"The mountains are high and the emperor is far away," Hu Xiaotian said. "If you want to stand guard, that's your business. I'm getting some proper rest." Having eaten and drunk his fill, he walked toward the stone hut where they were to sleep, only to discover that it had no beds, just two meditation cushions. The conditions really were harsh.
Qi Danai followed him inside, not because he felt close to Hu Xiaotian, but because staying outside alone gave him the creeps. There was something indescribably eerie about Cloudsplit Valley. Since Hu Xiaotian had been here before, he must know the place very well, but the bastard simply refused to tell him anything. In any case, staying close meant they could look out for each other.
Hu Xiaotian had thought Unenlightened would almost certainly return, yet the night passed without a ripple. Not only did Unenlightened fail to appear, there was not even the shadow of a ghost. Hu Xiaotian woke in the middle of the night and secretly watched the cave where Unenlightened had first appeared, but nothing stirred there.
In truth, neither Qi Danai nor Hu Xiaotian slept soundly that night. Hu Xiaotian worried that Unenlightened might appear at any moment, while Qi Danai was on edge because Hu Xiaotian had frightened him. When the night passed without incident, however, Qi Danai decided Hu Xiaotian had deliberately raised a terrifying alarm to scare him.
Six days passed in the same fashion. Apart from the monks who delivered their meals at set times, no one else came to Cloudsplit Valley.
Qi Danai had not forgotten the emperor's instructions. Every day, at the appointed times, he burned incense before the cave housing the Long-Life Buddha. He also strictly followed Monk Tongjing's warning and never entered any cave without permission.