Hoo-hoo--
The icy wind howled, carrying heavy snowflakes, while a crescent moon appeared and disappeared in the sky.
In the snowy field, a young man and a girl wearing bamboo hats were tied together with a rope around their waists, struggling to move against the wind. Half an hour ago, the snow on the ground only reached their calves, but now it had covered half of their bodies.
They had to withstand the strong wind, use their bodies to break through the accumulated snow hindering their steps, and constantly watch out for any stones or hollows that might twist their ankles beneath the snow.
Every step they took required great effort.
Ye Anping, who was leading, felt as if he had been plagued by Yun Xi's bad luck, and now he was very frustrated.
He had originally planned to arrive in the Wine Spring Town with Feng Yu Die before nightfall that day. He even checked the weather beforehand and used the commonly used " Stellar Sky Method " of cultivators to predict today's weather.
Ye Anping had read, "Today, there will be light snow turning into moderate snow, then back to light snow."
However, the heavens had other plans: "Today, there will be light snow turning into moderate snow, then heavy snow, followed by a severe blizzard."
Even with his ascetic cultivation experience, he could hardly withstand the pressure that came with the arrival of 'General Winter', let alone Feng Yu Die, who was now holding onto the rope and being dragged behind him.
He hadn't heard Feng Yu Die say a word since two hours ago.
Ye Anping did not think that she would be in any life-threatening danger because of a mere snowstorm, but according to the plan, she was supposed to fight with Yun Jiujiu after this. If she were to collapse now due to the cold entering her body, it would disrupt the entire rhythm of his plan.
The best solution he could think of right now was to have Feng Yu Die ask Xiao Tian to find a cave and lead them there.
Although if he said this, it would be equivalent to admitting that he could see Xiao Tian, and he would definitely be annoyed to death by that little thing later on, but there were priorities.
After having this idea, Ye Anping hesitated for less than a moment and decided to do it.
He stopped and turned around.
Right now, Feng Yu Die's figure has been completely obscured by the night and snow. He could only know her approximate position through the rope tied around his waist that was stretched tight.
Ye Anping grabbed the rope, pulled it slightly, and then shouted in a loud voice in the direction where the rope extended. "Feng-- Yu-- Die-- you-- let--"
However, he only said five words when he heard Feng Yu Die's shout coming from the other end of the rope as well. "Young-- Master-- Ye-- you-- come--"
The two voices almost overlapped, and neither could hear clearly what the other was saying, so Ye Anping closed his mouth and pricked up his ears to listen.
However, Feng Yu Die seemed to have the same thought and stopped mid-sentence.
"..."
"..."
Ye Anping frowned, speechless, and he waited for another moment before shouting again. "You-- say--!!"
"You-- come-- I'll-- lead-- the way... "
"Good!!"
Ye Anping responded, grabbed the rope, and dragged himself toward Feng Yu Die step by step.
It seemed that Feng Yu Die wanted him to come to her as she had already asked Xiao Tian to go out and find a place to take shelter from the snow.
Ye Anping pulled up his hood, followed the rope, grabbed Feng Yu Die's shoulders, and, supporting each other's bodies, they both trudged through the snow together.
Under Xiao Tian's guidance, the two walked about three to four hundred steps and arrived at a cave on the mountain wall.
Ye Anping took out the sword and a fire talisman and carefully got in through the opening with Feng Yu Die. Then, he ignited the talisman, making it rise to the top.
The space inside the cave was not large, about the size of an ordinary inn woodshed. In one corner, the scattered dried feces of some small monsters indicated that it was probably an abandoned lair.
After checking the surrounding rocks and making sure that the place was not prone to collapse, he took out a bamboo mat and spread it on the ground. He then piled the wood from his storage bag and ignited a fire.
Feng Yu Die hurriedly shook off the snow from her hat and sat by the fire, hugging her knees. She brought her hands as close to the heart of the fire as possible, trying to warm them.
Hoo hoo...
The cold wind continued to blow in through the cave entrance. Feng Yu Die glanced over there and instinctively pulled her neck into her clothes. Worried about Pei Lianxue, she asked, "Young Master Ye, Sister Pei... is she..."
Just as she spoke, a fur blanket was placed on her back.
After Ye Anping threw the blanket onto her, he sat down beside her and took out some dried meat from his storage bag. He skewered it with bamboo sticks and roasted it over the campfire.
"I taught my sister how to handle this kind of snow."
"But, this snow is so heavy... I've never encountered such heavy snow before..."
"She and I have met bigger ones." Ye Anping glanced at her and handed her the roasted jerky. "Eat and get some rest. Tomorrow when we arrive at the Wine Spring Town , you have things to do."
Feng Yu Die hesitated, but she accepted the bamboo skewer and took a small bite. Her expression paused slightly, then she suddenly pouted, lowering her head and asking in an aggrieved tone, "Are there any roasted chickens? I want to eat roasted chicken."
Ye Anping rolled his eyes at her. "No."
"Then, is there anything else to eat?"
"You think this is a picnic?"
"Well..." Feng Yu Die handed him the bamboo skewer in her hand and said, "You take it. I'm fasting."
Ye Anping was taken aback and turned his head to look at Feng Yu Die, but suddenly noticed that something seemed off about her. She usually had a carefree smile on her face, but now it had turned into a bitter expression. Even her shiny silver hair seemed to have lost its luster.
Frowning slightly, he took the bamboo skewer from her and bit off the jerky on it. After swallowing it, he asked, "Why this sudden unhappy expression?"
"Your jerky tastes terrible."
"..."
Ye Anping didn't understand. What exactly happened?
At this time, Xiao Tian looked at her Yu Die and landed on Ye Anping's shoulder from above, explaining on her behalf. "Ye kid, don't blame Yu Die for being upset. The weather and dried meat remind her of those days."
Those days?
Ye Anping didn't answer, pretending not to care about Feng Yu Die, and continued to grill the meat.
Xiao Tian paused, then continued, "In the past, there was a heavy snowfall in the mountain where Yu Die and her master lived. At that time, she was hunting alone in the forest, and in the end, she had no choice but to hide in a cave just like this."
Yeah, and then?
"Yu Die only had some dried meat with her at the time and almost froze to death in the cave. I kept telling her that her master would surely come to rescue her when she saw that she didn't return. Yu Die was also hoping for her master to come, but in the end, she waited for five days..."
"..."
"After five days, the weather cleared up, and Yu Die ran back to the cave, angry with her master. But when she arrived, she saw her master's golden cicada shell and a letter left by her."
So that's what happened...
Ye Anping understood now what was going on.
These things were not included in the game's synopsis, but players could obtain the letter left by Master Taixu for Yu Die from Mr. Qi's study in the Black Star Sect.
However, the first paragraph of the letter was blacked out with ink.
As for the following sentences...
"..."
Ye Anping roasted the jerky while recalling the contents of the letter in the game...
At this time, Xiao Tian looked up at the sky and whispered, "This is what the letter said---"
[" In this life, I wasn't too lucky, but I thought maybe my luck would turn in my last days. So, last month, I went to Beiyang Immortal City , pawned my spirit sword and magic items, and went to the gambling hall to have a try. I wanted to buy you a few good spiritual treasures and swords and leave you a lot of spirit stones, but I accidentally lost everything.
Yu Die, there's nothing much I can leave you now. There is a secret compartment under the bed in your room, and there are two to three thousand spirit stones and some middle-grade pills in it. I prepared them for you in case of an emergency.
In two months, the Black Star Sect's entrance exam will take place. Take this letter with you and give it to any elder to prove that you are my disciple. The elders will take care of you. I have been your chrysalis for fourteen years. Now, the chrysalis is broken and you've become a butterfly. The path ahead is in your hands.
Also, be cautious around men, and remember to bury your master ."]
"These are Taixu's last words."