Meanwhile, after a month of arduous travel, the young man crossed countless border checkpoints and arrived in the Tibetan region of Motuo.
Without an ID card or a pass, he had to sneak through, and he was already classified as an "illegal entrant."
Upon reaching Motuo, he went straight to a cultivation temple on the snow-capped mountains, as there were clues left for him by his clansman "Dong Can."
Dong Can was just a pseudonym; his true identity was that of an overseas member of the Zhang family, belonging to the young man's ancestors.
Years ago, he was the one who brought the young boy out from the Kangbalo tribe and entrusted him to a couple from the Zhang family for upbringing.
After handing over the infant to this couple, Dong Can left the Zhang family and returned to the depths of the snow-capped mountains in Motuo.
Before leaving, he left a clue for the couple.
He said that if they needed to find him, they could go to the Jila cultivation temple in Motuo and look for a practitioner named De Ren.
This couple were direct descendants of the Zhang family, and they were cousins of the young man's biological father; they had somehow received news.
They learned that the young man's father had gone on a mission to Motuo and had fallen in love with a Tibetan medicine girl who was sacrificed to the King of Hell as a corpse rider.
To save that girl, the young man's biological father fought a fierce battle with the local Kangbalo tribe, demanding they cease this inhumane sacrificial practice.
But ultimately, he was outnumbered and severely injured, escaping the territory of the Kangbalo tribe with the Tibetan medicine girl.
During his injury, the Tibetan medicine girl also fell in love with him and became pregnant with his child, who was the young man.
Later, this matter reached the inner circle of the Zhang family.
At that time, the Zhang family was in turmoil.
To maintain family unity and reinforce the faith of their clansmen, some high-ranking members of the Zhang family decided to replace the deceased infant in the dragon-patterned stone box of King Zhou Mu with the young boy.
This was to re-establish the faith of their clansmen and to choose him as Zhang Qi Ling, bearing the burdens bestowed by heaven for the family.
Thus, they sent Dong Can to bring the young man back, conveniently killing his biological father and mother!
However, this was discovered by another faction of the Zhang family elders, and the young man's identity was exposed, nearly leading to his expulsion from the Zhang family.
War broke out, and the Zhang family fought a fierce battle, resulting in many deaths, including that of the young man's adoptive parents in the chaos.
Before they died, they revealed the mystery of the young man's origins to Zhang Yun Feng, as he was the closest to the young man.
He took over the position of Zhang Qi Ling and saved the young boy.
Many years later, Zhang Yun Feng told these secrets to the young man, saying that if he wanted to know about his origins and his mother's whereabouts, he should go to Motuo in the Tibetan region and find someone named De Ren.
This event happened over thirty or forty years ago.
Now, the young man has finally arrived in Motuo.
Following the clues provided by Zhang Yun Feng, he went directly to a cultivation temple on the snow-capped mountains, where the person named De Ren was said to be practicing.
After inquiring among the local Tibetan population about the way up the mountain, the young man set off alone for the snow-capped peaks.
After a day of climbing, he finally reached the cultivation temple on the snow-capped mountains—Jila Temple.
However, he had come over the mountain from the cliff side.
This was a mysterious temple built on a snow-capped mountain at an altitude of several thousand meters, with a history of several hundred years.
The young man stood outside the temple's main gate, gazing at the cultivation temple perched atop the snow-capped mountain, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.
This was also the first reaction of most people.
After all, this was the summit of a snow-capped mountain at an altitude of several thousand meters.
The scale of this temple was not small, with one or two hundred rooms; who could afford to build such a temple here?
After observing for a while, the young man pushed open the temple's main door and walked inside, where he found a secluded courtyard.
In the courtyard, there were two stoves, and a small child was sitting by one of them, eating while trying to warm himself, shivering from the cold.
Upon seeing the young man, the child curiously approached and asked, "Noble guest, where do you come from?"
"I came from over there," the young man pointed to the sheer cliff behind him, his expression showing no signs of disturbance.
The child shook his head, "Impossible, that's a sheer cliff; how could you come up? Unless..."
As the child spoke halfway, he suddenly realized that the footprints left by the young man were indeed from the cliff side!
He was instantly stunned, looking at the young man in amazement.
What kind of skill must one possess to come from the cliff side?
The child was not afraid; instead, he continued to ask, "May I ask, noble guest, what brings you to our temple?"
"I'm looking for someone, De Ren," the young man replied.
"Noble guest, please follow me," the child nodded.
Then he led the young man to find the person named De Ren.
Under the child's guidance, the young man arrived in front of a wooden cabin.
"Master De Ren, there is a noble guest looking for you."
"Understood, noble guest, please come in," came the reply.
The young man did not hesitate and pushed the door open to enter.
The child closed the door and turned to leave.
Inside the wooden cabin, it was much warmer than outside, with a stove in the center and a small square table beside it.
Sitting cross-legged next to the table was an elderly man with white hair.
This elderly man was indeed the one who had received Dong Can back in the day—Master De Ren!
The old man looked at the young man and then gestured for him to sit, "Noble guest, please sit. What brings you here?"
The young man found a mat and sat down cross-legged, "I want to inquire about Dong Can."
Master De Ren asked calmly, "Who are you to him?"
"I am his clansman," the young man replied calmly.
Upon hearing this, Master De Ren's murky old eyes flashed with a glimmer of light.
"It has been 35 years; your Zhang family has finally come to find me," he said.
It seemed he had been waiting for this day for a long time?
"Is he still alive?" the young man asked.
Master De Ren did not rush to answer his question; instead, he leisurely poured a cup of hot butter tea for him.
The young man took the butter tea, his gaze piercing as he looked at him.
"Dong Can is already dead, but he left me a few words to tell the later generations of the Zhang family," Master De Ren said.
"What did he leave?" the young man asked.
After so many years, Master De Ren seemed to have some difficulty recalling; he pondered for a moment before slowly saying:
"He said that if you want to know his secret, go to a lama temple deep in the snow-capped mountains; there are clues he left behind."
The young man asked, "How do I get to that lama temple?"
Master De Ren pointed to an ink painting hanging on the wall, "Deep in the snow-capped mountains, by a beautiful lake."
The young man looked at the painting and immediately stood up, "Can you help me find two guides? I want to go now."
Three days later, Master De Ren helped the young man find two porters and personally escorted them to the edge of the cultivation site until they disappeared into the snow-capped mountains.