Ah Zhu was also worried, so he turned around to look at Xia Xiao. Although he couldn't see him clearly, he felt relieved to see that he was still there. Xia Xiao wanted to smile at Ah Zhu, but the muscles on his face couldn't move.

Compared with the past years, this was probably the most difficult time for Ah Zhu. Every night, she would hold Xia Xiao to sleep. Every earth slope and tree was their little bed, and such a life of sleeping in the open air was obviously not what Xia Xiao wanted for her. But now Xia Xiao only felt guilty and there was nothing else he could do. He even began to regret that it would be better for him to walk into the darkness. That woman would never stand by and watch him die, and Ah Zhu would not have to suffer with him.

The wandering life that flashed through his mind at that time really began. Xia Xiao felt sorry for Ah Zhu. He held the new wristband on her wrist with his dark hands, wanting to reassure her. But soon, in Xia Xiao's blurred vision, Ah Zhu ran towards him with a bowl of water. She was already very tired, but she always had a smile on her face, as if she could get through any difficult days. Xia Xiao's eyes were already tearful before she even drank the water.

"Why are you crying?"

Xia Xiao was in a better state now than before, he could hear Ah Zhu's words clearly and could see her face clearly. Ah Zhu held out her hands and handed over the bowl, while Xia Xiao held out his hands and held her face, wanting to apologize and express his gratitude, but his red eyes and pale face were made extremely affectionate by his tears.

"sorry."

Xia Xiao murmured, and even though his voice was very soft, Ah Zhu still heard it. The latter's expression was more complicated than Xia Xiao's. She wanted to ask many questions, and also wanted to make things difficult for Xia Xiao, or bully him, asking him to take care of himself, and she would be the boss who ordered him around. But these were not urgent matters, so Ah Zhu just picked up the bowl and put it close to Xia Xiao's mouth.

"Drink it."

Xia Xiao opened his mouth and drank the extremely cold water. The initial icy feeling gradually turned into a demand, which made him hold the bowl and drink it all up. Perhaps stimulated by the cold, Xia Xiao felt much better. Before he could wipe the water from the corner of his mouth, the child who stuck his head out of the village had asked Ah Zhu to help Xia Xiao up.

"We have to leave quickly."

Azhu is extremely cautious. She was not like this before, but now Xia Xiao is in a bad condition. She must learn to think and grow up.

Under a tree at the entrance of the village, there was a smooth white porcelain bowl. It was quickly picked up by several children, who then looked to the west. The two figures there were almost gone, but they tilted their heads and ignored them.

There are always some remote villages that are not affected by foreign affairs. Even the change of dynasties of the Goulongbang family has nothing to do with them. They have always been self-sufficient. But there will always be people from the academy coming to this place, but it is unknown how fast or slow, and the news will always reach their ears.

Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu supported each other and walked much faster. Ah Zhu was too tired and her breathing was very chaotic. Xia Xiao's reaction was a little slow. When she realized it, she was too tired to walk.

"Take a break."

"No."

Ah Zhu wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued to move forward. Only if Xia Xiao recovered his strength first, their future journey would be easier. So they faced the snow mountain that was getting closer and closer, and kept moving towards it, taking the initiative to meet it step by step.

The tall snow-capped mountains were solemn and mysterious, and had an indescribable holiness. Below them, Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu were like two stray dogs, shivering with cold, without any energy in their bodies to warm themselves, but each other's body temperature still made them stand at the foot of the mountain and look up in all directions.

In the vast snow and ice, there seemed to be no Tianchi. Xia Xiao stood at the foot of the mountain and looked for a long time. Could he be at the top of the mountain? Such a steep mountain would be difficult for him and Ah Zhu to climb up.

"Let's absorb the energy first, and then ride the whale up to have a look?"

Xia Xiao asked Ah Zhu for his opinion, but the latter shook his head and walked straight towards the steep cliffs. There was a lot of snow on it, very thick. If it caused an avalanche, he and Ah Zhu would be in danger. But Ah Zhu had his own ideas and stretched out his little hand to explore in the air.

"That woman said that we just need to keep heading west. We have never strayed from the direction. The Tianchi Lake should not be on the mountain. If nothing goes wrong, there should be an entrance here."

"What else did she say?"

“No more.”

Ah Zhu searched for a long time, but there was nothing. She placed her palm on the snow, causing part of it to collapse. Xia Xiao felt that she had changed, becoming more careful and more stable than before. This was not Xia Xiao's illusion. Ah Zhu had indeed changed. In the past few cold nights, she knew that Xia Xiao had to recover quickly, and she knew how to hide when she saw the shadows of the people from the academy. But why didn't the cliff in front of him change at all?

"strangeness……"

Ah Zhu turned his head and greeted:

"You try it."

Xia Xiao followed his orders and saw that his hands were extremely black. He didn't know whether it was dirt or the so-called darkness and demonic energy. But when his palm touched the ice cliff, it really rippled, like a curtain hiding something unknown. It was disguised with ice and snow, without any flaws.

After looking at each other, Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu walked in hand in hand, their eyes suddenly illuminated by a strange light, and the entrance was also covered by countless fallen snow. The few footprints disappeared in the snow, and the cold also buried the smell of Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu. Then a gust of wind blew up the snow, filling up the few footprints left by Xia Xiao.

When the last snowflake fell in front of the curtain that stopped rippling, Xia Xiao and Azhu also adapted to the dreamy light in their eyes and looked at the world in the blue-purple crystal light.

The world behind the curtain is a cave, not huge, because the top can be seen, with many stalactites and crystals hanging from it, like two sides of a mirror with the ground. However, there is a pool of water in the not-so-deep cave, which is not present on the cave wall above.

Xia Xiao's gaze moved from the top of the cave to the deepest part of the cave. There seemed to be no mystery there, and all the secrets were hidden in this pool.

Compared to the blue-purple light, the cleanliness of this place surprised Xia Xiao. It was strange that such a humid place did not attract poisonous insects or giant snakes. However, the Tianchi Lake, which could hide from the eyes of the world, must have the ability to reach the sky. How could it allow ordinary things or a few insects to enter? That would lower the style of this place too much.

This cave was not as wide as the Diwang Palace, but it gave Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu a sense of security, allowing them to put down their knives and backpacks and rest on the relatively smooth and clean cave wall. In fact, it didn't matter if it was not clean. Xia Xiao was now a dirty thing that many people wanted to avoid. Only Ah Zhu still held his arm, as if he was connected to him and couldn't leave.

The two leaned against each other, too tired to say a word, and couldn't even make a few jokes when leaving the Devil's Grassland. They just stared blankly ahead. They stayed like this for a long time, and then they were tired and fell asleep boldly in the bright light. This place was like a safe house, allowing them to sleep peacefully without being exposed to the wind and sun.

There was no movement around, it was no longer quiet, because no wind could get in. Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu had the time they hadn't had during this period to rest, putting everything else aside. Recovering some strength first, saving your life was the top priority!

When the two of them had enough sleep, still snuggling together, Xia Xiao whispered:

"Thanks for your hard work."

"I am dizzy from sleeping."

Ah Zhu stretched out his body, then clenched his fist, put it on Xia Xiao's face, and pushed him away. This was their usual playful move, and Xia Xiao cooperated very well by falling to one side, then supported himself to stand up, and pulled Ah Zhu up.

There was no obvious change between day and night here, and perhaps people outside were curious about where they had gone, but they just walked around a few times and finally headed for the pool inside the cave. Standing beside it, looking at the extremely clear water, Xia Xiao and Azhu couldn't help but admire it, but what they said was a bit rude.

"Is this the Tianchi she mentioned?"

"You sound a little dissatisfied?"

This charming female voice was obviously not from Ah Zhu, but from that woman. She was nowhere to be found, but the voice suddenly appeared around Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu, causing them to stand back to back and be alert.

"You're still alive?"

Such actions and questions made the woman feel somewhat disdainful, and her words were full of contempt.

"You thought I was going to die?"

"Master Sister and other strong men didn't kill you, that's amazing."

"But I think killing you is easy."

"I know you won't do that for now, but I won't go along with your wishes and go straight to the original place to find you."

"It's a long road. You can walk on your own for a while."

"Get that out of my head!"

What Xia Xiao was talking about was the things that entered his body during the battle, which he realized only later, as well as the images from before. Now that he has regained consciousness, he never wants to see those things again, including Shangshan!

"I have already cleared it for you. You are our future companions after all."

“Not sure yet!”

"You will come eventually. As for this place, you can rest assured that no one can find it."

"And you? Where are you?"

"I am in every dark corner of the world, but I will not appear in your sight, so go ahead and walk as much as you want. Only I have the answer you want to know!"

"I will go to the South of the South China Sea by myself!"

"random."

The woman spoke lightly, without saying goodbye, and her voice disappeared hastily, but Xia Xiao frowned, swallowed a few times to moisten his hot and painful throat, and then looked at Ah Zhu beside him. She should have a lot of questions, including her own plans and what to do in the future, but she just looked at him quietly, and after staring at each other for a long time, she felt a little embarrassed.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing to ask?"

Ah Zhu shook his head, then nodded.

"Hurry up and recover your strength. Then we'll go for a walk in the darkness together and return to the academy after we find the answers you want."

"You're so nice all of a sudden, I'm a little unaccustomed to it."

"I have always been like this, but don't forget what you promised me."

Xia Xiao nodded subconsciously, but he forgot what he had promised Ah Zhu. Was it to have nothing to do with Shangshan anymore, or to be nice to her in the future? Xia Xiao didn't know, but it was obviously not a good idea to say it now. Girls would get angry if men lied, and they wouldn't necessarily be happy if they told the truth.