The Plan in Motion

As soon as they exited the cave, Ella felt her spirits lift. Before them stood a mountain shaped like a flat platform, its peak level with the ground below. Quietly nestled on top was a small inn, looking down over the passersby.

"That's Treading Immortal Mountain," a director nearby explained. "Legend has it that a female immortal, after a thousand years of cultivation, stepped on a stone here and ascended to the heavens. That's how the mountain got its name."

A gentle breeze brushed by, and Ella breathed in the fresh, floral-scented air, her body and mind feeling more relaxed. But the thought of the troublesome people behind them made her sigh.

"Cheer up," came Eric's soft, teasing voice in her ear. "Soon, they won't be so happy."

Ella paused, then grinned. Yes, with Eric here, what was there to worry about?