EBE Chapter 98, Under the Mulberry Tree
Chapter 98, Under the Mulberry Tree
"Clang!" The spirit crystal dagger made a piercing sound before being withdrawn by Ning Xiaoxi.
"It is me, it is me, Kuiwei Mountain Moon."
Ning Xiaoxi looked speechlessly at the tall figure behind her, "What are you doing here?"
"I was worried about your safety alone, so I came along." - Kuiwei Shanyue
"How did you follow me here? I didn't hear anything!"
"They ran over here!"
"Run? Is it the kind of run I'm thinking of?" Although reindeer can't keep up with the speed of light cloud beasts, they still have their unique advantages in the icy plains. It's true that Kuafu could chase the sun.
“That’s right, we Kuafu people are very fast, keeping up with a mere reindeer is no problem at all,” Kuiwei Shanyue said proudly.
[Kuiwei Shanyue, fifteen years old, from the Kuafu tribe, possesses the Seven Star Array Diagram, has cultivated the Solar True Fire to the advanced early stage, has a True Fire Spiritual Vein, is simple-minded, has the potential to become a super, and has feelings for the host, considering her a friend.]
Ning Xiaoxi looked at the tag that appeared on the top of Kuiwei Shanyue's head. Did this mean he could be trusted? Was this skill not triggered actively? Was it a passive skill? No, that didn't make sense. Apart from her brother having a tag appear on his head when he awakened his skill, she had never seen this thing appear on anyone else's head.
"Oh!" Ning Xiaoxi continued to look up at the tree, wondering if she should just make do here tonight.
"Those trees don't have branches, they're all icicles. This tree doesn't have branches, it's just a trunk," Kuiwei Shanyue explained to Ning Xiaoxi as she stared at the tree.
"Such a large tree canopy is filled with icicles?"
Kuiwei Shanyue led Ning Xiaoxi's reindeer around the tree trunk and pointed behind her. Ning Xiaoxi then realized that the tree trunk was blocking out the tree trunks behind it. This was a forest, not a single tree. The canopy that blocked out the sun was the effect of the snow and ice melting into icicles and connecting together.
“It’s already dark, it’s not a good time to travel anymore, shall we rest here for the night?” Kuiwei Shanyue stared at Ning Xiaoxi with wide eyes, waiting for her reply.
Ning Xiaoxi nodded helplessly, then thought for a moment and realized that her small tent couldn't possibly fit this big guy. So how should she arrange accommodation?
Seeing that Ning Xiaoxi had agreed, Kuiwei Shanyue happily ran forward two steps, looked around, found a triangular spot on a tree trunk, and placed his hands on the trunk.
Ning Xiaoxi saw the snow house appear before her eyes, and it even had a small room of her own.
“This ability is very useful.” Ning Xiaoxi looked at Kuiwei Shanyue standing in front of the snow house. Obviously, the house was built according to his height.
Next, Ning Xiaoxi saw Kuiwei Shanyue take out a fluffy white animal hide from his bosom and spread it on the ice bed in the small room, leaning against a tree trunk. He then took out another large black animal hide and spread it on the floor of the hall. He deftly took out firewood, lit it, and then hung up an earthenware pot to boil water.
Ning Xiaoxi stared blankly at his flat chest, thin clothes, and empty hands. Where did he get these things from? Did he have a spatial dimension like hers?
Kuiwei Shanyue took an empty bowl and walked to the tree trunk. He used a dagger to cut a slit in the bark, and a milky white liquid flowed out from the slit and into the empty bowl, quickly filling it.
Ning Xiaoxi looked at the bowl handed to her, then looked at Kuiwei Shanyue with a puzzled expression.
"This is mulberry sap, it tastes sweet and refreshing, and it quenches thirst and relieves hunger."
With some skepticism, Ning Xiaoxi took the bowl, took a small sip, and her eyes lit up.
Seeing Ning Xiaoxi's expression, Kuiwei Mountain Moon Liquid smiled, "Delicious, isn't it!"
The temperature in the room gradually rose, and Kuiwei Shanyue poured himself a bowl of tree sap and sat down to drink it.
Why are you following me?
He pointed to Ning Xiaoxi's wrist and said, "There's demonic energy there."
Ning Xiaoxi frowned. Was it already that obvious? Without being coy, she put down the bowl and showed the Kuiwei Shanyue the ice-blue snowflake on her left wrist.
Kuiwei Shanyue examined the misty snowflakes carefully and asked uncertainly, "Is this the trace of the Snow Woman's soul?"
"Yes." Ning Xiaoxi was speechless. How could someone recognize this thing just by meeting her? "You've seen it before?"
"I've heard the elders in my clan mention it," Kuiwei Shanyue frowned. "Has your family abandoned you?"
Why do you ask that?
"Letting a little girl like you run off to this polar ice field all by yourself, without any elders to accompany you, isn't that just leaving you to fend for yourself?"
"I've come to find a way to remove the soul's curse."
“I heard from the clan elders that this soul mark will eventually assimilate a person into a demon, and it cannot be removed,” Kuiwei Shanyue said heavily. “There were people who had the soul mark planted on them, and they were eventually sealed in the clan’s territory. Although it cannot be removed, it can protect them from being assimilated into a demon.”
“I am not from a family of celestial masters, nor do I have any celestial master elders, so I can only come here alone to try my luck.”
Kuiwei Shanyue's eyes widened. "I can see that you have a magical artifact to conceal your aura. Although I can't tell what level you've reached, your skill in taming the reindeer is extraordinary. How did you cultivate to this level at your age without a family?"
"It was just a coincidence," Ning Xiaoxi said, not wanting to elaborate.
"Why don't you come with me to the clan's territory? I'll ask the clan's priest if there's any way to help."
Ning Xiaoxi smiled as she looked at Kuiwei Shanyue, "I came here because I had a solution; I didn't come blindly."
"Is it the hint you mentioned earlier?"
Remembering how Kuiwei Shanyue was able to grab her with his spiritual power lasso, Ning Xiaoxi raised her wrist and activated her spiritual power. The wisps of cold air became even more noticeable. "Can you feel it?"
Kuiwei Shanyue sensed it quietly for a moment, then pointed to the northwest direction, "Is it over there?"
"Can you really feel it?"
What's there?
"It is said that the heart of the Snow Woman can remove the traces of the soul, and this direction should guide me to find the heart of the Snow Woman."
"The Heart of the Snow Woman? Does such a thing really exist?" Kuiwei Shanyue's doubts were obvious.
"Do you know the heart of the Snow Woman?"
"It's just a legend, but no one has ever seen a super snow woman, and nobody knows if such a thing really exists."
"You'll only know if you try!"
"I'll go with you."
"Mountain Moon, thank you. We met by chance, and I am already very grateful to have you take care of me for one night. This is my own business. Besides, I am not sure if I can find the Snow Maiden's Heart there. Your trial is important, so don't delay because of me."
Kuiwei Shanyue lowered his head and remained silent. From the moment he saw this frail little girl during the day, he had been impressed by her resilience. He had been forced to leave his clan's territory for a trial, spending a month alone on the icy plains. Ning Xiaoxi, though searching for the Snow Maiden's Heart, was ultimately just a legend, and the Snow Maiden possessing it must be an extraordinary being. Yet, she had resolutely ventured into the icy plains alone. He wasn't even sure if he, too, would have had such resolve.
Looking up at Ning Xiaoxi, who was sitting peacefully by the fire, leisurely drinking the mulberry tree syrup, he remembered what his father had told him before he left the clan's territory: obtaining prey in the trial only proved that he had the ability to survive; courage and wisdom were the marks of him becoming a true member of the Kuafu clan.