Why was he so enthusiastic? Was it merely out of care between fellow disciples? Although she and Xu Feng Nian had gotten along well before, that person was the type who only answered when asked, never actively resolving her confusion. Presumably, this was also Mo Ti Zhun’s intention—so why wasn’t Tie Xin Ning following it?
Was it because he had returned too recently, and Mo Ti Zhun hadn’t had the chance to mention it to him?
“I—” She suddenly didn’t want to stay here anymore. Just as she opened her mouth, intending to find an excuse to leave, footsteps sounded from outside, followed by a guard’s voice at the tent entrance: “Master Tie, the Commander requests your presence!”
Tie Xin Ning swept his gaze over her once more, then immediately stood up and walked out: “Please lead the way.”
In the main tent, Princess Han Yue was seated prominently. The commander of this expedition, named Qi Lin Xuan, was over thirty years old and steady in demeanor. He showed great respect to Tie Xin Ning: “Our scouts report that the path ahead is blocked and impossible to clear by manpower alone. The Princess wishes to request Master Tie’s assistance.”
It turned out that scouts had discovered that the mountain path seven li ahead was blocked by fallen rocks. The path was narrow and inconvenient, especially for the broad-bodied Mo Long Duo beasts. Taking a detour would add five or six hours to bypass the snow mountain ahead.
In this bitter cold, every bit of energy was precious. Moreover, this deviation from their original plan would only increase the dangers they faced.
Tie Xin Ning gladly agreed. As the State Preceptor’s top disciple, protecting the team’s progress was his responsibility.
Immediately, the group rode to the blocked path.
The situation was worse than the Commander had described. The mountain path grew narrower as it ascended, resembling an inverted funnel at this point. Vertical cliffs flanked both sides, and the road was only wide enough for one Mo Long Duo beast to pass through.
Unfortunately, either an avalanche or strong winds had pushed weathered rocks from above, collapsing and blocking their path forward.
The completely obstructed section stretched for over thirty zhang (about 100 meters).
Of course, this wasn’t the main issue. The team had plenty of strong laborers who, despite inadequate tools, could still manage to excavate. The problem was that on top of the small and medium-sized rocks filling the road lay an enormous boulder!
Feng Miao Jun truly wondered if the entire mountaintop had fallen down. How else could there be a massive rock weighing at least fifty to sixty thousand jin pressing down here?
Human power faced a dilemma: if they cleared away the smaller rocks below, the boulder would roll down; but without clearing them, no one could pass through.
Indeed, if Tie Xin Ning and other cultivators couldn’t find a solution, everyone would have to take the long way around.
Princess Han Yue looked expectantly at Tie Xin Ning: “What can be done?”
Without the slightest hesitation, he replied with a smile: “It can be moved.”
Tie Xin Ning was a genuine top disciple of the State Preceptor, not a half-trained practitioner like Feng Miao Jun. When he spoke these words, a great weight lifted from everyone’s hearts.
“All of you, retreat a hundred zhang.” Tie Xin Ning lifted his robe and with a few agile leaps among the rubble, bounded to the top of the giant boulder. Looking up, the others could only see him appearing to write and draw on the stone with his finger, while muttering incantations, performing some unknown technique.
In just seven or eight breaths’ time, he finished drawing and stood up, quickly forming two hand seals.
His movements were so fast that they left after images. Feng Miao Jun’s eyesight could barely follow his trajectory, yet she couldn’t understand what strange symbols he was making.
When the final hand seal was completed, the boulder suddenly moved.
It didn’t loosen and roll down. Instead, countless small stones from below were attracted by an unknown force, rapidly forming into its limbs.
Then, this headless stone figure began clearing the obstacles on the path. With each swing of its arms and lift of its legs, it could hurl debris over ten zhang away into the valley below.
In the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the path was completely cleared. Then the stone figure ambled down to the valley bottom and vanished in an instant.
Feng Miao Jun guessed that it had reverted to scattered rocks of various sizes.
Meanwhile, Tie Xin Ning gestured to the Commander: “Please proceed.”
Princess Han Yue couldn’t help but applaud: “Master Tie is truly formidable, indeed worthy of being the State Preceptor Mo’s first senior disciple!”
Other cultivators in the group realized that even if they could move the boulder, it would have required tremendous effort, and they certainly couldn’t have done it with such ease and grace. Some who had previously been skeptical of Mo Ti Zhun’s disciples now silently acknowledged their skill.
Tie Xin Ning didn’t act modest but accepted the praise with a hearty laugh.
The team thus smoothly passed through this section of the mountain path and continued forward.
By now they had reached deep into the White Elephant Mountain range. The air grew increasingly cold, and snow began falling again. After nightfall, the water froze instantly, and no one wanted to stand outside their tents. Everyone was exhausted from the day’s journey and fell asleep immediately upon returning to their tents, Feng Miao Jun being no exception.
Since she was now “Tao Zi,” she slept with the other maids, unable to enjoy special privileges lest others become suspicious. Princess Han Yue was particularly insistent on this point, and Feng Miao Jun was certain she had seen a mischievous smile on the princess’s face at the time.
While traveling, servants all slept together in several large tents, with twenty or thirty people sharing one tent. Though during the day they all stood beside their masters looking like immaculate fairy maidens with perfect hair and attire, once they removed their makeup and went to sleep, there were all sorts—teeth grinders, snorers, and sleepwalkers.
The next morning, a maid named Yin Xing approached her with a mysterious expression: “There was a ghost last night.”
Living people feared this the most, especially when everyone was in the wilderness. This avalanche-prone area claimed countless lives every year, so wasn’t it perfectly normal to have several hundred wandering spirits?
Some maids hurriedly asked for details. Yin Xing lowered her voice: “Last night while I was half-asleep, I opened my eyes and saw a dark figure standing over there.”
Feng Miao Jun looked in the direction she pointed and felt a chill. Yin Xing was pointing right at the sleeping platform where she had slept yesterday!
“What did it look like?”
“Just a dark mass.”
“No height or build? Did it have fangs?” someone asked irritably. If you couldn’t see its shape clearly, what’s the point of telling us?
Yin Xing continued: “It looked like it was bending over the bed, sucking someone’s vital essence! I was scared, so I closed my eyes briefly, and when I opened them again, it was gone.”
Feng Miao Jun’s heart stirred: “Who do you think it was draining the life force from?”
Yin Xing looked at her, then at the maid Li Zi beside her: “You two were sleeping close together, it could have been either of you.”
Li Zi turned pale with fright. Feng Miao Jun secretly checked her energy levels but found nothing amiss—even her vitality felt robust.
She had even eaten an extra steamed bun earlier.
If something had truly infiltrated, whether human or ghost, how could the many guards outside have missed it? And weren’t the formations around the camp more than mere decorations?
Most likely, Yin Xing had just been confused in her sleep.
As the maids gathered to talk, a displeased voice suddenly sounded nearby: “Don’t you all have work to do? Why are you gathering here gossiping!”
Everyone turned to see the stern-faced Lady Cui, the female official, and immediately scattered like birds and beasts.