Standing at the cave entrance, Qin Yi immediately sensed a strange energy that was holding back some kind of chaos inside. The cold air from within the cave didn’t escape, creating two different worlds inside and outside.
As he stepped through an invisible barrier, an icy chill hit him, and the scene before him transformed into a blue world of ice.
The cold wind howled past him, and all around were hard, frozen surfaces, a vast expanse dressed in silver. At the edge of his vision, he could see a few ice-like trees, their branches resembling sharp ice shards, bearing fruit that looked like frozen orbs.
Just taking in the sight made Qin Yi feel as if his blood was freezing. He instinctively hugged his shoulders, his teeth chattering a bit.
"This is... so cold."
Even though he had a cultivation level of the third layer, he was still a martial artist with a strong physical body. Normally, he could stand outside in the dead of winter without feeling cold at all. But here, he felt as cold as an ordinary person who had no training.
The fierce wind whipped past him like a sharp blade against his face. Qin Yi squinted and took a half step back, only to find that the sleeve of his robe was torn.
It wasn’t the wind that had ripped it; it had cracked from the cold. Then, as the wind blew, it flaked off like dust, turning to ashes.
"The Soul-Freezing Ice Technique of Master Linfeng..." Liusu sighed softly. "I didn’t expect that after so long, it could still have such power."
Qin Yi couldn't even speak. He could only gather his strength to protect his body and asked in his mind, "Is there any way... to make this easier? I can barely move..."
"I'll teach you a technique to avoid the wind's harm. It can shift the damage from the wind. Also, this residual power is unbalanced; some areas are stronger, and some are weaker... Head towards the ‘Wuwang’ position and test the pressure there."
Qin Yi focused and activated the technique. Sure enough, the biting cold wind passed over him without the previous bone-chilling sensation. But even with this shift, it still left a long trail of blood on his arm.
Under the ice, he couldn’t even feel the pain. He gathered his strength and took a diagonal step towards the "Wuwang" position.
The cold lessened slightly, and the pressure dropped sharply. Qin Yi struggled to kneel, leaning on his wolf fang club to catch his breath.
In just a short time, his clothes were torn in several places, and he had multiple cuts on his arms and legs.
"Do you want to continue?" Liusu asked coldly.
Qin Yi looked up. The cave wasn’t very large, and the ice trees were not far away, probably only two or three hundred meters. It would be easy to reach them outside, but here, taking a single step was a challenge. This small distance felt like a vast chasm.
"Just half a mile," Qin Yi said with difficulty. "I have to push through."
Liusu continued coldly, "You can stay home for a month without stepping out. You call yourself a ‘shut-in.’ What kind of hero are you trying to be?"
Qin Yi silently stared at the ice trees half a mile away. "There aren’t any enemies here, just a tough environment. If I back down now, I won’t be able to face anyone when I return."
Liusu suddenly said, "So, are you risking your life for Li Qingjun, or is it just about your pride?"
Qin Yi was taken aback, unsure how to answer at first. After a moment, he replied, "This is a man's promise; Qingjun is waiting."
"Ha, a man," Liusu said with a hint of a smile. "I want to see how long a shut-in like you can keep up that ‘manly’ act. Listen to my instructions; your next step is to the ‘Daguo’ position."
Having studied formations for so long, Qin Yi was quite familiar with the sixty-four hexagrams. He steeled himself and quickly stepped forward to the left.
Just as he took a step, his foot suddenly gave way, and he almost fell.
Even though he was moving towards the "weak point" as Liusu had suggested, the icy chill became harder to bear with time. His blood felt like it was freezing, and his muscles lost all feeling. He could barely take a step.
His arm cracked open again, and as blood flowed out, it quickly froze.
"Next step, ‘Kuan’ position."
Qin Yi lunged forward but finally lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Liusu watched him quietly, not saying anything for a moment.
In the royal palace of the Bai Kingdom, a figure lounged on a fragrant couch, holding a mirror that reflected Qin Yi’s disheveled form.
His blue robe had turned white, frozen like ragged strips of cloth hanging from him, with stiff blood stains that created a mix of colors against the snowy backdrop.
In the mirror, Qin Yi took a step to the left and fell again.
This fall was hard, and he took a long time to get back up. Eventually, he shakily pulled out a pill from his pocket and swallowed it, taking a moment to recover.
The fox-like face in the mirror gradually faded, revealing Cheng Cheng. She bit her lip unconsciously, staring at Qin Yi’s image with unfocused eyes.
"A man..."
Around Qin Yi, the flicker of sacrificial flames appeared and quickly extinguished, seeming futile. But taking advantage of that moment, he lunged forward again, feeling somewhat pleased with himself, only to hear Liusu’s voice softly sigh, "Your hand is ruined."
Qin Yi froze and looked down at his left arm, which was frostbitten, with skin peeling away to reveal muscle and bone.
Even though it was numb from the cold, he could still feel a piercing pain that reached deep into his bones.
He spat, tore off the already ruined fabric from his arm, wrapped it around himself, and pressed on.
Such frostbite would leave a normal person’s hand useless, but for a pill master, it was still treatable.
The ice trees were right in front of him; he couldn’t give up now.
...
In the South Li kingdom, Li Qingjun, dressed in battle gear, rode a horse and led her troops straight into the enemy ranks.
The pills Qin Yi had refined for her had already helped her break through to the innate level.
With a flash of cold light, an enemy general fell from his horse.
The sound of thousands of troops surged forward, and amidst the cries of battle, blood soaked the ground, turning the frost and snow beneath into a deep red.
Li Qingjun reined in her horse and looked on.
It was deep winter.
This was a rebellion by the remnants of Dong Huazi's faction. From the first signs to the organization of the counterattack, she had been in charge the whole way.
Li Qingjun knew that in this harsh winter, the West Wilderness was not the right time for large-scale military action. The two nations would likely clash in the spring. If there were traitors behind her then, it would all be over.
Fortunately, she had discovered it in time. Li Qingjun mobilized the elite troops and decisively eliminated this threat.
With the heavy responsibilities of her country, a naive girl who used to only dream had grown up quickly. Looking back, Li Qingjun didn’t even know what she had lived for before.
It had been over a month since Qin Yi left, and sometimes Li Qingjun wondered if he returned, would he even recognize her.
Or would he mistake her for the female version of Li Qinglin?
Li Qinglin had completely given her the jade pendant, which now sparkled with colorful light at her waist.
Now, the way the soldiers looked at her was just like how they used to look at Li Qinglin.
There was almost no difference...
The only difference was that she didn’t have to face Dong Huazi.
After leading her troops to victory, Li Qingjun assigned the task of recording the achievements to her deputy and returned to Qin Yi’s residence, feeling somewhat exhausted as she entered the courtyard where Qin Yi had once lived.
Her battle armor was still on, stained with blood. Her eyes had softened from the earlier fierceness as she gently caressed the wine gourd Qin Yi used, lost in thought.
A voice came from behind her, "I heard that your brother has not attended court for seven days during this rebellion."
Li Qingjun didn’t turn back. "You care about these ‘mundane matters’?"
The words "mundane matters" were spoken with emphasis, clearly sarcastic. Ming He acted as if she hadn’t heard and said calmly, "Some are guessing when you will usurp the throne."
"Why would I usurp the throne?" Li Qingjun finally turned around. "I’m waiting for Qin Yi to come back."
Ming He said slowly, "If Qin Yi doesn’t return, then you can’t count on Li Qinglin anymore. You wouldn’t want to support South Li on your own, would you?"
Li Qingjun replied firmly, "He will come back; I believe that."
Sorry, sorry, I slept all day and lost track of time. It’s probably around eight in the evening now.
(End of chapter)