gave Muhammad the Dunhuang silk handkerchief, whose edges were also sewn with fragments of snow-mountain cold iron gifted by Hu Fei and small chips from a Jiangnan peachwood oar: "This silk handkerchief holds the soul of the Silk Road and the warmth of civilizations around the globe. It is a token that crosses mountains and rivers." Hu Fei patted A-Dunhuang's shoulder and said, "From now on, pass the grace of the flying-apsara patterns on to more people, and let Silk Road civilization 'dance' forever!" That winter solstice, Muhammad returned to Chen Jialuo's grave in Hangzhou, bringing the Dunhuang silk handkerchief and images of sand-carved patterns. Beside the Silk Road Heritage Stele, another new token was added-the flying-apsara trade route pattern on the silk handkerchief intertwined with the waterway patterns on the Jiangnan peachwood oar, the ice patterns on the Changbai Mountain reindeer bone, the star configurations on the rainforest hardwood, and the calendar on the Maya jade pendant, like a "tableau of global civilizations coexisting along the Silk Road." Watching a replay of the Dunhuang Pattern Festival through his AR glasses, Di Yun smiled and said, "From snowy mountains to waterside towns, and then to the vast desert, our heritage really has woven the world into a 'network of patterns'!" Muhammad opened the Global Pattern Digital Platform. On the screen, a video showed A-Dunhuang guiding tourists in carving flying-apsara patterns in sand, with a caption that read: "We are all 'guardians' of the Silk Road, and dancers of global patterns!" Winter snow from West Lake fell on the Dunhuang silk handkerchief. In the distance, Leifeng Pagoda stood amid the snow, bearing witness to this passing down of heritage across snowy mountains, waterside towns, and the vast desert. Muhammad knew that wherever his next stop might be, the moral principles of A Deadly Secret, the keen spirit of the Hu Family Saber Technique, and the warmth of global patterns would, like the flowing ribbons of Dunhuang's flying apsaras, remain forever graceful, forever guiding human civilizations along the path of integration and coexistence, writing new cultural chapters that would never end. A new chapter of A Deadly Secret: the coexistence of trade route patterns on the Tea Horse Road (traveling with Hu Fei). Three months after the Dunhuang Desert Pattern Festival ended, Muhammad received an invitation from the Yunnan Tea Horse Road Site Protection Association-they hoped to revitalize the "Horse Caravan Trade Route Pattern" and "Tea Basket Pattern" along the ancient road. Carved into flagstone roads and tea baskets, these patterns held the horse caravans' survival codes: the zigzag lines of the "trade route pattern" marked dangerous stretches of mountain road and safe routes, while dots represented horse inns where travelers could rest; the woven lines of the "Tea Basket Pattern" recorded techniques for protecting tea from moisture, with every warp and weft corresponding to humidity adjustments at different elevations. But the younger generation now mostly relied on motor transport and had long since lost the ability to read these "mountain codes." Muhammad immediately invited Hu Fei to travel with him. Stroking the Cold Moon Saber, Hu Fei smiled and said, "On the Silk Road, saber light reflected the gleam of sand; on the Tea Horse Road, it ought to reflect the fragrance of tea. Let's see what sparks horse caravan patterns and saber techniques can strike!" When the horse caravan set foot on the Tea Horse Road's bluestone path, Uncle Yan, a descendant of the local horse caravaneers, was already waiting with mules and horses in tow. Pointing to the "trade route pattern" on the flagstone road, he said, "This deep zigzag is 'Soul-Severing Cliff.' Back then, the caravans had to walk right against the cliff face; the three dots beside it are 'Three Bowls of Water Horse Inn,' where you could rest when you were tired. But how would children today know how to read these?" Hu Fei crouched, running his fingertips over the lines on the flagstone as his blade reflected the patterns' outlines: "The 'Flower-Watching on the Wall' form of the Hu Family Saber Technique emphasizes 'staying close to the wall to borrow force, advancing while maintaining stability.' That has something in common with the dangerous-route guidance in this trade route pattern!" One, the mountain fusion of martial arts and horse caravan patterns: letting saber light "travel with the horses." Working with Lin Xiaowu, Hu Fei combined the flowing grace of Dunhuang's "Flying-Apsaras Saber-Dance Steps" with the steadiness of the snowy mountains' "Ice Pattern Treading Snow Step" to devise the "Horse Caravan Merchant-Guarding Steps": using the zigzags and dots of the "trade route pattern" as guides,
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