Before Fang Mushan could finish, Li Haomiao cut in, "In Jade Capital, you might rank somewhere, but you're probably still far from the top. The geniuses of this world are as numerous as carp crossing a river. With your level of skill, remember to stay humble and patient."
Fang Mushan glanced at Li Haomiao and said no more.
Xu Yunfan paid them no mind. Most of his attention was immersed in his Cultivation. He had discovered that the efficiency of increasing his Skill Level by practicing the Red Rope Cloak Hammer was far greater than that of mining.
But he didn't neglect his mining skill either. On The Eight-Hundred-Mile Desolate River Ice-Plains, this skill was indispensable for creating a relatively comfortable resting place. The other fugitives, if they couldn't find shelter from the cold in time, without adequate windproof shelters, even if they had entered the Martial Dao, would have a very small chance of survival in this harsh environment with its extreme temperature fluctuations, where it could drop to over ten degrees below zero at night.
Sitting beside them and slowly turning the roasting meat, Fang Mushan seemed dazed. After a while, his expression calmed.
"My father said some things to me that day. Now, I'm finally beginning to understand. I'm afraid he might have already anticipated this."
Li Haomiao nodded in admiration. "Grand General Fang commands troops like a god and is extremely perceptive of the court's political situation. To bide his time, he had no choice but to resort to this strategy. Mu Mountain, don't feel wronged. When we pull that demoness from her high horse, you will have your day of vindication. Once we're out of these eight hundred miles of desolate river, you'll come with me. I'll take you to meet someone who will give you the answers you seek."
Fang Mushan was silent for a moment, then nodded, saying no more.
Xu Yunfan, standing to the side, really wanted to say something. But one look at Li Haomiao's expression—which clearly said 'if you open your mouth, I won't teach you any more Kung Fu'—made him click his tongue and resume practicing the Red Rope Cloak Hammer.
He hadn't reached his physical limit yet. Each time, he would only stop after he was completely exhausted.
When it was time to rest, under Li Haomiao's murderous gaze, Xu Yunfan calmly swallowed a Grain Avoidance Pill, ate twenty catties of bear meat, then turned his back. He formed the Linn Character Seal with his hands and silently recited the Supreme Kindness Heart Spell. Gradually, his mind entered a state that was both empty and not empty.
'You formed a Dharma Seal and practiced the Linn Character Technique once. You seemed to have a flash of inspiration, but upon closer examination, you gained nothing. The Skill Level of your Linn Character Technique seems to have increased.'
'You...'
The notifications on the Attribute Panel didn't surprise him. For the past ten-plus days, every time he practiced the Linn Character Technique, the Attribute Panel's prompts had been more or less the same.
However, he could clearly feel that after each Cultivation session of the Linn Character Technique, the next one would last a little longer.
After a long time, Xu Yunfan opened his eyes. His expression was one of complete exhaustion, yet his gaze was filled with joy. He could clearly perceive that he had been able to sustain his practice of the Linn Character Technique for at least a minute longer than yesterday.
He rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, as the sky began to show the pale white of dawn, Fang Mushan was already busy outside the cave. A simple rack was set up over a roaring bonfire, and the remaining bear meat sizzled on the flames. Grease dripped into the fire, making it CRACKLE AND POP and releasing an enticing aroma.
The three of them sat around the fire, feasting heartily. They only stopped, satisfied, when their bellies were stretched taut and they couldn't stuff in another bite.
All three were martial artists with enormous appetites. After they had unreservedly devoured the two large and one small brown bears, only a few strips of meat were left, which they hung up to air-dry as rations.
Xu Yunfan put on the newly sewn bearskin clothes and sniffed them lightly. "A pity. If we had two more days, we could have completely gotten rid of the smell from this bearskin."
The skill of hunting wasn't particularly advanced, but it was broad in scope. It included simple, crude methods for tanning animal hides, which allowed them to temporarily escape the threat of the cold.
With bearskin boots, bearskin clothes, and the rock sheep and yak hides they had hunted previously, Xu Yunfan stood in the biting wind but felt warm all over.
Li Haomiao stroked the heavy bearskin cloak he was wearing.
"If this were in Jade Capital, and expertly tanned, it would sell for at least two hundred taels of silver."
"It might be a little difficult for you to return to Jade Capital in this lifetime."
Li Haomiao snorted softly, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
"One day, I will bring that demoness down."
Ignoring Li Haomiao, Xu Yunfan walked out of the bear cave and looked up at the dim sky. He saw snowflakes fluttering down.
"It's snowing."
Beside him, Fang Mushan's expression tightened. He said gravely, "We have to speed up. Winter has arrived. If we can't get out before the heavy snows seal the mountains, even a First-Level Martial Artist would likely perish here in The Eight-Hundred-Mile Desolate River Ice-Plains."
"But there's good news, too. This heavy snow will cover our tracks."
Li Haomiao's expression relaxed slightly. "As long as we're not being led by those mystical weirdos from the Astronomical Bureau, we can consider ourselves free."
Not daring to delay any longer, Xu Yunfan quickly hoisted Li Haomiao onto his back, his feet seeming to ride the wind as he dashed forward.
In the past few days, by rushing as much as possible, they had already traveled more than six hundred li.
The two were agile and skilled. Many dangerous peaks and deep ravines that would be insurmountable for ordinary people, they crossed as if on level ground, saving them a great deal of time.
"Let's push through in one go. Maybe we can get out by dawn tomorrow."
***
"Dead?"
Zhang Shuyang's face instantly turned as dark as ink. He stared intently at Xuu Yun's corpse, its gruesome state leaving him tight-lipped and speechless for a long moment.
Xuu Yun had followed him for many years. As his personal guard, he had survived countless battles unscathed, only to die here. This filled Zhang Shuyang's heart with both anger and sorrow.
A cripple, one who had merely reached Minor Achievement of the First Level, and a house slave. It should have been a sure thing.
Zhang Shuyang slowly knelt down, his gaze lingering on Xuu Yun's face for a long time.
He slowly rose to his feet. His armor plates clanked against each other with the movement, the clear sound piercing the silence of the snowy landscape.
At that moment, the goose-feather snowflakes falling from the sky had yet to touch his body before they were instantly vaporized just three inches away, dissipating into clouds of steam.
That was his surging Blood Qi, which raised the temperature around him to an extreme degree, making him seem like a volcano on the verge of eruption, suppressing endless rage and vexation.
Xuu Yun had been his brother-in-arms on the battlefield, a companion through life and death. They had fought side-by-side for years with perfect understanding, and Zhang Shuyang had always held high hopes for him.
Suppressing the turmoil of emotions within him, he walked step by step to the foot of a large boulder where Li Miaoyun stood.
Li Miaoyun was dressed in a light gauze robe. Amidst the swirling snow, she looked like an ice fairy. The surrounding world of ice and snow seemed to merge with her indifferent aura, as if the world's cold could not touch her in the slightest.
Zhang Shuyang knelt on one knee in a standard half-kneel, his voice tinged with helplessness and caution. "Mr. Li, I'm afraid the targets are still inside. We have now lost our tracker, and with the heavy snow covering everything, finding them will be as difficult as ascending to heaven."