?

  Out of Kama, outside is a vast expanse of rolling grasslands, looking far away, the distant snow-capped mountains are shrouded in mist. I followed behind Xiǎo Xiǎo and Jiě Yǔ Huā with my backpack, Xiǎo Xiǎo seemed to be saying something to Jiě Yǔ Huā, occasionally turning back to look at me. I gritted my teeth and ran up, but the altitude here is too high, completely unsuitable for running. By the time I finally caught up with the two of them, I was panting like a dog, propping myself up on my knees and gasping for air.

  At this time, we have arrived at a stream, there are no large rivers on the plateau, but there are many streams of all sizes. The stream in front of us winds its way from afar, gently and shallowly, rippling with sparkling waves under the sunlight.

  I took a deep breath and saw that Xie Yu Hua was sitting on a rock by the stream, stretching her legs and enjoying herself. Xiuxiu asked with concern: "Wu Ye Gege, are you okay?" Xiuxiu is the successor of the Huo family, trained since childhood, skilled in martial arts, I couldn't compare to her, but being asked like this by a girl still made me feel a bit embarrassed, so I immediately said: "N-nothing's wrong, there's no one around, you should tell me, right?"

  Jiang's family and Huo's family, due to Old Lady Huo's matter, have already broken off relations on the surface, but these two people gathering together now is obviously not for tourism. Xiu Xiu paused, her gaze suddenly passing over my shoulder, looking at something behind me, I turned around to take a look, only to see that passerby A was standing not far behind me, with his arms crossed, smiling ambiguously as he looked at the three of us.

  Xiuxiu gestured for me to come closer. When the three of us were together, she whispered, "How did you suddenly arrive?"

  I pointed at the interpreter flower and said, "There are some things you should ask him."

  Xiu Xiu frowned for a moment, looking at Xiaohua who was playing with her phone, and gave me an explanatory look. Jiayu Hua still had her head down and said without lifting her face: "I don't know about your third uncle's affairs, but if you guess he went into Kunlun Mountain, then I might know where he went, of course, just a guess."

  I said: "Is it possible that Third Uncle and you have the same destination?" Xie Yu Hua raised her head and smiled, saying: "Young Master San is indeed more cunning than before, then guess where our destination is?"

  I rolled my eyes and said, "Damn it, I don't know why you called me all the way to Qinghai, but it can't be just to play dumb riddles with me. Let me take a good look at you." With a swing of my fist, Xiu couldn't help but burst out laughing beside me. It was the first time I'd seen her laugh in so long, and because of what happened with Old Lady Huo, it felt awkward whenever I saw her. But when she laughed, it was like time had gone back to our first meeting.

  Xiuxiu said: "Wu Ye Ge, you can't beat him."

  "I immediately said, 'Fighting isn't just about brute force, it also requires brains. Those who rely solely on brute force are like cows.' Yuxue Hua snapped her phone shut with a 'tsk' and said, 'It's been a year... really...' I asked, 'What?'"

  Xie Yu Hua pouted, her eyes filled with sympathy as she looked at me and said, "You're getting more and more innocent." I was too lazy to argue with him, so I didn't say a word and just stared at him quietly. Xie Yu Hua said something under his breath, then continued, "I'll show you something." Although he said that, it was actually Xiuxiu who took out the object. All I saw in Xiuxiu's hand was a notebook, which she opened to reveal a yellowed piece of paper inside.

  The paper was obviously old, only twice the size of an adult's palm, and seemed to have been torn open, extremely irregular. It appeared to be a hand-painted old map, with simple lines drawn by brush, countless branches, but the main line was painted thickest, extending all the way, with a door painted at the end.

  I was stunned the moment I saw that door, and although it was painted very simply, the ghostly face outlined on the door made me recognize it immediately - Yun Ding Tian Gong, Bronze Gate!

  Xiu Xiu said: "This picture was seen by me when I was sorting out my grandmother's belongings recently, and apart from this picture, I also found this thing." The old diary had beautiful handwriting, and I asked: "What is this?"

  Xiu Xiu said: "It was my grandmother's notes when she was young. When I found it, it was locked in a wooden box."

  Most of the records in front were about Lao Taitai's experiences, and Xiuxiu roughly flipped through them until she reached a point one-third into the diary where it suddenly stopped. Then, after flipping over several blank pages, some writing appeared.

  But this is no longer a diary, but a record without head or tail, sometimes only a few words, sometimes just a few sentences.

  I continued reading down:

  North

  Changbai Mountain

  Where is Wang Zang Hai?

  Everything is messed up, all messed up! That damned old dog Wu, actually schemed against me, I hate you.

  In the south?

  King of Lu, summoning the army of Yin, where is the ghost seal?

  They were all nonsensical sentences, but on the second page, the first sentence shocked me. It wasn't just because of the information it conveyed, but also because of the familiar handwriting.

  That's not Mrs. Huo's handwriting, but my grandfather's. Although my grandfather has passed away, he loved antiques and calligraphy, leaving behind many treasures that I still cherish, so his handwriting is already deeply etched in my memory.

  When was this written, after or before marrying my grandmother? How old was grandfather at that time? Why did he leave his handwriting on He Lao's notebook?

  Qī Xīng Lǔ Wáng Gōng —— Wū Shān Xiǎo Zǐ Fén —— Tiān Yuān Guān Chún.

  English Translation:

  Seven Star Lu Wang Palace —— Wu Shan Xiao Zi Fen —— Tian Yuan Guan Chun.

  Obviously, the three tombs mentioned above include the Qi Xing Lu Wang Gong which I have visited, and the five words "Wu Shan Gui Zi Mu" were all crossed out with a brush pen. Could it be... that Grandpa and his friends had been there before?

  Wushan coffin cave.

  Wushan coffin tomb, what place is it after all? These places, I have never heard of.

  Qī xīng lǔ wáng gōng, I and third uncle have been there. If grandfather has gone to Wū shān huì zǐ fén, then what does that Tiān yuān guān jiàng refer to?

  I looked at Xiuxiu, she nodded at me and shook the map in her hand, saying: "If it were just that, we wouldn't have come here, look down."

  The following is in dialogue form and has a time, but it's very strange because there are only three sentences per day.

  July 21st, but which year's July 21st is unclear, the conversation goes as follows:

  Huoxiangu's handwriting: Agree

  My grandfather's handwriting: I dare not

  Huo Xiangu's handwriting: Then you'd better think about it again, there's no more time.

  Then July 22:

  Huo Xiangu: "They can do anything."

  "Grandpa: 'Let me think about it some more.'"

  Huo Xiangu: "I don't want you to die, agree quickly."

  Then there were more such conversations, as if Huo Xiangong was persuading Grandpa to agree to do things for some people.

  Their conversation was in written form, and they could respond to each other within a day, which meant they were not far apart. Moreover, they could only write three sentences per day. I read it again and again, and a guess emerged in my mind. "Could it be... that your grandfather and my grandmother were once imprisoned by someone, unable to see each other, and were only allowed to say three sentences?" As soon as I said this, I felt that my guess was a bit far-fetched.

  "Who would have thought that Xiuxiu furrowed her brow and nodded, saying: 'We also guessed the same, think about it, what kind of person can imprison my grandmother and your grandfather?'"

  I was shocked, and somewhat understood. Could it be that Zhang Dafo's group of people? Looking at the time of this note, it should have been a long time ago, perhaps just when the old nine doors were first established. Could it be said that it was the beginning of the first generation 'Zhang Qiling' plan, and Zhang Dafo was forcing the old nine doors to cooperate?

  Xiu Xiu saw my expression and said, "After I got this notebook, I looked at it back and forth more than ten times. Later, I discovered an important feature. Look...". She pointed to the space below each sentence and said, "There is a blank line under every sentence."

  This notebook is not the thick, landscape-oriented leather-bound type that was popular back then. Those types of notebooks were mostly used by officials, while ordinary people used portrait-oriented notebooks made of rough paper with red lines printed on them, similar to letterhead. However, at that time, even paper and pens were luxuries only affordable by well-off families, and most poor farmers couldn't even afford a full meal, let alone read or write. As a result, paper was used very frugally, but this notebook is different - there's a blank line after every sentence, making it look very empty.

  I stretched out my fingers to touch those blank spaces, and after a while, I didn't find anything strange about them. I couldn't help but ask: "These blank spaces are a bit odd, but Old Nine Gates wouldn't be so stingy as to save a few sheets of paper."

  Xiu Xiu looked at me with wide eyes and said: "Are you really the grandson of Old Wu?"

  I didn't understand what she meant, and I was stunned for a moment. Yuxi Hua finally raised her head from staring at her phone, looked me up and down with a smirk on her face, and then said to Xiuxiu, "If you want to verify it, it's best to do a DNA test." I felt weak all over and angrily asked, "What's going on? What does this have to do with anything?"

  Xiu Xiu widened her eyes, then immediately spread out her hands and said: "At that time, I just thought it was strange. Someone studied for two months without getting anywhere, so I called him and he told me the method to crack the code." Xiu Xiu pointed at Xiaohua who was playing with her phone.

  Jieyu Hua continued to stretch out her legs and play with her phone, smiling slyly: "The method of unlocking was told by my dad, who learned it from my second uncle. My second uncle is the one who unlocks linked rings, and my second uncle, as expected, should have been taught by Wu San Sheng, and Wu San Sheng..."

  I made a stopping gesture and continued, "It was my grandfather who taught me, right?" I felt a bit suffocated for a moment. It seems that this notebook indeed has some peculiarities, and it's my grandfather's ultimate skill. As a result, his grandson is completely clueless, but Xiaohua from afar managed to figure it out.

  Xiu Xiu couldn't help but giggle and said, "Your grandfather didn't want you to get into this line of work, not teaching you isn't a big deal, don't take it to heart." In the end, I still need a girl to comfort me, which makes me even more depressed. I waved my hand and said, "It's okay, you continue speaking."

  Xiu Xiu suddenly unzipped her down jacket and reached into her chest, I was startled, damn it, do you need to touch your chest and take off your clothes to crack the password?