The planted, rocky mountain truly featured some paths to actually walk on easily the way up but on it were some guards stationed who controlled some locations on the way, watching into the air around the mountain. But even now Shiren saw some people guarding the paths between the outposts, often for detachments.

With this circumstances the group had to be extra cautious. If only one of them got spotted it won´t take long until they would meet some of the Furious Five or even the Dragon Warrior.

One open fight could be very critical right at this moment since every outpost was able to see or specially hear the other outposts if they would make loud noises. So they would alarm the whole place in just a few seconds.

But with Yong, a half expert of doing sneaky infiltrations, as their leader the party went pretty unseen up the mountain trough bushes, trees, rocky climbings and perfect timings with a patrol.

Once Shiren nearly touched a head of one guard as he swung himself over a hanging stump and underrated the distance to the guard.

The goose looked up as he felt the wind but did not recognise Shiren who immediately hid behind the leafs. The guard slowly went back to his work while Shiren silently distanced himself from him.

As he reunited with the group he apologised with an insured smile.

The next real thread in their way, besides some patrols they had to cross and decided run over at the right moment as the guards turned their faces off the road for like one or two seconds, and some gorges, was a gate.

A, surprisingly unguarded, big gate made out of sturdy wood stood on an entry of a cave where the path leaded on and there was no other way to proceed. Climbing up the wall was not an option for the group since on the way on top, many metres above, were sitting some more guards who were able to have a watch on the whole area. They were positioned that close a sneak by would be way to risky and the cliff to long and ineptly to climb on properly. There also were no plants on the walls big enough to hide on.

Shiren and his friends benefited until now from being at the shadow side of the mountain.

Though the sun was currently nearly up to rise up high enough to lighten the western side more and more and the advantage grew weaker with any minute passed.

"What a surprise!", Lao said ironically, laying down Yong's bag and looked very unamused: "The door is locked."

"Could it already be the entry to the Jade-Palace?", Ku Zhan asked hopefully and touching the wood but Xing denied his statement with trying to stay patient, since during the climb he asked often times if they are there yet:

"Look up. We are finally able to see the Jade-Palace at least but it´s surely more than one kilometre still."

"Now if we follow this path,", Yong said to calm them down and went toward the gate: "we should be able to move on. I can´t see any other way from here unless anyone of you is able to jump like hundred metres. We need to pass this gate."

"But before that...", Shiren mentioned: "We should get sure there is no evil surprise on the other side of it."

Yong nodded and answered while turning back, away from the gate: "Yes. And it´s your job to do that. So, climb up, seek for a little hole and slither in. Maybe you also will find something to open this because we should at least try to not damage it."

Shiren started to nod a few times ironically. His face grew astonished while he looked at the flat gate. He was not really longer than one metre which is nothing compared to the huge gate. He looked to Yong again and explained himself: "You see, I can´t climb smooth and high walls and specially can´t look for any entry while doing so even if I would be able to climb!"

Lao calmed the mood down while saying: "Guys, guys, guys. I, at least got one problem solved. On the top of is a little of space Shiren would be easily able to slither trough since he is the tiniest one of us. Now the second Question is… how, if he is not able to climb that up?"

"Shiren, come here.", Xing nearly immediately commented him with much self-confident and views from faces, surprised by her.

Shiren, irritated, hesitated and starred at her, trying to figure out what she was up to do but the only clue he saw, which gave information about her intention, was her grinning face. "I´m not hurting you, I promise.", she said stretched her arm towards him like she expected him to take her hand while she deeply looked into his eyes. "You can trust me.", she said very cocksurely of herself and an uncommon trustful face.

Shiren wanted to hesitate once more. He so wanted to know what her plan was but it seemed like she was not up to tell him anything. Xing since months grew into a person who always first execute a plan before telling the others what she actually planned.

Shiren never liked whenever something was going to happen with him and he did not know the outcome. He more prefered being on his own. But in this particular moment was no time for long discussions.

Jil and the other masters surely were already buying time at this moment so he and his frineds could sneak in the palace unseen. It was a high burden he was not able to risk.

Shiren was only able to imagine how intense a battle against the Jade-Palace must had been when all of their warriors are fighting together side by side against some masters who never fought together at all. The Furious Five were a great team since they are a team based of warriors fighting and training together for ages.

So he decided to trust his friend enough this time and came closer at Xing, still wondering but trustful about her self-confidence.

"Now you better don´t move until you are inside. Strap yourself and try to not shout.", Xing said while grabbing Shiren´s tail, turned towards the cliff so her back was directed to the gate and she knelt down and took a deep breath.

Shiren now recognised what she wanted to do and he did not like it. But it was already to late to complain about anything or decide otherwise since she was already on her move to throw him towards the little hole.

She turned around, swung Shiren around her like a rope and threw him like in a hammer throwing discipline.

The hole came closer to Shiren in a very high speed and he nearly furled himself but he did not even had the power to fight against the pressure of the wind. He gave his best to not cream or make any other loud noises.

He punched his eyes and hoped for the best.

On his surprise he survived the flight. He rubbed on the top of the cave, landed and unrolled himself on the ground. Quickly he turned up, looked around for potential guards and then slithered back quickly to the gate to find a way to open it. Though he was excited about this intense moment, he knew he had comrades counting on him. As he investigated the area around the gate he found a crank lever for four persons. He looked at it very sceptically because was not a very strong person and wondered if he could be able to open the gate.

It was not the best he could had hope for but he tried to open the gate with the lever. With surprise on his side he half did it somehow after approximately ten tries. Either he was super strong somehow or, what he assumed, this crank lever was made for four goose's. Goose's in general were not the most strongest animals Shiren knew about rather one of the weakest, he explained his success.

Shiren made it to open a gap from the gate with giving nearly his full power because the gate was still pretty heavy. He heard some steps running to the gate and straddling underneath the little gap while gave it his all to held the gate open.

It was Xing who run to Shiren in order to help him with the gate and together they managed to open the gap high enough for the others to walk in.

Shiren was impressed how strong Xing was as she requested Shiren to let her close the gate alone after everyone was on the inside of the cave and she made it calmly and quietly as possible. Than she breathed and looked at the others. "And you had doubts?", she asked slightly arrogant or at least uppity.

"I didn't say anything.", Ku Zhan answered, holding his hands innocently up like he wouldn't dare having a word against Xing.

Yong nodded and looked at everyone: "Good job, Xing. Now, everyone, let's move on. We don´t have any time to waste." Lao agreed and without any indication of backchat.

After one and a half hour, including, some rests, they all made their way on to climb up this mountain unseen trough some other obstacles.

But the party was well equipped and prepared for dire situations. Mostly they found a save way around in order to avoid them.

Shiren loved climbing though he was not used to climb up such large stony mountains and he appreciated if he had the opportunity to climb on a tree or at least a bush in order to get forward. His colouration made it nearly invisible when he was around leaves. Only his dark-orange eyes made him apparent if someone would had pay high attention to him.

But on the current circumstances with the guards keeping their eyes preponderantly on the air nobody recognised him.

The sun was already on the up-station of her daily journey as Shiren looked at the secret back door entry of the Jade-Palace.

One grid with a lock was the last hurdle before they were able to finally enter the path into the palace itself which looked slightly more like a cave than a proper palace entry.

Yong stepped forward towards the lock in order to open it. Shiren was able to unlock it as well without a doubt but it would had taken much longer and time was what they must not waste.

Right before they entered this passage Ku Zhan warned everyone once again very quietly they theoretically already entered the facility of the Jade-Palace. So in the worst case they could meet a very strong warrior every time so they had to be very cautiously.

Yong wasted no time thinking, when she opened the slightly squeaking grid and whispered back: "Come on!", as she entered the dark corridor. Her classmates followed her after few moments one by one and after the last person was inside she looked to the outside once again for any watcher, just to be save, and closed the grid again behind her. As she turned back to the group Shiren winked with his head towards the tunnel as a signal to move on.

The inside was very dark and wet. Only few torches were making any lights which was unfortunate for Shiren because right now he had no spot to hide if anyone would cross their way. Though he knew if even one person would meet their path, it would not matter if Shiren finds a hiding spot and but the others not he always appreciated a place to fall back if needed. But against all expectations somehow they did not meet anyone on the floor like they were not entering a palace but an old and abandoned mine. "I don´t like this...", Xing whispered: "Shouldn't any guards be here?"

The corridor did not have many partings of the way so it should be very likely they encounter someone if this tunnel would be used.

Ku Zhan asked back: "So you are assuming someone want to make it easy for us?" He always paid high attention to some noises like footsteps coming this way.

"Even if so...", Shiren answered: "We are already in their hole and we have a mission so we should not go back. Remember, Jil is counting on us. We better not disappoint her. I know about secret traps well enough. Even if they want us to go inside, maybe in order to trap us, we better play their game."

Ku Zhan turned to Shiren and wondered: "What are you talking about?"

He stopped moving and Shiren did so after him, followed by the rest. Ku Zhan looked at Shiren with seriousness: "You almost sound like you WANT us to get trapped by them."

Shiren looked at him and did not gave in his decisiveness even if it sounded very much like he did not care about getting trapped: "I did never say anything like this. But, Ku Zhan, you know: I just say the truth. They maybe got something in hand for us, I´m pretty sure as well as I am sure we are able to get out of this mess AND even if everything goes wrong: At least it would not get worse than getting captured by thieves or pirates! We are at war and… I think you knew what would come before you accepted this mission. You were even ready to do it without me. So why are you now scared? I came with you to find this crap of a scroll. Do you really think I would go back now and leave it by that just because there might be some traps?" Shiren was so nervous he almost did not know what he said. He realized he was not as motivating as he wanted to be in this moment. He almost was on the way to open a dispute.

"Shiren!", Yong said sharply and looked at him and Ku Zhan as she said: "That´s enough. Guys, we all know what awaits us. Even the chieftain knows it but he chost us because he knew we are able to do this job and get over their traps. So no more words from both of you, understood?"

Lao commented her statement: "At least I thought, he chost us because we in some way fought the Furious Five. Not because we are specialists about any traps."

"I know.", she sighed, turned to Lao and tried to calm the situation again: "But I support Shiren's statement. We are here for a reason and I rather do it than going back now and desert the alliance which could be punished like Quántóu got or more worse: We could get banned! Chieftains are no persons with much patience to such people who panicky retreat from a mission they previously accepted.", she said and then went her way on. Shiren looked at Ku Zhan shortly and then followed her. He heard the others following him slightly. Now he should be more aware of traps than ever before.

After few minutes of walking around the corridors which turned out to be a little labyrinth, the class found itself in a room with five possible ways onward.

Yong made it quick: "Everyone goes for one floor. Whoever meets a dead end comes back immediately and meet up with the others. Who is finding the scroll, takes it and comes back immediately too. Who is finding a threat is not fighting and returning immediately too. Do not do a fight with at least three of us. Understood? We don´t have the time to discuss. Questions? No? Okay. Move on."

Shiren remembered to retreat as far as he would see no matter what but did not dare to answer her back as well as the others. Yong put such a commander position she already looked very respectful and totally sober. He saw her in a way he never recognised.

Until now she always was something like a lonely figure in the world having fun with some comrades and learn how to fight properly unarmed.

He now saw she was able to be a great teacher or something. She had a clear mind and a way to talk to people directly. She really did not want to risk anything in this mission and took it more than serious. He respected that.

Shiren followed his path alone, silent and aware of any noises. The atmosphere of this place never changed, no matter if he looked into different rooms. He wondered: What are the people here doing with those rooms since they were pretty much empty? What was their purpose?

He recognised the most part of them were dungeons. Cages and depots.

He assumed those rooms were made before the time of peace or they were built in the last few days though it was very unimaginable for him keeping a whole army in a dungeon on top of a mountain right underneath of a whole palace.

The silence made Shiren grow scared. He had the feeling someone would ambush him every time, or someone is sneaking behind him and just wait for him to turn around, like some kind of assassin.

But whenever he looked around he saw no one. Nothing but a long silent corridor he just past. There was nobody striking at him. Just his imagination made him seeing threats where they weren't and let him think something is shooting at him whenever he lost his attention to his senses.

He feared to be alone in a place like this: Probably surrounded by enemies he did not know, no place to run and no place to hide. The sober part of him wondered if there would be any traps but he did not see anything suspicious.

Keeping thinking logically, move forward and stop looking around made him to move forward. He remembered himself he had a job to do and his friends are counting on him so he straightly looked onward and did not attempted to stop.

After quite some time he wondered if he should return to his comrades and checking if they found something.

By virtue of the length of this floor Shiren assumed he is strait on his way leaving the basement vault and enter the main halls of the Jade-Palace. These people who live here must have a favour for long paths, he thought. He wondered who would keep care about all those torches burning here. Are they always burning? For whom?

Exhausted and willing to return, Shiren looked into one last room before he would decide to return. It was locked. Not the first door being locked but Shiren did not want to skip this room so he started to crack the lock. He is not that experienced or capable with unlocking doors but after some time he managed to open it.

Slightly the door creaked as he opened it and looked into the inside. The first thing he noticed: It was empty. No secret ambush at him.

The second thing was the size of this big room. The light of the floor was not strong enough to lighten the whole room. Perhaps in a corner of this room someone could sit and wait for Shiren to enter this room so his possible comrade right behind the door close it and trapping him, Shiren suggested, so he went back, took one torch of the floor and threw it into the room. Nobody sat there, which was good.

He looked around the door and saw no ambush. Than he took a sharper look into the room and he actually saw something very tiny on the edge of this room which was barely to see. Shiren nearly overlooked it but it got his attention since it´s form looked familiar.

As he came closer to it, after closing the door behind him, he confirmed his thoughts. A scroll. He grew excited. Maybe it was the right one!

Before he actually took it he investigated the surroundings of the scroll to not activate a trap.

He was not able to see anything but in case the scroll is laying on a pressure plate he took the scroll of the dancing snake and replaced the other scroll with it swiftly and smiled. If they find this at least one of them will make use of it.

And just in case he got the right scroll he went to the torch in this room and opened it.

As he begun to read he felt like he had the right one. It was already about Chi.

But in case it was just a trap and a mostly empty scroll, or a trap with some nonsense, he read on.