It was impossible to tell how much time had passed when Jiang Yan finally regained consciousness from his deep swoon. Feeling utterly weak all over, he struggled to open his eyes. He found himself inside a stone chamber. In the very center stood a pitch-black table with a metallic sheen, upon which rested a bronze-colored basin. Inside the basin lay a massive luminous pearl, radiating a dazzling white light that illuminated the entire chamber as bright as day. Jiang Yan managed to sit up with great difficulty. He saw that his clothes were in tatters and his entire body was stained with dried blood. Overcome by a wave of dizziness, he turned his head to look around and realized this was a spacious stone chamber. Aside from the bed he was on, there were two rows of dark brown shelves lining the left and right walls, neatly stacked with layers of ancient books. The brilliant glow of the luminous pearl in the center made it somewhat difficult for Jiang Yan to keep his eyes open.
At that moment, a young girl of about fifteen or sixteen walked into the chamber. Her hair was tied into two small pigtails, and she wore a vibrant green long dress embroidered with lotus flowers and peacocks, with a long sword hanging at her waist.
With a voice as sweet as tinkling silver bells, she stepped inside and cried, "Hey! Little big brother, you're awake!"
Jiang Yan blinked his dazed and confused eyes and asked, "Elder sister, did you save me?"
The young girl blinked her bright, mischievous, and spirited eyes and replied, "That's right, I saved you! If I hadn't happened to go out to gather herbs that day and seen you collapsed out there, you would have either died or been eaten by wild beasts in the mountains! By the way, what on earth happened to you, little big brother? Why were you passed out alone deep in the mountains, and how did you get hurt so badly?"
As she was speaking, an old man walked in from outside the stone chamber. He had a full beard and hair as white as snow, wore a purple-gold crown on his head, and was dressed in a silvery-white robe. A purple-gold gourd hung at his waist, and two swords—one cyan and one black—were strapped to his back. With an aura of great dignity, he walked toward the young girl.
As soon as the young girl in the green dress saw him, she cheerfully bounded over, calling out, "Master! Master! Master! You're here!"
The old man glanced at the young girl and said with stern dignity, "You little rascal! You're usually sharp-tongued, pampered, and willful—it's all because I've spoiled you too much!"
Lying on the bed, Jiang Yan looked at the stern-faced old man and asked in a low voice, "Thank you, elder, for saving my life." With that, he tried to turn over and get out of bed to kneel and kowtow in gratitude.
The old man stopped him, saying, "There is no need for that. As practitioners of the Dao, our guiding principle is compassion. Saving you simply means your time to die has not yet come. Let me ask you: What is your name? Why were you found unconscious alone deep in the mountains with such severe injuries? Fortunately for you, fortune favored you, and you crossed paths with my disciple and myself."
Jiang Yan replied, "I am from Luyuan Village, outside the mountains. My name is Jiang Yan. That day, I went into the valley with several companions to gather medicinal herbs and tend to the cattle and sheep. Suddenly, the weather changed dramatically—the sky turned pitch black, the wind howled, and rocks and sand flew through the air. To this day, my companions are nowhere to be found, and I do not know if they are dead or alive." With tears in his eyes, he bowed once more to thank the old man for saving his life.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the old man stroked his long beard and sighed, "So that is how it was! So that is how it was! I never would have imagined you would have such a bizarre and extraordinary experience."
Jiang Yan asked, "Elder, where is this place? And who is that young girl?"
The old man answered, "Little brother, this is Huoyun Cave. The young girl who saved you just now is called Furong; she is a disciple I took in more than a decade ago. Young man, I see that you have survived such a terrible ordeal, which proves you are no ordinary person. Why don't you stay here for now to recover from your injuries and keep my disciple Furong company? You can decide what to do after you have fully healed."