The Arrival of Winter Break and the Search for Ta Lo

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 that Midtown High School's winter break was about to arrive.

Snowflakes drifted down outside the window while the classroom heater hummed. Peter pressed his face against the glass, his warm breath forming a small patch of fog on it.

"It's snowing!" He turned around excitedly. "Do you think the New York River will freeze over? We could try swinging on the ice!"

"And then break our necks." Without even looking up, Gwen organized the books she would need over winter break. "My dad said this winter will be the coldest in nearly ten years."

Harry set down his notebook. "So, what are all of you planning for winter break?"

The corners of Gwen's lips lifted slightly. "My dad finally saved up three years' worth of vacation time. 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 mountainous area, and a lush green bamboo forest slowly 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?"

"It's not a divination tool. Ta Lo is a hidden supernatural village. It's 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 took out a handful of seeds from his bag.

Gwen frowned. "You're going alone?"

"Yes. It isn't particularly dangerous there. The main issue is that ordinary people can't get through the maze formation in the outer bamboo forest. But I'm not ordinary~" Lin Hai lifted his chin.

On the afternoon before his departure, Lin Hai was browsing through his master's collection of books in the study. Chen Bing knocked before pushing the door open, only to see Lin Hai holding a yellowed, thread-bound ancient book.

"A fragment of the Records of Strange Objects in Huaxia? Why did you decide to read that?" his master asked after taking a look.

Lin Hai replied, "I saw a similar kind of bamboo near my hometown before. It closely resembles the description in the book: 'Bamboo like gold grows in an illusion realm; mortals who see it become lost.' I wanted to see if I could find anything new in the book before going back."

Chen Bing nodded, but also warned Lin Hai, "No matter what you do, you must put your own safety first. I'm still counting on taking in more disciples in the future and having you teach on my behalf."

Lin Hai solemnly agreed, saying that he would obey his master's orders.

Outside the airport, Gwen carefully inspected Lin Hai's luggage. "Cold-weather clothes, 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 huge trouble."

Harry patted his chest. "Don't worry. Pajama Baby and I will just catch a few thieves, maybe take down the Mexican Gang at most—ow!" Peter jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow.

After they finished fooling around, Lin Hai waved and headed toward security, his back quickly disappearing into the crowd.

The plane slowly descended. Beyond the window lay familiar skies and the outline of distant rolling mountains. Lin Hai turned off airplane mode, and several messages immediately popped up on his screen:

Dad: [Son, you're on the plane already, right? Call us when you land.]

Peter: [What's the weather like in Huaxia? New York is practically turning into the Arctic Circle!]

Harry: [I'll keep an eye on Peter. No need to worry.]

Gwen: [If you see any pretty scenery, make sure to take pictures and send them to me!]

Lin Hai smiled and replied to his friends that he had arrived safely, then picked up his backpack and headed for the exit.

At the pickup area, he spotted his parents at once—his father wore that dark blue down jacket he had owned for over a decade and was standing on tiptoe as he looked around; his mother was wrapped in a thick scarf, holding a thermos that undoubtedly contained hot ginger tea.

"Xiaohai! Over here!" Lin Hai's mother waved.

Lin Hai hurried over, but before he could say anything, his mother grabbed him and looked him over from head to toe. "You look thinner again! Have you not been eating properly?"

"No, Mom. There really isn't much local food in America that's good, but I can cook for myself now. I even showed you photos." Lin Hai took the thermos and drank a sip. It was indeed that familiar spicy sweetness. "Besides, Master often makes medicinal meals too."

Lin Hai's father patted his son's shoulder and took the suitcase. "Come on, let's go home."

That evening, the Lin family dining table was covered with Lin Hai's favorite dishes: braised pork ribs, steamed sea bass, water spinach with garlic, and more. His mother kept putting meat into his bowl.

"That's enough, Mom. I can't eat that much." Lin Hai sounded helpless.

"Eat more. Look how thin you are." His mother refused to let up. "You finally came home. How can you not eat more?"

Lin Hai's father suddenly coughed and asked casually, "That... Gwen from before. How are things between you two now?"

Lin Hai paused with his chopsticks. "We're good friends."

"Just friends?" Lin Hai's mother's eyes lit up. "I don't think so~"

"That girl is quite pretty. Blonde hair, blue eyes, like a movie star." His mother continued probing. "What's her personality like?"

Lin Hai took a deep breath. "Mom, we're really just friends."

"Friends can develop into more!" Lin Hai's father interjected. "You're already seventeen. When I was your age—"

"Dad!" Lin Hai's ears burned. "It's really not what you think."

Under Lin Hai's firm denials and repeated changes of subject, the "romance interrogation" finally came to an end. But before bed, his mother still "accidentally" "left" a copy of Guide to International Marriage Law on his bedside table.

Early the next morning, after washing up, Lin Hai sat down at the breakfast table.

"I want to look around nearby over the next few days." Lin Hai ate an egg and spoke as casually as he could. "It's been a long time since I came back. I want to see the beautiful mountains and rivers of our country."

Lin Hai's father looked up from the 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."

Lin Hai's mother 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."

Lin Hai's parents exchanged a glance before finally relenting. "Fine, but 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 rest easy~"

Back in his room, Lin Hai took a cloth bundle from the depths of a drawer. Inside was a Golden-Thread Bamboo sample he had collected last year. He lightly touched the bamboo joint and felt the resonance between the Life Force within him and the faint energy inside the bamboo.

"Tomorrow, I'll come find you."

The next day, Lin Hai hailed a taxi to the mountaintop market he had once visited with his mother. Following the direction he remembered, he once again reached the edge of the Golden-Thread Bamboo forest.

He checked the things he had brought with him, mostly water and food. With plants everywhere around him, Lin Hai had plenty of ways to defend himself, so he had not brought any weapons.

Lin Hai stood at the edge of the Golden-Thread Bamboo forest. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting mottled golden spots across the ground. He took a deep breath and felt the pulse of Life Force within him. The bamboo forest seemed to be breathing, every flow of energy like a conversation with him.

"Just as I thought. The earth vein energy here is much richer than outside." Lin Hai murmured, lightly touching a nearby stalk of Golden-Thread Bamboo with his fingertips. The bamboo joint trembled slightly, as though responding to his touch.

He was not worried that the maze formation 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 as densely as a wall, sometimes spaced apart like doorways.

Lin Hai knew these were likely the effects of the maze formation. But he did not panic. Instead, he slowed his pace and allowed his Life Force to resonate with the bamboo forest.

"I'm not an enemy..."

He spoke softly as his palm brushed across the bamboo beside him. Strangely, the bamboo thickets that should have blocked his path parted slightly, opening a narrow trail for him.

As the sun rose overhead, the ground beneath Lin Hai's feet gradually became level. The slope disappeared, as though he had entered a plain isolated from the rest of the world.

He stopped, took water and compressed biscuits from his backpack, and briefly replenished his strength.

Then he raised his wrist and checked the time. It had been nearly three hours since he entered the bamboo forest. Logically, this mountain was not that large. After walking in a straight line for so long, he should have crossed the entire mountain by now.

"Spatial folding? Or an illusion?" Lin Hai muttered.

He was not anxious. Instead, he became even more certain that he was heading in the right direction. A true maze formation would not let someone walk for so long without anything unusual happening; it would only make people unknowingly circle back to where they started. And he could feel that he was approaching some sort of core.