He shouldn’t have had any hope for Mei Shisi. What pearls of wisdom could she possibly offer?

“Brother Mo isn’t annoying!” Lou Xiaowu grumbled. “And neither am I.”

These words struck a chord with Mo Sigui. Given Mei Shisi’s character, who wouldn’t she find annoying?

While Mo Sigui claimed to prefer gentle and demure cousins like Mei Jiu, he enjoyed the company of those with opposite personalities.

Qiu Ningyu had been a ray of sunshine in his gloomy childhood. So bright that no other beautiful woman could compare. Deep down, Mo Sigui believed that women should be as straightforward as Qiu Ningyu.

The mountain wind hurled snow against their bodies, its force felt even through thick layers of clothing. Their faces had long since gone numb from the cold, and neither spoke further.

Lou Xiaowu led Mo Sigui into the estate. After escorting Ling Gu back to her chambers to rest, she headed to the council hall to find survivors.

The Lou estate was shrouded in the pitch-black snowy night. Apart from the howling wind, there was no other sound. The lantern in Lou Xiaowu’s hand flickered precariously in the gale, nearly extinguishing.

The council hall stood at the mountain’s peak, overlooking the entire estate. Though the mountain appeared steep, it wasn’t particularly tall. Channeling their inner energy into their feet, they quickly reached the entrance.

Six wooden doors stood unadorned, with a plaque above bearing four bold characters: “Loyal, Righteous, Faithful, and Just.”

As they reached the corridor, Lou Xiaowu shook the snow from her cloak and explained, “The clan leader said earlier that those with milder symptoms were gathered in the council hall. There’s a large ice cellar beneath it. Anyone who felt their condition worsening would voluntarily enter the cellar.”

Mo Sigui asked curiously, “Why is the ice cellar built under the council hall?”

Lou Xiaowu pushed hard against the heavy wooden doors, which creaked loudly. “Rocky mountains are usually hot in summer and cold in winter, unsuitable for living. But this mountain is different. I heard our Lou estate was built here because our great-grandfather discovered mystical ice within the mountain rocks. This ice is our Lou clan’s treasure, known for its mind-calming and wisdom-nurturing properties. It’s obvious why great-grandfather built the council hall here.”

In medical practices, there’s a concept of “stone medicine,” referring to mineral-based remedies with potent effects. Mystical ice, also known as “ice soul” in medicine, is yin in nature and particularly beneficial for women. Martial artists use it to refine their inner energy.

Mystical ice takes at least a thousand years to form and generally comes in two types. One is ancient mystical ice, perhaps easier to form in primordial times. However, its nature is overbearing, and difficult for ordinary people to withstand, so it must be used with extreme caution in both martial arts and medicine. The other is millennial mystical ice, which is more manageable and thus more sought after.

As the hall doors opened, Mo Sigui followed inside. The moment he stepped in, a knife-like cold assaulted him. Despite his inner energy protection, he couldn’t help but shiver. “Is there a naturally formed ice cave in the mountain?”

“Yes, I’ve heard so, but I’ve never been inside,” Lou Xiaowu replied, removing the lantern cover to light the hall’s lamps one by one.

The orange glow made the room feel slightly warmer. It also illuminated the worry in Lou Xiaowu’s apricot-shaped eyes. “There’s no one here. Could everyone except Ling Gu have succumbed to the illness and entered the ice cellar?”

Mo Sigui sighed softly. “The Lou clan has been in this field for years. How could they have no precautions against poison?”

Lou Xiaowu pouted, clearly displeased. “Our family has never produced a doctor, and this poison disappeared over a decade ago. We didn’t expect it to suddenly reappear.”

Mo Sigui frowned, noticing her chubby cheeks vaguely visible beneath her veil. He suddenly felt uneasy about bringing a child to save the Lou estate. Recalling their earlier discussion about marriage, he felt even more uncomfortable.

Tapping his folded fan lightly against his thigh, Mo Sigui pushed aside his wandering thoughts and focused on the matter at hand. “For mystical ice to exist in a small rocky mountain without melting, and even form an ice cave, it must be ancient mystical ice. Entering it would quickly freeze a person solid.”

“I’m not afraid,” Lou Xiaowu said, carrying a lamp to open a hidden compartment in the wall. From it, she retrieved two long fire sable cloaks.

Mo Sigui’s eyes lit up as he tucked his fan into his sleeve. “These are excellent!”

Fire sable fur clothing was so warm that wearing it in winter for just a quarter-hour would cause sweating. Lou Xiaowu continued to take out gloves, face masks, and other cold-weather gear from the compartment. They bundled up thoroughly before heading to the back hall.

Lou Xiaowu moved a stone slab under the table. Despite the harsh winter outside, wisps of cold air could be seen rising from the entrance.

The Lou clan had no adult men, so all the cloaks were for women. Fortunately, they were quite large, and Mo Sigui didn’t find them too small. Earlier, he had inwardly complained about wearing women’s clothing, but now he wished the fur was growing on his own body.

“Let’s go,” Lou Xiaowu said, fearless in her ignorance, and went down first.

Mo Sigui felt he couldn’t let a young girl face danger alone, so he followed without hesitation.

The stairs were very steep at first, but after about thirty steps, they gradually became less so. Wrapped in thick sable fur, the two began to sweat slightly from the exertion.

In the narrow passage, the darkness seemed endless. Even breathing felt like knife blades scraping their nasal passages and throats. Mo Sigui suddenly felt deep admiration for the Lou women who dared to enter such a place in ordinary clothing. It spoke volumes about their character.

After walking for an unknown distance, a faint blue light suddenly appeared in the distance.

Lou Xiaowu hurriedly rushed forward with her lantern. Mo Sigui silently sighed, unsure if this was bravery or foolishness.

He gripped his fan and followed quickly.

Lou Xiaowu held up her lantern and peered at the light source for a while before suddenly crying out, “Second Sister!”

Mo Sigui caught up and saw a woman standing, leaning on a sword. A phosphorescent stone hung from the sword’s tassel. Her eyes were closed, lips tightly pressed together. Despite the frost covering her beautiful face, one could still see the heroic spirit in her brow.

“Second Sister!” Lou Xiaowu anxiously circled the ice-encased figure. “Brother Mo, please think of something…”

She looked up and saw Mo Sigui staring blankly at Lou Mingyue’s face. Her heart raced. “Is it too late to save her?”

“No,” Mo Sigui snapped back to reality and asked, “She’s your second sister? Has she grown up in the Lou estate? What’s her name?”

Lou Xiaowu, eyes brimming with tears, looked at Mo Sigui. “My second sister is called Lou Mingyue. If you want to marry her, you must save her first!”

She remembered the promise she had made earlier.

“Lou Mingyue,” Mo Sigui murmured, crouching down to wrap his sable cloak around Lou Mingyue’s feet. He removed his gloves and began to warm her feet with his hands.

Lou Xiaowu stood holding the lantern, watching him dumbfounded. After a while, she muttered to herself, “To be so good to Second Sister before marriage, he must like her.”

“Bring the lantern closer,” Mo Sigui looked up.

Lou Xiaowu suddenly realized that her second sister was frozen to the ground. To save her, they first needed to separate her from the surface.

She crouched down and brought the lantern closer. “Should I go upstairs to get torches?”

“No,” Mo Sigui said firmly. “If we use intense heat to thaw her, these feet might be permanently damaged.”

The two crouched around her legs, the process of thawing the ice with just their hands painstakingly slow. Unable to bear the silence, Lou Xiaowu spoke up, “Brother Mo’s expression when looking at my second sister was quite different. Did you know her before?”

“Her features remind me of someone I once knew,” Mo Sigui asked again, “Are you sure she grew up in the Lou estate?”

“Well… I can’t say for certain,” Lou Xiaowu hugged the lantern, her eyes tinged with warm light. “My mother had an accident while pregnant with me, so I was born premature and weak. The Lou estate was too cold, and the elders feared I wouldn’t survive, so they sent me away. I returned to the estate at eight and have been here for five years. Second Sister has always been here.”

Mo Sigui’s heart raced. “How old is your sister?”

It was improper to reveal a woman’s age, but Lou Xiaowu felt Mo Sigui was their great benefactor, so it wouldn’t hurt to tell him. “Eighteen.”

“If Ningyu were alive, she’d be about that age,” Mo Sigui said softly.

Lou Xiaowu grew curious. “Who’s Ningyu? Is she related to my second sister?”

Without a definite answer, Mo Sigui couldn’t be sure, but based on Lou Xiaowu’s account, there was a possibility that Lou Mingyue could indeed be Qiu Ningyu.

Mo Sigui’s desire to save her intensified. Once she woke up, he could get answers!

“Brother Mo seems to care a lot about Ningyu,” Lou Xiaowu concluded, then looked at him with a hint of resentment. “It’s understandable to offer my second sister in marriage to repay a life debt, but it pains me to think of her as someone else’s substitute.”

Lou Mingyue was so proud.

“What nonsense are you thinking!” Mo Sigui couldn’t help but tap her head lightly. He then brought his hands to his mouth, breathing on them hard through his face mask.

Lou Xiaowu couldn’t see his expression at that moment, but she could see the determination and focus in his eyes.

On the other side of the deep night.

Mei Jiu had fallen asleep, but An Jiu couldn’t find rest. She lay stiffly on the bed, gripping a dagger, as memories flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope, making her dizzy.

As dawn approached, she closed her eyes to rest for a moment.

There was a slight movement in the corridor. An Jiu’s eyes snapped open, and she tightened her grip on the dagger.

A faint shadow flashed before her eyes. An Jiu suddenly rolled off the bed, swinging the dagger.

Chu Dingjiang blocked it barehanded. The dagger cut through his protective energy, leaving a shallow gash on his palm. He pulled a black cloth from his robes to wrap the wound. “Your reflexes are still good, though your strength has decreased since last time.”

His tone was noticeably pleased.

An Jiu couldn’t understand why he seemed happy in his current situation.

“Your inner strength is lacking, but this dagger can cut through energy barriers. If you use it skillfully, even a fifth-rank warrior might not survive an encounter with you,” Chu Dingjiang said, satisfied with An Jiu but not wanting her to take unnecessary risks. “The Mei clan’s Elder Zhi has been imprisoned, and the Mei clan leader isn’t decisive enough. If the Mei clan faces misfortune, the outcome might be similar to the Lou clan. You can choose to return to the Mei clan now, or join the Crane Control Army directly.”

As the highest-ranking officer of the Divine Martial Army, he had the authority to recruit talent at his discretion.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture ramrod straight, a full head and a half taller than An Jiu. She had to look up at him, which she found somewhat displeasing.

“I’ll return to the Mei estate,” An Jiu said.

She believed joining the Crane Control Army would be safer now, but after a brief discussion with Mei Jiu, she decided to follow her advice. After all, it was Mei Jiu who would walk this path in the future.

“Very well,” Chu Dingjiang said without further comment. “Come.”

A shadow guard entered and bowed in the outer room. “Commander.”

“Escort her back to the Mei clan,” Chu Dingjiang ordered.