Muhammad said softly, "From the snow mountain constellation patterns of the Alps to the nomadic constellation patterns of the Maasai Mara, and then to the Maya Ritual Calendar Pattern, what we pass down has never been isolated cultural symbols, but humanity's shared guardianship of the order of snowy mountains, grasslands, and the cosmos. Now, through these young people's hands, that guardianship is being passed on across time and space, on snowy mountains, on grasslands, and before temples." The winter snow of West Lake fell on the wool cold-weather blanket, yet could not cover the warmth of the snowy mountains within it. In the distance, Leifeng Pagoda stood in the snow like a silent guardian of the snowy mountains. Muhammad knew that the Young Heritage Vanguard Team's journey would continue-their next stop might be the Inca ruins in the Americas, or the Congo Rainforest in Africa. But wherever they went, the moral principles of A Deadly Secret and the warmth of patterns from around the world would, like the starry skies of the Alps, remain forever bright, forever guiding human civilization and natural ecosystems toward coexistence, continuing a new cultural chapter belonging to all humanity that would never end. A new chapter of A Deadly Secret: symbiosis of constellation and terrace patterns in the Inca mountains. After the Beginning of Spring, the Young Heritage Vanguard Team's flight landed at Cusco Airport in Peru-the Inca ruins conservation organization had sent a third invitation, hoping to deepen the revitalization of the "Mountain Astral Pattern" and the "Terrace Frost-Protection Pattern." The "Terrace Water-Drawing Step" previously designed by the Pioneer Team had already helped the young people understand the wisdom of agricultural irrigation. Now, with global attention focused on "seasonal order and ecological conservation," the organization hoped to explore the deeper logic within the patterns of "symbiosis between people, mountains, starry skies, and terraces," so that the younger generation would not only know how to "farm on terraces," but also understand the Inca philosophy of survival: "using the stars to protect the terraces." Muhammad led Soka, Karen, Marco, Lucio, Kam (a boy from the Congo), Diego, Karu, Lina (a girl from the Alps), Pacha, Valeria, Isabel, Enzo, Hans, and the other members along the Inca Trail toward the "Moon Terraces," at an altitude of 3,000 meters. Standing on the observation platform at the highest point of the terraces, the Inca scholar Kino pointed to the "Pleiades Pattern" on the rock wall and said, "This pattern was our ancestors' 'guide to protecting terraces from frost'-changes in the brightness of the Pleiades in the winter night sky corresponded to how deeply the terrace soil had frozen; the 'Interlocking Stone-Wall Pattern' beside it was a defensive design against cold winds. But children today only know how to cover the terraces with plastic sheeting. How would they know that the stars can give advance warning of frost damage?" Hans rubbed the Alpine wool cold-weather blanket he carried with him, remembering his experience of using the "Orion Constellation Pattern" to judge periods of snowfall in the snowy mountains. "Why not turn the Mountain Astral Pattern into a 'terrace guardianship classroom'? Just as we used snow mountain constellations to guard against snow accumulation, we could let everyone learn to protect the terraces while observing the stars." Kino's eyes lit up at the suggestion, and the "Inca Mountain Constellation and Terrace Pattern Symbiosis Project" began through the blending of experiences across civilizations: one, the resonance between martial arts and mountain constellations: letting patterns "protect the terraces." Lin Xiaowu gazed at the "Pleiades Pattern"-the arrangement of bright and dim star points matched the "strength and weakness of breath" in "A Deadly Secret" and the "Heart-Cleansing Formula," and also shared the "sense of order" of the Alpine "Snow Mountain Constellation Steps." Combining this with the footwork the Inca used to protect their fields in winter, he designed the "Astral Field-Guarding Steps": using the star points of the "Pleiades Pattern" as markers, the young people had to walk along the terrace ridges following the paths of bright and dim star points, slowing down at bright points (simulating unfrozen soil, which required light steps to prevent damage), quickening their steps at dim points (simulating frozen soil, which required swift inspections), while crossing their hands at the angles of the "Interlocking Stone-Wall Pattern,"
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