In her lifetime, Heron had seen too many people who lived by the creed of striving beyond their limits. It se…
In her lifetime, Heron had seen too many people who lived by the creed of striving beyond their limits.
It seemed Mohist Hill naturally attracted such people. They refused to believe in fate and feared no destiny. When faced with mountains blocking their path, they would rather carve a tunnel through solid stone with their bare hands than turn back.
In truth, she was somewhat like them herself. Yet more often than not, she had to embody the laws of Gasping Cliff. She was the Gatekeeper. Much like the hidden ratchets turning unseen in the darkness, she guarded the throat of Mohist Hill, keeping those who dared to trespass at bay.
The irony was that it had been Feng who allowed that person inside.
Heron, of course, did not believe a single word of his story. As for the man himself, she had already reached her own conclusion. After all, she was the one who had opened the gate for him.
Had she not done so, that foolish disciple of the Inkbound Order would have long since become another nameless ghost haunting these peaks. Some careless master had given him a Disciple Token and taught him the path to the precipice, yet failed to reveal the secret mechanism to open the mountain's maw.
The timing had been unfortunate as well. He arrived during the quietest period when no one entered or left. Had even a single disciple passed through on their return, he would not have been reduced to surviving on tree bark and wild roots, looking more like a forest savage than a scholar.
Heron dragged the half-dead wild man into the depths of the cliff. The moment he awoke, his gaze was captured by the towering, grim mechanisms hidden within. He completely forgot his strange surroundings.
Only after a long while did he notice Heron standing in the shadows.
Before she could speak, he mistook her for a fellow lost traveler. He began fumbling through the gears on his own, and to her surprise, he actually found a path upward.
"Miss, follow me! There might be a way up." The wild man did not rush ahead, but instead turned and offered her his hand.
Exactly as she wished. The corner of Heron's mouth twitched into an unreadable curve. Very well. She would see for herself if this Disciple Token was truly earned.
As Heron pulled herself from her memories, she watched the two figures ahead overcome the trials she had set, one after another. One carried the other on his back, moving slowly but with quiet determination.
"Even if there is no path, we can forge a new one." The voice was soft, yet its echo lingered in the valley for a long time.
Another soul who refused to bow to fate.
Just like Feng had said back then at the end of his wits. A thousand attempts, ten thousand attempts, he would keep trying.
Back then, he was just a desperate wanderer struggling to find the gate. Now, he was guiding others, leading them toward the heights they held in their hearts.
Heron recalled the Everlink Form. When iron chains interlocked, they could repel thousands of troops. Yet when hearts interlocked, they formed a mountain range that stretched endlessly. Though the peaks were high and the road long, a united front could withstand all storms.
She was the one who opened the gate. Like the sunrise breaking over the peaks, she waited for the next unyielding soul, ready to personally guide them up the mountain path.