When Qu Yao saw her arrive, he was quite enthusiastic and said, "Miss, the elders have agreed that you may take Cheng Ying away. After all, Sect Leader He is the true owner of this sword, and he knows that it is best for this sword to be in someone else's hands."
Having said that, he personally handed Mo Xi a long wooden box from the table. The box was unusually heavy; Mo Xi felt her wrist sink a little as she held it. Gently opening the lid, she saw an elegant and simple longsword lying quietly inside.
Legend has it that Chengying is a sword that has a shadow but no form. The *Yue Jue Shu* records the following about Chengying:
At dawn, in the instant between day and night, a pair of hands slowly rose. Clasped in their hands was a sword hilt, but the blade itself was nowhere to be seen. Yet, a fleeting sword shadow was faintly cast on the north wall, lasting only a moment before vanishing with the arrival of daylight. As dusk fell, and the sky darkened, in the very instant between day and night, that fleeting sword shadow reappeared. The hands traced an elegant arc, striking a tall, ancient pine tree. A soft "snap" was heard, the tree trunk trembled slightly, but nothing changed. A moment later, the lush pine canopy gently fell in a gentle southerly breeze, its exposed rings of age revealing the passage of time. As darkness deepened, the sword vanished again, the ancient twilight silently closed in, and the world returned to stillness.
However, the sword in the box was perfectly intact, its blade gleaming.
Mo Xi was surprised by how smoothly the trip had gone, but she still didn't know if the sword was real or fake. She thought to herself, "Maybe I should find a tree and try chopping it later..."
Qu Yao said, "Gentlemen, it's rare to have such fine weather today. Going down the mountain is more difficult than going up, so why don't we set off sooner?"
Mo Xi was slightly surprised. Given Qu Yao's smooth and proper way of dealing with people, was this an order to leave? But now that she had the sword in her hands, whether it was real or fake, she couldn't argue with Qu Yao. Since the matter was over, it was best to go down the mountain as soon as possible.
Mo Xi then respectfully replied, "Thank you for the sword, Sect Leader Qu."
Qu Yao smiled politely, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Does the young lady wish to pick snow lotus? Now is the best time for snow lotus to bloom on the mountain. Even if you don't pick them, the scenery along the south slope is the best."
Mo Xi smiled and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Sect Leader Qu. I've long admired the beauty of the snow lotus." Back in her modern life, Mo Xi had seen a news report about the rampant poaching of snow lotuses every year, with entire plants being uprooted and sold for a mere two yuan per seed. Wild snow lotuses reproduce through seeds; uprooting them prevents them from even producing seeds, ultimately leading to their extinction. There was no point in picking the snow lotus; she simply wanted to witness the splendor of this wondrous flower blooming in the high-altitude, frigid land.
Qu Yao was about to reply when the three of them suddenly heard a soft clatter, followed by a thud.
Mu Fengting had already leaped out of the window.
Mo Xi immediately had a bad feeling.
Life hanging by a thread
( ) Luo Heng was lying on the snow, a long icicle stuck in his neck, and he was not moving at all. Perhaps because the wound was frozen quickly by the icicle, he did not bleed much.
Mu Fengting lifted Luo Heng up. Because he had been kneeling in the snow for quite some time, his body was already somewhat stiff. He checked Luo Heng's breath and found that he was already dead. Mu Fengting sighed and gently closed Luo Heng's eyes.
Mo Xi had followed them out. Looking up at the eaves, she saw a whole row of icicles hanging from them, except for one directly above where Luo Heng was kneeling, broken near the base. It was a fine day, the snow and ice were just beginning to melt, so it wasn't surprising that icicles had fallen. While it was a low-probability event that someone would be killed by falling icicles, based on what she'd heard in her previous life, it wasn't unheard of. At least in Russian cities where winter icing occurs, it happens several times a month. But something felt off, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. And how could it be such a coincidence…?
Even if this matter was strange, she couldn't see a single clue. With her senses, she would definitely have known if someone approached Luo Heng. Mo Xi suddenly remembered someone—the immortal who had given her that advice that day! Besides him, she couldn't think of anyone else who could kill Luo Heng right under her and Mu Fengting's noses without being noticed. But she always felt that the immortal's kindness towards her that day was genuine; besides, what reason would he have to kill Luo Heng? If it wasn't the immortal, could it really have been caused by the freefall of the ice cone?
No one could see anything wrong with this matter. After such an incident, people could only sigh at the cruel twist of fate. Sect Leader Qu promised to give Luo Heng a proper burial, and even Mu Fengting didn't say anything. After all, they had only met by chance, and now that the man was dead, there was nothing more he could do to help.
The two followed Master Qu's instructions and descended the mountain, heading towards the sunny south slope as he pointed. The warm sunshine and gentle breeze of winter seemed especially precious.
Sure enough, after descending to an altitude of about 5,000 meters, we walked along the snow line and saw many snow lotuses blooming among the rocks. Each flower was as big as a bowl, and they were of two colors: the green ones were as green as jade, with very thin petals wrapped in layers; the white ones were as pure as snowflakes, stretching gracefully in the wind, with an elegant and charming appearance.
Blue skies and white clouds set off snow-capped mountains and exotic flowers, creating a serene and beautiful scene.
Mu Fengting said, "I've heard that a snow lotus only blooms once every five to eight years on average. We're in for a real treat today."
Mo Xi nodded in deep agreement. The two continued down the mountain.
At that moment, on a mountainside two thousand meters higher than where the two were, with a soft "crack," a fissure gracefully cleaved the snow layer like lightning, rapidly spreading and widening. The falling snow chunks then triggered a domino effect, causing the fissure to multiply rapidly. In an instant, layers of snow broke into massive slabs, which rose up and began to slide down in a massive wave, sweeping up more and more snow and ice, falling faster and faster until they reached a thunderous force.
The initial wisp of snow mist had transformed into a white snow dragon cascading down the mountain, soaring through the clouds with a fierce and unstoppable force. It was as if the immortal spirits of Mount Shu had just awakened from a deep dream, suddenly channeling their inner strength to shake off their white robes, letting them drift away in the wind.
The two reacted immediately, realizing that something was very wrong.
Mu Fengting shouted, "Oh no, Snow Flowing Sand!"
As Mo Xi gazed at the massive, destructive cloud of powdery snow that was about to engulf her, a thought arose in her mind: Although an avalanche is stunningly beautiful, it is nothing compared to one's life. It's better not to appreciate such a beautiful sight!
In the blink of an eye, the mushroom cloud formed by the avalanche hurtled in at high speed, its terrifying power seemingly capable of sweeping away everything in its path.
In an instant, the two felt the immense pressure of the avalanche's airflow. This airflow was caused by the violent vibrations of air generated by the high-speed potential energy movement of the snow, which eventually accumulated and condensed. The snow flow, spearheaded by this shockwave similar to that produced by an atomic bomb explosion, surged rapidly downwards, making the two feel suffocated.
Mo Xi reacted quickly, throwing aside the heavy wooden box containing Cheng Ying that she was carrying, and began to flee.
She tried her best to recall the survival tips for encountering an avalanche that mountaineering expedition members had taught her from very before, and shouted, "Move to the side and hold your breath!" She knew that even with their superb lightness skills, they couldn't outrun an avalanche that could travel at a speed of 100 meters per second. Running downhill would only lead to certain death! Once the ice and snow particles kicked up by the avalanche rushed into the throat and lungs, they could easily cause suffocation.
Generally, an avalanche requires a large amount of snow to accumulate, which weakens the ground's grip and leads to a large-scale landslide. Therefore, a snow flow may rush down until the terrain becomes flat before gradually stopping, and it can stretch for thousands of miles, but its width is not very wide.
Mu Fengting did as she said without hesitation, and the two of them swiftly darted sideways.
Unfortunately, an invisible airflow subtly created a huge resistance, and the avalanche area expanded rapidly. Before the two could even leap out of the snow line, they had already encountered the falling snow.
Snowflakes, carrying remnants of ice, swept in, the torrents of snow also carrying large and small rocks that had been swept down the mountainside, striking the two men painfully. The deafening roar of the avalanche filled their ears, mingled with the howling wind. In an instant, the sky seemed to collapse and the earth to split open.
Mo Xi could only rely on instinct to quickly lie flat on the snow, keeping her body parallel to the rapidly sliding quicksand-like snow. However, the continuous swirling snow dust tried to cover her body every moment. She could only try to climb onto the surface of the snow from time to time, using her hands to protect her head from the attacks of rocks and ice, struggling against the current to escape to the edge of the snow flow.
At this moment, hearing became a tremendous torment. The roar of the avalanche was like the footsteps of the "white death" following closely behind, while the endless snowdrifts rolled in from behind with overwhelming force.
Mo Xi wasn't good at holding her breath, so she had to struggle to breathe every now and then. Each time, the strong wind and snow rushed in, almost suffocating her. Soon her breathing became rapid, and her limbs began to grow cold. This bone-chilling cold, mixed with fear, seeped into her lungs. Accompanying the fear was despair. Even with unparalleled martial arts skills, in the face of such overwhelming power, humanity was as insignificant as an ant, utterly vulnerable.
For some reason, at the moment of life and death, she thought of Gu An.
Back then, the "organization" had them undergo intensive training, trekking across the desert. For a whole month, facing the scorching sun and the endless expanse of yellow sand, twelve-year-old Mo Xi felt a sense of disgust and despair towards life. She even thought that perhaps being adopted by the "organization" was a mistake, one wrong step leading to another, and that her life was a gift, better returned to heaven. This feeling reached its peak when she drank the last drop of water from her water pouch. At that moment, a hand reached out. After eight years together, Gu An had grown into a handsome sixteen-year-old boy. His once bright red lips were cracked and bleeding, and his clear voice was hoarse and low, yet he still gently coaxed her, "Take it all, I'm not thirsty." Gu An gave her his water pouch, only asking her to live. At that moment, Mo Xi looked into his eyes and knew that he could read her despair and self-loathing, and at the same time, she understood his feelings. Mo Xi had always believed she depended on him for survival; he had helped her through countless training hurdles; when she had nightmares because of the bloody training during the day, he would shake her awake countless times, warming her with his body heat and coaxing her back to sleep. The organization's food supplies were limited, and since she was at a crucial stage of growth, Gu An would always save his share for her, saying, "Greedy cat, it's all for you." She suddenly realized that they were symbiotic, inextricably linked, sharing a common destiny.
Now even Heaven can't stand it anymore, and is it going to take back the life that Gu An gave her?
Suddenly, caught off guard, a piece of gravel slammed into Mo Xi's left shoulder, where she had been injured before. The excruciating pain shattered Mo Xi's reverie. Her body abruptly lost its balance in the snowstorm, and she was about to tumble down the hillside and perish in the snowfield.
At the critical moment, a hand reached out and tightly grabbed her left arm.
Mu Fengting gripped Mo Xi tightly with his left hand and desperately clung to a rock standing on the hillside with his right. His roar, "Don't let go!" was instantly swallowed by the raging blizzard, but Mo Xi heard it.
Their survival instincts were reignited, but the combined weight of the two was simply too much for them to bear. Mu Fengting could only use his "Vajra Finger" to grip the rock tightly, but even he gradually lost his strength. Suddenly, the rock in his hand shattered, and amidst the swirling snow dust, the two of them plummeted together with the falling snow.
After falling rapidly for about ten meters, the two were briefly stopped by a protruding rock on the mountain before being thrown onto a gentler slope.
Mu Fengting never let go of Mo Xi's hand. As they tumbled down the hillside, he shielded her with his body, holding her and protecting her from the snow and rocks that came rushing in from all directions.
By a twist of fate, the two were thrown to the edge of the snowfall. After tumbling for another ten meters or so, Mo Xi took advantage of the slowing descent, quickly pulled out the dagger hidden in his sleeve, gathered his inner strength, and plunged it hard into the snow, finally stabilizing their figures.