When it came to escaping, Su Qiuchi was one of the top experts in Chang'an. He ran for an unknown amount of time, weaving between the intertwining purple bamboo. The moment he burst through, a sudden brightness filled his vision, and a refreshing breeze, slightly moist, brushed against his face. The sound of rushing water reached his ears—he had emerged into an open area in the mountains.

  Before him y an oval-shaped pond, surrounded by towering rocks and trees. The water shimmered with a jade-like green hue, rippling gently. A modest waterfall hung in midair like a silver chain, its snow-white cascade bright enough to make the already dimming sky seem clear again. Large, colorful birds with long, vibrant tails soared through the air, gliding past. Su Qiuchi never would have imagined that such a hidden paradise y within the tiny bamboo forest.

  "Fool, hurry and get that brocade pouch!" The young man in fine clothes suddenly pointed toward a pile of scattered rocks in the distance, where a red patch was visible. "Inside is a Seven Warning Arrow. Release it! Hurry!"

  Su Qiuchi quickly complied. The arrow shot straight up into the sky, exploding in the air into seven different colored bursts of light.

  Su Qiuchi asked, "Calling for help?! Is this the way you said we would get out of the bamboo forest?"

  "Otherwise, what did you think?" The young man shrugged. "Did you really think I could lead you out?"

  "Isn't that exactly what you′ve been implying?!" Su Qiuchi snapped, his anger fring.

  "I have some knowledge of the mystic arts," the young man in fine clothes continued, his tone far more composed than Su Qiuchi's, his eyes gazing upwards. "I know this bamboo forest shouldn't exist in this space. Every bamboo and every rock here follows the yout of the Fuxi′s innate Eight Trigrams formation. Once you enter, without a skilled guide, you′ll be trapped here forever. My ability is limited to guiding you back to the path I took earlier and helping you use the warning arrow to call for help."

  Su Qiuchi′s mind immediately began to spin at the mention of "space" and "Fuxi's Eight Trigrams."

  "Let′s just sit and wait. Maybe soon you'll have to carry me again," the young man said, pointing to a rge stone nearby. "By the way, what's your name?"

  Su Qiuchi gred at him and sat down with a huff. "What does it matter to you what my name is?" he retorted, giving him a dismissive look. "But fine, I′ll tell you anyway—Su Qiuchi, the so-called 'Little Overlord of Chang'an.' Hmph!"

  (T/N: "Fuxi" (伏羲) is a legendary figure in Chinese mythology, considered one of the Three Sovereigns, who were rulers and cultural heroes in ancient Chinese history. He is often credited with creating various elements of Chinese civilization, including the invention of writing and the development of the I Ching (Book of Changes). The term "Fuxi′s innate Eight Trigrams" (伏羲先天八卦) refers to a version of the Eight Trigrams (Ba Gua) that Fuxi is said to have created. The Eight Trigrams are a set of eight symbols used in Taoist cosmology, representing fundamental principles of reality. They are often arranged in a square or circle, and each trigram consists of three lines that can be either broken (representing Yin) or unbroken (representing Yang). The term "innate" (先天, xiāntiān) in this context refers to the "original" or "primordial" form of the Eight Trigrams before they were further developed or interpreted by ter figures, such as King Wen and the Duke of Zhou. In this sense, "innate" implies a connection to the fundamental, unchanging structure of the universe, as envisioned by Fuxi. So, Fuxi's innate Eight Trigrams are considered the original, foundational symbols used to describe the universe's structure and the forces of Yin and Yang.)

  "I am Li Huai, a resident of Chang'an," the young man introduced himself graciously. "Now that we′ve met, we can consider ourselves friends through hardship. If I′ve offended you in any way before, please don′t take it to heart. Today, I was out for a stroll when, unexpectedly, I wandered into this pce. I never intended to drag you into it, Su Gongzi."

  The fact that he finally said something sensible helped calm Su Qiuchi's temper somewhat. He straightened his face and asked, "How did you end up in this cursed pce, and why are you in this soul-separated state?"

  "Ah..." Li Huai sighed. "I came down from Cuiwei Mountain and saw this bamboo forest was novel and interesting, so I entered to have a look. I walked all the way to the pond, and when I saw the water was so clear and beautiful, I drank a few mouthfuls. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around, so I turned back the way I came. But suddenly, something felt off—everything started spinning, my body felt like it was on fire, and then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was like this, and my pouch with the warning arrow was gone. I also realized my soul can't leave my body by more than ten feet. Fortunately, you came in; otherwise, with my current state... sigh!" Li Huai mented. "Had I known this would happen, I would have stayed in the pace... no, I should have stayed at home and never come out."

  "Bah! You′re such a jinx!" Su Qiuchi muttered angrily, though he couldn′t help but feel something was strange about this pce. Could it be that some kind of spell had been cast here?

  At that moment, a colorful bird swooped down from the sky, nding by the edge of the pond between two rge stones. It perched there, singing melodiously. Looking at the two stones, Su Qiuchi noticed that they were about the height of a person, their surfaces as translucent as jade, with a faint blue glow emanating from within, making them quite beautiful.

  The bird and the stones captured Su Qiuchi′s attention, and he moved closer, eager to take a closer look. However, as he approached, his years of experience handling antique jade and relics led him to conclude that these were simply two ordinary stones. What caught his eye, though, was the arrangement on top of the stones. On the smooth, chessboard-like surfaces, a pile of bamboo leaves had been carefully arranged in the shape of human figures—two bamboo figures, each standing on one of the stones, clearly positioned in a confrontational stance.

  "What is this?" Su Qiuchi wondered, staring at the strange scene. He casually picked up the "right arm" of the bamboo figure on the stone to inspect it closely. To his surprise, it was simply a genuine bamboo leaf. Who would go to the trouble of arranging it like this?