Chapter 29 A Gift in the Snow My junior sister is always full of energy.

The peaks were covered in snow, with swan feathers flying everywhere. The sparkling whiteness made the mountain range appear flat, just a vast snowfield.

The boots crunched firmly on the snow, unlike the light snow in the south, where after a snowfall, the ground is covered with scattered ice fragments rather than solid ground. Qiao Yanshen was very curious about the texture and unconsciously slowed down, carefully stepping across the snow. Although the air was cold, it was dry, lacking the dampness that always seemed to seep into one's bones.

She reached out to touch the layer of white frost covering the dark bushes beside her, scraped off a little and held it in her palm to play with it. As she watched this small cluster of white frost gradually wither in her palm due to the warmth, she couldn't help but look up at the surrounding fields once again.

So clean.

The mountains and fields were covered in white.

Qiao Yanshen hadn't seen much snow in his youth, and most of his travels were in the summer, rarely venturing far in winter. Now, with his mood slightly settled and no longer as eager as before, he couldn't help but appreciate this extremely rare sight for him.

Another snowflake landed on her fingertips. She squinted slightly, her eyes shimmering with a light blue luster, and her spiritual power propelled more snowflakes into her hand. Listening to the soft sound of the boy's footsteps on the snow ahead, Qiao Yanshen glanced at her discreetly. Seeing that her attention wasn't on him, he placed his palm to his lips, letting the sugar-like snowflakes adhere to them, and then carefully, little by little, licked them away.

It has no taste, just a fleeting coolness that spreads across the tip of the tongue and dissipates before it can even reach the heart and soul.

If only it could last a little longer. Qiao Yanshen lowered her hand, the snow melting in her palm, flowing over the damp spot, only to be driven away by the subtle spiritual energy and disappear.

She glanced at Shen Lixia again, her gaze sweeping over him, and after confirming that her actions had not been noticed, she quickened her pace and almost tripped over the pebbles below because she was in such a hurry.

Sensing someone suddenly approaching from behind, Shen Lixia turned around and smiled, "Senior Sister! Hmm, your face is a little red, did you catch a chill? Your ears too..."

She quickly reached out and took Qiao Yanshen's little finger. A faint warmth spread out, and then, like a flame being lit, the red light of spiritual energy quickly transmitted over, blocking the howling cold wind and instantly bringing the warmth of being wrapped in a blanket and huddled by the fireplace.

Are you feeling any better?

Feeling the other person's cold fingertips warm up slightly, the boy breathed a sigh of relief, his golden eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze shifted.

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought."

Her cold lips were touched by warmth, and color rushed to her face. Qiao Yanshen smiled, pursing her lips, and pressed the back of her hand against her burning cheek, feeling a little guilty for some reason. She turned her wrist, and the hand that was holding her little finger turned around and grasped Shen Lixia's hand, tightly intertwining them.

"It's nothing. The body will develop resistance after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. What is Li Xia thinking about?"

Shen Lixia paused for a moment, waiting for the two to walk side by side before continuing, and said worriedly, "The senior named Chang Yi just now said too much information, but we clearly come from another world, so where does this talk of ghosts and gods come from? And why do you, Senior Sister,..."

She carefully considered her words, unsure how to describe it.

Why was blood gushing out? Chang Yi did indeed possess an unusual aura, as faint yet impossible to ignore as some kind of green bamboo, directly piercing her senses and making her wary; her gentle voice also seemed strange, always making people unconsciously want to listen.

However, if it doesn't contain any intimidating power, then it can only be a problem with the content.

The wind howled, and Qiao Yanshen slightly parted his lips, his hesitant words swirling between his teeth, only to be shattered as soon as they escaped.

She paused for a moment, then hesitated before saying, "When she spoke of Suzaku's death, I suddenly heard a sigh and felt a pang of pain in my heart. Why did this happen? I have no idea..."

The feeling in that instant was far more than just agonizing pain; it was like being torn apart by a thousand knives. Qiao Yanshen pressed his hand to his chest and sighed, "But I grew up with my mother since childhood, how could I be the kind of person she described?"

“It really is a bunch of nonsense…” Shen Lixia shook her head. “Alright, since we can’t figure it out, let’s just stop thinking about it and take it one day at a time.”

She prefers to look at the present rather than the uncertain future and the past.

"Things will work themselves out, but it's impossible to completely ignore it... However, if you're going to think about this again, please make sure I'm by your side, okay? That really makes me... worried."

"good."

"And next—oh!"

Suddenly something fell from above and hit Shen Lixia on the forehead. She was interrupted halfway through her sentence by this thing, and subconsciously reached out to grab it. When she opened it, she saw that it was a bright red fruit.

Immediately following a rustling of feathers, another red fruit fell. Before Shen Lixia could react, two, three—a continuous stream of fruits landed on her head, glistening and plump, clearly of excellent quality. Qiao Yanshen bent down and picked one up for a closer look. It only had claw marks on it, and abundant juice oozed from the center, emitting a sweet fragrance even through the cold wind.

Enraged, the girl raised her hand and unleashed a blade of spiritual energy, deflecting the falling fruit without destroying it. She looked up to see several large, snow-white birds circling in the air, their claws clutching the remaining red fruit. One of them turned and swooped down towards her, intending to drop the last of the fruit.

Shen Lixia's anger turned into a smile: "You dare to come any closer? Senior Sister, wait a moment!"

With that, she bent her knees, mustered all her strength, leaned forward, jumped up, and reached out to scoop up the golden-eyed bird, holding it in her arms.

The large bird fluttered in her arms, its sharp claws tearing at her clothes, its thick feathers constantly brushing against the boy's face. Shen Lixia held it firmly in her arms, then took off chasing after it, circling the trails of the other birds.

As she hurried along, she chuckled softly, her voice bright, clear, and powerful, like an arrow piercing through the snow and wind, yet also carrying a tender tenderness. She was helpless against these mischievous creatures and could only vent her frustration by muttering a few words.

"Well, well, you bad guys..." The birds flew higher and farther away, and Shen Lixia chased after them until she was panting, her body heat rising, and when she returned to Qiao Yanshen's side, she looked like a small furnace.

Qiao Yanshen withdrew his gaze from her swaying braids, realizing that he had been lost in thought. He saw no wind or snow, only the handsome young man in front of him, whose eyes were like the brilliant reflection of the sun on earth, sparkling brightly.

He was as handsome as a god, as innocent as a child, and as healthy as an enviable person.

The boy held the now-docile white bird in his arms, his bright eyes looking at Qiao Yanshen, making her feel as if she had been burned. She awkwardly held her breath and blinked. The boy and the bird, their eyes of identical color, quietly watched the woman before them, a few feathers drifting to the ground.

Qiao Yanshen chuckled and reached out to stroke the bird that Shen Lixia had held in her arms. He could even read a hint of grievance in its eyes. "Why are you holding it? The fruits smell sweet and don't seem poisonous. They seem like a gift from it to its kind."

As she spoke, she picked up a red fruit that had fallen to the ground, examined and cleansed it with her spiritual power, and then offered it to Shen Lixia's lips. The boy opened his mouth and bit into it, his eyes lighting up after chewing.

"So sweet..."

She looked down at the bird, buried her face in its feathers and rubbed it against them, smelling the biting wind and snow and the scent of the bird's downy feathers.

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."

Shen Lixia released her arms. "Ready—"

Then, she lifted the bird up with force, and it spread its wings, let out a long, melodious cry, and flew away after its companion.

Although she didn't know what it meant, Shen Lixia still picked up the red berries one by one and carefully put them into her storage bag. Qiao Yanshen helped her from the side, and smiled softly after the snow returned to its pristine white state.

The previous gloom dissipated because of this little episode, leaving only a sense of ease and harmony with nature. The two slowly descended from the peak, and when there was no path to follow, they used their swords to travel. After circling around to the back of Frostblade Peak, a procession of furry spirit beasts appeared on the mountain path. Qiao Yanshen quickly chased after them, and when he got closer, he saw that they had thick brown fur, curved horns on their heads, and bodies as broad and thick as yaks.

“This must be the spirit beast that True Monarch Mingji was talking about.” Shen Lixia brushed the snowflakes from her hair. “It looks so warm.”

Qiao Yan nodded and followed the path the spirit beast had taken. Sure enough, he found a cave with a wide entrance. Ice pillars were gathered on the cave, forming a dense, crystal-clear curtain from a distance. Several cubs were rolling around and frolicking, letting out joyful growls. The larger creature beside them looked docile, occasionally nudging the snow-covered little beasts with its nose.

It seems that as long as we don't make any big movements, we shouldn't disturb them.

Stopping at the front and back of the cave, Qiao Yanshen sheathed his longsword and entered with Shen Lixia. The cubs were very friendly, showing no fear upon seeing them, instead scurrying towards their feet. Shen Lixia lowered her head several times, reaching out her hand only to withdraw it again. Seeing her like this, Qiao Yanshen couldn't help but smile helplessly, "They are spirit beasts, their ability to recognize things is higher than that of ordinary livestock, they shouldn't stop recognizing each other just because the cubs have picked up a scent."

Hearing her say that, the boy finally couldn't resist the urge and picked up the fluffy little thing, touching noses with it.

"Let me touch my belly? -- Ouch, don't push me with your paws, I won't touch it..."

After playing for a while, Shen Lixia put the cub down, gently patted its back, and whispered, "Go, come to your mother's side. You can't go any further ahead."

The little beast seemed to understand her words, stopped hurrying, and ran back to the cave entrance. The soft, downy feel of its fur still lingered in her palm as Shen Lixia turned to face Qiao Yanshen, her eyes sparkling with a bright smile.

"Thank you, senior sister."

Qiao Yanshen shook his head and said gently, "No need to thank me. It's quite interesting to see you getting along so harmoniously with these creatures."

Through these subtle details, she seemed to get a little closer to Shen Lixia and understand her a little better.

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Author's Note: This is a transitional chapter! It adds some character development for Xia. I'll finish today's update, and the next one should be next Monday. I've been too busy lately.