"Do I have to go up the mountain?"
Zheng Qing clenched his fist and repeated the thought in his mind.
The night was cool. The echoes deep within the mountains fell silent for a long while, then the humming slowly resumed:
"...Bzzz... up the mountain, the mountain is where the gods rest... Bzzz... the mist surrounding the summit is always filled with sorrow. That mist is the thoughts of the gods echoing through the world... Bzzz..."
The young scholarship student abruptly opened his eyes, a flicker of delight appearing in them. He looked at his companions and nodded firmly, then immediately closed his eyes again and sent that thought echoing through his mind:
"I have to go up the mountain!"
"...Bzzz... everyone in this world is a beast tamer, and that beast is each person's own nature... Bzzz... everyone in this world is a climber, and the mountain stretching before all of you is the Kela Mountain before you... Bzzz... it exists in the deepest part of everyone's consciousness, a place where gods stop to rest... Bzzz..."
"I have to go up the mountain!!"
"...Bzzz... soil binds trees to the earth as payment for nurturing them... Bzzz... the sky asks for nothing and lets trees grow freely... Bzzz... gods despise Their heaven and envy mankind... Bzzz..."
Zheng Qing loosened his fist in frustration and looked at his companions.
"Focusing on a particular thought really does let you hear different things." He spread his palm and looked at the green bean resting in it, his voice carrying a trace of vexation. "And those words sound pretty reasonable, but I still can't make out how we're supposed to get up the mountain."
"Be patient." Xiao Xiao glanced at the vaguely formed monsters outside the small courtyard and gestured. "We don't have any