Huan Changming's expression remained unchanged. Lu Pianpian secretly warned herself that her junior sister was just innocent and naive and did not know the difference between men and women. She should not let her mind wander to other places.
"Hmm." Lu Pianpian took out a compass, and with a little spiritual power, the needle on the compass began to move left and right.
Huan Changming looked on curiously, "What is this?"
"This is a compass for detecting spiritual energy. Frost Jade is no ordinary object; it must carry spiritual energy different from that of ordinary beings. The compass will guide us in the right direction."
The pointer suddenly stopped in the southwest direction, and Lu Pianpian said, "Let's go."
The snow nearby showed signs of melting, making the mountain path slippery and extremely difficult to walk on. Lu Pianpian let Huan Changming walk in front, afraid that he might slip and fall where she couldn't see him.
The compass needle changed direction several more times. They circled the snow-capped mountains again and again. It was getting dark, but the frail junior sister never complained of being tired, which made Lu Pianpian's opinion of her change somewhat.
As dawn broke and only a faint light remained, a flash of golden light appeared on the compass. Huan Changming asked, "Why is it glowing?"
"Because its mission is complete." Lu Pianpian pulled Huan Changming behind her, looked down, and saw a bottomless cliff below. The wind coming from the bottom of the cliff was fierce and strong, and felt cold and piercing when it hit people's faces.
Fearing they might miss the place where the Frost Jade grew, Lu Pianpian flew slowly down the cliff with Huan Changming on her sword. A short while later, amidst the sound of the wind, they faintly heard one or two heart-wrenching cries of a child.
Lu Pianpian was worried that Huan Changming was scared, "Junior Sister, did you hear that?"
Huan Changming nodded. "I heard you."
"Don't be afraid, it's okay."
As soon as Lu Pianpian finished speaking, the strange crying suddenly turned shrill: "Waaaaah—"
Huan Changming grabbed Lu Pianpian's shoulders from behind and could clearly feel her shoulders tremble because of the crying.
Huan Changming lowered his eyes, concealing the mockery in them, and suddenly hugged Lu Pianpian from behind, saying softly, "Senior brother, I'm so scared."
A note from the author:
Huan Changming: Senior brother, I'm so weak.
Chapter 10
The touch from behind made Lu Pianpian's heart skip a beat. He lowered his head and gently touched Huan Changming's hand that was wrapped around his waist. "Junior Sister, you go first..."
"Senior brother, that crying was really creepy, I was terrified." Huan Changming said as he tightened his grip on him, looking like he wouldn't let go no matter what.
Seeing that he was truly frightened, Lu Pianpian cleared away all the chaotic thoughts in her mind, patted Huan Changming's hand to comfort him, and said, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you."
"Um."
As the sword continued to sink, the cries grew closer. Lu Pianpian changed direction on her sword, flying close to the cliff face.
Soon, a natural cave entrance on the cliff came into view, and the crying sound was coming from that cave.
The two of them dismounted from their swords and entered the cave. It was pitch black inside, and they couldn't see anything. Huan Changming held Lu Pianpian's arm tightly and asked cautiously, "Senior Brother Pianpian, do we really have to go in?"
His voice was noticed by the crying creature inside the cave, which immediately fell silent, seemingly afraid of being discovered.
This reaction seemed strange no matter how you looked at it. Lu Pianpian took Huan Changming's hand and took out a luminous pearl from her bosom with her other hand. The soft light immediately illuminated the surrounding environment.
Inside the narrow cave, a single piece of black jade stands out starkly against the surrounding ordinary stones.
Lu Pianpian sensed the spiritual energy emanating from the black jade, pulled Huan Changming forward, squatted down in front of the jade, and touched it. "Are you Frost Jade?"
Huan Changming squatted down next to Lu Pianpian. "Senior brother, it can't talk."
“It can talk; it’s the one that’s been crying.” Lu Pianpian tapped the black jade. “Stop pretending. Weren’t you crying your eyes out just now?”
The black jade showed no reaction and looked just like an ordinary piece of jade.
Lu Pianpian trusted her judgment, but the jade was unwilling to reveal its spirituality to them, so Lu Pianpian had to reason with it: "Making jade is like being a person, you have to be responsible for your actions. If you did it, you should admit it!"
Huan Changming, who was listening from the side, found it all amusing. Regardless of whether the jade was spiritual or not, trying to explain human principles to a piece of jade was no different from talking to a brick wall.
As expected, the jade remained silent.
Huan Changming also tapped the jade. "Senior brother, since it doesn't admit that it is Mo Shuang Jade, why don't we dig it out in one piece and take it back to Senior Sister Qu and Master to help verify it?"
Black Jade immediately cried out, "I am Mo Shuangyu! Please don't dig me up!"
Huan Changming had the idea of taking the entire Frost Jade with him. "Senior brother is really amazing. It really is Frost Jade. Let's take it back now."
"No!" Frost Jade cried out in anguish, "Please don't dig me up, I don't want to be separated from my little grass..."
Lu Pianpian said, "We won't poach you."
Huan Changming looked at him in confusion, "Senior brother?"
Lu Pianpian explained to him, "Look how big it is, and it's even sentient and can talk. It's been here for at least a thousand years, if not ten thousand. If we dig it up now, it's like killing it."
Hearing Lu Pianpian's words, Han Shuangyu's sobbing subsided a little, and she said to Lu Pianpian, "It seems you are a good person..."
"Me? I'm alright." Lu Pianpian smiled at the Frost Jade. "But we came here specifically to see you. My junior sister can't draw in Qi, so she needs your jade to wear and nourish her bones. Could you share some of your jade with us?"
"As long as you don't dig me up, I can share some of my jade with you." Although Frost Jade had become sentient, it was pure in nature and quickly lowered its guard against them. It asked hesitantly, "In consideration of the fact that I gave you my jade, could you do me a favor?"
"Please tell me, and I will definitely help you with anything we can do." Frost Jade is already rare, and it was even willing to share it with them. Lu Pianpian felt she had to repay this kindness no matter what.
"Do you see the little blade of grass next to me? It's almost eaten by a stinky bird because we don't have anything to cover the entrance to our burrow here."
Lu Pianpian and Huan Changming looked to the side of the Frost Jade and saw a clump of tiny grass growing on its side.
However, this clump of grass is in a very bad state. Not only are the branches yellow, but the leaves are also eaten in a mess. It looks unlikely that it will survive until next spring.
Lu Pianpian infused the grass with a bit of spiritual power, and the curled branches unfurled, giving it a touch of life.
Frost Jade exclaimed happily, "You're amazing! My little grass will definitely survive until the snow melts!"
Huan Changming found a feather under the grass and handed it to Lu Pianpian, "Senior brother, is this the bird's feather?"
"Yes, it's that stinky bird's feathers! It's so naughty, it even said it would definitely stick its whole beak into the hole again next time and eat my little grass!" Han Shuangyu cursed. "That guy's body is very big, only its beak can fit in. Help me seal this hole with stones, so its beak can't stick in!"
Lu Pianpian took the feather from Huan Changming and examined it carefully. It didn't look like the feather of a ferocious beast. "Frost Jade, if you seal the entrance to the cave with stones, your little grass will never see the sunlight again, and it will still die."
Han Shuangyu was about to cry again upon hearing this, "Then what should I do?"
"Don't cry, I've already thought of a solution." Lu Pianpian walked to the entrance of the hole and examined its width and height. "I'll go find some wire mesh to seal the entrance so that the bird can't get in and your little grass can get some sunshine."
They saw smoke rising from chimneys at the foot of the mountain when they arrived, indicating that people must live nearby. It shouldn't be a problem for him to buy some barbed wire.
"Okay, okay, then I'll leave everything to you!"
Light snow began to fall again in the night sky, drifting in from outside the cave and stirring up a chill.
Lu Pianpian turned to look at Huan Changming, who blinked at him. "Senior Brother Pianpian, if I go, I'll only be a burden to you. I'll wait for you here."
Lu Pianpian went back and put the luminous pearl in his hand. She then took off her outer robe and covered Huan Changming's head, wrapping him up tightly. "You won't be a burden to me. It's just that it's snowing outside, and you're still recovering, so you shouldn't catch a cold. I'll be right back."
His gaze towards Huan Changming was gentle, and his words were filled with concern and comfort. This kind of care, as if Huan Changming were a precious treasure, had never appeared in Huan Changming's more than ten years of life, leaving Huan Changming momentarily stunned.
"Okay, I'll wait here for my senior brother."
Lu Pianpian then left with peace of mind, her figure on the sword quickly disappearing into the snowy night.
The luminous pearl shone brightly in Huan Changming's hand, and the character "离" (meaning "separation") was faintly depicted in golden patterns at the bottom of the pearl.
The sight of things from the royal family caused even the last trace of a smile to vanish from Huan Changming's eyes.
Han Shuangyu, watching from the side, found it strange. "You just looked as delicate as a blade of grass, why have you suddenly become like that fierce, smelly bird?"
It doesn't understand human relationships, but it is very sensitive to changes in aura. So when Huan Changming's aura changes, it can immediately detect it.
"It seems you truly are a spirit jade." Huan Changming stretched out his fingers and gently stroked the Frost Jade, his greed no longer concealed. "Taking just a small piece of your body can nourish my bones and bones. If I were to crush you into powder and swallow you whole, what miraculous effects would that have?"
"You actually want to eat me?!" Han Shuangyu couldn't understand. "The person who left said they would only take a small piece of my jade!"
"He is him, and I am me." Huan Changming recalled Lu Pianpian's kind and compassionate demeanor, a hint of mockery flashing across his face. "Every man for himself..."
Although Lu Pianpian saved him and treated him very well, he put on a respectful and grateful appearance only so that he could have a foothold in that immortal sect. But in his heart, he didn't have much affection for Lu Pianpian.
After spending the past two weeks together, he concluded that Lu Pianpian, despite her powerful cultivation, was actually an extremely naive person.
Lu Pianpian was very kind and caring towards him, a man of unknown origin, and had no sense of wariness towards him. Her pure kindness made him feel disgusted.
He dislikes aloof, saintly gentlemen who seem to care about the world; he finds such people hypocritical and deceitful.
As for how Lu Pianpian handled this piece of Frost Jade, he found Lu Pianpian's previous actions utterly contemptible.
They could have taken the whole Frost Jade, but Lu Pianpian only took a small piece and went to all the trouble of fulfilling her wish to have a piece of jade.
It's absolutely ridiculous!
In Huan Changming's view, even if this jade was spiritually intelligent, it was still just an object, and Lu Pianpian, who listened to the object and even helped it, was even more foolish.
This piece of jade is the stepping stone for Huan Changming to embark on the path of cultivation. Its greatest value is that it can be used by him. As for whether it lives or dies, what does it matter to him?
Huan Changming put down the luminous pearl that was in his way, found a sharp stone next to him, and planned to dig out the entire piece of Frost Jade.
Lu Pianpian is so naive and foolish that when he comes back and asks about it, he can just make up some excuse to brush it off.
Han Shuangyu screamed in terror, “I already promised you a piece of jade, how could you do this to me! You’re so bad! You wicked thing, you evil creature!”
Huan Changming had heard even more vicious insults, but Han Shuangyu's repeated curses only made him feel nothing.
Seeing that his heart was as hard as stone and he was unmoved, Han Shuangyu could only plead bitterly, "Please don't dig me out. Even if you eat the whole piece of jade, it won't help... Although I can nourish my bones, it takes hundreds of years to be effective... You humans can only live to be a hundred years old at most, you won't live that long!"
Upon hearing this, Huan Changming stopped what he was doing.
Han Shuangyu was secretly pleased, thinking that he had given up the idea of eating her, but she did not expect that he would continue to knock on her the next moment, "Whether it works or not, we'll know after we eat it."
As Han Shuangyu stood there, she burst into tears, knowing her end was near. Between sobs, she told Xiaocao'er about her final wishes, "Xiaocao'er, I can no longer shelter you from the wind and rain. You must live well, and never forget me, who was eaten by those bad people, sob sob..."
Whether it was the wind or the little grass beside it truly understood its words, its tiny leaves twitched slightly.
Han Shuangyu cried even more heartbreakingly: "Don't avenge me, you're no match for this bad guy, waaaah, please don't... huh?"
The bad guy who was digging it suddenly collapsed to the ground without warning, his whole body trembling.
The excruciating pain seeped into Huan Changming's body like water seeping into every crevice. The veins on his hands bulged, and sweat poured down his forehead. He curled up tightly, trying to relieve the pain, but it was to no avail.
It just so happens that he fell ill at this very moment, and even his own body is now trying to hinder him and work against him!
Huan Changming forced himself to sit up and tried to continue digging out the Frost Jade, but the pain was like maggots clinging to his bones, causing him to fall to the ground again.
Although each episode of the illness tormented him to the point of unbearable pain, this time the pain was more intense than any of the previous ones.
The pain was excruciating, as if it were going to destroy him and take his life.
The environment at the foot of the snow-capped mountain was frigid, with only a few scattered households. Lu Pianpian searched for a long time before finally finding a blacksmith and buying some iron wire.