Unparalleled Double Harmony

Chapter 613 Forbidden Area in the Back Mountain
Wudang Mountain is a place of ancient peaks reaching the sky, with lush forests and abundant vegetation.

Surrounded by mountains, the majestic main peak stands tall and imposing.

At dawn and dusk, clouds and mist rise from the mountainside, swirling and swirling. Beneath the sea of ​​clouds, the forests of camphor, pine, and cypress trees rustle in the breeze, their verdant foliage intertwined.

Normally, if someone wants to go up the mountain, they must take the "front gate main road" because only there is a wide road connected to the main road and without trees blocking the way, as well as a very long, winding stone staircase leading up the mountain.

Only after walking the path and climbing the steps can visitors see the "mountain gate" of Wudang.

Behind the main peak are jagged and steep cliffs, not only incredibly high but also sheer. Climbing up from the "back" is probably more difficult than fighting your way in through the main gate. After all, someone skilled enough to climb these cliffs would have been more than capable of breaking into the mountain gate.

However, today, there were two people who, undeterred by the dense forest or the steep cliffs, still managed to find their way to this desolate place behind Wudang Mountain, intending to "climb" up the mountain.

"Damn it... I can't see the top of this mountain at all." Sun Yixie stood at the foot of the mountain, shading his eyes with his hand and squinting upwards, only to see a cliff rising straight up into the sky and disappearing into the clouds, which was truly awe-inspiring.

"Hey~ what are you panicking for?" Huang Donglai said confidently. "No matter what happens, I'm here."

“Heh…” Sun Yixie curled his lips, “It’s precisely because I feel that you might not be reliable at crucial moments that I’m a little hesitant.”

“Mao~” Huang Donglai said, “Am I not reliable? Just make sure you don’t break down halfway up the mountain.”

These two were talking back and forth, their hands never stopping.

As they chatted, they strapped on a full set of mountaineering gear and prepared to set off.

It was called "mountaineering equipment," but it was actually just a few sets of "safety ropes" with rivets and buckles, a few "mountain axes," and two pairs of specially made boots and gloves... Each piece was made by tailors and blacksmiths based on Sun and Huang's impressions of the past world.

Of course, the two of them put some effort into the materials, using the most reliable items that were readily available in this era.

This equipment certainly doesn't meet the standards for natural rock climbing equipment by today's standards, but it was very advanced in Da Ming. Besides, in places where equipment performance is insufficient, they can make up for it with their "skills".

The process of Sun Huang's climb is definitely different from our general concept of rock climbing. They don't need to follow the pattern of "climbing up little by little, constantly chiseling footholds, constantly hammering safety spikes, and taking breaks from time to time before continuing." People like them, who have the ability to move freely, can confidently "step on any foothold and leap up more than ten meters in one breath. When they feel they have reached their limit, they can hammer in a safety spike, rest for a while, and then repeat the process." It is precisely because of this that they are able to challenge such steep cliffs.

At this point, some people might be wondering, what are these two planning to do after going to such lengths to infiltrate Wudang?

In fact, their plan was not complicated—they wanted to secretly hide in the back mountain of the other side after reaching the top and make some "preparations". When those who framed Hunyuan Star Gate attacked Wudang, the two of them would suddenly appear to save the day and prove their innocence.

Furthermore, the plan had a backup plan: if the enemy was too strong and the two failed to save the day, the path they climbed up from the back of the mountain could serve as an "emergency retreat route." If conditions allowed, they could also rescue some Wudang Taoist priests and descend the mountain together, at which point there would be witnesses to clear their names.

To make a long story short, the two followed the plan and climbed up. Although Sun Yixie was a little unsteady and swaying several times after "climbing the wall", he managed to keep his balance in the end, so he did not need to use a safety rope.

After climbing for half a day, the two finally reached the top of the cliff, arriving at a secluded spot in the "back mountain" of the Wudang Sect.

Although the entire climb was thrilling but ultimately safe, the human fear of heights, or rather, the fear of falling, is ultimately one of our instincts, so the two of them were quite exhausted along the way.

After reaching the summit, the two rested for a while at the edge of the cliff before getting up.

After checking and organizing their equipment and luggage, they continued on their way.

The reason this area behind the mountain is called "back mountain" is because its terrain is steep and difficult to cultivate or build upon; and on ordinary days, almost no one would set foot here.

After walking along a narrow path overgrown with trees and weeds along the edge of the cliff, and rounding a massive rock with deep, dark veins, Sun Huang came to a narrow passage. At the other end of the passage, two Wudang disciples, clearly slacking off, stood guard with their backs to the back of the mountain. Beside them, on a stone wall, were clearly engraved the eight large characters: "Forbidden Area of ​​the Back Mountain, No Entry Allowed."

Since Sun Huang was already on this side of the "forbidden area," he no longer needed to pay attention to the two guards who were still a few feet away. They simply suppressed their noise and easily slipped past, running to another side road on this side of the intersection.

Further along that road, the terrain becomes more complex, and the vegetation and rocks become denser.

After walking more than two hundred steps, when they came to a "stone forest", Huang Donglai suddenly stopped, looked at a few rocks not far away, and fell silent.

"What's going on?" Sun Yixie stopped when he saw that he was not walking, and asked casually while looking in the direction he was looking.

"Don't you think some of the rocks around here look like they've been 'carved'?" Huang Donglai said, shaking his head thoughtfully.

Upon hearing this, Sun Yixie also began to think and observe in that direction. Sure enough, he soon discovered that the surfaces of some rocks around him did indeed have traces of being cut.

If you look closely, each of these rocks has its own "form". Some look like a monkey holding a peach, some like a tortoise worshipping the moon, some like a tiger reaching out its claws, and some like a crane carrying a sesame seed. This form contains form and meaning. If it is not a martial arts move, then what is it?
"Wow~" Sun Yixie saw through the trick and couldn't help but exclaim, "As expected, these old sects all have good things hidden in their back mountains. These rocks must be the peerless martial arts left behind by the predecessors of the Wudang Sect, right?"

"What are you thinking about?" Huang Donglai said. "If even the two of us can see it at a glance, the Wudang people must have discovered it long ago. Since they still left these rocks here without moving them, it means that these moves are not that advanced."

Brother Huang was right this time. In fact, these rocks were used as "draft paper" by some people who were "reflecting on their mistakes" in the back mountain. If these moves were really some kind of ultimate skill, the Wudang disciples of later generations would have moved them to a more hidden place, or simply destroyed the rocks and copied the moves into the manual.

"Then what are you looking at with that constipated look on your face?" Sun Yixie retorted, changing the subject immediately.

"Tsk... I thought you wouldn't be able to tell, I was just trying to show off." Huang Donglai spoke the truth with seven parts sarcasm and three parts self-deprecation. "I didn't expect even you to see it right away, so I'm even more convinced that this isn't some kind of amazing martial art."

"What do you mean 'even I could tell right away'?" Sun Yixie immediately turned his face away. "I don't like hearing that. Do you think my talent is inferior to yours?"

"Hmph..." Huang Donglai snorted coldly after hearing this, but he didn't continue the conversation, because he felt that he might not be able to win the argument if they really went on.

As the two were talking, they continued walking. After only a dozen or so steps, they discovered a path leading downwards in an inconspicuous corner.

This road is usually very hidden and easy to miss, but for some reason, there is a large patch of vegetation at the entrance of the steep slope that clearly shows signs of being cleared away recently.

Sun Huangduo, what a bunch of scoundrels! Seeing this, he immediately fell silent.

Both of them tacitly became wary, tiptoeing and cautiously approaching the area. After confirming that no one was around for the time being, they descended the slope...

After walking for a while, a stone gate embedded in the mountain suddenly appeared before them. In the middle of the stone gate were two parallel, nostril-like round holes, each about the size of a human head. Upon closer inspection with the light, it could be seen that the two holes did not pass through the stone gate, but rather turned and connected inside like pipes.

Looking at it this way, these two holes should be something like "keyholes," but how they are used is hard to say.

So, Shuangxie searched again and soon found a line of small inscriptions on the edge of the stone gate: "Entrusted by someone, I dug this stone ruin. With the two sources complementing each other, we can reach the grotto heaven."

Here, the book subtly reveals that the origin of this line of text, or rather this stone door, is also related to the legendary hero Yun.

As mentioned in the previous article, the first thing that Master Yuqiao did after falling into demonic possession was to return to Wudang and personally destroy the two types of Heavenly Silkworm Skill hidden in the forbidden area of ​​Wudang.

The grotto behind this stone door is undoubtedly the place where the Wudang Sect hid the Heavenly Silkworm Skill, and also the place where the "Six Heroes" practiced their skills in seclusion.

Later, although Master Yun resolved the crisis brought by Master Yuqiao, the place remained abandoned. After all, the martial arts recorded inside had been destroyed, and there was no point in digging it up and rebuilding it.

However, this situation changed again in the "later years" of Master Yun, or when he began to notice the abnormality of the Heavenly Silkworm Skill.

Back then, Master Yun had tried his best to survive, but the only senior he found who he was sure was a "master" told him very directly that his "karmic retribution was coming" and there was no way to save him. He should let go of his attachments and make arrangements for his affairs.

Hearing the advice, and after consulting with the expert on some issues, Master Yun devised a plan.

First, he invited a master to Wudang. After speaking with the Wudang leaders at the time, the master reopened a road leading to the grotto and built this hidden stone gate.

Then, Master Yun and a master went to Tianshan Mountain and set up the "Heavenly Silkworm Cave" with various ingenious traps in a natural cave.

Meanwhile, at Yun Daxia's request, a close friend crafted the Silkworm-Seeking Ring and spread the four lines of poetry.

In the end, his friend died alongside Hero Yun in the Heavenly Silkworm Cave, while the master had already left long before the Heavenly Mountain Cave was completed.

This master, surnamed Pan and named Yuping, was a corpse driver. You probably don't know him, but you should remember his grand-disciple, Liang Jingshuo.

As we mentioned before, in this universe, the Corpse Transporting Clan is a group of people who specialize in "transporting and storing dangerous goods," so building such mechanical caves is a matter of professional expertise for them, and it's just a convenient favor.

The friend of Master Yun didn't understand why Master Yun wanted to pass on his skills before he died. The reason was that most of the arrangements made by Master Yun before his death were not made by him, but by Pan Yuping. There were many things that the friend didn't know.

In fact, finding the "Heavenly Silkworm Divine Skill" through the Silkworm-Seeking Ring is only the first step. How to proceed afterward still needs to be discovered by the person who has gained the skill in this cave.

If all goes well, Master Yun hopes that the person who finds the Heavenly Silkworm Cave and obtains the secret manual in later generations can learn the secret of the cave and enter it for inspection with the permission of the Wudang Sect Leader at that time.

However, as we all know, many things will ultimately fail to go as planned due to some rather absurd, yet not uncommon, accidents.

Now we can clearly state: Master Yun did not intend to hide anything from his friend in the end. In fact, he even wanted his friend to pass on a message to Wudang. However, before his friend could join him, he passed away. His friend misunderstood his intentions and stayed there to be buried with him... The truth is that simple, yet so tragic.

Returning to the present moment, faced with the two holes in the stone door and the prompt "dual source of mutual assistance," Shuangxie immediately thought of the literal meaning of simultaneously inputting two forces to open the door.

So the two discussed it briefly, then each put one hand into a hole, and inside the pipe, they clasped hands together, each unleashing some internal energy.

As a result, of course, it did not elicit any reaction.

The key point is not the "two forces" themselves, but the "two forces coexisting in one body." Back then, Master Yun must have explained to Pan Yuping that the "Heavenly Silkworm Divine Skill" was a martial art that was modified by removing one of the three original Heavenly Silkworm Skill sources. Therefore, the opening mechanism of the stone door for Pan Yuping was designed based on this.

So, does that mean only those who have practiced the Heavenly Silkworm Divine Skill can open it?
Not really…

As you can probably guess from the fact that the plants at the entrance of this steep slope have been cleared away, someone had already come and successfully entered shortly before Shuangxie arrived.

Moreover, this person did not possess the Heavenly Silkworm Divine Skill; he relied on his combined Buddhist and Taoist internal strength to open the door.

To put it bluntly, as long as the "two forces can coexist in one body," the door can be opened in other forms as well.

So, is Sun Huang out of options right now?
Well, not really.

Because Huang Donglai actually had something on him that could open this door—a whisk that he had taken from the deceased Water Fairy.

(End of this chapter)