White hair three thousand strands long, a face like dried wax, wrapped in a loose and voluminous outer robe that concealed her figure entirely.

Feng Jiu’er raised her hand and sent a palm strike forward — but the blow, once released, was like a stone dropping into a vast ocean, unable to stir even the smallest ripple.

She had no idea who this person blocking her path was, but what was clear was that after she appeared, the two Snow Lotus Beasts immediately closed in around them.

She was the Snow Lotus Beasts’ owner!

Feng Jiu’er’s mind sharpened, and she sent out another palm — this one aimed at the old woman’s aged and weathered face.

The old woman didn’t budge in the slightest. Her gaze dropped to the garment on Feng Jiu’er’s body — the one already torn by the Snow Lotus Beast — and she made no attempt to dodge, as though she didn’t even register that Feng Jiu’er’s palm had already nearly reached her face.

Jiu’er’s heart gave a jolt. She only wanted to leave this place. She had no wish to harm anyone.

In the instant just before that palm was about to make contact with the old woman’s face, her palm eased inward, and she withdrew eighty percent of her power.

She redirected the strike to glance off the old woman’s shoulder instead.

Something flickered in the old woman’s eyes. Her hand suddenly rose, blocking Feng Jiu’er’s palm — and as she did, she simultaneously pushed, sending Feng Jiu’er spinning and flipping backward through the air.

Feng Jiu’er tried to retaliate, but found that both her hands had been bound by some force she couldn’t identify — like an unbreakable rope coiled around her, leaving her completely unable to break free.

The old woman’s hands fell upon her garment, then suddenly pulled with force.

The robe, which had already been torn by the Snow Lotus Beast, was shredded into an even wider gash.

“What are you doing? Release me!” Feng Jiu’er’s brow drew sharp, and she understood now — this old woman’s cultivation was completely beyond anything she could contend with.

Her inner strength was likely dozens of times her own. Even if the Ninth Imperial Uncle were here, he wouldn’t necessarily be able to defeat her with ease.

A fleeting thought passed through her heart — why was it that in every moment of danger, the one she thought of was always the Ninth Prince? Not even as the Ninth Prince, in fact, but directly as the Ninth Imperial Uncle?

Could it be that in the past, she and the Ninth Prince had truly shared something between them? Had she truly been so accustomed to calling him Ninth Imperial Uncle?

“At the brink of life and death, and you still have the mind to think about other things. Little girl, your practical combat ability is still far too green.”

The aged voice came from behind her, startling Feng Jiu’er back to her senses immediately.

She was about to keep struggling when she suddenly felt the old woman’s hand come to rest against her lower back.

The hand that had been cold and bone-chillingly icy now, upon making contact, suddenly gave rise to a thread of powerful warmth.

Warm and gentle, so that in this world of ice and snow, she gradually began to feel herself warming.

Feng Jiu’er was taken aback. This old woman didn’t seem to intend her any harm — but what did she mean by this?

“Would you care to come and sit in my dwelling for a while?” The old woman’s raspy voice sounded again.

“Gladly!” That was Feng Jiu’er’s greatest virtue — to make peace with circumstances as they came. Since she sensed no hostility from the old woman, what harm was there in going?

She had really stumbled into remarkable luck today. Not only had she emerged from the encounter with the Snow Lotus Beasts unharmed, but she had now met a remarkable reclusive master.

The old woman seemed not to have expected her to agree so readily. There was a brief moment of surprise — but it quickly softened into ease, and the corners of her lips even carried a faint smile.

“Put this on!” The outer robe from the old woman’s body came whipping through the air and landed across Feng Jiu’er’s shoulders.

The robe still held the old woman’s warmth. Feng Jiu’er, who had been shaking with cold the moment she withdrew her palm energy, immediately wrapped the robe tightly around herself.

Watching the old woman begin to walk ahead, Feng Jiu’er followed without a second thought: “Senior, are those two Snow Lotus Beasts yours?”

“Mm.” The old woman walking ahead gave a soft sound of acknowledgment, not turning back.

Feng Jiu’er glanced back behind her, and seeing both Snow Lotus Beasts falling into step behind them like guardian spirits, she couldn’t help feeling a somewhat creeping unease.

After walking a little further, Feng Jiu’er drew a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the old woman’s back: “Senior, the air here is so thin, even breathing is difficult. You live in this place all the time — does it not bother you?”

“Not at all.” Feng Jiu’er had only been making conversation, yet she hadn’t expected the senior to actually be willing to respond.

She quickened her steps to catch up, feeling more and more that this senior wasn’t difficult to get along with at all.

“Senior, you only have two Snow Lotus Beasts, don’t you? There’s a friend of mine just below, not far down the mountain. I…”

Suddenly, the old woman stopped walking and turned to fix her with a piercing, cold stare: “You are not permitted to tell anyone you have seen me here.”

“Understood, understood!” Reclusive masters stayed hidden from the world precisely because they wished for no disturbance — Feng Jiu’er grasped this perfectly well.

She lifted a harmless smile: “I was only worried about her, that she might encounter the same things I did…”

She looked back at the two Snow Lotus Beasts and still felt a lingering apprehension. “If she meets such fearsome beasts, I’m afraid my friend wouldn’t be able to withstand them either.”

“There are only these two.” The old woman began walking forward again. The chilling air about her seemed to have faded considerably.

“Then why has no one been able to reach the summit for so many years?” Feng Jiu’er followed close behind like a curious child.

“Near the summit, the storm is fierce, the air is thin, breathing is labored, and those whose inner strength is not sufficiently profound cannot ascend.”

She glanced back at Feng Jiu’er again — though this look held only pure curiosity: “How on earth did you manage to get up here, child? Was it purely by relying on that true energy inside you? Can you actually control it?”

“I…” Feng Jiu’er instinctively glanced down at herself, then looked back at the old woman with an expression of pure admiration.

“Senior, you are incredible! You could even see that I can’t control my own true energy.”

A true master was a true master. To be acquainted with such a person — it was a blessing of three lifetimes!

“Senior, do you have any food? I’m a little hungry.”

“Senior, do you live on the mountain all the time? With the snow this fierce, where do you find food?”

“Senior, the snow lotuses here — you didn’t plant them yourself, did you? I wouldn’t mind picking a few, would that be alright?”

“Senior, what do you normally eat? Are there green vegetables available?”

“Senior, I exerted myself too much just now, and I’m truly hungry…”

Two incense sticks later, Feng Jiu’er was seated at a table, staring at a steaming bowl of braised meat before her — so hungry she was nearly drooling.

“Senior, I’ll… help myself then!” Picking up a pair of wooden chopsticks, without a second thought, she buried her head and ate with complete and utter dedication.

The main thing was that she had been truly freezing earlier. When a person was cold, they craved hot food above all else — as though only this could replenish energy in time and warm themselves through.

On top of that, this bowl of braised meat was genuinely, remarkably delicious. After wolfing down one bowl entirely, without even wiping the grease from her lips, she held the empty bowl out to the old woman: “Senior, more please!”

The old woman brought her another bowl. This time, watching Feng Jiu’er devour the food ravenously, something suddenly shifted — and the old woman’s eyes grew faintly, imperceptibly moist.

“Child, are you the ninth daughter of the Feng family — Feng Jiu’er?”