Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Xiao Zhuo's heart felt as if it had been struck.

The arrows whizzed past, but the enemy soldiers continued their relentless pursuit.

Yuan Chaolu lowered his body, dodging arrow after arrow flying from behind.

Ji An had roughly pointed out a path for them, but now that he was nowhere to be seen, they could only follow the terrain and, after entering the valley, choose some complicated paths to try to shake off the enemy soldiers behind them.

The moment they entered the forest, a blizzard swept in, but fortunately the trees provided shelter, preventing them from being thrown from their horses.

However, the pursuers found no shelter and were swept away by the immense force of the gale, falling to the ground along with their horses.

Yuan Chaolu glanced back and saw that the pursuers were stuck in the snow and could not make a way. She dared not slacken her pace and continued to gallop forward.

As dusk approached, the group left the forest.

The world was quiet, and only a few lonely horses remained in the procession. A woman sat on the lead horse, but her body tilted to one side, and with a "plop" of falling snow, she fell off the horse.

Yuan Chaolu rolled over, falling into the snow. He looked up and saw the snowflakes falling from the sky reflected in his eyes.

The wind and snow stopped, and the sky was like a huge sapphire set in the firmament, its edges shimmering with the brilliance of dusk.

If we weren't escaping, this scene would truly be a beautiful sight.

She was breathing softly, her blood still surging through her veins.

Han Peng stepped forward and helped her up. Yuan Chaolu got up from the ground, wiped the snow off her face, and asked weakly, "How much further is it to the rendezvous point?"

"If we walk for another night, we should arrive soon."

Yuan Chaolu nodded and looked in the direction Xiao Zhuo had left. His and Ji An's fates were unknown, and her most urgent task was to contact the mole and find support as soon as possible.

The moment she saw him on the grassland, she guessed his purpose, and her heart stirred like a ripple in a stream.

This mission was destined to be fraught with risks, but with him by her side, she didn't feel there would be any problems. He was so capable; they would definitely be able to return safely.

But now...

She cracked her whip, her mind in turmoil, and looked up to glance behind her.

She didn't have many guards left. Just now, when the group was traveling through the forest, in order to create trouble for the pursuers behind them and confuse their decision-making, they chose to split up and go in several waves. Now, only three people remained.

Yuan Chaolu once again ordered the journey to begin.

The sky was still and silent, as if this place had been like this since ancient times. Under the cover of night, a group of people rode their horses across the land.

After walking for a while, Yuan Chaolu felt a strange sensation rising in his heart. He turned around sharply and saw a huge object seemingly hovering in the sky under the vast, deep blue sky.

It circled, its sharp eagle eyes sweeping across the snow like a ghostly shadow.

Those were eagles raised by Helan Yi.

It had been following her ever since she set off.

**

Helan Yi released the eagle named "Moying" to chase one group, while he led his men to track down the other group.

No sooner had Ji An left than he received word that a group of people were coming to Rongbei to meet him. Despite his injuries, Helan Yi immediately led his men to find him.

The two groups of people chased each other across the plains.

The blizzard was so severe that the pursuers' arrows were shot off course, the horses could barely move, and the tracks of the advancing troops were quickly covered.

Seeing them heading towards the Uli Snow Mountain, the pursuing troops quickly followed and arrived at a narrow pass.

The place was extremely narrow, only wide enough for one horse to ride abreast, with sheer cliffs on both sides. When they caught up, they found that the people and horses ahead had disappeared.

A clear trail of hoofprints followed the narrow path all the way to the distant exit.

Dozens of riders roared in, their hooves echoing through the narrow valley. No one noticed that the snow overhead was already trembling.

Just as most of the pursuers entered the valley.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth.

The sound of horses' hooves had already loosened the snow on the valley floor, and in an instant, the vast expanse of white snow poured down like a river.

The pursuers at the front had no time to hide before a deluge of snow and gravel began to fall. Helan Yi and his men hurriedly reined in their horses at the valley entrance, only to find that the people who had been alive just moments before were now covered in snow.

The snow wall grew higher and higher, and the gravel, snow blocks, and icicles completely sealed off the entrance.

"Take a detour and keep chasing!"

However, after Helan Yi gave the order, the Rongbei people behind him hesitated considerably.

The snow on Mount Wuli never buries people without reason; it is clear that the mountain god is angry and wants to stop their progress.

How dare they defy the will of Heaven?

Uli Snow Mountain is the sacred mountain of the Rongbei people. It overlooks the grassland and its magnificent ridgeline stretches for hundreds of miles. A river flows down from the snow mountain. If you walk along this frozen river, you will see a rocky valley.

Below the stone pass lies a hidden cave. At this moment, Ji An is leading Xiao Zhuo down the uneven stone steps.

Xiao Zhuo was injured.

He was shot in the arm. Earlier, a stray arrow from a pursuer had grazed his skin and lodged in his arm. After being hit, he simply raised his hand and pulled the arrowhead out. His black outfit concealed the injury very well.

It wasn't until Ji An noticed dark red blood dripping down his arm that everyone realized what was happening.

However, Xiao Zhuo seemed not to feel any pain and asked him about the surrounding terrain.

That avalanche was caused by his men. After Xiao Zhuo passed through the pass, he ordered his men to lie in ambush at the narrow exit and to knock on the stone wall. When the pursuers caught up, the already dense sound of horses' hooves gathered to the limit, causing the avalanche.

Ji An witnessed all of this and was deeply shocked.

Xiao Zhuo's injuries urgently needed treatment, as they had been exposed to cold air. With darkness approaching and the night extremely cold and covered in snow and ice, his arm and body would be ruined if left untreated. Therefore, Ji An brought him here.

The cave was not large. The remaining people followed the emperor's orders and split into groups of three, each going in different directions to find lodging for the night, whether in rock crevices or abandoned hunting lodges, to confuse the pursuers behind them. They would reunite here once the heat died down.

Inside the cave, the scent of sandalwood mixed with the snow wafted over.

Xiao Zhuo said, "You should go with your elder sister."

“I know, but you gave most of your men to her, and you risked your lives to come all this way to find me. I can’t abandon you, brother-in-law.”

Ji An groped in the dark: "Brother-in-law, sit down first, I'll find a tinderbox."

Ji An was truly conflicted, unsure how to address the person before him—his brother-in-law, or the "Your Majesty" who instilled such fear in him…

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a glimmer of light pierced the darkness.

The dim light of the fire fell on Xiao Zhuo's face and illuminated the four walls. As he raised the tinderbox, the scene before him made his gaze freeze.

The four stone walls are covered with murals depicting countless gods and Buddhas, layer upon layer, stretching from the feet all the way to the top of the cave.

Ji An said, "These are the Buddhist caves that my elder sister and father were invited to Rongbei to repair."

“I know,” Xiao Zhuo said.

Ji An asked in surprise, "You know?"

Xiao Zhuo raised his fingertip and brushed it across the painted wall. A flood of light rushed into his eyes: the bright red of vermilion, the fresh and vibrant green, and the bright blue of the sea. Each stroke was extremely delicate, unfolding a dazzling Buddhist world. Even after a long time, the colors were as bright as new, and the brushstrokes were so delicate that they seemed to overflow.

The folds of the flying apsaras's robes resemble flowing clouds and water, the Buddha's eyebrows resemble clustered mountain peaks, and at the bottom, a merchant from the Central Asian region leading a camel walks through the desert, as if one can hear the clear sound of camel bells.

It is hard to imagine what kind of delicate mind and unparalleled skill the artist must possess to be able to depict such a world.

As you venture deeper, a breathtaking view suddenly opens up before you.

Xiao Zhuo stopped in his tracks, his gaze seemingly struck by something. The outer cave was already stunning, but the inner cave was even more breathtaking.

Above was a coffered ceiling, as if the entire starry sky had been crushed and spread across the cave's dome.

On the lotus platform at the very front, a Buddha statue several meters tall sat cross-legged, looking down at him with a slight smile.

Deep in the heart of northern Rongbei, beside the sacred snow-capped mountains of Uli, lies a Buddhist cave.

He thought of that night when they sat together by the campfire, her eyes shining as she gazed at the starry sky, telling him about the Buddhist grotto she and his father had repaired together.

“You should really go and see that Buddhist cave, then you'll know that what I said is true.”

He had never seen the murals she painted.

The candlelight danced across the walls, and at that moment he felt as if he were surrounded by gods and Buddhas.

Everything fell silent, except for the sound of a heartbeat.

Across the vast expanse of time, he reunited with her paintings and her past.

The firelight flickered on Xiao Zhuo's face as he stood beneath the caisson ceiling of the cave, gazing at the scene for a long time.