Fierce winds struck his face and heavy snow covered his body. In the bitter cold, Qin Zhonghai silently climbed up the mountain.

Since becoming disabled, his life had undergone sudden, drastic changes. Qin Zhonghai relied on his stubborn spirit and friends who repeatedly came to his aid to survive. But while escaping Death’s pursuit was simple, living with peace of mind was not an easy matter.

Qin Zhonghai was an open-minded person – broken legs, fractured limbs, body and spirit both shattered – none of these could defeat him. If he hadn’t encountered old acquaintances, being clever, he would have found ways to survive. Even if he had to hide in the countryside, pretending to be mad or foolish, begging for a living, he could barely get by. However, by coincidence – whether heaven pitied him or was toying with him – first he met Yan Er’niang, then encountered Lu Yun. Meeting these people he shouldn’t have seen and didn’t want to see finally drove him to desperation.

Life was like this – what seemed fortunate actually concealed bitterness that no one knew. Not only had he become a cripple, but facing former friends, he had to force smiles and pretend to be fine. Even with a hundred times more heroic spirit, Qin Zhonghai found it hard to cope with such heart-piercing pain.

The situation before him was clear – two paths lay ahead. Would he go up to the peak or come down to the mortal world? Having suffered greatly these past months and filled with grief and indignation, the self-important Qin Zhonghai chose the first path. He wanted to reach the summit and question heaven, accomplishing something others couldn’t do. He wanted to verify one thing – that even disabled, he was more ruthless and stronger than others. He wanted to tell himself, tell the world, tell his elder brother who had traded his life for his, that his life had not been lived in vain.

Climb the peak then! As for what was or wasn’t at the summit, he actually didn’t care. Best if there was some monster up there to devour his crippled body alive – that would save him the trouble of jumping down, which would be far more troublesome.

Live joyfully and decisively, die magnificently and gloriously – this was what he had thought sitting on horseback in the past. He thanked his master for letting him die in a tiger’s body rather than as a worthless cripple. Heaven and such – heh, whatever.

The mountain path was rugged. After walking for a while, though his meridians were opened, he still had injuries and his internal energy was greatly diminished. Gradually his right leg felt numb and his shoulder ached constantly. His foot slipped carelessly and he suddenly fell face-first like a dog eating dirt. Qin Zhonghai lay on the ground, already exhausted, and laughed as he cursed: “Damn, I should have brought a few jugs of wine up here – at least I’d die as a drunk.”

After cursing a couple of times and preparing to get up, suddenly a stone flew over and hit him squarely on the forehead. Qin Zhonghai touched the bump on his head and raged: “Damn! Who’s attacking your grandfather!”

As he spoke, another stone flew over. Qin Zhonghai hastily tried to dodge, but the stone’s path was curved and circuitous, suddenly hitting his head again. Qin Zhonghai was furious beyond measure and roared: “Damn your grandmother! Who the hell is playing with your ancestor?”

In the howling wind, a woman’s voice cursed: “Bastard! You can’t even dodge two stones – what are you so proud of?”

Qin Zhonghai recognized Yan Er’niang’s accent and was immediately dumbfounded: “Is that you, crazy woman? What are you doing here?”

Before he finished speaking, a woman indeed leaped out from behind a roadside boulder and gave him a sharp knock on the forehead, scolding: “Idiot! I came to accompany you!”

Qin Zhonghai was shocked: “Accompany me? I’m very busy and don’t have time for that sort of thing!” Yan Er’niang spat, her face flushing red with anger: “What nonsense are you talking about?” In her panic, she cleverly thought of an excuse and scolded: “You stayed at my inn for so long and even caused me to burn down the shop – you owe me a million taels of silver. How can this girl let you die before you’ve paid me back?”

Qin Zhonghai laughed: “So! You want to follow me to find the King of Hell to collect the debt?”

Yan Er’niang spat: “Bad luck – can’t you say something nice?” She handed over a bundle: “Inside are some rice balls and a bottle of strong liquor to ward off cold. Let’s eat and drink first, then discuss how to climb the mountain.” Qin Zhonghai laughed heartily and jumped up: “Good! I’ve long wanted to be a drunk – fortunately you brought wine!”

Heavy snow drifted with the wind, and the wind was truly frightening – one careless moment would blow them off the mountain. The two found a large rock to hide behind and ate and drank. The weather was cold, and Yan Er’niang feared Qin Zhonghai’s severe injuries couldn’t support him and he’d fall ill before reaching the peak, so she had him lean against her for warmth.

Qin Zhonghai drank a few mouthfuls of cold wine and ate roasted chicken, laughing: “How about it? Aren’t you eating?”

Yan Er’niang shook her head. Seeing Qin Zhonghai eating and drinking with great relish and his body moving quite well – not as weak as before – she was also very happy. She took out a rice ball and put it in Qin Zhonghai’s hand, asking: “What exactly is your master thinking? Why does he want you to climb to the peak?”

Qin Zhonghai shrugged: “Who the hell knows? My master is openly and secretly just trying to provoke me to go up. Who knows what he’s thinking?”

Yan Er’niang showed a dissatisfied expression: “Teacher Fang has always been like this – no one can figure out what he’s thinking.” Qin Zhonghai laughed: “Isn’t that right? That old madman is the strangest – I’ve been beaten by him since childhood. Whenever I see his eyebrows raise, I know I’m in for bad luck.”

Yan Er’niang giggled: “Look at you – such a big man but still full of crude language and looking like a mischievous troublemaker. You must have been terribly bad as a child – no wonder you deserved beating.” Qin Zhonghai laughed heartily: “The more I was beaten, the more unruly I became – a born bad seed.”

After joking for a while, Yan Er’niang’s eyes suddenly reddened: “General Qin, I don’t want you to die.” Seeing her tears about to fall, Qin Zhonghai felt very uncomfortable. He gently caressed Yan Er’niang’s cheek and smiled: “Don’t be like this – I don’t want to die either.”

Yan Er’niang sighed, remembering Fang Zijing’s conversation with him, still holding a thread of hope in her heart. She pressed close to Qin Zhonghai and asked in a low voice: “General Qin, do you believe in gods?”

Qin Zhonghai laughed heartily and blurted out: “Gods my ass! I am a god!” Hearing such wild words, Yan Er’niang was shocked and pale with fright: “You… you haven’t really gone mad, have you?” Seeing Yan Er’niang was frightened, Qin Zhonghai realized his wild words had scared her. He smiled apologetically and said gently: “I’m sorry – I’ve been this outspoken since childhood. Maybe there really are gods – I don’t know.” He paused and asked: “What about you? Do you believe in gods?”

Yan Er’niang nodded repeatedly: “I hope there are gods. Every time I pass a temple, I go in to burn incense and pray.”

Qin Zhonghai laughed heartily: “Really going to burn incense and worship Buddha? Or sneaking in to steal offerings?” Hearing his frivolous words, Yan Er’niang was immediately furious. Regardless of their dangerous situation, she viciously pinched him and angrily said: “That’s you! How dare you blame me for it!”

Qin Zhonghai cried out in pain: “Alright, I misspoke! You keep running to temples not to steal offerings but to… heh…” He was about to drag monks into it, but seeing Yan Er’niang’s fierce gaze, he had to swallow his words.

The two faced each other in silence. Seeing Yan Er’niang was truly angry and sitting far away from him, Qin Zhonghai apologized: “Good sister, good girl – it’s my loose tongue that offended you. What does a little beauty like you do at temples? Tell me quickly.”

After much pleading, Yan Er’niang finally sighed. She glanced at Qin Zhonghai and said in a low voice: “Do you still remember? How did my elder brother die?” Qin Zhonghai’s heart trembled as he sighed: “The tragic defeat at Wrathful Blue Mountain – your brother died miserably on the battlefield.”

Yan Er’niang choked up and wept: “Every time I go to a temple, I burn incense and pray, hoping my brother can go to the Pure Land after death. When I die later, I can finally see him again… Do you know? When I saw you holding your elder brother, I felt so sad. General Qin, why are we so unfortunate…” As she spoke, she burst into tears.

Qin Zhonghai nodded and reached out to grasp Yan Er’niang’s hand, his eyes full of comfort.

Yan Er’niang sighed: “That great battle left my husband’s whereabouts unknown. Perhaps… perhaps I’ll never find him in this lifetime. But no matter where he is, dead or alive, I just hope heaven will bless him with a peaceful resting place, and I’ll be satisfied…” As she spoke, she slowly turned her head and leaned into Qin Zhonghai’s embrace.

These past days the two had been quite intimate, and now Yan Er’niang spoke as if giving up the idea of searching for her husband. Qin Zhonghai understood her meaning. He held Yan Er’niang in his arms and gently stroked her hair for comfort. Yan Er’niang sobbed quietly, hiding her face in Qin Zhonghai’s chest, her back rising and falling unsteadily.

Qin Zhonghai held her but sighed inwardly, thinking: “Looking at her expression, she truly wants to spend her days with me. Sigh… but I’m a cripple – even if I survive this summit attempt, I’ll still be disabled afterward. Unless… unless there are immortals at the mountain top, otherwise everything is useless…”

Thinking this, he couldn’t help but feel troubled. Originally, coming up the mountain, he had the heroic determination to die gloriously, but now he found himself restless. Qin Zhonghai lowered his head in thought, a faint hope arising in his heart, only wishing the peak truly had a creator god who could restore his martial arts – that would be infinite grace indeed.

After resting for a while, they began climbing up the mountain. They were on the northern slope of the peak, where the terrain was far more treacherous than the southern slope. After walking less than half a li, the ground became extremely steep with no path for walking, and the mountain path was covered with accumulated snow, making it extremely slippery. The mountain wind was fierce, cutting like knives, and the air was thin. This exertion left Qin Zhonghai gasping for breath and Yan Er’niang’s pretty face completely red.

After walking for an hour, exhausted, they naturally took deep breaths, but the air was extremely dry and cold, like ice knives entering their chests. Once in their lungs, it immediately turned into violent dry coughing, making them suffer even more. Qin Zhonghai worried about Yan Er’niang and said in a low voice: “Go back – don’t take such risks with me.” Hearing his dissuasion, Yan Er’niang’s eyes immediately flashed with anger. She drew the willow-leaf knife from her waist and said coldly: “If you say such things again, don’t blame me for killing you with one stroke.”

Seeing her fierce expression, Qin Zhonghai didn’t dare underestimate her anymore and could only laugh dryly: “You win. I can’t fight you.”

After walking another half hour, they gradually understood that the difficulty of climbing Chomolungma lay not in its height but in the trials of various natural deadly perils. Though both possessed martial arts and Qin Zhonghai had his master open his meridians to restore considerable internal energy, with snow up to their knees, fierce winds blowing, and walking extremely laborious, plus the bitter cold attacking their hearts and extremely thin air, every li walked required countless internal energy. Unless one was a supreme master, it would be impossible to climb to the peak in a single day and night.

After climbing another hour, it was now midnight. At this time there was no starlight or moonlight. Being at high altitude, they only felt the wind become more violent, with heavy snow striking their faces, making it impossible to distinguish east from west, north from south. Yan Er’niang knew the wind was too strong, so she squinted and walked bent over, but several times when fierce winds came, she nearly fell to the ground. Worried, Yan Er’niang raised her voice and called: “General Qin! The wind and snow are too heavy! Let’s take shelter for a while!”

Though Qin Zhonghai was only a few feet ahead, the wind howled like thunder and he couldn’t hear at all. Yan Er’niang rushed to his side and shouted: “General Qin!” Qin Zhonghai turned back and shouted: “What’s wrong?”

Just as Yan Er’niang was about to answer, suddenly she screamed and her body fell straight down!

Qin Zhonghai was greatly shocked and quickly looked – he saw Yan Er’niang’s feet were at an ice crevice with a ten-thousand-ren abyss below! Earlier Qin Zhonghai hadn’t noticed anything strange, but who knew there was such a trap just half a foot beside his feet? In his panic, without time to think carefully, he quickly reached out and grabbed Yan Er’niang’s wrist. The fierce wind struck directly, with incomparable force, nearly blowing both of them into the ice crevice together.

Qin Zhonghai roared wildly, raised his waist knife, and channeled his rigid strength. With a loud clang, the blade went straight into the underground rock half a foot deep. Relying on this knife’s power, he finally stabilized his form and saved both their lives.

Yan Er’niang, pulled by Qin Zhonghai’s wrist, used the momentum to leap up and was already back on solid ground. Still shaken, she gasped continuously beside Qin Zhonghai. At this time, with wild winds howling and violent snow attacking, after stopping for just a moment, both became like snowmen. Qin Zhonghai put his mouth to Yan Er’niang’s ear and shouted loudly: “The path is too dangerous! Stay close to me and don’t run around! Do you hear?”

Yan Er’niang was naturally strong-willed and wanted to talk back, but thinking that Qin Zhonghai’s journey was already very difficult and she absolutely couldn’t become his burden, she obediently closed her mouth and just walked with her head down.

Now the mountain path became steeper and steeper, and the wind even more violent. The two couldn’t walk upright. Qin Zhonghai also abandoned his walking stick and used both hands and feet to crawl forward. In the wind and snow, they suddenly saw a large rock blocking their path ahead. Qin Zhonghai reached out to climb over it when suddenly a fierce wind blew and knocked him to the ground. Qin Zhonghai gasped for breath and looked up, immediately stunned and feeling extremely alarmed.

Seeing him fall backward looking up, Yan Er’niang quickly crawled to his side and shouted: “What’s wrong?”

Qin Zhonghai smiled bitterly and pointed upward. Yan Er’niang looked up and was also shocked into a daze. In the darkness before them stood a huge rock wall, black and reaching straight to the heavens, not knowing how many hundreds of zhang high.

Looking up with all their might, both felt alarmed. Earlier the slope had been steep but still passable, but now to reach the peak, they had to climb over this precipice. But in the current wind and snow with harsh weather, how could they climb it with bare hands?

Only now did the two realize the terrifying nature of Chomolungma. Having never climbed mountains before, they didn’t know the various dangers of mountain paths. Seeing this today, they finally understood that mountain climbing was like martial combat – the dangers and difficulties were no less than contests between masters.

Seeing the dangerous pass was hard to overcome, Qin Zhonghai didn’t dare attack forcefully. He pulled Yan Er’niang to find a rock crevice and squeezed in. Being in the high mountain cold with harsh climate, the slightest carelessness would cause frostbite. The two couldn’t worry about impropriety and had to embrace tightly for warmth to avoid wasting energy on cold resistance.

With the beauty in his arms breathing gently, Qin Zhonghai looked sideways outside and saw the fierce wind and violent snow continuing without the slightest pause. He frowned and shook his head: “This rock wall is too slippery to grip, and the wind is so strong. Even if our martial arts were intact, climbing this precipice wouldn’t be easy. What should we do now? Should we retreat?”

Yan Er’niang curled up in Qin Zhonghai’s arms feeling warm and cozy, not wanting to move at all. Hearing Qin Zhonghai had thoughts of retreating, she quickly said: “That’s fine – since we can’t climb to the peak, let’s rest here for a while and go down when the wind and snow lessen.”

Qin Zhonghai snorted and sneered: “Er’niang, do you know why you can’t revive the mountain stronghold?”

Hearing these words, Yan Er’niang immediately widened her phoenix eyes and shouted: “What? What did you say?”

Qin Zhonghai saw her anger and didn’t want more conflict, shaking his head: “Nothing – I didn’t say anything.”

Seeing him frown in silence, Yan Er’niang became even angrier. She reached out and grabbed Qin Zhonghai’s shoulder, shouting: “Speak clearly! What did you mean when you said I can’t revive the mountain stronghold?”

Qin Zhonghai had carelessly spoken words that hurt her and felt guilty, waving his hand: “I didn’t say anything – don’t take it to heart.”

Yan Er’niang screamed and pushed Qin Zhonghai away, leaping into the wind and snow herself, shouting: “You’re talking nonsense! You simply look down on me, don’t you? Just because I’m a woman, you treat me like an idiot, like someone weak, like a fool who’ll never amount to anything! You think I don’t know?”

Qin Zhonghai quickly ran out apologetically: “I misspoke. Please forgive me.”

Yan Er’niang cried loudly: “I won’t forgive you! Who can’t handle setbacks? Who can’t revive the mountain stronghold? Is it you or me? You men, when you’re disabled and lose battles, just want to die – when have you ever cared about us women’s situations? Selfish, cold-hearted, utterly shameless!” At this time the wind and snow howled wildly – one careless moment would sweep them down the mountain. Qin Zhonghai ignored what she was shouting and just kept bowing repeatedly, shouting: “Sister, what’s the situation now and you’re still throwing tantrums? Come over quickly, please?”

Seeing his attitude of dealing with kittens and puppies, Yan Er’niang became even more furious and pointed back cursing: “Qin Zhonghai, listen well! Without me and Little Rabbit, they would have died long ago – when is it your turn to point and criticize! Open your little eyes and see clearly!” In her anger and fury, Yan Er’niang suddenly rushed toward the rock wall and immediately began climbing up the cliff face with hands and feet.

Qin Zhonghai crouched under the rock watching. He saw Yan Er’niang’s body was light and agile – despite the wind and snow, she actually climbed more than a zhang. Qin Zhonghai stared dumbfounded, and regardless of his own safety, had to chase out and climb straight up the rock wall.

The two climbed for an hour. Yan Er’niang said not a word and desperately climbed upward. Qin Zhonghai saw he was already a hundred zhang high. In the darkness he couldn’t see his hand before his face. The rock he touched was indeed a hundred times colder than ice blocks – just touching it caused pain, let alone using force to climb. Qin Zhonghai tried several times to get ahead of Yan Er’niang, but because of the fierce wind, he couldn’t succeed and could only climb following at her feet. But Yan Er’niang hadn’t practiced Fire Greedy rigid strength and lacked the protection of fire-like internal energy – she definitely couldn’t support herself much longer. One careless moment would send her falling into the ten-thousand-zhang abyss below. Thinking of this, Qin Zhonghai only worried.

After climbing another ten-odd zhang, sure enough Yan Er’niang’s form froze and couldn’t climb even half an inch more. Qin Zhonghai knew her strength was exhausted. He immediately used force upward, braced one foot against the rock, firmly grasped a sharp angle with his left hand, and shouted: “Er’niang! Come hold onto me! Let me take you up!”

Yan Er’niang was still grief-stricken and just gripped the mountain rock tightly, crying: “I don’t want to hold you! I’d rather fall and die below the mountain as a corpse everyone respects than suffer your living anger!”

Qin Zhonghai clicked his tongue and shouted: “Er’niang, stop making trouble! Quickly hold onto me!” Yan Er’niang’s face was full of stubbornness and she refused to comply, just gripping the mountain rock with no intention of moving her body. Qin Zhonghai moved closer until their bodies pressed together and foreheads touched. Qin Zhonghai opened his tiger eyes wide and stared at Yan Er’niang.

The two could feel each other’s breath, only inches apart. Under Qin Zhonghai’s pressing gaze, Yan Er’niang turned her face away, ignoring him. Qin Zhonghai leaned to her ear and said in a low voice: “Let’s follow battlefield rules – no being stubborn or angry. I’ll count to three now. If you don’t come over, I’ll immediately surrender and go down the mountain, remaining a cripple for life and never touching sword or blade again.” Without waiting for Yan Er’niang’s agreement, he immediately began counting: “One… two…”

Before the word “three” was spoken, Yan Er’niang’s heart had already softened. Thinking of Qin Zhonghai’s severe injuries and disability, now risking his life climbing the mountain, how could she harm him further? In an instant, she leaped forward into his embrace, holding Qin Zhonghai tightly.

Qin Zhonghai was overjoyed and about to speak when suddenly they heard a thunderous roar above their heads. Looking up, both their faces turned pale – they saw a dark mass above as a great avalanche was falling.

How terrifying was an avalanche from the peak? If struck directly, they would surely be buried under accumulated snow and become ice corpses that wouldn’t thaw for a thousand years. Yan Er’niang was frightened pale, cowering in Qin Zhonghai’s arms and screaming: “We’ll die together!”

Qin Zhonghai took a deep breath and thought: “Master! However much internal energy you helped me unlock, now we’ll see the truth of it.” He raised his steel blade to protect their heads and roared to the sky: “Dragon Fire Devours Heaven!”

Using the eighth level of Fire Greedy Blade, scorching energy surged upward to protect them both. The leading snow blocks, struck by the heat, all turned to water vapor, but rocks continued falling endlessly, all striking the blade. Qin Zhonghai knew that if he withdrew his technique, they would surely die without burial place, so he used all his power without daring the slightest negligence. But exerting such force caused immediate pain in his dantian, the needle insertion points on his back burned like fire, and his meridians ached and stretched taut as if they might snap at any moment.

With severe injuries, Qin Zhonghai’s internal energy was limited and he truly couldn’t exert such force. But if he didn’t give everything now, would they die here? He gritted his teeth and channeled all his dantian’s internal energy outward. His shoulder well acupoint injury immediately split and bled – he was bathed in blood all over.

After the time for a cup of tea, the avalanche finally passed. Qin Zhonghai gasped for a long while before slowly sheathing his steel blade at his waist. Looking down at his embrace, he saw Yan Er’niang’s face was deathly pale – she had already fainted.

This place was at high altitude with extreme cold. If Yan Er’niang truly fell into deep sleep, it would be a dead end. Qin Zhonghai raised his voice and shouted forcefully in Yan Er’niang’s ear: “Get up! Damn it, it’s dawn!”

Startled awake by his shout, Yan Er’niang immediately patted her chest: “What happened? Was that thunder?”

Seeing her spirit still vigorous, Qin Zhonghai immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said gently: “Hold onto me properly – we’ll talk after passing this cliff section.” Frightened by the experience, Yan Er’niang had forgotten her earlier displeasure and immediately embraced Qin Zhonghai tightly as they slowly climbed upward.

After climbing several dozen zhang more, Qin Zhonghai had no strength left, and the needle insertion points on his back ached to the bone marrow. Every half-foot climbed felt like having a layer of skin peeled off. Later, Yan Er’niang also helped with the climbing, but she wasn’t much better off – every foot climbed left her gasping for breath, her fingers frozen stiff. Seeing they really couldn’t endure much more, Qin Zhonghai spotted a wide rock crevice on the cliff face that could shelter two people. He held Yan Er’niang firmly and leaped, both of them tumbling into the rock crevice. But the wind was fierce – blown by the gale, Qin Zhonghai’s landing was off-target, causing scrapes and bruises all over his arms and face. Yan Er’niang, held in his embrace, suffered no injuries.

The two collapsed in the rock crevice, embracing tightly. Qin Zhonghai saw Yan Er’niang’s face covered with frost, her body shivering, and imagined his own complexion must look equally terrible. He grasped Yan Er’niang’s hand and transmitted his remaining internal energy to her. Yan Er’niang was startled and quickly pulled her hand away, shaking her head: “I came up the mountain to help you – don’t waste energy on others!”

Qin Zhonghai saw her lips trembling involuntarily, her originally pink cherry lips frozen completely colorless. Without Fire Greedy internal energy for protection, after going down the mountain, her nose and fingers would surely rot off. No matter how crude Qin Zhonghai was, seeing this condition, he felt infinite pity. He sighed and placed Yan Er’niang on his lap, reaching out to massage her nose and saying softly: “Silly girl, getting yourself into this state. Sigh… don’t have such a temper in the future, alright?”

Hearing his gentle words and seeing Qin Zhonghai’s loving expression as he looked only at her, Yan Er’niang felt tender emotions suddenly stir within. She slowly closed her eyes and said softly: “General Qin, I like you like this – like a refined gentleman.”

Usually when they met, they either fought playfully or quarreled, or were surrounded by a large group of brothers with their hearts full of annoying mundane matters. How could they depend on each other like this? Qin Zhonghai looked at Yan Er’niang and smiled: “What refined gentleman? I… Old Qin is naturally a gentleman – genuine article, satisfaction guaranteed.” He had originally wanted to call himself “laozi” but thinking of Yan Er’niang’s hatred of his crudeness, he forcibly held back.

Yan Er’niang giggled, knowing Qin Zhonghai valued their relationship and had deliberately changed his crude speech. She grasped Qin Zhonghai’s large hand and placed it on her face, rubbing against it and saying softly: “Do you know? I’m so happy – in these twenty years, right now is the happiest…”

Qin Zhonghai saw her eyelids drooping, her voice gradually becoming low, knowing her strength was exhausted and she was about to fall asleep. He used his leg as a pillow to let her lie more comfortably, then palm to palm, slowly transmitted internal energy to her.

Yan Er’niang lay in Qin Zhonghai’s embrace, feeling warm all over, her eyelids growing heavier. Between sleeping and waking, she asked with effort: “The snow is so heavy… let’s go down the mountain, alright…” In her drowsiness, she seemed to hear Qin Zhonghai whisper by her ear: “Don’t think so much – sleep well. When you wake up, everything will be fine…”

Yan Er’niang smiled, feeling warm and cozy as she lightly grasped Qin Zhonghai’s hand. For a moment her heart was peaceful and joyful, and she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep.

She didn’t know how long she slept. In her dreams, someone seemed to remove their outer robe and cover her with it. Fire Greedy Blade’s internal energy slowly transmitted, making her body even warmer and more comfortable, not at all like being in a cold mountain environment. In her dreams, she felt like she had become that carefree little girl again, snuggling and acting spoiled beside her elder brother.

As she slept, tender feelings arose in her heart and she wanted to embrace Qin Zhonghai. She reached out but suddenly embraced empty air. Yan Er’niang was startled and opened her eyes to see gray, cold rock walls before her. The cave was completely empty without a single person’s shadow. Shocked, Yan Er’niang quickly sat up and poked her head out to look outside the rock crevice. Immediately violent snow struck her face, frightening her into quickly shrinking back inside.

Wind and snow still howled as before. Apart from Qin Zhonghai’s outer robe covering her, there was no trace of him. Yan Er’niang’s eyes filled with hot tears, truly not knowing whether Qin Zhonghai was alive or dead.

Fierce winds and heavy snow filled the sky with white vastness. Apart from snowflakes and ice pearls, heaven and earth had no other colors. The wind continued relentlessly, striking like razors, tearing and overturning everything on the peak.

This bitter, cold extreme realm was beyond human reach. How many flowers, grasses, and birds were there in the world? Those that walked, ran, leaped… yellow ones, green ones, colorful ones… How numerous were all living creatures, yet no flowers, birds, or beasts could reach this absolute peak that stood as high as heaven.

Apart from the fierce wind, the only other sound here was him.

Gasping and roaring hoarsely, this bare-chested man climbed with both hands gripping rock and one foot pushing, his body slowly crawling upward. Cold winds swept over, several times making his body swing horizontally, but he still gripped the rock desperately. Looking at his back, it was full of eight silver needles, with blood flowing from the insertion points and congealing into clumps – a truly shocking sight.

Climb and crawl – the cold pierced to the bone, perfect for tempering the heart. Traveling alone through heaven and earth was precisely allowing him to soar freely. Sweat on his body, forced out by heat, immediately became water vapor, but when cold wind struck, it turned to frost and snow, all congealing on his face and body.

Was this Qin Zhonghai? Yes, and only he would do such a foolish thing.

Yan Er’niang couldn’t hold on, so Qin Zhonghai let her rest on the mountainside. As for himself, until the final moment, he would never easily give up. This battle was fought for himself – even if chances were slim, he had to try. If even he didn’t show his own fate respect, what hope for life was there?

Qin Zhonghai was at high altitude where the air was extremely thin. Having climbed for so long and used internal energy to warm Yan Er’niang, his dantian’s internal breath was long exhausted. Now relying only on his five fingers gripping the cliff face, he felt extremely strained – how could he advance even an inch? His left hand desperately gripped a crevice and he gave a “heh” sound, about to exert force when suddenly the sore on his shoulder burst open and blood flowed all over his body. His hand lost strength and his body slid down from the cliff face.

Just as he was about to fall into the ten-thousand-ren abyss, Qin Zhonghai roared like a tiger, opened his bloody mouth wide, and bit down on a sharp angle of the rock wall. With a loud “crack,” his two rows of teeth nearly shattered, but relying on this bite, the falling momentum was eased. Qin Zhonghai took the opportunity to grab a rock crevice and finally stabilized his form. But this one slip had made him fall more than ten zhang – all his previous efforts were in vain.

Qin Zhonghai shook his head, quite discouraged. At this time his sore had split open with pain piercing his heart and lungs, his internal energy completely gone, able only to cling weakly to the rock. He knew if he slipped again, he might not have the courage to climb up once more. He roared to the sky, channeled force into both hands – with a crisp “crack” sound, his shoulder blade seemed to shatter. Qin Zhonghai spat white foam, extended his right foot to step into a crack, firmly grasped rock with his left hand, and slowly moved his body up half a foot.

Qin Zhonghai was filled with grief and hatred, thinking: “Why did I become like this? Who exactly harmed me? Jiang Chong? Liu Jing?” He shouted loudly and exerted both hands forcefully, his body moving up again. His shoulder blade was in severe pain, that ache penetrating to the bone marrow, throbbing with each breath, forcing sweat to roll down his forehead.

Qin Zhonghai thought: “Jiang Chong! It’s all that scoundrel’s fault – I want to kill him! Kill him!” He roared continuously, and a force actually surged within his body. When the pain came, he treated it like dog shit. Using mouth, feet, limbs, and body together, after half an hour, Qin Zhonghai had actually climbed more than ten feet. But blood flowed continuously from his shoulders, the needle insertion points on his back burned like fire, paining him until his face was colorless and his fingers felt like they were breaking.

At this time dawn was approaching. Qin Zhonghai was both tired and in pain, truly not knowing how high he had climbed. He thought: “Damn, I’m about to die of exhaustion – it should be close now!” He let out a long breath and looked up, immediately drawing in a sharp breath of cold air – he saw above him the mountain peak was endless, the road stretching far with who knows how many thousands or tens of thousands of feet still waiting for him to climb.

Even with his tiger courage and pride, at this moment his heart was like dead ashes with not half a bit of strength left in his whole body.

Qin Zhonghai said in a trembling voice: “It’s over… I’m dead for sure…” Tiger eyes flowed with tears, blood dripped from his body, and he couldn’t climb even half a foot more, only able to press against the cliff face with his last bit of strength. At this time he couldn’t go up or down – the situation was extremely awkward. He just had to see when he could no longer hold on, then fall and be smashed to pieces, which would at least be an ending.

At this time his knuckles were stiff as if losing sensation, his whole body ached indescribably, and he just wanted to sleep well. But if he let go now, it would be the miserable situation of never waking up. His heart was uncomfortable and suddenly tears fell like rain: “Why did Father give birth to me? Why did Master rescue me? Why not just let me die together with Mother – wouldn’t I have been spared so much suffering?”

The more he thought, the more he hated. Suddenly he thought of Liu Jing again: “It’s all Liu Jing, that dog! Why did he ask me to rebel? And why did he entrust me to bring out that inexplicable person? It’s all him – all him who harmed me so miserably!”

Suddenly Liu Jing’s tearful eyes before death appeared before him. Qin Zhonghai’s heart ached and he felt reluctant again, knowing he had wronged him – how could he blame him?

Qin Zhonghai sighed and thought: “Actually, he asked me to join his great cause only because he knew I was Qin Baxian’s son, which is why he asked me to act. This move was truly far-sighted planning. To rebel, he even sent me into the palace to serve… Poor him with his clever schemes, he couldn’t imagine the affair would suddenly be exposed… Sigh…” He sighed for a long time and thought of Lu Yun again: “Brother Lu treated me with deep loyalty, not hesitating to endanger his own future to rescue me. Sigh… Brother Lu, I’m already a court criminal. In the future when His Majesty orders you, will you arrest me?”

Lu Yun was so loyal – he wouldn’t… But what about Liu Angtian, Wei Zizhuang, Yang Suguan, Wu Dingyuan? These old friends from the capital couldn’t disobey imperial commands. Even if they didn’t come to deal with him, they would be like strangers from now on… With tearful, blurry eyes, Qin Zhonghai thought: “Who exactly harmed me so miserably? Who was that masked man who killed General Manager Liu? Why did he cover his face? And why did he steal the memorial? Did he harm me? Who can answer me?”

Tired and in pain, already on the brink of death, in this desperate situation Qin Zhonghai looked at the ten-thousand-zhang abyss below his feet and suddenly burst into loud laughter, roaring: “You bastards listen well – if you still want to bully your daddy, don’t even think about it! As long as I don’t want to play anymore, I can die anytime and won’t have to suffer anymore! Haha! Haha! Who can do anything to your ancestor!”

He cried and laughed, actually feeling very sad and hateful in his heart. He knew his injuries were suppressed entirely by silver needles – once evening came, regardless of whether he reached the peak, when the needles’ effect faded, he would become a cripple again. Thinking of this, he wanted to jump down and end it all.

With death in his heart, he slowly stopped laughing, wiped away his tears, and gazed at the horizon with a very solemn expression.

The sun was about to rise in the east – another dawn was coming. Morning light reflected on his back with faint warmth. At this time the snow had lessened, and in the complete silence even the wind had stopped. In all the vastness of the human world, there was no other sound – only he hung high in the heavens, keeping company with the stars.

Qin Zhonghai felt something stirring and looked down at the sea of clouds below his feet – he saw ten thousand li surging boundlessly. Looking up, Goddess Third Peak was covered with morning glow and red clouds. The deep blue sky was decorated with dots of stars, making the mountain peak appear extremely magnificent and splendid.

Qin Zhonghai smiled slightly and thought: “Enough, enough – having reached this point in life, what more could I ask for? For a crude person like me to have such magnificent scenery as burial companions, Heaven has treated me quite well.” He gripped the cliff face with bare hands, exhausted beyond measure, just wanting to sleep well. He closed his eyes and slowly released his fingers, waiting to fall into the ten-thousand-zhang abyss and be freed from the boundless sea of suffering.

Just as he was about to commit suicide, suddenly strange laughter reached his ears – as if there was an extremely eerie laughing sound coming straight down from the mountain top. Hearing this strange sound, Qin Zhonghai felt his hair stand on end with all kinds of fear in his heart. Immediately his fingers clenched and he supported his body again.

Qin Zhonghai stared dumbfounded and shouted: “Who! Who’s laughing there?” He shouted forcefully and echoes continued all around, but he didn’t hear that strange laughter again. Qin Zhonghai opened his mouth wide, his body trembling slightly, thinking: “Damn, there’s a monster on the mountain top!”

Thinking there really were demons and monsters in the world, he couldn’t help but feel greatly horrified and wanted to flee down the mountain. Just then his thoughts shifted and he suddenly burst into loud laughter.

Back then Fang Zijing had provoked him in every way to go up the peak but wouldn’t clearly say what was at the summit. Even that Zhi Guan was mysterious all the way from Lanzhou, speaking sometimes east, sometimes west, as if having some unspeakable secret. Earlier Qin Zhonghai had been overwhelmed with grief and indignation, focused only on proving himself capable of inhuman feats, never deeply considering his master’s intentions. Now frightened by the monster’s laughter, he instead saw things clearly – Fang Zijing’s reason for making him climb to the peak definitely had other arrangements, just not telling him.

Whether heavenly immortals, divine Buddhas, demons, or monsters – Qin Zhonghai had come on this summit climb without hope anyway. If there really was a creator god waiting for him at the peak, that would be a huge profit. Qin Zhonghai abandoned thoughts of suicide, with only one thought in mind – to see things beyond the known world. Whether winged turtles or cloud-riding Buddhas, anything would be a hundred times better than his current miserable situation. He grabbed snow and wiped his face, laughing loudly: “Damn demons and monsters – I’m coming to meet you! Haha! Haha! Your grandmother’s bear!”

He drew the steel knife Ouyang Yong had given him and thrust it forcefully into the rock wall. With a “crack,” the blade had actually pierced into the rock.

Qin Zhonghai was stunned for a long while, never expecting this knife to be so sharp. He didn’t know Ouyang Yong came from Jiangnan metalworking, with masterful blacksmithing skills famous among nobles and ministers. Since this knife was forged by his own hands, it was naturally beyond comparison with ordinary objects. Qin Zhonghai laughed for a while, then chopped another crack into the rock wall. He gripped the crevice with his left hand and swung the knife into rock with his right, repeating this endlessly until he had climbed more than a zhang. Relying on the steel knife’s sharpness, climbing became much easier – absolutely incomparable to the earlier miserable state of hand-climbing and mouth-biting. Looking at his good progress, as long as he persisted without slackening, he had a chance to reach the summit tonight.