Meeting the Grand Uncle

From Grandfather's words and actions, I was sufficiently aware of the seriousness of this trip.

At that moment, Su Er's voice suddenly rang out:
"Ah, I forgot this."

As Su Er spoke, she took a piece of paper out of her pocket. Unexpectedly, another object fell out of her pocket as well.

It was a very small leaf with a red thread tied to it. The leaf was a vibrant green; at first, I mistook it for carved jade.

Seeing the object in my hand, Grandfather was so excited he bolted upright.
"Soul-Retaining Grass."

I didn't understand why a mere leaf would make Grandfather so excited, so I asked:
"What is Soul-Retaining Grass?"

Fourth Uncle, who was busy drawing talismans on the other side, also walked over in shock:
"It's the legendary Soul-Retaining Grass. Su Er, how did you get this?"

Su Er looked at us with a dazed expression:
"I... I don't know either."

Fourth Uncle stepped forward, took the leaf to confirm, and then explained:
"Soul-Retaining Grass is called an immortal herb by the people because it can bring the dead back to life."

I, Su Er, and Zhang Sheng—all three pairs of eyes went wide as we looked at Fourth Uncle. Fourth Uncle smiled happily and continued:
"Actually, it's not quite that powerful. Soul-Retaining Grass has the effect of retaining the soul of the person who uses it. There are many ways to retain a person's soul after death, but all of them involve bearing karma. Soul-Retaining Grass is different; it is born of heaven and earth, so it is not entangled in karma. Even if only a fragment of the user's soul remains, it can still recover and live normally."

I exclaimed in admiration:
"That means the person who uses it essentially has an extra life."

Fourth Uncle looked at me with an expression that was hard to describe, then nodded once, confirming my somewhat naive question.

So the problem was, where did this precious thing come from, and why was it in Su Er's pocket?

At this point, Fourth Uncle spoke again:
"About forty years ago, I heard rumors that this thing appeared in Kunlun; it's a famous immortal herb that only Ye Mao Song possesses."

I suddenly remembered something and said hurriedly:
"It's the Old Blind Man; it must be him."

I couldn't understand why the Old Blind Man would give this to Su Er. Perhaps it was because Su Er looked like his granddaughter that he did so.

The matter of the Soul-Retaining Grass passed, and all eyes turned back to the white paper on the table.

Even Fourth Uncle shook his head in defeat:
"What exactly is this? We've tried water and fire, so why is there no reaction at all?"

Grandfather looked at us, sighed, and then burst out laughing:
"This is paper used for voice transmission; how could there be words on it?"

This time, four pairs of eyes were fixed on Grandfather.

Grandfather took the paper, folded it into a crane, and then used the brush on the table to dot its eyes. As soon as the two eyes were dotted, the paper crane seemed to be given a soul; it let out a few cries and then lay down silently.

Grandfather had been smiling, but after hearing it, his face darkened as he looked toward me:
"You and Su Er make sure to rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, we set out for Budou Cliff."

Looking at Grandfather's serious face, I really wanted to ask what exactly had happened, but I couldn't find the words. I only knew that Grandfather had called Fourth Uncle into the room to discuss things for a long time.

A quiet night passed. Just as dawn broke, we were at the foot of the mountain. Zhang Sheng had somehow managed to get a horse carriage. Finding a horse carriage in this day and age was truly difficult.

We bid farewell to Fourth Uncle and Zhang Sheng and stepped onto a new path. I put my hand to my chest, trying to calm my heart, which for some reason was beating so fast. I didn't know how this trip would turn out, but I hoped everything would be fine.

The carriage clattered along for half a day.

At this point, I finally asked Grandfather:
"Who was the person who sent the letter this morning, Grandfather?"

Grandfather answered calmly:
"It's my Senior Brother."

"Senior Brother?" I looked puzzled.

"He is a cultivator of profound Dao; you will naturally know when you meet him," he replied.

I nodded, then casually asked further:
"What was the content of the letter, Grandfather?"

Grandfather leaned back against the carriage wall, his eyes closed, but his mouth still moved to answer me:
"Senior Brother told me that he has been in closed-door cultivation for a long time, ignoring worldly affairs. But recently, while observing the celestial phenomena, he felt a change in the sun and moon, and the Zhuxing star was moving in reverse, indicating an abnormal omen. So he used divination and found that the source started with me. This time it's a matter of life and death; if I need any help, he will not hesitate to act."

I cried out, feeling my heart grow even heavier:
"Is it that dangerous this time?"

Grandfather nodded, his voice becoming even more stern. Every time Grandfather's attitude changed, I felt a bad omen approaching.
"Coming to find him this time is also to ask for a helping hand."

After that sentence, Grandfather sighed again and said nothing more.

Su Er and I also fell silent. The atmosphere suddenly became terrifyingly quiet; only the rustling sound of branches brushing against each other and the occasional distant neighing of a horse could be heard.

Unknowingly, time passed, and we finally arrived at Budou Cliff.

Grandfather stepped off the carriage first, looking up to observe everything, then turned and pointed forward:
"It should be there."

"Huh?" Su Er and I gasped in surprise.

Before my eyes now was a stone staircase stretching for a thousand steps; standing from the foot of the mountain, one had to look for a long time to see the end.

Of all the places to choose for seclusion, he chose such a high place; he certainly has an eye for it.

Su Er sat down on a rock, panting:
"Being in the carriage all day was tiring enough, and now we have to climb stairs. Zhong Lăng, I'm about to die of exhaustion."

Grandfather felt a bit sorry seeing the two of us like that, but this place was desolate and remote; if we didn't hurry to the Grand Uncle's seclusion spot, we might not have a place to stay tonight.

I called Grandfather's Senior Brother 'Grand Uncle', partly considering him a relative. After all, one more friend is one less enemy.

Grandfather let us sit and rest for a bit, waiting until we were less tired to continue.

The sunset here was as beautiful as a fairyland, incredibly ethereal. Above the steps was a tower; the clouds were a fiery red across the sunset sky, and the setting sun stretched across the distant steps. One had to see it with their own eyes to truly feel its beauty.

I turned to ask Grandfather:
"Why were so many steps built?"

Grandfather's eyes blinked a few times:
"Those who come to seek the Dao must have sincerity. One must kneel and kowtow for all 999 steps to meet Senior Brother."

"999 steps? Is he trying to kill someone?" I gaped and shouted.

Grandfather stood up and looked toward the stairs:
"Only with sincerity can one attain the Dao. Come, let's go."

After saying that, Grandfather walked directly ahead. Su Er and I quickly followed.

If it's 999 steps, then so be it; I'm not afraid. As long as I can protect my relatives, then ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or a million steps wouldn't matter.

After walking for a long time, I couldn't lift my legs anymore and sat down heavily, panting. Looking back, Grandfather and Su Er had already vanished from sight.

I stood up, looking a bit embarrassed, intending to call out loudly, but then I decided against it.