Petite Cai Zhao and slender Qian Xueshen could indeed share one golden-feathered roc. As they flew northward, the weather grew colder. Fortunately, the roc was strong, its wings stirring up sand and stones as it soared through clouds. By sunset on the third day, Cai Zhao and Qian Xueshen arrived at a small town at the foot of Snowy Mountain.
In this far northern land, days were short and nights long. The sky loomed gray and leaden, the landscape desolate. Amid the hazy grayish-white expanse, small black dots moved—silent, slow-moving people.
Snow Mountain Town had few inhabitants. Its center boasted only one inn, simply named “Snow Mountain Inn.” Due to strong winds and cold weather, the inn’s entrance was covered by two thick wool felt curtains, stained and greasy, their original color long faded. Lifting the curtains, they were hit by a mixture of alcohol, smoke, and unwashed body odor. Cai Zhao wrinkled her brow but forced herself to enter.
The appearance of the delicate, beautiful girl and the handsome, slender youth at the doorway momentarily silenced the noisy hall, followed by a buzz of discussion. A waiter eagerly approached, guiding Cai and Qian to a central table.
Cai Zhao shook her head, walking directly to a secluded table against the wall. The innkeeper behind the counter noticed her choice, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Seated, Cai Zhao quickly surveyed the hall: an innkeeper with a slightly forward-leaning forehead, five waiters serving food and drinks, and a yellow-faced woman in her twenties wiping wine jars in a corner.
A large stove burned in the center, with an iron kettle hanging above. The hall had about ten tables, seven or eight occupied. Three tables against the walls held martial artists, while the rest seemed to be local idlers drinking and laughing.
A waiter brought two large ceramic cups filled with hot water from the iron kettle, placing them before Cai Zhao and Qian Xueshen. Cai Zhao eyed the dirty fingerprints on the cup rim, her brow twitching.
Cold and hungry, Qian Xueshen immediately ordered wine, meat, and steamed buns. By now, Cai Zhao knew not all inns offered elaborate meals—in such desolate areas, clean hot soup and rice were luxuries.
Two lecherous-looking idlers, who had been staring at them for a while, finally sauntered over and sat uninvited. One, with a gloomy expression, glared fiercely, while the other, with cloudy eyes, rubbed his exposed chest suggestively, addressing Cai Zhao: “Where are you from, little miss? It’s dangerous around here. Want us brothers to scout the way for you?”
Qian Xueshen, disgusted, retorted, “No need. Go away!”
“Oh ho, this boy’s got quite an attitude!” the bare-chested idler exclaimed. “This pretty boy looks down on us brothers? If we want to take this little miss for some fun, you’d better scram if you know what’s good for you!”
Ignoring them, Cai Zhao turned to Qian Xueshen: “What should I do in this situation?” She believed in seeking advice from those with experience when traveling.
Qian Xueshen, exasperated, replied, “In lawless places like this, we can’t show weakness. You should demonstrate your skills to intimidate them!”
“Understood,” Cai Zhao responded briefly.
This exchange startled the hall’s occupants. Normally, a young man would protect a young woman, but their conversation suggested the opposite.
Before anyone could process this, two brief screams rang out as the idlers were sent flying.
The cloudy-eyed man’s exposed chest bore two deep, bleeding cross-shaped cuts, while the gloomy-faced man’s left hand had been severed at the wrist. He rolled on the ground, howling in agony.
This sudden turn of events shocked everyone in the hall.
Qian Xueshen, staring at the severed wrist, stammered, “I… I just told you to show off a bit, not to chop off someone’s hand.” In previous inns, Cai Zhao hadn’t been this severe when dealing with troublemakers.
Cai Zhao slowly placed a short knife on the table—the same one that had been at the cloudy-eyed man’s waist. It was unclear how she had managed to draw the knife, inflict wounds, sever a wrist, and send both men flying in one fluid motion.
This was no ordinary martial art; it had to be an advanced technique from a top-tier sect.
The three men who had been sitting with the two idlers, realizing they had encountered a formidable opponent, abandoned their companions and tried to flee.
Cai Zhao casually grabbed four or five chopsticks from the table and flung them. With several thuds, the three men fell.
One had a chopstick on his neck, while the other two each had two on their backs. They crawled away, groaning.
Cai Zhao held up one of the hot water cups to Qian Xueshen. “Do you know what drug is in this cup?”
Qian Xueshen, of course, had no idea—wait, there were drugs in the water?
Cai Zhao answered her question: “It’s a knockout drug, though low-quality. Those who wake from it often vomit and have headaches.” She then picked up the other cup. “Do you know what’s in this one?”
Qian Xueshen quickly shook his head.
Cai Zhao explained: “An aphrodisiac. Also low-quality, but potent. It turns people into animals, and after it wears off, it leaves internal injuries.”
Qian Xueshen shuddered—whether he or Cai Zhao had taken either drug, the outcome would have been disastrous.
The waiter who had served them the hot water panicked as Cai Zhao’s gaze slowly turned to him. “It wasn’t me! I didn’t drug the water!” he cried.
Cai Zhao calmly replied, “Of course, it wasn’t you.” She looked at the men writhing on the floor. “It was them. One distracted us while the other added the drugs.”
“Pour these two cups down their throats,” Cai Zhao instructed, pushing the cups towards Qian Xueshen.
Steeling himself, Qian Xueshen took the cups and approached the men. They struggled to crawl away, but Qian Xueshen, despite his limited martial arts training, managed to pin them down by their necks and force the water down their throats.
Cai Zhao tossed a piece of silver to the waiter. “Have someone throw them out.”
Terrified by Cai Zhao’s brutality, the waiters didn’t even wait for the innkeeper’s approval before hurriedly carrying the two men out.
Everyone knew what would happen to these men, but no one dared mention it.
By now, all present had abandoned their initial contempt for Cai Zhao and Qian Xueshen, whispering among themselves.
The innkeeper silently turned and lifted the curtain to the kitchen, shouting, “Bring out the best wine for our esteemed guests, and serve them the freshly roasted chicken and duck!”
The remaining waiter, finally snapping out of his shock, rushed to serve fresh tea to Cai Zhao and Qian Xueshen.
This time, the teacups were clean.
Qian Xueshen stood woodenly in place.
He understood the girl’s intentions. Unlike the previous inns they had visited, where they merely ate, rested briefly, and asked a few questions before leaving, Snow Mountain Inn was a place where they would stay overnight, possibly for several days.
If the girl hadn’t established her dominance from the start, they would have faced constant troubles.
Ignoring the surrounding gazes, Cai Zhao pulled out a scroll from her bundle and studied it in the dim light:
Contrary to her expectations, while the snow-capped mountain above resembled an unreachable ice palace in the clouds, Snow Mountain Town at its base was no colder than the northern villages they had passed through. The surrounding land could even sustain some crops.
However, this was just the situation at the mountain’s foot.
Snowy Mountain could be roughly divided into three sections—upper, middle, and lower—with vastly different climates.
The foot of the mountain, though marked by deep valleys and dense forests, had relatively normal snowfall. It even boasted rare beasts and high-quality medicinal herbs. Hunters and herb gatherers would trade animal skins and herbs for daily necessities like salt and cloth in the southern villages.
Due to the extremely high elevation, even the mountain’s foot was higher than the middle of ordinary mountains. The intense cold produced animals with exceptionally thick fur, and the area was known for its snow ginseng, which merchants preferred over regular old ginseng from deep mountains.
However, these hunting and herb-gathering activities were limited to the mountain’s base. Once one reached the middle section, dangers abounded, with less than half of those who ventured there returning. As for the peak, it was said that no one who had gone up had ever come back down.
This information, gathered from waiters and locals along their journey and repeatedly verified, should be reliable.
“Another sky-piercing peak,” Cai Zhao murmured, gently closing her scroll.
Unlike the deathly silence of Sky-Piercing Peak, herb gatherers and hunters occasionally heard terrifying beast roars here, mixed with the howling wind and snow, echoing from the distant summit.
It would be too risky to send the golden-feathered rocs up such a mountain.
Seeing the girl’s furrowed brow, deep in thought, Qian Xueshen’s mind began to wander as well.
He initially thought Cai Zhao was delicate and naive, assuming her journey to the Great Snow Mountain was merely an impulsive decision. He expected her to retreat when faced with hardships. However, she proved surprisingly steady and thorough in her preparations.
She had thought of everything: thick winter clothes, fur boots, face coverings, hand warmers, oil balm to prevent chapped skin, aged wine for warmth, a small insulated container for the wine, and even long cloth straps to secure them to the giant roc. She hadn’t missed a single detail.
The young girl had even listed some small but useful items in her notebook that even Qian Xueshen hadn’t considered.
They would spend half a day riding the golden-feathered giant roc before landing to buy food and water. During these stops, they inquired about the Great Snow Mountain in the far north, asking locals how many rivers and mountains they needed to cross. After gathering information, they would mount the roc again. While airborne, they carefully sketched each river and mountain they encountered. Upon landing, they would verify their location, thus avoiding directional mistakes.
The girl thoughtfully gave both herself and Qian Xueshen fake names. “News from Qingque Sect hasn’t spread widely yet, especially in this remote northern frontier,” she explained. “We’ll use aliases to avoid detection.”
She called herself Feng Xiaoyao, combining a character from her mother’s name and one from her brother’s. Qian Xueshen was to use the surname Wan…
Qian Xueshen protested, “Though ‘Qian’ and ‘Wan’ often appear together, ‘Qian’ sounds refined while ‘Wan’ seems rather nouveau riche.”
Cai Zhao retorted, “The Qian Face Door also used ‘Qian’, and now you’re the only miserable survivor. Wouldn’t ‘Qian’ bring bad luck rather than refinement?”
Qian Xueshen had no response.
Several times, when Qian Xueshen noticed Cai Zhao nearly falling asleep on the roc’s back from exhaustion, he offered to take over guiding their flight.
Cai Zhao replied sharply, “You think I’m sharing this ride out of concern for your comfort? Wake up, Qian. I’m afraid you’ll run away. If Lord Mu hadn’t lent me this giant rock, I’d have considered breaking one of your legs before throwing you on a horse. How could I trust you to guide our direction? What if you led me astray? Stop talking nonsense and stay put.”
Qian Xueshen persisted, “Your father’s disappearance isn’t my fault. I’m a victim too! You’re strong, but I’m not. The Great Snow Mountain is treacherous. You’d move more efficiently alone. I’m just a burden.”
“I have my reasons for bringing you,” Cai Zhao said coolly. “Once I obtain the Snow Scale Dragon Beast’s saliva, you’ll immediately transform into several people for me to verify. If the saliva truly breaks the Shape-Shifting Technique, I’ll release you. Otherwise…”
Her threat hung in the air.
Qian Xueshen sighed softly, resignedly huddling next to Cai Zhao.
At this moment, a waiter brought in fragrant roast chicken and duck. The innkeeper personally carried an exquisite wine jar, eagerly pouring drinks for Cai and Qian. “May I ask your names, honored guests?” he inquired.
Cai Zhao smiled warmly, “I’m Feng Xiaoyao, and this is my… um, betrothed.”
Qian Xueshen stared blankly at the ceiling, his mind drifting back to their earlier conversation:
“Why must we pretend to be engaged? Why not pose as siblings? Or I could be your attendant.” Recalling Mu Qingyan’s ominous gaze before their departure, Qian Xueshen felt a chill down his spine.
Cai Zhao explained, “I need to stay close to you, even sharing a room at night. Posing as an engaged couple works best. We could even pretend to be married, making sharing a room even more acceptable.”
“…Engaged couple sounds fine.”
The innkeeper grew more polite, “And what is this gentleman’s name?”
Before Qian Xueshen could speak, Cai Zhao interjected, “He’s Wan Daqiang.”
The innkeeper looked impressed, “Ah Young Master Wan. It’s my great fortune to meet such an esteemed couple today.”
Qian Xueshen slumped helplessly onto the table, remembering:
“Why ‘Wan Daqiang’? It sounds terrible!”
“We could use ‘Wan Ersha’ (Second Fool) if you prefer. Your choice.”
“…Wan Daqiang it is, then.”
After pouring wine for Cai Zhao and Qian Xueshen, the innkeeper sighed softly, “As you’ve seen, our area isn’t peaceful. Being in the far north, it’s remote and desolate. Outlaws from the jianghu who’ve lost their homes, murderers, thieves, and many mysterious individuals tend to hide here.”
“When you first entered, I thought you were just some young master and miss carelessly coming to admire the Great Snow Mountain’s scenery. Now I see I’ve underestimated you. Knowing your capabilities, I’m relieved. By the way, I’ve been rambling, but may I ask what brings such an esteemed couple to our Snow Mountain Town?”
Cai Zhao replied, “We’re here to admire the Great Snow Mountain’s scenery.”
The innkeeper: …
Forcing a smile, he said, “With the young lady’s skills, you could certainly view any scenery. But the Great Snow Mountain is truly dangerous. Why would someone as precious as you endure such hardship?”
Cai Zhao answered seriously, “My aunt says marriage is a big decision that shouldn’t be rushed. It’s too late to discover incompatibility after marriage. To determine if you’re compatible with your future spouse, the best method is to travel together. Once you’ve journeyed together, shared a boat, endured the elements, and faced dangers together… you’ll know clearly if you’re right for each other.”
The innkeeper glanced at Qian Xueshen.
The frail young man hung his head dejectedly, his expression bewildered, like a pitiful quail drenched in rain.
— Does such a specimen require the profound test of the Great Snow Mountain?
“What does the innkeeper think of my aunt’s idea?” Cai Zhao asked.
The innkeeper responded woodenly, “I’ve never heard a better idea in my life.”
Cai Zhao smiled, “If our match is successful when we eventually marry…”
Just then, there was a sudden slap as the felt curtain was lifted again, letting in a gust of icy wind mixed with ice particles.
As the curtain fell, the cold air was abruptly cut off.
Everyone looked up to see a tall, elegant young man standing at the door. His expression was aloof and weary, but his features were extremely handsome, as beautiful and indescribable as the distant light on a snow-capped peak.
He spoke coolly, “I object to this engagement.”