The seven descended from Changbai Sword Peak, turned aside, and arrived at the foot of another mountain. Though less precipitous than Changbai Sword Peak, it was still vast and majestic.

The group was puzzled, but Li Muzhan and Li Yujiao offered no explanation, merely leading the way, scaling the ascent with effortless Qinggong, moving like agile monkeys.

All seven possessed respectable Qinggong, and soon they reached a ledge halfway up the cliff. Pushing aside a curtain of snow, they revealed a small, softball-sized opening, from which they retrieved an exquisitely translucent ice casket.

A faint greenish hue shimmered within the ice.

The others remained bewildered. Li Yujiao declared proudly, "This is a ginseng root, hundreds of years old, a true treasure..." "...Aunt Song, take this to Mother immediately. I will return to Canghai Mountain with Senior Brother Zhanran first."

A middle-aged woman urged gently, "Miss, perhaps you should return with us. The Sect Leader will worry after you've been away so long."

Li Yujiao shook her head. "No way. I think that Nie Wangqiu fellow is no good, and since Senior Brother Zhanran offended him, how could he possibly let it drop!?"

The middle-aged woman’s concern deepened.

Li Yujiao waved her hand dismissively. "Aunt Song, you needn't say more; I am not going back! ...This ginseng is a rare delicacy; hurry and send it back before the medicinal properties fade!"

Li Muzhan chuckled. "Junior Sister Li, the ginseng is precious. If you don't escort it personally, I won't be entirely at ease either!"

Li Yujiao shot him a sidelong glance. "Senior Brother Zhanran, is it because my martial arts are too weak, not worthy of your notice, that you find me a burden?!"

Li Muzhan shook his head with a wry smile. "Junior Sister Li, why must you wade into this mess?!"

"Hmph, I simply cannot stand those two—father and son. Despicable wretches!" Li Yujiao pouted.

Li Muzhan looked toward the two middle-aged women. They exchanged uneasy glances, helpless. "Master Zhanran, we must trouble you to look after Junior Sister well."

Li Muzhan nodded. "Rest assured, Junior Sister Li is like my own sister to me."

The two women sighed, looking at Li Yujiao with deep worry, but she impatiently waved them away, urging them to leave quickly lest the ginseng lose its efficacy.

Only after the two women had gone a good distance did Wang Xiaoyao speak. "Miss Li, I don't believe Sect Leader Nie is that kind of man, is he?"

Li Yujiao gave him a sharp look. "You—are you truly the Young Pavilion Master of Penglai Pavilion?"

"Yes..." Wang Xiaoyao nodded vaguely.

Li Yujiao scoffed. "You call yourself the Young Pavilion Master, yet you're so naive! That old dog surnamed Nie and his son—neither of them are good people. Didn't you notice?"

Wang Xiaoyao scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

He Fengxia whispered urgently, "Senior Brother, one must always be wary."

Wang Xiaoyao quickly agreed. "Exactly, exactly. Even if he is a good man, we should still take precautions."

……………………

Li Yujiao glared at him again, scoffing. "Just wait and see. He will certainly send people to hunt us down. Senior Brother Zhanran is in real trouble!"

Li Muzhan laughed lightly. "Junior Sister Li, you jinx—say less!"

Li Yujiao snorted, then turned to Wen Yinyue. "Senior Sister Wen, tell me, will that man surnamed Nie send anyone after us?"

Wen Yinyue nodded. "Mhm. Nie Wangqiu is not a broad-minded person."

"See!?" Li Yujiao smiled triumphantly, casting a sidelong glance at Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan suggested, "We should hurry along and try to put more distance between us."

No one disagreed. They promptly engaged their Qinggong and darted away, forgoing horses. Their speed surpassed that of galloping mounts, and by dusk, they were fifty li from Changbai Sword Peak.

The sun dipped low, twilight gathering, and the group rested within a grove of young pines.

Having traveled non-stop, they intended to rest here for the night. They built a bonfire to ward off the chill. Although their internal Neili protected them from the cold, the fire soothed their spirits, greatly benefiting the regulation of body and mind.

Wang Xiaoyao tossed a log onto the blaze. "Master Zhanran, should we dispose of them now?"

Li Muzhan smiled. "Our travel speed surpasses horses. Unless they use Qinggong and chase us non-stop, they won't catch up."

Wang Xiaoyao added another piece of wood and chuckled, "In my opinion, they won't keep up."

Li Yujiao shot him another glare, and only noticing the look from Li Muzhan, reluctantly pursed her lips.

Li Muzhan shook his head inwardly. He couldn't figure out why Junior Sister Li so disliked Wang Xiaoyao, always needing to needle him with a few words. Li Yujiao was angry at Wang Xiaoyao; if it hadn't been for him, Senior Brother Zhanran wouldn't have offended that old wretch surnamed Nie, leading to their current predicament.

The man surnamed Nie was a smiling tiger; offending him would never end well. Senior Brother Zhanran was clearly intelligent and must know this, but out of pity for Wang Xiaoyao, he insisted on stepping in, incurring massive trouble and inviting death upon himself.

He Fengxia offered Li Muzhan a waterskin with both hands. "Master Zhanran, how long until we reach Canghai Mountain?"

Li Muzhan took the skin, smiled, and drank a sip before handing it back. "At our current pace, it will take seven or eight days to return to the mountain. Miss He, don't worry; it's nothing."

He Fengxia nodded faintly, taking the waterskin and passing it to Wen Yinyue.

The night passed quietly, spent in meditation and adjusting their breath. Dawn broke quickly, and the group set off again, continuing their southward sprint using Qinggong.

By mid-morning, the sky suddenly darkened. At noon, snow began to fall.

The flakes drifted down like cotton tufts, ceaselessly, soon obscuring the path. Everything around them turned a uniform white, making it impossible to see the way forward.

Their rapid progress meant the snow hitting their faces stung sharply. Only Li Muzhan, protected by his Hu Ti Zhen Qi, could squint; the others had to use their hands to shield their faces.

As a result, they entered a small town and found an inn to rest.

…………

The heavy snow lasted all night. When they awoke the next morning, the snowfall had stopped, and the group resumed their journey.

Outside, it was silent. Every step sank straight to the knee. Traveling would have been nearly impossible for others, but not for Li Muzhan and his company.

Li Yujiao utilized her Ta Xue Wu Hen (Treading Snow Without a Trace) technique, and the Penglai Pavilion's movements were also superb. When Wang Xiaoyao unleashed his skill, he resembled a wisp of smoke. Li Muzhan and Wen Yinyue also possessed supreme Qinggong. The five glided across the white snow, traveling the entire day. The snow cover gradually lessened, and by evening, they had moved beyond the deepest snow zone.

Arriving at a patch of pine woods, they sat down, built another bonfire, warmed their preserved rations, and rested well. Traveling through snow consumed internal energy far more rapidly than usual; if Wen Yinyue hadn't guided her, He Fengxia would have fallen behind long ago.

The bonfire crackled loudly. Li Muzhan sat cross-legged on a rock, regulating his breath. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and frowned. "Senior Sister."

Wen Yinyue approached gracefully, bringing a faint, delicate fragrance, and sat beside him. "What is it?"

She pulled down her white veil, revealing a face as lovely as a flower, and whispered with a furrowed brow, "Have the pursuers from Changbai Sword Sect caught up...?"

Li Muzhan frowned and nodded. "Yes, I have a bad feeling. They are likely right behind us. I need to activate the Da Ming Wang Jing."

"Activate it now?" Wen Yinyue frowned. The Da Ming Wang Jing drained the body's potential; the longer it was used, the greater the exhaustion, and the harder recovery would be later. In her estimation, even if they were caught, the attack wouldn't come until the middle of the night, or just before dawn when vigilance waned. Activating the technique now meant that if the Changbai Sword Sect attacked at first light, the Da Ming Wang Jing might already be spent. Though her junior brother's internal energy was deep, the technique was too draining; he couldn't sustain it through the whole night.

Li Muzhan understood this perfectly, but his intuition screamed that danger was imminent, demanding decisive action. He said solemnly, "Never mind that, I'll start it first."

"Alright!" Wen Yinyue hesitated briefly, then slowly nodded. She ultimately trusted Li Muzhan; since descending the mountain with him, she had never seen him fail or act without thorough calculation.

Li Muzhan nodded, but just as he closed his eyes, he leaped up suddenly. "They're here!"

The others started. Li Muzhan urgently commanded, "Xiaoyao, quickly take Miss He and go ahead!"

Wang Xiaoyao shook his head. "No. We share the danger; we advance and retreat together!"

Li Muzhan gave a wry smile. "Senior Sister, you and Junior Sister Li, protect Miss He!"

The moment his words fell, a streak of electric light flashed out, illuminating the surroundings and forcing everyone to squint involuntarily. Li Muzhan kept his eyes closed, his Void Eye looking down, and drew his sword, releasing a sphere of clear light.

…………………………

"Clang..." His sword light retracted sharply, and he slammed backward against a tree. With a dull thud, pine needles rained down like falling rain.

A figure in white appeared in the clearing, entirely clad in white tight-fitting robes, their face covered by a white kerchief, revealing only a tall, slender, and well-proportioned physique.

"Pfft!" Li Muzhan slid down the tree trunk, spitting out a jet of blood. Wiping the blood from his lips, he shook his head and laughed loudly. "I never expected it, never! Sect Leader Nie honors us with his personal presence!" Protected by the Jin Zhou Bu Huai Shen Gong and having diverted the force into the tree, this spray of blood, though alarming, was harmless.

"Heh heh..." The white-robed figure let out a long laugh, which the others instantly recognized as Nie Wangqiu.

Nie Wangqiu's sharp gaze swept over the group, then flashed suddenly, appearing right in front of He Fengxia. A streak of sword light shot out toward her. His movement and sword were impossibly fast. He Fengxia's mind reacted, but her body could not keep up; she could only watch the sword tip approach.

Wang Xiaoyao roared in anger, transforming into a wisp of smoke to knock He Fengxia aside, then attacked fiercely with his sword. Nie Wangqiu flicked his sword, easily deflecting Wang Xiaoyao’s attack, and drove his blade down, aiming for Wang Xiaoyao’s chest. With a sharp whistle, a blast of finger force struck the sword. It was deflected sideways, and Wang Xiaoyao dodged a fatal blow.

Li Muzhan retracted his thumb and immediately poked out with his index finger. The thrust of the thumb required incredible speed and total mental focus; distributing this focus to use all ten fingers simultaneously would slow the velocity.

Nie Wangqiu flickered away, avoiding the finger force, and suddenly reappeared behind He Fengxia, thrusting out his long sword again. Wang Xiaoyao’s eyes widened; he couldn't react in time.

"Hiss!" Li Muzhan pressed his thumb again, laughing aloud. "Sect Leader Nie presents a façade of uprightness, yet resorts to such petty tactics. It truly disappoints!" Before mastering the Tu Long Shou (Dragon Slaying Hand), his finger force, though strong, couldn't break through Nie Wangqiu's blade. Now, with his force solidified, he could just manage to deflect it, but only with his stoutest digit, the thumb. Nie Wangqiu’s sword was too fast; Li Muzhan needed to fully concentrate his Canghai Shen Jian [Sea God Sword] power. (To be continued)