Once they crossed the hill, the scenery changed. The shallows and desert gave way to low shrubs, with rolling mountains stretching into the distance.
As they pressed on, the path beneath their feet grew increasingly faint until it vanished altogether.
At last, they arrived at the foot of a sheer cliff.
Atamu dismounted and pointed halfway up the cliff. "There's a ledge halfway up, with a cave on it. Once we pass through that cave, we'll reach our destination."
Ouyang Hai looked up and pursed his lips. "That must be over a hundred meters up, right? How did you find it back then?"
Li Yichen looked at him curiously as well. He wouldn't believe Atamu had stumbled upon this place by accident, not even if someone beat him to death.
Never mind how remote and rarely visited this place was—who would climb over a hundred meters up a cliff for no reason? Wouldn't they have to have far too much time on their hands?
Atamu spoke with a touch of nostalgia. "Back when I was digging jade at the mine, I happened to save an injured white crane. It flew away after it recovered. I thought I'd never see it again, but a few months later, it came back and led me here."
"All living things have spirits. Good deeds are rewarded," Ouyang Hai said with an involuntary sigh.
Then he looked at the hundred-meter climb and asked, "Which brings us to the problem: how do we get up there?"
"I came prepared." Atamu took down his canvas bag, unzipped it, and pulled out a pair of climbing shoes, an ice axe, gloves, and a set of ropes.
"I'll climb up first, then lower the rope. You can climb up after me," Atamu said as he fiddled with his safety