Hu Fei jointly hosted the "Tea Horse Road Pattern Festival." On the day of the festival, the bluestone road bustled with activity: youths dressed in horse caravan attire performed the "Horse Caravan Merchant-Guarding Steps" and practiced the "Wilds Defensive Fist" among the mountains; Aji led everyone in using tea powder to make a giant "Trade Route Pattern" rubbing on the stone paving, while Hu Fei traced a "Tea Basket Pattern" on bamboo strips with flashes of his saber, the two interweaving into the magnificent design "Horse Caravan Accompanied by Tea Fragrance"; standing at the edge of "Soul-Severing Cliff" with the Cold Moon Saber in hand, Hu Fei practiced the "Flower-Watching on the Wall" form beneath the setting sun, his flashing blade reflecting the tea fragrance in the mountains, like "Horse Caravan Heroes Guarding the Ancient Road"; through live video links, the Global Pattern Service Stations displayed their respective "trade route patterns": Dunhuang sent footage of "Flying Apsaras Patterns Reflecting the Silk Road," Zhouzhuang in Jiangnan showed scenes of "Water-Network Pattern Reflecting Oars," and the Congo Rainforest Service Station used AR technology to project "Vine Patterns" onto the tea-covered mountains, forming a "Global Pattern Tea-Horse Map." Before they left the Tea Horse Road, Uncle Yan gave Muhammad a bamboo tea basket engraved with a "Trade Route Pattern + Tea Basket Pattern," its rim also inlaid with fragments of snow mountain cold iron gifted by Hu Fei and small scraps of a Dunhuang silk handkerchief: "This tea basket once held pu'er, and it also holds the warmth of civilizations around the world-a keepsake spanning mountains and rivers." Patting Aji on the shoulder, Hu Fei said, "From now on, pass the wisdom of horse caravan patterns on to more people, so the Tea Horse Road will always be 'fragrant with tea'!" That winter solstice, Muhammad returned to Chen Jialuo's Tomb in Hangzhou with the bamboo tea basket and the Tea-Fragrance Pattern Tea Scoop. Beside the "Silk Road Heritage Stele," another new token was added-the trade route and tea basket patterns on the basket intertwined with the Flying Apsaras Pattern on the Dunhuang silk handkerchief, the water-network pattern on the Jiangnan peachwood oar, the ice patterns on the Changbai Mountain Reindeer Bone, the astral markings on the rainforest hardwood, and the calendar on the Maya jade pendant, like a "Global Civilization Tea-Horse Coexistence Map." Watching a replay of the Tea-Horse Pattern Festival through his AR glasses, Di Yun said with a smile, "From the Silk Road to the Tea Horse Road, our heritage really has woven the world into a 'Tea-Fragrance Pattern Network'!" Muhammad opened the "Global Pattern Digital Platform." On the screen, a video showed Aji leading a horse caravan along a Trade Route Pattern, with a caption that read: "We are all 'merchant guards' of the Tea Horse Road, and guardians of patterns around the world!" Winter snow from West Lake fell on the bamboo tea basket, while Leifeng Pagoda stood in the snow in the distance, bearing witness to this passing down of heritage across the Silk Road and the Tea Horse Road. Muhammad knew that wherever his next stop might be, the moral principles of "A Deadly Secret," the sharp spirit of the Hu Family Saber Technique, and the warmth of global patterns would, like the tea fragrance of the Tea Horse Road, remain forever rich and mellow, forever guiding the way toward the intermingling and coexistence of human civilizations and continuing to write an unending new chapter of culture. A new chapter of A Deadly Secret: the coexistence of ridge patterns and mosaics in Southern Fujian's ancient houses (Hu Fei's companion journey). Not long after the Tea Horse Road Pattern Festival ended, Muhammad received an invitation from the Southern Fujian Ancient Houses Preservation Association in Quanzhou, Fujian-they hoped to revitalize the "Swallowtail Ridge Pattern" and "Red-Brick Mosaic Pattern" in clusters of ancient houses. These patterns, carved into the swallowtail ridges of roofs and laid across courtyard floors, held the survival philosophy and clan memories of the people of Southern Fujian: the curves of the "Swallowtail Ridge Pattern" symbolized "spreading wings and soaring," and different carved designs, such as peonies and qilin, corresponded to the families' wishes for blessings; the "Red-Brick Mosaic Pattern" used geometric designs, such as swastika and meander patterns, to signify "unceasing life and renewal," and some mosaics even concealed codes recording family migration routes. Yet the younger generation now mostly preferred modern buildings and had long since lost the ability to decipher these "Household Codes." When Muhammad invited Hu Fei to join him, Hu Fei was running his fingers over a pu'er tea cake in the basket. Hearing the invitation, he said with a smile:
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