The two of them, one in front of the other, passed Lin Qingyu and followed Hua Yan outside the cave.

The mountains and forests in winter are devoid of any greenery, and the chill seems to penetrate to the bone.

Ning Yao pulled her robes tighter and quietly followed behind Hua Yan.

Before they parted ways at the perilous pass, Ning Jin told her to be careful of Hua Yan.

He was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

Therefore, it seems that Ning Jin knows Hua Yan and knows something about her.

And what is Hua Yan doing out in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?

The two followed Hua Yan through the dense forest, wandering aimlessly.

"Where do you think she's going?" Ning Yao asked Shen Ci'an.

Shen Ci'an shook his head: "This is the first time we've been to Kunlun Ridge. We're not familiar with it at all, and I don't know where she's going."

Ning Yao looked at the people in front of her and felt that something was wrong.

Suddenly, a thought struck me: "Could she be sleepwalking?"

Shen Ci'an was also taken aback for a moment, then said, "Sister, are you talking about sleepwalking?"

"Yeah, you see, she's been in the same position ever since she came out. Although she does avoid tree stumps or turn corners, her movements are too stiff, aren't they?"

Shen Ci'an squinted, observing the actions of the person in front of him, and found that it was indeed so.

Should we wake her up?

Ning Yao shook her head: "Never mind, let's just follow her for now."

Being suddenly awakened while sleepwalking can cause varying degrees of harm to the body.

In severe cases, it can lead to hysteria, causing the person to attack those around them.

Ning Yao didn't want to be dragging along a sickly person in the mountains, or for any other accidents to happen.

I don't know how long we walked, but suddenly the person in front of us stopped.

Seeing this, Ning Yao and the other person stopped and hid behind a tree.

Hua Yan stood there for a long time before turning around and walking back.

After she turned around, Ning Yao saw her face clearly; her eyes were closed, and she was indeed sleepwalking.

Ning Yao found it strange. Hua Yan had never shown any symptoms while traveling with them, so why was she only starting to sleepwalk now?

Before she could think it through, Hua Yan had already passed the two of them and headed towards the cave.

Ning Yao called Shen Ci'an, and they returned to the cave together.

Lin Qingyu was still fast asleep inside the cave, while Hua Yan, who had sleepwalked around, was now lying in the same spot.

Ning Yao and Shen Ci'an were completely baffled. Had this person simply been sleepwalking?

The next morning, the four of them got up early and started their journey.

Ning Yao subtly inquired of Hua Yan, "It's much colder in the mountains, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Hua Yan smiled faintly: "I slept very well, and I feel perfectly fine."

“Last night when I went to the toilet, I woke up Ci’an, but didn’t I wake you?”

Lin Qingyu shook her head: "No, I slept very well."

Hua Yan also shook her head: "I slept soundly until dawn, and they didn't disturb me."

Ning Yao and Shen Ci'an exchanged a glance, then said, concealing their thoughts, "That's good. Let's hurry today and find a place to stay before sunset."

After everyone packed up, they set off.

Around noon, we stopped by a waterfall in the mountains. The terrain here was flat, like a miniature basin.

On one side is a waterfall cascading down a cliff, and on the other three sides are dense forests. At the bottom of the waterfall is a pool of water surrounded by pebbles.

However, the waterfall and pool have now dried up, leaving only withered moss and a bare bottom.

The pool is not deep, only about two meters deep. There is a crevice at the deepest part of the pool, where the excess water should have flowed away.

After a short rest, the group continued their journey, finally finding a new place to stay after dark.

"This is the small wooden cabin that the hunters built when they went into the mountains. We can rest here tonight."

As night fell, Ning Yao discovered something unusual again.

That's right, Hua Yan is sleepwalking again.

This time, Ning Yao chose to follow quietly as well, along with Shen Ci'an.

Ning Yao even checked the time specifically, making sure it was earlier last night.

"That's strange, does she do this every night?" Shen Ci'an asked.

"I don't know, let's keep up!"

The two followed Hua Yan for a while, and the more they walked, the more they felt something was wrong.

"She's so fast!" Ning Yao exclaimed in shock.

She and Shen Ci'an had to use their lightness skills slightly to keep up.

Shen Ci'an also looked solemn: "The most beautiful courtesan in Nanyuan, Miss Hua Yan, is unparalleled in the capital. She is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and is also knowledgeable in medicine. She has many admirers. But it seems that those things are not all she has to offer. She also knows martial arts!"

Ning Yao found it hard to believe: "When I rescued her in the dilapidated temple, she pretended to be extremely weak, and along the way, she didn't seem to know any kung fu at all. Why did she approach us?"

Shen Ci'an suddenly tugged at her: "Sister, look here!"

Ning Yao looked ahead carefully and realized that this was the place she had been to last night!

What exactly happened?!

Before she could think any further, Hua Yan had already turned and walked back.

After Hua Yan left, Ning Yao and the other person followed again.

The scene was exactly the same, except that yesterday it was in a cave, and today it was in a cabin.

The next day, Ning Yao secretly observed Hua Yan and found nothing unusual.

Even when she was traveling, she tripped and fell hard.

The group then traveled during the day and rested at night.

Hua Yan sleepwalks out every night, always heading to the same place she visited the first night.

"Tonight I'm going to see what's there!"

"Sister, I'll go with you!"

Ning Yao did not refuse.

It was still night. After Hua Yan started sleepwalking, Ning Yao and Shen Ci'an immediately followed.

After Hua Yan started walking back, Ning Yao and the other two did not follow.

"Let's go! Let's go take a look!" Ning Yao went first, followed by Shen Ci'an.

Standing where Hua Yan had just been, Ning Yao didn't notice anything unusual.

"There's nothing different about it, so why does she come every night?"

Shen Ci'an looked around: "There must be something we haven't discovered."

What's different is that there are some green spots in the woods.

It's important to know that the drought lasted for half a year, and even the outer areas of the Kunlun Mountains were not spared.

Since they entered the mountains, all they've seen is withered and yellow vegetation.

Seeing green plants nowadays is truly unusual.

"Let's go in and take a look!" Ning Yao lifted her foot to walk inside.

Suddenly, Lin Qingyu's tense voice came from behind: "Miss Ning, you can't go in!"

Ning Yao and Shen Ci'an turned around abruptly and found that Lin Qingyu had also arrived at some point.

Hua Yan, who was just sleepwalking, was now following him!

Ning Yao looked at the two of them warily and asked Lin Qingyu, "When did you arrive? How did she get with you?"

Lin Qingyu stepped forward and explained, "I followed you because I was worried that something might happen to you after you all left. I met Miss Hua Yan on the way and came here with her."