The snow fell heavily, covering the world in a blanket of white. The biting northwest wind stung my face like sharp needles.
In the most bitterly cold and remote region of northern Western Qin, a corner that seems to have been forgotten by the world, not far ahead lies the border of the Northern Lie Kingdom.
Why is it called a forgotten corner? Because this place is treacherous, snowy all year round, extremely cold, desolate, and almost devoid of any signs of life, with only endless, undulating ice peaks and snow-capped mountains stretching as far as the eye can see.
In the distance, three figures could be seen gradually appearing in this desolate place, walking towards the highest peak among the icy and snowy mountains.
The visitors were none other than Yi Junhao and his two servants, who had set off early that morning from Baicao Valley in Western Qin to search for the divine herb.
Before them lay a world of pure white snow, its dazzling light seeming to burn their eyes.
The two women frowned from time to time and instinctively reached out to shield their eyes from the blinding snow light, but it seemed to have no effect.
As we traveled north, the deeper we went into the mountains, the stronger the snowy atmosphere became. By this time, everything around us was covered in a thick blanket of snow.
A thin, hazy mist often shrouds the deep mountains, as if the place holds many wonders and secrets.
"Third Young Master, this place is truly as cold, desolate, and mysterious as the legends say," said Zisu, the maid behind him, looking around in amazement as she followed closely behind.
"Zisu, what kind of place is this? It's so cold and desolate. Not only is there no one in the mountains, but we haven't even seen a single withered tree along the way. Besides the snow and ice everywhere, there isn't even a single dead insect or bird. There's not even a sound except for the wind in our ears. It's eerily quiet!" Bai Zhi said, her face suddenly turning pale, breaking out in a cold sweat, and trembling slightly, whether from the frigid environment or from her own fear.
Upon seeing this, Zisu quickly went over and hugged her arm tightly with one hand, while patting her back with the other. Her eyes remained alert, constantly observing the surroundings, and she said, "This is the Cold Wasteland Mountain, one of the most mysterious places in the entire Lingkong Continent. Not far ahead is the border of the Northern Lie Kingdom. It truly lives up to its name."
Reassured by Zisu, Baizhi's face was no longer as pale with fear as before, and she seemed to have calmed down a bit. She then asked, "So this place is still part of Western Qin? I never imagined that Western Qin would have such a mysterious place."
Upon hearing this, Zisu quickly denied it, saying, "No, this place does not belong to any territory of Lingkong. It is an uninhabited land where anyone can come to search for treasure, but they often never return."
Zisu grew increasingly panicked as she spoke, her brows furrowing involuntarily. Baizhi, puzzled, asked, "Who would be so foolish as to come here? Apart from these endless snow-capped peaks, it's truly a godforsaken place. With snow covering everything and stretching as far as the eye can see, you probably wouldn't even be able to find your way back."
At this moment, Yi Junhao, who was holding a compass and probing the way, turned around and glanced at Bai Zhi.
She realized that the three of them were exactly the kind of people she had described as having nothing better to do.
Suddenly, she remembered an important question she had wanted to ask but hadn't had a chance to: "By the way, Zisu, where exactly is this 'December Spring' we're looking for?"
Zisu slowly raised her head and looked at the majestic, mysterious, and terrifying snow-capped mountains that were gradually appearing before them, inspiring awe and fear.
Zisu took a deep breath, then frowned and said, "The legendary divine herb, Layuechun, has very unique characteristics. It only grows on the cliffs of the high-altitude glacial moraine areas on the north and south slopes of the icy and snowy peaks about two thousand feet high in this cold and desolate mountain."
"What?" Bai Zhi exclaimed in disbelief, her mouth agape. She stared at the matching mountain peaks in front of her, stunned.
After a moment of stunned silence, she asked timidly, "We're not really going to climb to a height of about two thousand feet to find the woman for the twelfth lunar month, are we?"
Zisu glanced at her, then exhaled a deep breath, her eyes looking helplessly at Yi Junhao in front of her.
Upon hearing Bai Zhi's words, Yi Junhao said, "This matter is my own business and has nothing to do with you. You don't need to throw your lives away. Just wait at the foot of the mountain later."
"Third Young Master, you mustn't! You promised Zisu in Hundred Herbs Valley that you would follow me to the death without complaint!" Zisu hurriedly said with a resolute expression.
Bai Zhi regretted her careless words and quickly begged, "Yes, yes, Bai Zhi was wrong. Bai Zhi shouldn't have been so timid and weak. Third Young Master, please don't abandon us. No matter what, we will stay with you."
Upon hearing this, Yi Junhao realized that he really couldn't do anything about the two women in front of him. He hadn't expected them to be so loyal to him. Having them by his side was a blessing, so how could he bear to let them really put themselves in danger?
But these two women would definitely become obstacles for him to climb the cliff alone in a while. He was about to reach the foot of the highest mountain, and he had to think of a foolproof plan to stop them immediately.
In an instant, he turned around quickly, looked behind the two women, and said with a surprised expression, "Look, what's that?"
Upon hearing the sound, Zisu and Baizhi also quickly turned around.
The moment the two turned around, Yi Junhao swiftly extended two fingers to press Zisu's pressure points, rendering her unable to move and causing her to fall into Yi Junhao's arms.
"What are you doing, Third Young Master? Zisu, Zisu!" Bai Zhi was startled and hurriedly called her name.
Yi Junhao was so focused on picking up the girl in his arms and then ordering Bai Zhi to quickly clear a patch of thin snow from the ground before gently setting her down against a large rock.
Zisu was acupunctured and could only shake her head desperately, her eyes instantly filled with tears. Baizhi felt extremely distressed when she saw her like this.
"You stay here and take good care of her. No matter what happens later, you must not release her acupoints. If this disturbs my search for the divine herb, I will not let it go lightly!" Yi Junhao then warned Bai Zhi meaningfully and seriously.
Upon hearing this, Bai Zhi finally understood Yi Junhao's intention. After a moment of stunned silence, she clasped her hands in a fist and accepted the order, holding her longsword, "Yes, Bai Zhi will obey the Valley Master's command."
However, Zisu continued to shake her head and struggle desperately with tears in her eyes, but it was obviously of no use. She then turned her gaze to Baizhi and begged. How could Baizhi dare to disobey Yi Junhao's orders? She just lowered her eyes and dared not make a sound.
Zisu could only cast her pleading gaze at Yi Junhao again, but Yi Junhao only looked at her for a moment before turning around abruptly and walking quickly down the mountain without looking back.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, he looked up and carefully examined the cliffs before him. Because the mountain was so high, the area he could see was very small, so he could only temporarily find a few places that could serve as footholds.
So, he pushed off the ground with both feet and leaped up, landing on the first foothold on the cliff face of the high-altitude, cold, icy moraine area on the north slope.
And so, he searched for one foothold after another, finding a temporary support to help him reach the top, leaping up again and again, only to gently fall back down.
His heart was pounding with anxiety, and his feet would slip every now and then, startled by the sudden descent of ice and snow. However, his unwavering belief far outweighed his concerns about his own safety, supporting his determination to climb upwards.
"Girl, just wait. Third brother will definitely find the best and finest December Spring tea, so that you can stand in front of third brother with a smile just like before."
Yi Junhao murmured, a handsome smile curving upwards at the corners of his mouth. In fact, images of Yi Shangyun standing in front of him in the past, sometimes happy, sometimes angry, truly appeared before his eyes.
How much must one love someone to have their image appear in their mind and eyes only in this life-or-death moment?
"Third Young Master..." Bai Zhi called out to Yi Junhao from afar, worried, as she saw the snow and ice falling from his feet.
Zisu also gritted her teeth, shook her head, and shed tears.
Bai Zhi gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks. She accidentally looked down into Zi Su's eyes and saw that Zi Su was staring at her with wide eyes, gesturing for her to quickly release the pressure points.
However, Bai Zhi didn't. After meeting Zi Su's gaze, which she knew was extremely reproachful, she agreed even more with what Yi Junhao had just said.
So, looking at Yi Junhao before her, she said to Zisu, "Zisu, the Valley Master is right. The two of us together will only be a burden to him. Look at this snow-capped mountain, so high and dangerous that even the Valley Master himself struggled to climb it. Do you really think that with our skills, we can defeat the Valley Master? Or do you even think that the Valley Master still has the strength to protect us while climbing the cliff?!"
After hearing Bai Zhi's words, Zi Su seemed to calm down slowly, but she still looked at the tiny figure clinging tightly to the huge white object with Bai Zhi with great worry.
Instantly, she gritted her teeth and clenched them, "It's all because of that pretentious bitch, Yi Shangyun. She's the jinx of the Third Young Master. If anything happens to him today, I'll skin her alive."
She said these words firmly in her heart, each one resounding.
Meanwhile, in the Yi family mansion in the west of the city, Yi Shangyun had just calmed down the original owner's mother, Nian Shi, who had fainted from the commotion he had just caused.
Right now, she was sitting absentmindedly in her warm Mingyue Pavilion, at a desk by the window, holding an ancient book. But it was just an act; she was still thinking about the mysterious person who had poisoned the original owner's face.
However, the soreness in her legs has been flaring up more and more frequently lately. Suddenly, she puffed out her cheeks, widened her eyes as if she were enduring it, then leaned to the side, reached down and gently stroked the sore spots in her legs. Afterward, she exhaled a breath of stale air, pursed her lips, and shook her head helplessly.
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