"Let's go to the snow-capped mountains."

At Meng Yuxiu's command, the guards began to turn northeast.

Chang Lili retreated into the carriage, absentmindedly counting on her fingers: "The emperor's illness came on rather suddenly, especially since it happened on the frontier."

Chang Lili stood up for him, and Meng Yuxiu laughed loudly, his mind clear as day. Regardless of whether the emperor's illness was real or not, someone didn't want him to come back so early.

As dusk fell, the group arrived at the foot of the snow-capped mountain. There was a village at the foot of the mountain, and several houses had already lit candles, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys. As they walked closer, they could hear the laughter of children playing.

Chang Lili walked around, stopping frequently to see which doors were still open. She would approach them and try to strike up a conversation. If the other person seemed easy to talk to, she would put on a docile act.

“Sister, we came from Duanzhou and planned to go up the mountain, but it got dark so quickly. We can’t find a place to stay right away. Could we stay the night? We won’t stay for nothing.”

Chang Lili nudged Meng Yuxiu with her hand, and Meng Yuxiu knowingly took out a silver ingot. Chang Lili snatched it, blinked, and looked expectantly at the troubled woman in front of her.

"Staying overnight isn't out of the question," the woman said, glancing behind her as usual. "With so many of you, there's not enough room for me to sleep!"

Chang Lili paused, and Meng Yuxiu said, "Leave only the two of us for now; they will find their own accommodations."

The woman breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile returned to her face: "That's great! Come in and warm yourself by the fire. It's freezing cold, don't catch a cold. I'll talk to my husband when he gets back."

The guards all retreated and found places to stay. Chang Lili and Meng Yuxiu went to the house and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed). There was an iron basin on the ground with burning firewood inside.

The woman poured two cups of hot water and handed them to them: "Have some water to warm yourself up, girls. What are you going to the snow mountain for?"

Chang Lili took the chipped bowl of water, took a sip, and felt her whole stomach warm up: "Someone in my family is sick. I heard there are many rare medicinal herbs on the mountain, and we want to go and try our luck."

"You have to be alive to even wake up," the woman sighed. "The weather in the mountains is extremely cold. Even for us locals, if we don't get blinded by the wind and snow, we'll be carried off by wild animals. The Qian family at the village entrance... sigh, those are all things of the past, let's not talk about them."

Meng Yuxiu asked, "Auntie, I see you have ice axes and grappling hooks at home. Not to mention the straw hat, everything hanging on the wall and placed in the corner is related to the snow mountain. Does someone in your family often go up the mountain?"

“Young man, you have a sharp eye. Not bad. My husband goes into the mountains once a month to hunt wolves, bears, and other animals to sell. It’s good for our livelihood.”

Meng Yuxiu said, "We're going into the snow mountain tomorrow and we need someone to guide us. It won't be cheap. If you're willing, you can talk to your husband."

“A while ago, a group of people went into the mountains and never came out again. Why didn’t you listen to us…”

Going in and out of the mountains is never easy, but seeing that they were determined to go, the woman had no choice. When the man returned dragging a white fox, she told him about it, and the man had no objection.

"You can go, but I won't take any responsibility if anything happens."

Meng Yuxiu said, "Alright."

"My surname is Li, and I'm the second oldest in my family. Just call me Li Er. Get up early tomorrow, and I'll take you into the mountains. Remember! Don't stare straight at the snow, even if you're wearing goggles. It's easy to get snow blindness and not be able to see anything."

After Li Er finished speaking, he went inside to sleep.

In the village at the foot of the snow-capped mountain, people shivered from the cold, especially in the morning when the milky white mist lingered. Guards stood in the courtyard, and Chang Lili, wrapped in a fur coat, sidled up to Meng Yuxiu, who was talking to Li Er.

"These are goggles, made of wolf bone. Although they obstruct your vision, they allow you to see the road clearly. Just to be safe, it's best to wear them when the snow is too bright."

Chang Lili took it and examined it closely. The design was simple and the surface was very smooth. She could feel that it was made of bone and had some lines engraved on it. There was only a slit for the eyes. She tried it out and found that her vision became narrow.

"Everything's packed, let's go."

Li Er led the way, with Chang Lili following behind, their footprints alternating between light and dark.

As soon as she stepped into the snow-capped mountain, a gust of north wind hit her face, and the snow blew against her face, making her head throb. Only then did Chang Lili realize the importance of a hood, and she immediately put it on, covering her head and cheeks tightly.

Give me your hand.

Meng Yuxiu held Chang Lili's hand tightly and walked ahead to shield her from the wind and snow.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, surrounded by a vast expanse of white, unable to discern directions, Li Er suddenly stopped and pointed to the tallest, cold mountain not far away.

“That’s the place you’re going to! Don’t be fooled by the short distance. If the winds are fierce, you’ll be exhausted after a whole day’s journey, not to mention the ferocious wild animals along the way.”

Meng Yuxiu looked at Chang Lili.

Chang Lili gripped Meng Yuxiu's hand tightly, gritting her teeth as she said, "I'm going, don't even think about leaving me behind!"

"Let's go," Meng Yuxiu said to Li Er.

Li Er stopped trying to persuade him and walked ahead, clearing a path through the snow.

"Awoo~"

A wolf howl came from the snow. At first, Chang Lili thought she had misheard, until a snow wolf stood on a snow hill looking down at them, raising its head and howling at the sky. Chang Lili was shocked.

I'd heard of wolves in the snow, but few people actually encountered them; I never imagined they'd be so unlucky.

"A wolf?"

"When hunting, wolves are pack animals. Whether on flat ground or in snow, if you see one of them, it means it is surrounded, with the other wolves lurking around."

Meng Yuxiu glanced at Li Er, whose face was grim, and said in a deep voice, "Listen to my instructions, form a circle shoulder to shoulder, look out for each other, and if anything goes wrong, strike first."

The guards, upon hearing this, drew their longswords and stared intently at the snow-covered ground.

The wolves on the hill howled again, as if giving a command. A faint scraping sound came from the snow, and then! A dozen wolves bared their sharp teeth and charged straight at them!

"careful."

Meng Yuxiu pushed Chang Lili into the encirclement formed by the crowd. After confirming her safety, he raised his sword to slash at the wolf that pounced on him, but did not move an inch from his spot.

The lead wolf howled to the sky, and the pack retreated, locked in a tense standoff with Meng Yuxiu and his group.

When their emotions were at their most tense, they chose Li Er as the breakthrough point. Another wolf leaped up and jumped into the circle, rushing straight at Chang Lili. Meng Yuxiu pulled Chang Lili into his arms and killed the wolf that was rushing at her.

The wolf pack, having lost a member, launched an even fiercer attack. The alpha wolf also rushed down from the snow-capped mountain, extending its claws to pounce on Meng Yuxiu, while the other two wolves took charge of intervening against him.

Meng Yuxiu protected Chang Lili and retreated, behind which was a cliff.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Chang Lili revealed her hidden arrow and shot it in the heart the moment the wolf pounced. Before she could relax, the ground suddenly went soft and the fragile snow collapsed.

Chang Lili opened her eyes wide and fell backward, but Meng Yuxiu caught her quickly and held her in his arms as snowflakes fell from the ceiling.

"General!"