In a darkened stone corridor just about a metre wide, water dripped between the cracks of the ceiling, pooling on the tiles.
A knobbly old man with a shaved head and pale complexion dressed in sweeping, brown robes akin to that of a devout Taoist slowly made his way down the corridor, tapping his cane against the wall every few steps to find his way.
Finally, his cane, clearly made of of a superior, darker wood, knocked against damp wood.
The old man straightened himself the best he could, then knocked on the door.
When the last decibels faded with the echoes, the door still remained closed.
The old man muttered under his breath and rubbed the stone mounted on the top of his cane. At first glance, the stone seemed completely average, like something you might pick up on the ground, but the more you looked, the more the stone seemed to emit a faint glow.
A simple lamp was mounted on the wall beside the door, and the old man's features were visible.
He had a round face, with sagging cheeks and hooded eyelids. His eyes seemed to be perpetually closed, and his mouth twisted into a tranquil grin.
The door opened with a creak.
"Old Man Xue, what have I told you about disturbing me randomly?" a youthful voice trailed from inside the room, lazy and drawn out.
"Grandmaster, please don't joke like that. This old man has been your disciple since he was old enough to walk." Old Man Xue said.
"Tch. Whatever. What is it this time?" the youthful voice said.
Old Man Xue walked through the doorway, and came into a small room that seemed as if it had been carved out of the corridor.
Decorations were sparse - only a tapestry here and there, and a single painting. A low sofa was placed to the wall, and in the middle of the room was a wide round carpet with foreign designs, and a round table and seats on top of it.
It was set up in mauve and magenta hues, making it look exceedingly gloomy.
A man with long, white hair tied at the back surveyed what looked like tarot cards in his hands.
Although his hair was white, his face was youthful. He couldn't have been older than 25.
He was dressed in long, vibrant purple robes lined with gold, and had a simple gold headpiece in his hair. His demeanor was like that of a careless monarch.
Old Man Xue cupped his hands in a respectful manner then said "This old man wishes to remind you that the entourage from the Imperial Palace is arriving tomorrow.".
"So?" The man with white hair barely looked up.
"The Imperial Palace sends its children here every year, and aren't there still some on the mountain right now? They come here every year for 3 days, making an utter mess of my Hua Shan (華山 Huà Shān)'s Western Peak Shrine... such impudence!" he snorted.
"Grandmaster, tomorrow's visitors are different. Tomorrow, the current Emperor of Yuan An and his wife, the Noble Concubine Ling are arriving to join the Empress Dowager and Imperial Princess Jun to pay respects."
"Emperor? You mean Xue Ya's son?"
"Grandmaster, please don't talk about the Empress Dowager so casually."
"Dog s**t! You're just testy because she's your sister. So what? You're excited to see your nephew? That little brat comes here every year. What's the big deal?"
Old Man Xue almost choked, but remembered his breathing exercises. After some deep breaths, he was ready to take on his grandmaster again.
"That's not it. Grandmaster... Noble Concubine Ling... she's the person who we..."
"Oh? She's finally decided to pay us a visit? About time!" The man with white hair harrumphed.
"Grandmaster. She doesn't yet know about... that matter. We have to remain hidden still." Old Man Xue said.
As the faint morning glow illuminated the ragged mountain, the sound of voices in that corridor slowly faded.
I yawned irritably and stretched out my arms as far as they could go, which wasn't very far, since I was currently squeezed in a carriage.
Lu Qing Yu raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Did you not sleep well last night?"
I didn't answer him.
Nothing went well for me these days. I had been thoroughly chewed up and spat out by a bunch of concubines. Would I sleep well at night?
Instead, I turned my attention to the window. I drew back the curtains to reveal paddy field after paddy field. A small collection of crude mud and thatched houses were visible in the distance, just below a large expanse of mountains.
"We're almost there, huh." I said.
Lu Qing Yu laughed. "Not even close. Reaching the foot of the mountain is easy. Scaling the mountain is the treacherous part."
Hua Shan village was named after the mountain, and it had done very well for itself by association. Although certain peaks were restricted as it was a sacred Taoist mountain, there were religious sites scattered all over its peaks, and certain peaks were open to the public, who would stop by Hua Shan village on the way up the mountain.
Although the outer fringes of the village was still a farming community, the side closest to the mountain had already become a thriving stopover town, filled with inns and trade.
"We aren't stopping at the village first?" I asked Lu Qing Yu.
"No, the journey up the mountain will take some time. This is just a stop to take care of personal affairs and to switch transportation."
From the back of the large line of carriages, a large palanquin was brought out. "That's our ride." Lu Qing Yu said.
"We aren't taking horses, at least?" I asked.
Carrying a heavy palanquin plus 2 people up the mountain must be very tiring for the bearers.
Lu Qing Yu laughed.
"You haven't seen the mountain yet. At some areas, it is so steep or narrow that horses cannot pass. But don't worry. We come to this mountain every year. The men are familiar with the routes."
Lu Qing Yu had outlined the plan for me, and I held onto the paper tightly as the palanquin swayed and tottered dangerously.
Often, I felt like we were about to be thrown out of the palanquin. I could tell that the route was very uneven.
We had passed the traditional route, which took us about 6km from Hua Shan village to the North Peak. We were currently progressing up a series of very rough paths to Cang Long Ling, named so as it resembled the scales on a dragon's back, which the only path to the 4 other peaks.
My back had practically stuck to the padded seat, and the palanquin was at a 45 degree angle.
I decided to reach out and peer out the window to see how the progress was going.