looked at the silent Lin Hai. "Lin, what about you? Going back to Huaxia again?"
Lin Hai nodded, his fingertips unconsciously tracing patterns like talismans across the desk. "This year is a little different, because I'm going to look for a place."
After school, the group gathered once more in Harry's private laboratory.
The four of them sat around the large central screen in the lab, which displayed a satellite map of southwestern Huaxia. Lin Hai zoomed in on a mountain region, and a lush green bamboo forest gradually appeared on the enlarged map.
"I found Golden-Thread Bamboo here during last winter break. According to ancient records, this plant only grows near Ta Lo." Lin Hai pointed at the map.
Peter's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean those Tarot cards that can predict the future?"
"Not a divination tool. Ta Lo is a hidden supernatural village, said to possess the original methods of using 'qi.'" Lin Hai pulled up several photos of ancient texts.
Harry rubbed his chin. "So this is 'Lin Hai's Fantastic Adventure'? Do you need equipment support?"
"I've already prepared a hiking pack, a satellite phone, and the latest improved plant seeds." Lin Hai pulled out a handful of seeds from his bag.
Gwen frowned. "You're going alone?"
"Yes. There isn't much danger there. The main problem is that ordinary people can't get through the Bamboo Grove Maze outside, but I'm no ordinary person~" Lin Hai lifted his chin.
On the afternoon before his departure, Lin Hai was looking through the treasured books in his master's study when Chen Bing knocked on the door and entered. Lin Hai was holding a yellowed, thread-bound ancient book in his hands.
"A fragment of Records of Strange Objects in Huaxia? What made you want to read that?" his master asked after taking a look.
Lin Hai answered, "I saw a similar kind of bamboo near my hometown before. It closely resembled the book's description: 'Bamboo like gold, growing in an illusionary realm; mortals who see it become lost.' So before heading back, I wanted to see if I could find anything new in the book."
Chen Bing nodded, but also warned Lin Hai, "No matter what you do, you must put your safety first. I'm still waiting to take on more disciples so you can teach for me someday."
Lin Hai solemnly agreed and said he would obey his master's instructions.
Outside the airport, Gwen carefully inspected Lin Hai's luggage. "Cold-weather gear, first-aid kit, energy bars... Huh? Why did you bring so many seeds?"
"Better safe than sorry." After taking his backpack, Lin Hai said to Harry and Peter beside him, "You two be careful in New York. Don't cause any major trouble."
Harry patted his chest. "Don't worry. Pajama Baby and I will just catch thieves, maybe crack down on the Mexican Gang at most—ow!" Peter drove an elbow into his ribs.
After their playful roughhousing ended, Lin Hai waved and headed toward security, his back soon disappearing into the crowd.
The plane slowly landed. Beyond the porthole window lay familiar skies and the outlines of rolling mountains in the distance. Lin Hai turned off airplane mode, and several messages immediately popped up on his screen:
Dad: [Son, you're on the plane, right? Call when you land.]
Peter: [How's the weather in Huaxia? New York's practically turning into the Arctic Circle!]
Harry: [I'll keep an eye on Peter. No need to worry.]
Gwen: [If you see any beautiful scenery, be sure to take pictures and send them to me!]
Lin Hai smiled and replied to his friends with a simple "Arrived safely," then picked up his backpack and headed for the exit.
At the pickup area, he spotted his parents at once. Father Lin wore the dark blue down jacket he had worn for more than ten years and stood on tiptoe as he looked around. Mother Lin was wrapped in a thick scarf and carried a thermos. There was no need to guess that it held steaming ginger tea.
"Xiaohai! Over here!" Mother Lin waved.
Lin Hai hurried over, but before he could say anything, Mother Lin grabbed him and looked him over from head to toe. "You look thinner again! Have you not been eating well?"
"No, Mom. Local American food really doesn't have much that's tasty, but I can cook for myself now. I even showed you pictures." Lin Hai took the thermos and drank a sip. Sure enough, it was that familiar spicy-sweet flavor. "Besides, Master often makes medicinal cuisine too."
Father Lin patted his son's shoulder and took the suitcase. "Come on, let's go home."
That night, the Lin family's dining table was covered with Lin Hai's favorite dishes: braised pork ribs, steamed perch, water spinach with garlic, and more. Mother Lin kept piling meat into his bowl.
"That's enough, Mom. I can't eat that much." Lin Hai was helpless.
"Eat more. Look how thin you are." Mother Lin refused to let up. "You've finally come home. How can you not eat more?"
Father Lin suddenly coughed and asked as if casually, "That Gwen from before... how are things between you two now?"
Lin Hai paused with his chopsticks. "We're good friends."
"Just friends?" Mother Lin's eyes lit up. "I don't think so~"
"That girl is quite pretty. Blonde hair, blue eyes, like a movie star." Mother Lin continued probing. "What's her personality like?"
Lin Hai took a deep breath. "Mom, we're really just friends."
"Friends can develop into something more!" Father Lin cut in. "You're already seventeen. Back when I was—"
"Dad!" Lin Hai's ears burned. "It's really not what you think."
Under Lin Hai's firm denials and repeated attempts to change the subject, this "romantic interrogation" finally came to an end. But before bed, Mother Lin still "accidentally" "left" a copy of Guide to International Marriage Law by his bedside.
Early the next morning, after washing up, Lin Hai sat down at the breakfast table.
"I want to wander around nearby these next few days." Lin Hai ate an egg and spoke casually. "It's been a long time since I came back. I want to see the beautiful mountains and rivers of our country."
Father Lin looked up from his newspaper. "Where are you going?"
"Just into the nearby mountains." Lin Hai was vague. "Maybe behind that mountain Mom took me to when we went grocery shopping last time."
Mother Lin frowned. "That place hasn't been fully developed. There isn't even a proper road."
"That's why I want to take a look." Lin Hai smiled. "Besides, I'm in good shape. I'll treat it as hiking exercise."
Father Lin and Mother Lin exchanged glances before finally yielding. "All right, be careful. If it's far away, find a farmhouse inn to stay at. Don't come down the mountain after dark."
"Got it. You two can relax~"
Back in his room, Lin Hai took a cloth bundle from the depths of a drawer. Inside was the Golden-Thread Bamboo sample he had collected last year. He gently touched the bamboo joint and felt the resonance between the Life Force within him and the faint energy inside it.
"I'll come find you tomorrow."
The next day, Lin Hai hailed a taxi to the mountaintop market he had visited with his mother before. Following the direction he remembered, he once again reached the edge of that Golden-Thread Bamboo grove.
He checked the things he had brought, mainly water and food. With plants everywhere around him, Lin Hai had plenty of ways to defend himself, so he had not brought many weapons.
Lin Hai stood at the edge of the Golden-Thread Bamboo forest. Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the bamboo leaves, casting mottled golden flecks across the ground. He took a deep breath and felt the pulse of Life Force within him. The bamboo grove seemed to be breathing; every flow of energy felt as though it was speaking to him.
"As expected, the earth vein energy here is much denser than outside." Lin Hai murmured, lightly touching a Golden-Thread Bamboo beside him. Its joint trembled faintly, as though responding to his touch.
He was not worried that the maze would trap him. Life Force allowed him to clearly sense the direction of the earth vein energy's flow, like someone lighting a guiding lamp in the darkness.
"Follow the energy and never look back~"
Lin Hai closed his eyes and allowed Life Force to guide his steps, humming a strange tune under his breath.
As he walked through the bamboo forest, the scenery around him began to grow strange—the bamboo no longer followed natural patterns, sometimes packed together like walls and sometimes spread apart like doorways.
Lin Hai knew these were likely the effects of the maze. Yet he did not panic. Instead, he slowed down and allowed his Life Force to resonate with the bamboo grove.
"I'm not an enemy..."
He spoke softly, brushing his palm across the bamboo beside him. Miraculously, the bamboo thickets that should have blocked his way parted slightly and opened a path for him.
As the sun climbed overhead, the ground beneath Lin Hai's feet gradually flattened. The slope disappeared, as though he had stepped into a secluded plain cut off from the world.
He stopped, took water and compressed biscuits from his backpack, and briefly replenished his strength.
Then he raised his hand and checked his watch. He had been walking for nearly three hours since entering the bamboo forest. Logically, the mountain was not that large. After walking in a straight line for so long, he should have crossed it entirely by now.
"Spatial folding? Or an illusion?" Lin Hai muttered.
He was not in a hurry. Instead, he became even more certain that he was heading in the right direction. A true maze would not let someone walk for so long without anything strange happening; it would only make them unknowingly circle back to where they started. And he could feel that he was approaching some kind of core.
Before you continue