Far North

Ren Xiangxiang and Mo You were inexplicably kicked out by Shu Huixin. At this moment, Mo You understood why Shu Huixin did this.

He wanted to explain to Ren Xiangxiang, but found that Ren Xiangxiang didn't seem to care about it at all. Instead, she hesitated at the border between Qiling Mountain and Bieyao Valley.

Ren Xiangxiang looked towards the direction of Bieyao Valley with some reluctance, sighed, and turned back to look at Mo You.

Mo You was puzzled.

Beyond the Valley of the Demons lies Fox Mountain. Fox Mountain had just experienced an internal strife and was in the process of rebuilding. Mo You knew that Ren Xiangxiang was not going to Fox Mountain, so he asked, "Still no clue?"

Ren Xiangxiang nodded, replying sadly, "I was thinking about Caowa. You know, I always promise to go sightseeing with him, but it always ends like this. First it was Fox Mountain, and now it's Qiling Mountain. Thinking about it, I feel really sorry for him... so... so I was wondering if I should go see him first..."

“Go if you want. We don’t have any specific goal right now, and we don’t even know where the things your master mentioned are. Maybe the Demon Valley will have some clues,” Mo You suggested.

Ren Xiangxiang was eager to try, and was about to nod when she hesitated.

“Master said that only I can collect these three items. I can guess what it is. I may have encountered them a long time ago, but I just couldn’t recognize them.”

As Ren Xiangxiang spoke, she jumped to a more distant view, pointing to Mo You and saying, "Look at the mountain ranges. Three of the seven demon mountains are actually clustered here. If it weren't for the unique geographical location of the Other Demon Valley, with their strength, it wouldn't be impossible for them to squeeze into the seven demon mountains..."

Mo You nodded, neither confirming nor denying, "That's right, but the strange thing is that they just had to be sandwiched between Fox Mountain and Qiling Mountain."

“These three demon mountains probably don’t have what I’m looking for.” Ren Xiangxiang suddenly shook her head. “I’ve already been to Fox Mountain, and Qiling Mountain is even less likely. As for Demon Mountain, although it’s nearby, my mother and master won’t allow me to go near it…”

"Do you know what you're looking for?" Mo You asked earnestly.

Ren Xiangxiang didn't know whether to nod or shake her head. While thinking, she muttered to herself, "Master said... Xue Gong Huo and Ying Zhong Zhen, I only have a vague concept of these two. As for Qi Cheng Zi, I should know what it is in my memory, but I can't remember it for a moment."

She paused, her gaze towards Mo You gradually clearing, "But I know these three things are related to me, and I've had contact with them before. It must be related to places I've been to before, places I... how should I put it... places I've been to but am not very familiar with..."

Mo You pondered for a moment, then offered a suggestion, "You just mentioned the Seven Demon Mountains, what about the other four? Where have you been? Could Lei Gonghuo and Ying Zhongzhen be among those four demon mountains?"

“It’s possible.” Ren Xiangxiang’s eyes lit up as she gradually fell into her memories. “Let’s rule out Water Curtain Bend and Ming’er Valley first. Those two places are too far away. I’ve never been there, so it’s impossible.”

"Then that can only be the Fiery Wilderness and the Rift Ridge. Have you been there?" Mo You asked in return.

Ren Xiangxiang paused, then said uncertainly, "I've been to all of them... or you could say I haven't been to any of them... I passed through them on the way to the far north..."

"You've been to the far north?" Mo You's eyes lit up. "I've heard that there's a secluded paradise hidden there called Burning Heaven River. Do you know it?"

Ren Xiangxiang shook her head. "I don't know. What place is that?"

“That is…” Mo You recalled Yan Xiong’s books, which contained records of this place. However, he had no interest in books at the time and knew nothing about them except the names, so he was momentarily speechless.

"That's not important. Tell me why you went to the far north!"

Mo You quickly changed the subject, and Ren Xiangxiang didn't press the matter. She turned her gaze to the distance and said, "That was to pick an ice lotus for Master. I went to the far north a long time ago. Why don't we go to the far north first?"

Ren Xiangxiang herself couldn't explain why she chose to go to the far north; she just had a feeling that the far north held what she was looking for.

What could it be?

Is it the Snow Fire? Or the Reality in the Shadows?

"Let's go." Mo You said without the slightest hesitation. "Your master is really comfortable letting you go so far away by yourself? Isn't your Uncle Shui coming with you?"

"Tch...him!" Ren Xiangxiang snorted disdainfully. "It's because of him that I have to go to that kind of place. Every time I go out, I end up with injuries all over my body. I almost lost my life that time. If you hadn't mentioned him, I wouldn't have remembered why Master would have sent me there."

Mo You smiled bitterly.

"Hmph! Besides, I have ways to protect myself, okay?"

Ren Xiangxiang quickened her pace.

"Yes, yes, Xiangxiang is the best!" Mo You smiled and quickened her pace.

Ren Xiangxiang got even angrier, "When did you learn Caowa's tricks?"

"No, I was just being sincere in my praise."

"Hmph! You're kidding me!"

...

Ren Xiangxiang deliberately quickened her pace, but she was actually unsure of herself, since her master had not told her what those three things were.

Just as she was considering what to do in the far north, Mo You's voice came from behind her again.

"Xiangxiang, I've heard that the demons in the far north are not easy to deal with. How did you manage to pick the ice lotus?"

"Ah? Ice Lotus..." Ren Xiangxiang came back to her senses, and the image of the crystal-clear ice lotus and the snow ghost that almost killed her flashed through her mind.

Ren Xiangxiang was startled.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing..." Ren Xiangxiang shook her head. "Have you ever been to the far north?"

Mo You's expression stiffened, and she looked somewhat unnatural.

Of course he had been there. If it weren't for his efforts to repair Xu'er's Ice Jade Fox, he wouldn't have gone to the far north. If he hadn't gone to the far north, Xu'er might not have died.

A moment of silence followed. Ren Xiangxiang suddenly recalled Bai Xu's death, which plunged Mo You into deep despair and self-blame.

"Um...I...I'm sorry..."

Mo You gave a wry smile and shook her head. "What does this have to do with you? Tell me what you encountered in the far north!"

"Hmm." Ren Xiangxiang immediately changed the subject, "The far north is vast. I went to a place in the east called Snowdew Mountain..."

Because of the cold climate, very few demons live in the far north; even if they do, they are a few creatures that are resistant to cold and love snow.

Xuewu Mountain is named after an icefall. Every spring when the flowers bloom and summer arrives, the snow on the mountaintop melts, the icefall melts, and the icefall gathers into a cold pool, which then divides into several streams that meander down.

The streams formed by the convergence of these snowmelt streams nurtured the creatures there. In addition to the traces of water flow, other creatures left their footprints on the snow, and over time, the area came to be known as Snow-Stained Mountain.

"...Before I went, no one told me what was inside. I just thought it was a bit cold, so I wore a few extra layers of clothes. But as soon as I found the Ice Lotus, I encountered..."

Ren Xiangxiang recalled, "...The ice lotus grew on the mountainside, right when the snow was melting. There was a stream nearby. I finally managed to climb up and pick the ice lotus, but then..."

The wind was biting cold, and the ice and snow were melting. Ren Xiangxiang finally managed to climb up, her steps uneven, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Binglian.

"Master said... this ice lotus is only effective when used in medicine within ten days of leaving the far north, so she really needs to return as soon as possible... ahhh!"

As Ren Xiangxiang was speaking, her foot slipped, and she tumbled down the mountainside, dragging Binglian with her.

Bang!

She hit her lower back on a rock, the pain making her vision go black, and tears streamed down her face.

"It hurts so much..."

She struggled to get up, her hands were cut by sharp stones, and blood flowed everywhere.

She hurriedly bandaged herself to stop the bleeding, then quickly put away the ice lotus, and slowly moved her body, trying to find a sheltered place to rest.

"You little brat, aren't you afraid of dying?" A voice suddenly came from behind her.

Ren Xiangxiang was startled. Suddenly, darkness fell over her head as a large hand descended from the sky.

"ah!"

Ren Xiangxiang screamed, shrank back, and rolled down the mountain. She only had time to see the giant snowman, which was ten feet tall, slap down on her.

"You have no idea, I was almost scared to death." Ren Xiangxiang made an extremely exaggerated expression of fear, which made Mo You laugh.

"What are you laughing at? I'm serious," Ren Xiangxiang said angrily.

"Okay, so what happened next? How did you get away?"

"I don't know either..." Ren Xiangxiang shook her head, "I fainted after that snow demon slapped me, and when I woke up..."

When she woke up, she saw a little boy with a terrible temper? Who would believe that?

"Hey, get out of here as soon as you're healed. This isn't a place for kids."

After saying that, the little boy in the animal skin glanced at her with annoyance and left.

"A little boy?" Mo You asked doubtfully, "Are you sure he's not a demon?"

“I’m very sensitive to demonic energy. He doesn’t have any demonic energy on him; he’s a human. But maybe it’s just my hallucination or a dream? There can’t be any people in that place, right?” Ren Xiangxiang asked rhetorically.

"However, after I rushed back and handed the Ice Lotus to my master, I forgot about it. Anyway, I won't go there a second time, so what does it matter what it is?" Ren Xiangxiang muttered to herself. Soon she realized that she still had to go to the far north, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Sigh... Who would have thought that after so many years, I would actually be going to the far north again? But what am I going to find this time? Am I going to fight a giant snow demon?"

Ren Xiangxiang looked at Mo You.

Mo You recalled his trip to the far north years ago, and it seemed that he didn't see any snow ghosts. He probably had Bai Xu on his mind back then.

"Whatever it is, let's go take a look! What if that 'Snow Fire' or 'Shadow True' thing you mentioned has some clues?"

"Mm." Ren Xiangxiang nodded.

The two traveled without stopping, heading directly to the far north. The Gu woman who had chased after them from Qiling Mountain stopped at the border between Qiling Mountain and Bieyao Valley, staring thoughtfully in one direction.

In the far north, on snow-covered mountains.

Another year has passed, and the snow and ice have melted. The melted snow water meanders down the mountain stream, and a crystal-clear ice lotus flower grows in the crevices of several large rocks halfway up the mountain.

Suddenly, it was taken off by a hand.

"Why are you picking it? You're not going to eat it, so why pick it? Keep it in case someone needs it."

The hand that was picking the flower trembled slightly, perhaps from anger. Then, with a thud, it was thrown to the ground, and the person jumped on it and began to stomp on it.

"It's none of your business whether I like it or not! If you're so capable, why don't you kill me and keep me here to admire the flowers with you? Am I the one who's sick or are you?!"