The first thing I did after waking up was eat breakfast—Zhao Lintao made for me. After that, it was time to find the river.
Any village that wanted to succeed and keep growing required fresh water. So, the river wasn't far from the village. I went there.
The problem was not finding the river but walking all the way up into the mountain where the cave supposedly was. It was a long way up. Tiring, even for a cultivator like myself.
I enjoyed the way up, though. The place had nice views; no one could deny that. I was starting to get fond of that place. The Misty Mountains, I mean. The region was forgotten, with nothing but nature and a few villages, but the sights were just gorgeously beautiful.
I could see the region as a place to call home. Not that I wished to forget exploration at all—the vast and unknown world called for me—but I also didn't want to get into danger for no reason, so having a place to call home was nice.
No spiritual beasts came to attack me on the way up. The reason was not that the area was safer now, but because my Qi had increased, so my aura was making the beasts think twice before attacking me.
The river was also in an area that didn't have powerful beasts. The Misty Mountains—the region itself—was vast, as there were more villages in the region than the one I was living in, so spiritual beasts were spread all over the region.
Anyway, the frozen cave Zhao Lintao talked about was farther than I expected. I had to stop a few times to drink water from my bamboo mug and rest my legs for a few minutes before continuing to go up. The higher I climbed, the colder it was.
Winter was coming soon. The villagers were working hard to prepare for it. Every year, the winter season was the hardest one to endure. I wished to change that soon. With a cultivator to help them, those people would have a much better time during winter.
After a few hours of climbing, I saw the cave. It was already frozen on the outside, near its entrance. The river next to the cave was also frozen.
It was a strange place. During winter, that area would look like that, snowy and icy. But that was during winter! It was not winter yet.
The ice in the cave's entrance looked different, too. It looked unnatural. When I got closer to the entrance, I felt the strange aura emanating from that cave.
I had no idea what was inside. The Qi wasn't a dangerous one. I could feel its power, but it was different when compared to a beast that wanted to attack me. It was more like a dormant Qi, an ancient aura that had been there for a long time.
For a moment, I thought that it might not be a good idea to go there after all. The aura emanating from that cave was intimidating to say the least. Still, like any person, curiosity was something I had in me, and I couldn't control it. I had to go there and check it.
According to what Zhao Lintao told me, no one ever tried to enter that cave. At least no one that he knew. I would be the first one.
With slow steps, I reached the entrance. The ice on the ground made it harder for me to walk without slipping, but after some hard work, I entered the cave.
The inside looked like any cave. It was dark, with nothing but the narrow walls closing in on me, suffocating my breath. A chilly wind came from the depths of the cave, hitting my body like sharp knives.
I kept my mind focused, ready to flee if anything unusual happened. While the curiosity to explore the cave was there, the urge to keep myself alive was as well, and out of all things, that was my priority.
The narrow cave walls lasted for a short period. I soon reached a wider area. It was an open space which appeared to be the center of the cave.
What caught my attention were the massive frozen crystals, so tall that they reached the cave's ceiling.
They were unnatural, that's for sure. Inside one of those crystals, I saw something that froze me; I didn't move, startled by the sight.
It was a girl with long white hair, flowing down her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, but I knew they were sharp ones that would suck my soul if I stared into them.
Who was that girl? I moved closer to have a better look. The clothes on her body looked…different. It was like they were from a distant past. I wasn't sure because I had recently arrived in that world, but that was the vibe I got from it.
The most surprising thing was that the ancient aura, the ancient Qi I felt before even entering the cave, came from her. She was certainly the reason everything there was frozen in such an unnatural way.
I moved the palm of my hand, touching the crystal that she was in. I didn't know why I did that. It was not the smartest thing to do, considering I had no idea who or what she was.
When I placed my hand on the crystal, for some reason, the woman inside opened her eyes. She stared at me. Her eyes were not normal. They were similar to that of a snake, a vertical pupil.
I froze. She was staring deep into my soul. I didn't know how to react.
She talked to me through a mental connection. It lasted until I remained with my hand on the crystal.
"Who are you? How did you get here?" she said.
I wasn't stupid. She was surprised to see me there. Because of that, I knew one thing: one wasn't supposed to reach her with such ease.
"I just walked in," I said, "why do you ask? I should leave…"
The woman could be dangerous. I wasn't feeling a threatening aura coming from her, and her gaze wasn't deadly either, but I could never be sure if she was someone I could trust.
Before I moved, she talked again. This time, she basically begged for help.
"Please, don't leave! I-I really need you!"
It got me curious.