First Entering Misty Manor

The mountain road from Misty Hall to the foot of Shixin Peak had an inconspicuous fork. It wound north over several hills, passed through a tangled forest of thorns, and came upon a crystal-clear stream.

Zhang Xiaohu stood behind the thorn forest, his expression somewhat complicated as he looked at the single-log bridge over the stream.

The bridge was extremely crude, nothing more than a thick tree trunk laid across the narrow stream. The water was so shallow that one could simply wade across it, yet beyond the bridge stood two disciples in Misty Sect attire, ramrod straight and solemn, as though they were the gateway arch of Misty Manor itself.

Only, their clothes had long since become worn and shabby, far from the bright, imposing garments Zhang Xiaohu had seen when he first brought Zhang Xiaohua to Misty Manor.

Zhang Xiaohu was in no hurry to cross. He watched for a moment, then looked around in every direction.

"Second Brother? Were you looking for me?" Zhang Xiaohua poked his head slightly out of the thorn forest and asked with a smile.

"Of course. I've been walking all this way without seeing you. I thought you'd gotten lost. Up ahead is..."

Before Zhang Xiaohu could finish, Zhang Xiaohua said quietly, "Someone's coming. They're probably Yi Xiang Peak disciples!"

Then he withdrew his head into the thorn forest and vanished from sight.

Zhang Xiaohu's heart tightened. He immediately changed his expression, furrowed his brow slightly, and stepped out through the thorn forest.

"Stop!" A sharp shout came from the air to his left.

Feigning surprise, Zhang Xiaohu looked up to see a middle-aged man in white leap down from a large tree. The man used his qinggong to approach, then asked coldly, "Who are you? Why have you come here?"

Zhang