Everyone was startled, realizing the chaotic battle at the ice cave’s entrance above them was taking a dangerous turn. Zhou Zhiqin thrust his sword into the ice wall with one hand while holding onto the unsteady Dong Fangxiao with the other. Hu Tianwei struggled alone against two white-furred beasts, barely able to defend himself.
Below, Mu Qingyan couldn’t bear to watch and shouted, “Don’t fight them in mid-air! Get to the ground first!”
Hu Tianwei and Zhou Zhiqin immediately understood. Although the white-furred beasts were formidable, they were still mortal creatures. If confronted by several skilled martial artists on solid ground, they might not fare well. However, the current situation favored the beasts. Their padded paws and sharp claws allowed them to move effortlessly on the icy walls, while the humans were at a disadvantage.
Zhou Zhiqin twisted his right hand, pulling his sword slightly out of the ice wall. He then used his strength to descend, carving a straight crack in the wall. Using this momentum, he brought Dong Fangxiao and Jin Baohui to the ground. Hu Tianwei spun his arm and forcefully threw his second judge’s pen. As the two beasts quickly dodged, the pen struck the ice wall with a bang, allowing Hu Tianwei to leap down.
The two white-furred beasts clung to the top of the ice cave. The larger one used its mouth to remove the judge’s pen lodged in the first beast’s eye socket, licking the wound a few times. Then, both beasts roared and pounced downward.
Once on the ground, the tide quickly turned. Except for the injured Lan Tianyu, Dong Fangxiao, Chen Fuguang, and those tending to them like Qinong, everyone else could stand and face the enemy.
Hu Tianwei picked up his fallen judge’s pens, while Zhou Zhiqin took Dong Fangxiao’s sword. Mu Qingyan remained empty-handed.
Cai Zhao wanted to join the fight, but Mu Qingyan shot a glance at Qian Xueshen. Immediately, Qian Xueshen began to wail dramatically, “Oh, I must have hurt my leg earlier! Help me, help me!”
Cai Zhao coldly replied, “Think before you speak. You’re holding your head, not your leg.”
Qian Xueshen sighed, “Since you understand ‘your brother’s’ intention, why make it difficult for me?”
Noticing Qian Xueshen’s sunken cheeks, Cai Zhao suddenly said, “When we leave this ice cave, you should go down the mountain.”
Qian Xueshen was stunned. “But… we haven’t found what we’re looking for yet.”
Cai Zhao sighed softly, “You’re not a bad person. I shouldn’t have forced you to come here and risk your life.”
Qian Xueshen’s expression grew complex. He earnestly advised, “Little Cai, I’m older than you. Let me teach you something today—you can’t judge whether someone is good or bad just by looking at their face.”
Cai Zhao remained unswayed. “I know, it’s the ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ thing again. My aunt said if you think someone is good, then consider them good. Don’t make baseless suspicions. At worst, if you’re deceived, you can always settle accounts later.”
“That’s not necessarily—oh!” Qian Xueshen was about to argue when a head-sized chunk of ice flew towards them. Cai Zhao quickly pulled him aside, narrowly avoiding it.
They turned to look and saw that one of the white-furred beasts had hurled a massive ice block. Zhou Zhiqin’s swift swordplay shattered it mid-air, sending ice shards flying in all directions.
Watching Zhou Zhiqin, Qian Xueshen had a thought and couldn’t help but glance at Cai Zhao again.
By now, the two white-furred beasts were being forced to retreat under the group’s assault, sustaining numerous injuries.
Suddenly, the larger beast stood up straight and roared, with the other joining in. Their howls were deafening, like waves crashing against the ice cave walls. The beasts’ cries, already as eerie as night owls became even more piercing as they echoed off the walls. The humans felt dizzy and nauseous, and ice chunks began falling from above.
As ice rained down, the smaller beast seized the opportunity to charge at a trembling section of the wall. It rammed its head forcefully, shattering the ice and causing the entire cave to shake violently.
“This is bad! The cave is collapsing!” Jin Baohui’s panicked scream heightened the already tense atmosphere.
Zhou Zhiqin lowered his hands from his ears and, risking deafness, charged at the two beasts. However, they quickly twisted around and disappeared into an ice tunnel behind them. As Zhou Zhiqin was about to give chase, Dong Fangxiao shouted from behind, “Don’t follow them! Beware of dangers in the tunnel!”
Zhou Zhiqin halted, turning to see Dong Fangxiao unable to dodge the falling ice shards. He rushed back to protect him.
Amidst the chaos of screams and shouts, it was unclear how much time passed before the cave’s trembling finally subsided.
In the darkness, everyone heard Lan Tianyu’s labored breathing. “Yan… Young Master Yan, I… I have a fire starter in my pocket.” He had been pulled aside and protected by Mu Qingyan during the cave’s violent shaking.
Mu Qingyan felt for the fire starter in his pocket. Using its light, others began lighting their walking sticks and canes.
“Old Jin! Where’s Old Jin?” Zhou Zhiqin helped Dong Fangxiao, whose forehead was bleeding, to sit against the wall. Then he noticed Jin Baohui was missing.
“I’m… I’m here…” a weak voice came from a pile of freshly fallen ice.
Zhou Zhiqin and Cai Zhao quickly removed the top two large ice blocks. Jin Baohui emerged trembling from the ice pile, his round face purple from lack of air.
Cai Zhao looked around. “Qian… Big Qiang, where are you? If you’re alive, say something!”
“Here… I’m alive!” Qian Xueshen crawled out from a nearby tunnel, shaking.
At the same time, Qinong emerged from another tunnel, dragging Chen Fuguang.
The three of them had sought shelter in nearby tunnels when they saw the sharp, massive ice blocks falling.
Hu Tianwei and the mute servant only suffered torn clothes, looking somewhat disheveled.
Lan Tianyu was in poor condition. Half of his body had been in the beast’s mouth earlier, and his injuries were severe. After removing his blood-soaked, tattered sleeves and pant legs, the group discovered that one arm had been bitten off at the elbow, hanging by mere shreds of skin and flesh. One leg was badly mauled, exposing bone.
Seeing his condition, Lan Tianyu let out a bitter groan. He used his good hand to pull out a dagger from his waist and handed it to Mu Qingyan. “Please… Young Master Yan, if you would.”
Mu Qingyan tore off a piece of cloth for Lan Tianyu to bite down on. With the man’s silent permission, he slowly cut away the dead flesh from the arm, then tightly bandaged the wound. He then treated the leg injury similarly. Fortunately, the fallen pack animals and luggage weren’t buried by ice, so they had access to spare clothes. These were torn into strips, providing enough material to treat the injuries.
The most unfortunate was still Jin Baohui, whose two remaining guards were now gone for good.
One had been struck repeatedly by large chunks of ice, his brains and blood splattered on the ground. The other had lost his footing, rolled into a pit, and was buried by an avalanche of ice. Cai Zhao and others dug for a while but only recovered a single boot. It seemed the man, like the jade statue, had fallen into a bottomless ice chasm.
After accounting for everyone, they raised their torches to survey their surroundings. They realized the cave was so dark because the entrance above had collapsed. In other words, they were now trapped inside the ice cave.
Jin Baohui immediately broke into tears, wailing and cursing, “No more! We’re not going any further! All my attendants and guards are gone! This cursed snowy mountain is trying to kill us all! I… I don’t want to die here…”
“Stop pissing like a horse!” Hu Tianwei, irritated by the crying, snapped. “None of your servants were any good. They either helped you collect and raise vicious beasts or bullied commoners. They deserved to die! Keep wailing, and I’ll skin you alive!”
Jin Baohui reluctantly quieted down, sniffling.
“What do we do now? We won’t die here, will we?” Qian Xueshen began to panic.
Cai Zhao looked confused. “We shouldn’t. When I was young, my aunt had a blind fortune-teller predict my future. He said I’d die peacefully of old age.”
“You believe what those charlatans say?” Qian Xueshen was nearly driven mad by this nonsense.
“Why not? He was the most expensive fortune-teller in our town. It cost two taels of silver for one session.”
Meanwhile, Zhou Zhiqin apologized to his close friend, “Brother Dong Fang, it’s my fault for insisting on avenging my son. I’ve dragged you into this predicament.”
Dong Fangxiao, sitting cross-legged and regulating his breath, opened his eyes slightly. “We’re sworn brothers. Don’t talk about fault. If it were for my sake, you’d do the same.”
Seeing this from afar, Cai Zhao couldn’t help but admire, “Truly honorable heroes, loyal to their word in life and death.”
Mu Qingyan, expressionless, remarked, “Too fake.”
Qian Xueshen chimed in sarcastically, “This time, I agree with Young Master Yan.”
Cai Zhao snorted coldly, “You two outsiders only agree when you’re mocking me.”
Mu Qingyan explained, “It’s not mockery, it’s fact. Brothers of decades should have said everything that needs saying. True understanding is wordless. Needing to verbalize feelings now shows their relationship isn’t that deep.”
Qian Xueshen added, “Even if it’s not shallow, they haven’t faced life-and-death situations together.”
Cai Zhao retorted, “…Big Qiang, do you still want me to let you go down the mountain after we escape?”
Qian Xueshen immediately changed his tune, “On second thought, Little Han has a point. As they say, ‘A candle doesn’t shine without being lit, and reason isn’t clear without being spoken.’ Even close brothers should express their feelings clearly.”
Mu Qingyan smiled and scolded, “Coward.”
Nearby, Lan Tianyu, hearing their banter, couldn’t help but say, “How can you joke around at a time like this?”
Cai Zhao replied, “My aunt says even if we’re dying, we should die happily. Would frowning and cursing help us escape?”
Mu Qingyan nodded, “My sister is right.”
Qian Xueshen added, “My fiancée and future brother-in-law are correct.”
Even the severely injured Lan Tianyu couldn’t help but smile.
Though he knew these three weren’t related or engaged, watching them commit to their act even while trapped in an ice cave was amusing.
“Don’t worry, we can get out,” Lan Tianyu suddenly said, then repeated louder.
Hu Tianwei rushed over, anxious. “What did you say, Old Lan? We can escape?”
Lan Tianyu weakly explained, “Tie cloth strips at each tunnel entrance and check for air movement.”
Everyone followed his advice—indeed, they found slight air movement at more than one tunnel.
Lan Tianyu continued, “These glacier-eroded caves sometimes lead to dead ends, but others connect to the outside. I wasn’t sure at first, but when those two beasts disappeared into a tunnel, it confirmed my suspicion of a way out.”
Jin Baohui had a realization. “Now that you mention it, I remember. White-furred beasts don’t live underground. They need wind, rain, and sunlight to thrive.”
Lan Tianyu nodded. “So, they must know the way out. We should follow the tunnel they took.”
Hu Tianwei’s face lit up. “Best of all, if those huge beasts can fit, so can we. Old Lan, you’ve done well. I’ll carry you when we go.”
Zhou Zhiqin glanced at Hu Tianwei with disdain, snorting softly.
Though Hu Tianwei wanted to leave immediately, Lan Tianyu suggested resting briefly to put some distance between them and the recently escaped beasts. Everyone agreed this was wise.
They spread out their belongings, some meditating to recover strength or tending to wounds, others eating dried food or drinking alcohol to warm up. They also gathered essential items from the pack animals and explored nearby tunnels.
With hope for escape rekindled, the atmosphere in the ice cave improved. The only nuisance was the occasional appearance of large white rats from various tunnels.
These rats were larger than normal, with glowing red eyes full of malice and dense, sharp teeth that sent chills down everyone’s spine. Hu Tianwei and Zhou Zhiqin stomped on over a dozen of them.
Jin Baohui, however, seemed fascinated by the rats. “What a shame we can’t take some back to raise. Look at those teeth—perfect for burrowing through ancient ice, sharper than ordinary swords.”
After resting, everyone felt refreshed. Even Dong Fangxiao had recovered about 70-80%.
Hu Tianwei eagerly carried Lan Tianyu on his back, Qinong gently supported Chen Fuguang, and Zhou Zhiqin looked after Dong Fangxiao. Jin Baohui reluctantly stayed behind Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao, hoping for their protection.
Just as they were about to set off, another dozen or so white rats scurried from tunnels in all directions.
Hu Tianwei frowned. “This is endless. Let’s ignore them and go.”
“Wait,” Mu Qingyan suddenly said. “Don’t you hear something sliding inside the ice?”
Hu Tianwei responded irritably, “Don’t be paranoid. What sound? I don’t hear anything. Let’s get moving…”
“Hold on,” Zhou Zhiqin concentrated, listening carefully. “I hear it too.”
It was a low, slow sound, like ice skates scraping in winter, or slippery carp sliding on ice—a hissing, rustling noise, muffled yet filled with unknown terror.
Mu Qingyan watched the scurrying white rats. “Have you heard the saying ‘snakes and rats in the same nest’?”
Everyone froze, unsure of his meaning.
Mu Qingyan explained, “Why do snakes and rats share a nest? While snakes prefer living in burrows, they can’t dig them themselves—but rats can. So snakes often seek out rat colonies, gaining both shelter and food in one go.”
“Please, stop talking!” Jin Baohui’s teeth chattered. “I feel a chill…”
Before he could finish, a thunderous crash echoed as a smaller tunnel burst open. An enormous white snake emerged, its scales like thin ice sheets. Its mouth spanned nearly twenty feet wide, its body as thick as seven or eight people embracing. Only half of its body was visible, leaving its full length unknown.
Humans seemed insignificant and frail before it.
The snake, with cold, fierce eyes glowing green, raised its body several stories high. It fixed its gaze on the group, flicking its bright red tongue, resembling a demon.
Hu Tianwei froze, breaking out in a cold sweat. “What… what kind of monster is this?” His earlier bravado about “heaven-sent miracles” was long gone.
As they stood motionless, the giant white snake moved—gliding with a chilling wind, its breath reeking of decay. It lunged at the group, shattering the ice floor and nearby walls.
In a panic, everyone scattered, pelted by ice shards. The cave shook violently again. Qinong, holding Chen Fuguang, rolled into a small hole for safety. Qian Xueshen was swept into another tunnel by the fierce wind.
Cai Zhao thought hiding might be best.
“No choice now, we must fight!” Zhou Zhiqin drew his sword, as did Dong Fangxiao.
Hu Tianwei pulled out his judge’s pens, grinning. “Don’t fear! It’s just a beast. If we work together, we can share its body equally!” Though less knowledgeable than Jin Baohui, he recognized the white snake’s rarity.
Mu Qingyan’s long sleeves billowed, gathering energy, clearly ready to fight.
Zhou Zhiqin shouted, “Brother Dong Fang, draw its attention from the front. We’ll attack from the sides.”
Dong Fangxiao agreed.
Hu Tianwei glanced at Zhou Zhiqin, understanding his intent to protect his sworn brother—with Dong Fangxiao’s agility, he could stay safe if he maintained a distance of four to five zhang from the snake. If the snake tried to grab him with its tongue, Dong Fangxiao could cut it off.
Those attacking from the sides, however, would be in danger if the snake turned suddenly in pain.
With no objections, Dong Fangxiao threw several ice chunks at the snake, immediately drawing its attention.
Qingfeng Monastery’s lightness skill was once renowned in the martial world. Dong Fangxiao moved gracefully through the air, dodging the snake’s attacks effortlessly. The snake repeatedly missed, only shattering more ice without even touching Dong Fangxiao’s clothes.
Zhou Zhiqin, Hu Tianwei, and Mu Qingyan each chose a vital point on the snake’s body, preparing to attack together.
Cai Zhao protected Jin Baohui below, her other hand gripping her silver chain tightly.
After several failed lunges, the white snake paused briefly, seemingly gathering strength. As it lunged at Dong Fangxiao again, it slowly opened its massive mouth.
Suddenly, Cai Zhao remembered the frozen corpse with its expression of disbelief and terror. A chill ran down her spine—
“Avoid its mouth! Don’t face it directly!” she screamed.
But it was too late.
The snake’s mouth, large enough to swallow a horse whole, opened slowly, revealing two human-sized fangs surrounded by countless smaller teeth. A blast of icy breath, like a gust from the underworld, shot towards Dong Fangxiao. Even Cai Zhao on the ground and Mu Qingyan on the side felt its bone-chilling cold.
Dong Fangxiao was hit directly by the breath, instantly freezing solid. He fell with a thud, shattering like a broken inkstone or vase.
As the frosty mist cleared, they saw Dong Fangxiao had been frozen into an ice statue, breaking into four or five pieces upon impact. His body was split in half, each part further shattered, with blood and marrow crystallized at the broken edges.
Zhou Zhiqin’s eyes reddened. Disregarding his safety, he rushed over, cradling Dong Fangxiao’s frozen remains and wailing, “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault…”
The others were stunned.
So was Cai Zhao.
She never imagined Dong Fangxiao would be the first to die.
“It’s a Green-Eyed Ice Crystal Giant Snake!” Jin Baohui suddenly exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with fascination. “I thought it was just a myth, but it’s real!”
At that moment, Qian Xueshen stumbled out of a tunnel, seemingly just regaining consciousness, rubbing his head.
Cai Zhao screamed frantically, “Go back! Get back in there! Don’t come out!”
Qian Xueshen looked towards her voice, bewildered.
The giant snake quickly noticed Qian Xueshen standing in the center of the cave floor and lunged, mouth open.
“No!” Cai Zhao cried out in anguish.
She watched helplessly as Qian Xueshen was hit by the icy breath, instantly freezing solid. The snake then smashed his frozen body, shattering it like ice. His frozen skull rolled to her feet, its expression unchanged.
This violent commotion triggered another tremor in the ice cave.
The ground shook violently, and more ice fragments rained down from above.
Mu Qingyan grabbed the girl and darted into a larger tunnel, with Jin Baohui quickly following behind.