Early in the morning, Xiao Xi got up to prepare breakfast for everyone. Ah Jun was still resting because he had not slept well at night. He was still in a daze when he was awakened by the cats cry.
As Ah Jun slowly opened his eyes and squinted, he saw the kitten staring at him with big eyes, as if calling him to get up for breakfast. He gazed at the little dimples for a moment, then suddenly felt a twinge of embarrassment creeping in, looking rather awkward.
Ah Jun rarely felt this way, except for a few times when Laner was around. He then combed through his thoughts and concluded it must be the aftereffects of waking up too soon—— The boy had always been chronically sleep-deprived since childhood, and each time he woke up, he experienced varying degrees of physical discomfort and emotional instability. This sudden acceleration had indeed put considerable pressure on him.
He smiled at the kitten, nodded, and began his morning routine—a recommendation from the Holy Medical Clan——Given his physical condition, he needed to wake up slowly: first rousing himself, then doing light exercises like abdominal rotations and teeth-chewing before getting dressed. The whole process was cumbersome and slow, but Xiao Jues side dimples patiently waited for Ah Jun, making him feel a bit embarrassed. "This is just temporary mood swings from lack of rest," Ah Jun told himself.
——Well, yes, because later, Ah Jun felt that his mind began to be normal again, and he seemed to return to a very natural state when facing the cat.
After their hearty breakfast, the children continued their journey. Through his wristband, Ah Jun realized they were now in a different location from before the cliffside incident—there were no shortcuts left. This meant reaching Nanguo City (the capital of Xuanwu County) would require an extra half-day. As they walked, they chatted about last nights games, with Xiao Xi constantly praising the kitten. Xiao Jiwoo squatted on Ah Juns shoulder, meowing in response before checking his condition again.
But Ah Jun just listened to Xiao Xi talking without saying anything, because he needed more time to recover from his physical condition. Xiao Xi didnt understand, but the cat seemed to understand.
After walking a long way along the flat road and passing through a deciduous forest, they reached their next stop, and they were greeted by a towering double-topped mountain. The snow-capped top of the mountain——looked very cold.
At the mountains mid-slope lies a colossal waterfall that seems to cascade from the heavens, creating an awe-inspiring image of "thousands of feet plunging like a celestial river." At its peak, the cliffside features several minimalist structures—most delicately perched on sheer rock faces—as if suspended mid-air.
Although the infrastructure looks easy to build, it takes a lot of skill to build it——Ah Jun thought that even the top craftsmen in his hometown might not have the ability to do it.
Next, the children will have to challenge an exceptionally difficult stretch of road, because only by walking through it can they reach their destination, which is the location of the castle in the air they just saw.
Unlike the mechanical fortifications of Ah Jun and Xiao Xis hometown, Nanguo City required no such defenses. Its natural barriers served as the ultimate protection—a formidable path through eighteen hairpin bends, sheer cliffs, and intermittent mountain trails. While adult guardians navigated this terrain with ease, the childrens limited abilities might cause apprehension. Yet this very challenge could be their ultimate training ground.
Following the wristbands safety alerts, Xiao Xi and Ah Jun adjusted their undergarments temperature settings and slipped into warmer coats. They walked hand in hand, with Ah Jun tightly clutching his hat as he carefully navigated the challenge——He realized this mountain-climbing test—compared to the simple illusionary formations of his hometown and the intriguing rock formations of the Mist Forest—was both grueling and terrifying. When they reached a certain elevation, they looked down... "Oh my God!" The sheer height made it impossible for anyone with acrophobia to stay awake.
For quite some time, Xiao Nuo Nuo stayed hidden under the hat. Ah Jun kept a close watch on it, as the wind blew fiercely here. His body hadnt fully recovered yet, and the scene triggered some reflexive discomfort. Fortunately, Xiao Xi was by his side, constantly encouraging and assisting her brother. The kitten would occasionally peek out at Ah Jun, but would immediately hide due to dizziness—she shared his fear of heights!
So the brothers took the kitten with them and kept moving forward. Finally, at dusk, they managed to cross this dangerous place in time and came to a place where tradition and modernity combined.
Ah Jun immediately found a spot to sit down, letting his dimple breathe fresh air while munching on snacks with the kitten to replenish energy. Meanwhile, Xiao Xi remained full of energy, already venturing ahead to scout for potential food spots. He had caught a whiff of delicious scents from afar long ago.
After a while, Ah Jun finally came to his senses and set off with the kitten to find Xiao Xi. However, upon meeting her, he noticed that Xiao Xi looked a bit downcast – probably because she hadnt found anything tasty. But by then, everyones stomachs were already growling with hunger.
Just as this was happening, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed from nearby, followed by the sounds of battle. Curious children approached and discovered the guardians were battling avian-human hybrids resembling birds. Through his wristband, Ah Jun learned these were the demonic creatures from southern Xuanwu Commandery – the Birdmen. They were of the same level as the hybrids that had ambushed him earlier in the forest, though belonging to different species.
These avian warriors, the dominant opposing forces battling the guardians of Nanguo City, are known as the Feather Clan——. Armed with long spears and sporting wings on their backs, they soar through the skies like birds—or rather, they are the upright form of avian creatures, classified as the Avian Beast Clan. The citys defenders, wielding staffs, counter their attacks with lethal techniques while defending against fierce assaults through arcane magic.
As documented in the book, this mountain fortress was supposed to be impregnable. The southern flank of its garrisons domain was fortified with an ultimate defensive barrier woven from the clans secret arts, theoretically impervious to any enemy infiltration. Yet given the current state of affairs, its highly likely that the defensive layer has developed vulnerabilities due to years of neglect and disrepair.
When the crisis struck, the children had no choice but to hide and watch from the sidelines——Suddenly, a birdman seemed to spot something and charged toward Ah Jun and his companions hiding spot. With the power of its massive wings, the birdman moved swiftly, reaching the children in an instant. The little cats were so frightened that they quickly retreated into their hats.
Xiao Xi immediately raised his arm to block the path... But Ah Jun seemed lost in thought, his expression frozen. As the birdman lunged to thrust his spear at Xiao Xis shield, the Guardian Squad arrived in time. Their secret techniques instantly deflected the attack. Xiao Xi couldnt help wiping beads of sweat from his forehead, still trembling with fear. With his limited martial arts skills, he knew he couldnt withstand that sharp, scorching spear.
At this time, Ah Jun has also woken up. He slowly opened his eyes and found a semicircular protective layer in front of him. It was made of ice crystals, as thin as cicada wings and full of cold... This was the unique secret technique of the Nangong clan, the boundary knot, a kind of absolute defense.
But at the same time, the birdman standing before Ah Jun suddenly flashed a fierce gaze, glowing with red light——This was exactly what Ah Jun had been worried about all along. At this moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt, for these enemies were most likely targeting him, yet they had disturbed the peace here.
Remember, the rest of the birdmen also began to turn their spears toward Ah Jun and his party and launched an attack——Of course, the guardians also rushed over immediately to protect the childrens safety.
Based on his book knowledge and the bracelets alerts, Ah Jun realized that due to the Absolute Defense mechanism, the Garrison Team and Guard Army here had the lowest combat readiness in all five commanderies – a low priority since the area was secure. When facing such a massive number of Birdman troops, their defenses seemed barely adequate, barely holding up defensive positions.
So the fool decided to use himself as bait to distract the birds and buy more time for his troops, because he had noticed that several guardians had been wounded and fallen in the distance.
Ah Jun quickly put the hat on Xiao Xis head, then stood up and waved his arms to shout at the birds, trying to attract their attention. Of course, the birds would not let go of the child.
Leveraging his speed and agility, Ah Jun skillfully moved through the jungle—— Xiao Xi and Xiao Jiuwoo, of course, did not ignore Ah Jun, they tried to follow him as much as possible, thinking that they could provide necessary help in the critical moment.
However, at this point, the Guardians were overwhelmed by most of the birdmen, but missed a few who could not keep up——the so-called "long whip" is not enough, and the heart is willing but the strength is not.
Gradually, those who had escaped the net became more and more excited and clamped their teeth tightly on the child. Xiao Xi could not keep up even if she was slow, so she shuddered and found a shortcut to approach Ah Jun.
Before long, constrained by his limited physical strength, Ah Jun could only watch helplessly as the avian attendants caught up with him—— At this critical moment, an old man suddenly appeared at the city gate, followed by several subordinates who shouted for him to slow down.
The old man shouted orders——to the fighting guardians——everyone to immediately search for and protect the child who had been attacked, without any mistake... He himself managed to trap the group of birdmen by himself.
The team members, upon receiving the order, froze momentarily, momentarily at a loss. After a brief hesitation, they began frantically carrying out the command. Meanwhile, Ah Jun found himself cornered by a barrage of spear attacks from several avian warriors, his body trembling uncontrollably once again.
Fortunately, not far ahead, Xiao Xi was almost reaching Ah Juns side under the guidance of Xiao Mao... At that very moment, for some unknown reason, the entire Guardian Team who were desperately trying to protect Ah Jun, Xiao Xi and Xiao Mao determined to block his path, along with the Birdman about to thrust his spear forward—all their movements inexplicably slowed down without any prior coordination.
Then came a gust of cold air, and suddenly it came down on all of them. In an instant, the birds that had been suppressed by the old mayor were struck by frost and frozen into ice sculptures.
Then, right in front of Ah Jun, a little more than a meter away, a fairy-like girl fell from the sky. Around them, a circular absolute defense layer had been completed, which was completely flawless.
On the other hand, although Xiao Xi was still moving slowly, like a slow motion, he could see clearly that girl, those squinting eyes were straightened,
At this moment, the little cat napped nimbly onto Ah Juns shoulder, purring softly. The boy shivered from the cold, his body trembling as the temperature had dropped to a point where even his underwear couldnt provide warmth. Already frail, the boy began to feel the chill, his lips turning blue and his complexion turning sallow——The kitten quickly snuggled into his arms, their bodies warming each other up.