Chapter 223: Senior Brother, I Won’t Tell You
The Qiong Peak mountain path was covered in white snow.
This Qiong Peak was originally a blessed land of the Sword Sect, but because Yun Tianchong achieved Deity Transformation here a hundred years ago, the heavenly tribulation of his Deity Transformation struck the earth spirit vein. This caused the spiritual energy in this place to become mixed, with wind and snow continuous throughout the year, making it impossible to fly a sword or explore with spiritual sense.
Thus, Ye Anping flew his sword to the mountainside and reluctantly switched to his own feet, advancing along the steep mountain path towards the peak.
Feng Yu Die, who was half a head shorter than him, stayed close to his side, her small hands tightly gripping his clothes, like a young girl afraid of getting lost. She pulled her hood up to shield herself from the wind and snow.
After walking along the mountain path for a while, Ye Anping finally saw the “Snow Dragon Cave” located on the cliff of Qiong Peak in his memory.
The cave was originally a natural rock cavern. A few years ago, Zhuang Yan hollowed it out and rebuilt it into a hidden cave dwelling. Hidden by the chaotic spirit vein and the wind and snow of Qiong Mountain, even Nascent Soul cultivators could not detect it with their spiritual sense.
When players searched for Yun Yiyi in the game, they had to follow the quest prompts, along the mountain road, find seven or eight clues first, and finally arrive at this place based on the clues.
But since he was someone who had been here before and already knew where the Snow Dragon Cave was, the process of finding clues was naturally skipped.
However, although Ye Anping was taking a shortcut, Feng Yu Die felt suspicious upon seeing the mountain cave ahead:
“Is that the place?”
“Yes.”
Seeing Ye Anping nod, Feng Yu Die looked around again. She didn’t see any iconic objects; only snow-covered rocks and bare tree trunks met her eyes. Her gaze revealed a hint of confusion, and she couldn’t help but ask:
“By the way, Young Master Ye…”
“What?”
“How did you know about this place?”
“…”
Seeing Ye Anping suddenly fall silent, Feng Yu Die narrowed her eyes, spread her hands, and said, “At the Seven Kill Gate, you gave me a detailed map of the Seven Kill Gate’s Heavenly Mystery Fortress. Guess what?”
“What?”
“When I was moving spirit stones in the Heavenly Mystery Fortress, I also found a map, and that map wasn’t as detailed as the one you gave me.”
“…”
“And it was the same with the Chi Long Mansion. You seemed to know that something would happen at the Chi Long Mansion months in advance, and you took Junior Sister Pei to prepare.”
“…”
“This place now… it doesn’t look like something you could find out by gathering information in the marketplaces. Where did you get this information?”
Ye Anping pursed his lips, unsure how to answer, so he simply said:
“I won’t tell you.”
“…”
Feng Yu Die was taken aback. She rolled her eyes and asked:
“How about we exchange secrets? I’ll tell you one of mine, and you tell me one of yours?”
Ye Anping glanced at her and said:
“…Is there anything about me that you don’t already know?”
“Of course! I have some secrets even my Master doesn’t know~” Feng Yu Die squinted her eyes, thought for a while, and said, “For example…”
Ye Anping raised an eyebrow: “Hmm?”
“Hee hee~ I won’t tell you!”
“…”
Ye Anping was speechless. Seeing that they were almost at the cave entrance, he changed the subject and said:
“Stop talking. I’ll carry you in later. You pretend to be weak, understand?”
“Huh? You’re carrying me again? That’ll be ten thousand.”
Ye Anping pursed his lips, too lazy to haggle with her. In the end, he was the one who decided on the payment. He took out the jade talisman that Si Xuanji had given him from his storage bag, clutched it in his right hand, and then extended his hand.
“Hold on?”
“Huh?”
“We’ll use this jade talisman together. That guy at the Foundation Establishment stage couldn’t probe anything, but cultivators at Core Formation stage and above might be able to. Besides, you’re at Mid Foundation Establishment, and Yu Shui Ting is at Early Foundation Establishment. It’s just for safety.”
Feng Yu Die pouted, and reluctantly extended her right hand to hold Ye Anping’s right hand, sandwiching the jade talisman between their palms.
“…Oh.”
“Hold on tighter.”
“Got it~” Feng Yu Die pouted, then opened her fingers and intertwined them with Ye Anping’s right hand. But after a pause, she raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Your hand is quite warm.”
“Yours is ice-cold.”
Ye Anping rolled his eyes at her, then pulled her to lean on his right arm. He slightly squatted down, extended his left hand behind Feng Yu Die’s knees, and picked her up in a princess carry. He adjusted her position to ensure she was lying comfortably, then said:
“I’ll say it one last time. Once we’re inside, you are not allowed to speak, nor act recklessly. Everything will be according to my commands.”
“Got it~ Why are you so long-winded?”
“Because you’re not my Junior Sister,” Ye Anping sighed and said, “Tell me our objective.”
Feng Yu Die tilted her head, uncertainly saying:
“To save Yun Yiyi and Yun Jiujiu, right?”
Ye Anping shook his head helplessly and said:
“After Zhuang Yan leaves, we will secretly assist them in escaping. My Junior Sister will bring Yun Xi and the Sword Sect elders to meet them. You must not forget any word in this sentence. We must wait for Zhuang Yan to leave. Before he leaves, no matter what happens, you must endure it, otherwise, we will surely die. And afterwards, we must assist ‘secretly’ and not reveal our identities.”
“Alright! I got it~”
“Don’t be so perfunctory, be serious!”
Seeing Ye Anping’s serious eyes, Feng Yu Die quickly shed her previously flippant demeanor and nodded earnestly:
“Understood!”
“Then let’s go in…”
Ye Anping sighed, slightly tightened his grip on Feng Yu Die’s arm, then squatted down, pushed off the ground forcefully, and used the rocks on the cliff face for footing. He jumped four times in succession and slipped into the rock cave in the center of the cliff.
As the two stepped into the cave, the sound of swords being drawn echoed around them.
Several Early Foundation Establishment cultivators wearing Sword Sect uniforms cautiously surrounded them. It seemed they had been on guard duty around a campfire just now.
The person in the lead sized up Ye Anping and Feng Yu Die, who was being held in his arms. He paused and asked:
“May I ask who you are?”
Ye Anping deliberated for a moment and replied with a nod:
“I am Feng Hua Xue Yue.”
“Your name?”
“Ye An. The one in my arms is my cultivation partner, Yu Shui Ting. She was injured earlier and cannot speak.”
“Oh… Someone from Elder He. If that’s the case,” the man said with relief, waving his hand to signal the others to sheathe their swords, “Put away your swords, put away your swords, they are our people.”
Ye Anping nodded to the people around him, then carried Feng Yu Die past them and walked into a narrow passage that looked like a mine shaft, deeper inside.
Wall lamps made of spirit stones were hung on both sides of the passage, but due to the chaotic spirit vein of this place, the light was very dim.
Walking about a hundred paces inward along the passage, they reached a wooden lift platform. Two people stood in front of the platform. Seeing them approach, they asked:
“May I ask who you are?”
“Feng Hua Xue Yue.”
“You may go down.”
“Thank you…”
Ye Anping nodded again, stepped onto the wooden platform. The vibration of gears immediately transmitted from under his feet. Under the watchful eyes of the two guarding the lift, it slowly descended into the ground.
… …
