To the current Wu Liangchen, the ten-or-so-li mountain road was as easy as a walk in the park.
In just a short while, Wu Liangchen was back in the mountain forest.
The traces of the great battle had been covered by heavy snow. Wu Liangchen walked up to the tree hollow where he had hidden the stone and saw that the mark he had left was untouched. He then cleared away the debris blocking the opening.
After placing the stone on the snowy forest floor, Wu Liangchen started a fire and set the ink cake beside it to slowly warm up.
While he waited, Wu Liangchen pressed a sheet of paper onto the stone's surface and then tapped it all over with a small wooden block.
The pressure forced the paper into every indentation on the stone.
But he wasn't done. The paper was too thin and light; if he applied ink now, he might not be able to peel it off later.
Fortunately, Wu Liangchen had come prepared. He unscrewed the flask he carried; it was filled with rice water.
