To the north of the Xindu campsite lies the ever-snow-covered Cang'er Snow Mountain.
Between the snow-capped mountains and the campsite lies the vast Nocturnal Forest. To reach the snow-capped mountains, one must traverse this forest, where danger and opportunity coexist.
As you travel further north, you'll notice the terrain gradually rises, albeit with a very slight difference. This difference is almost imperceptible in the woodland.
"Master, we should be almost there," Dong Yujue said.
Her master was a monk from Mount Song, an unknown monk, known to very few. Yet even the abbot of Shaolin Temple would greet her with utmost respect and address her as "Uncle-Master."
Zen Mountain, that's her master's name.
"The temperature has dropped, you should put on your animal skins," Chanshan said to Dong Yujue.
Dong Yujue nodded and obediently put on the animal skin.
She lived in the micro-world, always wearing clothes woven from tree bark. Later, when nettles appeared, she changed into hemp clothing and covered herself with animal fur. She still had some psychological barriers.
Before this trip, she brought out the only sweater in the camp. It was made from the wool of two sheep after they had been sheared again, while her master was still wearing a thin linen garment.
Dong Yujue had already become a nun, so she could barely accept wearing animal skins, but her master was a true nun and would never accept such a thing, which is why she brought out her cotton-padded clothes.
“Let’s keep going,” Zenzan said.
They had been walking for more than ten days, but they hadn't covered as far as Li Su'er and her group had when they found the camellia trees, because they needed to search for resources to survive as they moved forward.
They only brought some essential dried fruit and barley flour with them on this trip; nothing else. Therefore, they had to do their best to find food along the way. And since they were following Zen Mountain, Dong Yujue naturally wouldn't kill any living beings.
Zenzan is very experienced in this regard; he knows very well which plants are edible.
"Yujue, look."
Zenzan suddenly smiled and pointed in a direction where a fawn was learning to walk, accompanied by its mother.
Dong Yujue watched this scene quietly, her heart filled with warmth.
But in the next moment, a fox suddenly rushed out, and the mother deer and fawn fled in panic. Dong Yujue was stunned, nocked a bow and was about to shoot, but was stopped by Chanshan.
“Yujue, all beings are equal, and all things are neither good nor bad. Let nature take its course,” Zenshan said.
Dong Yujue nodded: "Yes, Master."
They continued on their way, finding a place to make a fire and sleep at night. Dong Yujue brought Chen Yang's fire-making tools and also learned some fire-making skills, which impressed Chanshan.
He was filled with admiration for the way this greatest power in human history was created in the most primitive way.
The next day, they continued on their journey and discovered a large area of usable wild mushrooms, as well as chicken gizzards and potatoes, which meant they wouldn't have to worry about food for the next leg of the journey, so they quickened their pace.
Then, they encountered a pack of wolves, and Dong Yujue recognized them as the dire wolves that Li Su'er had encountered before.
As they advanced, they defended themselves against the wolf pack, and a direct confrontation ensued. However, they managed to drive the wolves away using their fire and martial arts skills. Zenzan, wielding a wooden staff, injured seven or eight wolves.
After escaping the wolf pack, they finally left the Night Forest and saw the area of abnormal climate.
The edge of Yepo Forest is a coniferous forest, consisting of tall and straight deciduous trees. This tree belt is the boundary between climate anomalies. North of the tree belt is the snowfield. Only some areas at the edge have snow, but further away, it is a vast expanse of white snow.
Chanshan also put on a cotton-padded coat and said to Dong Yujue, "Yujue, give me the extra animal skin pants you brought."
"Master?" Dong Yujue was taken aback: "You're willing to wear it?"
Zenshan smiled and said, "All things are equal, and the same is true for me. Your master is not the kind of enlightened monk with an indestructible golden body described in Buddhist books. Since a living being has died, its value should be realized. It's just that we Buddhists try our best to avoid this. Your master is quite open-minded."
After ensuring they were well-fed and warm, they continued on their way. The wool shoes Xu Meng had made proved invaluable at this point.
They made their way forward through the wind and snow, finding a snowdrift before nightfall, digging a snow cave, and spending a cold night in the microcosm.
The next day, they continued on their journey and encountered some creatures along the way. A snow fox tried to attack them but was scared away by Dong Yujue's arrow. A herd of wild yaks with long fur and bangs passed by them.
They also encountered a nest of wild rabbits. If Chen Yang and his group had come instead, these rabbits might have ended up as delicious roast meat.
In a place where some plants were still growing, they found a few purple seaweed plants, which they used for dinner.
On their second snowy night, they didn't have time to dig a snow cave, so they chose to leave. They were there to cultivate, not to die. Continuing to linger there would be suicidal. The ability to leave the micro-realm helped them avoid the long, cold night, and also reduced their energy expenditure, conserving food.
Chen Yang and his group were also inquiring about Dong Yujue's situation. If they were running out of food, and could hold out for more than four days, the camp could still reach them in time by advancing at full speed day and night. If all else failed, they could simply withdraw and wait for rescue.
Although Dong Yujue and her group were in a difficult situation, they were not in danger. They had basic food and water, and they could quit at night, which was not bad. Most importantly, the ability to quit was almost like a cheating device.
If Chen Yang and his group are determined to climb the snow-capped mountain, they could very well succeed by using the exit function effectively and only climbing when the temperature is most comfortable and the wind is least.
There are still many unclimbed peaks in this world. If adventurers had this cheat function, these unclimbed peaks would have been conquered long ago.
Since Dong Yujue and the others were not in danger, Chen Yang was no longer worried and continued his work at the camp. He had just finished pressing oil a few days ago and was then dragged to the island in the middle of the lake to cut mangoes and make dried mangoes. He had eaten so many mangoes that he was about to throw up.
Meanwhile, the master and disciple, more than 200 kilometers away, continued their cultivation journey. However, they made an incredible discovery that would have caused a sensation across the entire Earth if it had happened on Earth.
As they were moving forward, they encountered a blizzard and had to rest behind a boulder that pointed diagonally toward the sky, leaving a space underneath to block the wind and snow.
They had collected a lot of dead wood from the snow along the way, which was now enough to start a fire for warmth.
But amidst the wind and snow, they heard a long cry that seemed to come from ancient times. A colossal figure appeared in the snowstorm, like a sacred beast emerging from the primordial wilderness.
Its body is covered with fine, long fur in gold, reddish-brown, and grayish-brown, its limbs are like pillars supporting the sky, and its terrifying long teeth point straight to the heavens.
Mammoth!
(End of this chapter)
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