The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Before dawn, a convoy of vehicles slowly made its way through the vast sea of ​​snow.

Feng Jiuxiao wrapped herself tightly in her white fox fur coat, lifted the corner of the curtain and looked out. All she could see was a vast expanse of white, with the distant Qilian Mountains appearing and disappearing in the morning mist as if splashed with ink.

As the car sped up, a strange sight suddenly appeared on the snow-covered plain—low shrubs bent low by the weight of snow, yet their branches were adorned with scarlet berries, resembling coral, burning brightly against the gray-white background.

Helian Rongguang, riding a horse, asked in surprise, "What is this thing?"

The Venerable White Lotus, who was riding the same horse as him, said, "This is Snow Red! It only grows in the cold highlands and is extremely rare in the Central Plains!"

Suddenly, a long hiss came from ahead, and the carriage curtain was abruptly lifted by the wind. A snow leopard was seen crouching on a roadside stone, its golden eyes blazing, a frozen hare pinned beneath its paws. The leopard was agile, its fur gleaming silver-blue in the morning light, seemingly blending into the snowfield.

Pang Shiwu, riding in the lead carriage, gripped the reins tightly and said, "Isn't it said that snow leopards rarely approach people? How come today..." Before he could finish speaking, the leopard had already leaped into the snowy forest, leaving only a series of plum blossom-shaped paw prints. "It doesn't even want its prey? Strange! Are we that scary?" This snow leopard, is it afraid of people or not? If it's afraid of people, it shouldn't be waiting by the roadside for the caravan to approach! But if it's not afraid of people, why did it run away when people arrived?

Yuan Zishan, sitting in the carriage, said, "With such a large group of us, six or seven carriages, it's quite a sight. How could it not be afraid?"

Pang Shiwu said, "Oh, right, it might have mistaken us for hunters!"

As the convoy passed through a narrow pass, the terrain gradually leveled out, and clusters of pale purple wildflowers emerged from the snow, their petals as thin as cicada wings, trembling gently in the wind.

Yuan Zishan caught a whiff of the unique scent from afar, and peeked through the curtain: "It's a nascent snow lotus. Although not fully formed, its medicinal properties are already potent." She got out of the carriage, carefully wrapped the flower in a handkerchief, and said to Chili: "Soaking this flower in snow water can treat internal injuries and blood stasis." Chili's eyes lit up: "So amazing!"

As the sun rose higher, a shimmering light suddenly appeared at the edge of the snowfield.

As the carriage rounded the last mountain ridge, Qinghai Lake, hundreds of feet away, unfolded before our eyes like a giant silver mirror. The ice on the lake surface remained intact, yet it shimmered with iridescent colors due to the refraction of sunlight, resembling a frozen ice crystal painting.

If viewed from above, the vast lake is covered by a layer of silvery-white ice, resembling a giant mirror embedded in the plateau, its edges blending seamlessly with the outline of the snow-capped mountains.

The surface of the ice is crisscrossed with pale blue cracks, like the veins of the earth's breath, reflecting a cold light under the sun.

In the distance, snow-capped peaks surround the lake, their snow lines clearly defined, creating a striking contrast between light and shadow that highlights the vastness and immensity of the landscape.

The lake shoreline meanders like a ribbon, interspersed with snow-covered grasslands and sparse withered grass, adding a touch of yellowish-brown texture to the pure white world.

Occasionally, the silhouettes of a few migratory birds skim across the ice, leaving tiny dynamic traces that break the tranquil sense of eternity.

Countless tents were pitched along the lake, their flags fluttering in the wind.

Thousands of soldiers from the six major families of Qing Tang City were patrolling in formation, their curved swords drawn and held in their hands, gleaming like stars in the snow. The drawn swords signified that they were on high alert, ready to respond to any unforeseen events!

From time to time, riders galloped in from afar, their hooves breaking the thin ice and splashing up tiny droplets of water. They were searching for their own group by following the markings on their flags.

From afar, Feng Jiuxiao could see that the banners were embroidered with the names of famous sects such as Shaolin, Wudang, Diancang, Kongtong, Qingcheng, Huashan, Emei, Beggars' Sect, Maoshan, and Laoshan, as well as newly emerging martial arts groups like Tianxing Sect and Tiandao Sect. There were also underworld gangs such as the Black Tiger Gang, Qinglong Sect, Axe Gang, and Blood Sword Sect, and local gangs like the Fuzhou Gang, Longmen Escort Agency, Hengyang Gang, and Siyang Gang, along with some unknown small gangs and wandering martial artists. There were countless people, and he couldn't tell how many there were.

However, these gangs didn't erupt into conflict as expected. Their past grudges seemed frozen in the bone-chilling cold, like the waters of Qinghai Lake! They coexisted peacefully! People occasionally entered and exited the tents, simply to observe the changes on the lake's surface! Although the lake's surface was frozen, in some places the ice was extremely thin. While it was possible to leap several dozen feet using light-footed skills, Hai Xin Mountain was at least a thousand feet from the lakeshore. Even the most skilled light-footed individuals, using unparalleled techniques like "dragonfly skimming the water," couldn't reach the end! Because they still needed to borrow energy! Unless they reached a level like the Demon Lord, seemingly at the Celestial Realm, able to walk on lotus blossoms and tread on emptiness, transcending the constraints of borrowing energy!
The Huashan Sect's camp consisted of four tents.

A female disciple came out of the tent, looked at the lake, and sighed, "The ice is still too thin to support any weight."

A woman's voice came from inside: "Junior sister, why don't we just rent a boat? How long would that take?"

The woman outside whispered, "I heard the sect leader say that it's not that they don't want to rent it, but that they dare not rent it!"

"What?"

Have you ever heard the story of "Two peaches kill three warriors"?

"I've heard of it! Could it be... we are warriors?"

"Yes! That boat is Tao!"

"Whose hands hold the peach?"

"Those Tibetans! Didn't you see those Tibetan soldiers, wandering around aimlessly? They're afraid we'll steal their boats!" "They won't rent them to us?"

"Rent! But the price is too high! A round trip would cost ten thousand taels of silver!"

"What? Ten thousand taels of silver? Isn't that robbery? That's outrageous!"

"They never wanted us to come to the island in the first place; the ten thousand taels was just a way to make us back down!"

"If they don't want us to come to the island, why don't they just let us leave?"

"Do you think they're stupid? Faced with so many armed Central Plains people, would they dare to use force?"

"So since they don't dare to confront them directly, they resort to shameless tactics and raise the ferry rental fee to an exorbitant level?"

"of course."

"Isn't there a single gang that can rent a boat? Many gangs should be able to come up with ten thousand taels of silver!"

"Sure, but which of them would dare to rent it?"

"Why wouldn't you dare?"

"If you rented it, would you just board the ship like that?"

"Why not?"

"Hey junior sister, where's your brain? There are wolves all around us, are you sure your boat can go far?"

"You mean whoever rents the boat becomes the target of everyone's criticism?"

"Oh, my dear junior sister, you're right for once. Whoever rents the boat will become the target of everyone's attacks! They'll become prey! They'll be surrounded and attacked!"

"Then why don't we just rob them from the Tibetans?"

"Take it from the Tibetans? Wouldn't that be going against the entire Tibetan dynasty? No matter how skilled an individual is in martial arts, how can they withstand the entire Tibetan army?"

"Oh, I see. No wonder. Hey? Senior Sister, another caravan is coming from afar, quite a few people. I wonder which sect they're from! Hey? Senior Sister, I feel like I've seen that boy in black somewhere before?"

At that moment, the eldest sister poked her head out from inside the tent, "Where are you?"

The junior sister pointed in Pang Shiwu's direction, "Over there!"

The eldest sister looked over and frowned, saying, "Why does he look like Pang Shiwu?"

Who is Pang Shiwu?

"He is Feng Jiuxiao's brother."

"Oh, now that you mention Feng Jiuxiao, I remember something. This Pang Shiwu's martial arts seem to go beyond just being a ninth-level master! Those two swords he carries seem to have quite a history! Hurry up and inform the sect leader that Feng Jiuxiao has arrived!"

"Senior sister, you haven't been here long since you came down the mountain, so there are some things you might not know."

"How could I not know? I asked them these past two days. The Demon Lord is dead, the Azure Dragon of the Demon Sect failed his tribulation, his dragon soul was divided between the two, and the rest of his treasures were also divided up by the heroes!"

"Senior sister, you're amazing!"

"This is nothing, just a small matter!" (End of Chapter)