Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 892 Entering the Mountain
On the snowy mountain path, a crimson horse trotted lightly through the snow, while behind it, in a carriage, Jin Chanzi held a box, gazing at the ginseng spirit inside.

"Hey, this thing is quite rare."

The ginseng, as thick as a thumb, huddled in the corner of the box, its roots trembling slightly, and a few snowflakes falling from its two green leaves. Xiao Ran glanced at it sideways: "Master Dao said it knows the mountain paths well, more reliable than a living map."

"Can you speak?" Jin Chanzi tapped the box with his knuckles.

The ginseng spirit shuddered violently, its roots curled up even tighter, and fine water droplets seeped from its leaves, making it look as if it had cried out in fright.

Wu Man suddenly said in a cold voice, "Something is watching us." Before she finished speaking, the snow-covered bushes by the roadside split open with a rustling sound, and three gray-skinned, skinny wolves emerged, their saliva mixed with blood dripping onto the snow, their six eyes fixed on the wooden box.

Without even raising his head, Xiao Ran flicked three pieces of paper from his fingertips, which transformed into three paper blades that pierced through the wolf's skull with a whoosh.

Before the blood could even splatter, the paper blade had already turned to ashes.

"Ginseng essence gathers the earth's energy, and evil spirits naturally crave it."

Xiao Ran tightened the reins, and the crimson horse sped over the wolf carcass. "Make sure it's well covered up; we'll need it to find our way once we get to Changbai Mountain."

Jin Chanzi snapped the lid shut, and a faint "squeak" came from inside.

Ahead on the ski slope, a fierce wind whipped up a sky full of white snowflakes, like the drool of a giant beast.

The distant Changbai Mountain was getting closer and closer. Since they had already informed Wuxiantang, Xiao Ran and the others simply followed the best road into the mountain.

Beside the stone path leading to the mountain gate stood five sculptures, representing the five immortals: Fox, Yellow, Willow, White, and Gray.

The five celestial sculptures are all raising their hands in a fist salute, facing Changbai Mountain, as if they are paying tribute to Changbai Mountain.

At this moment, Xiao Ran looked up and saw that Grandma Huang was standing in front of them with her people, waiting for them.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran got off the sled and came to Grandma Huang and the others.

"Fellow."

Upon seeing Xiao Ran approach, Grandma Huang was the first to greet her. She raised her hand, and behind her, Uncle Hu took out a pot of warmed wine from his food box, poured two cups, and brought them over.

"No matter how much grudge we have, this parting may be the last time we see each other. Even if we have a blood feud, let's leave it at that."

Xiao Ran could sense both the helplessness and the relief in Grandma Huang's words.

He silently accepted the bowl of wine offered to him, bowed slightly to Grandma Huang, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, Grandma Huang also drank the hot wine in her hand in one gulp.

The two didn't exchange another word. Xiao Ran slammed down the wine bowl in her hand, turned around, and jumped onto the sled: "Giddy up!"

After letting out a neigh, the crimson horse immediately sped past the crowd.

As the sled moved further and further away, Xiao Ran suddenly let out a long sigh. Instantly, she felt as if some burden had been vaguely thrown away, and she felt refreshed.

Jin Chanzi wrapped his fur coat tighter and said sarcastically, "Now that the karmic debt of the Five Immortals Hall has been paid off, aren't you relieved? That blood feud back then weighed on your family for three generations. Now that you've taken on that debt for the older generation, it's finally all over."

“They can’t beat us, what can they do?” Wu Man interjected coldly, her withered hand beneath her black robe pressing on the wooden box that trembled with the swaying.

The ginseng essence inside the box pushed open the crack, and the green leaves that had just peeked out were whipped by the wind and snow.

Xiao Ran squinted at the hazy outline of the snow-capped mountains, letting the ice shards scrape against her face.

It felt like finally paying off her credit card and getting out of debt, but before Xiao Ran could even sigh about it.

Suddenly, the crimson horse reared up with a neigh! The sled came to a screeching halt at the edge of the steep slope, and the snow in front of it collapsed with a roar, revealing dark ice fissures.

The road ahead has collapsed more than halfway.

The three men and the tiger went closer to take a look, and saw a deep abyss in front of them, its bottom unseen, with a cold wind whistling up from below.

Xiao Ran tried to extend her palm in front of her, and in just a moment, her palm was covered with a layer of frost.

"This road is blocked, let's take a detour."

Seeing this, Xiao Ran decisively abandoned her plan to jump over the deep pit.

He crushed the frost covering his hands, only to find that his palms were already red from the cold. Keep in mind that his constitution was over 400 points; if it were anyone else, they would probably be frozen solid instantly.

Wu Man took out the ginseng box and shook it: "Wake up, tell me, which way to go?"

The ginseng in the box trembled, but refused to speak.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran walked to the box, reached out and untied the red rope binding the ginseng spirit. Instantly, the ginseng spirit in the box turned into a yellow light and flew out, rolled on the ground, and transformed into a small old man less than a meter tall.

The old man, with a full head of white hair, had a baby face. As soon as he landed, he made a face at Xiao Ran and the others and turned to disappear into the snow.

However, the ginseng spirit was clearly unaware of Xiao Ran and the others' power. With a wave of her hand, Wu Man unleashed a suction force from her palm, instantly capturing the little ginseng spirit in her hand.

"You're not being honest!" Wu Man sneered, sticking out a finger and poking the old man.

"Ouch! It's hot!!" the ginseng spirit screamed, and its body immediately collapsed onto the snow, curling up and rolling around.

"Ouch! It's hot! It's burning me!"

He shouted and slapped at the non-existent sparks on his body, but couldn't hold on for long before he fell to his knees and kowtowed, "Spare me! Spare me, I'll lead the way for you, please spare me!"

Wu Man grabbed the ginseng spirit's head and lifted him off the ground: "I've planted a ball of fire spirit in your body. If you dare to run, this fire spirit will roast you alive."

"I won't run, I don't want to run anymore!" The ginseng spirit waved his hands repeatedly. Jin Chanzi stepped forward and bowed, "Amitabha, Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life. This old ginseng has not had an easy time of cultivation. Please spare him."

After saying this, Jin Chanzi walked to the ginseng spirit's side and said, "I see that you have a thousand years of cultivation. Cultivation is not easy, and you are destined to face this tribulation. But I can vouch for you. As long as you lead the way steadily, I will help you to overcome this tribulation and ensure your safety."

"Taoist Master, I am willing to lead the way, I am willing to lead the way."

The two men, one with a red face and the other with a white face, made the ginseng spirit dare not refuse. He immediately kowtowed repeatedly.

"Hmph, you're smart enough to lead the way. If you dare to play any tricks, hmph!!" Wu Man glared at the ginseng spirit, looking it up and down.

After looking around and confirming the location, the ginseng spirit said to Wu Man, "Both paths are passable. However, although the left path is flat, it is haunted by evil spirits and fierce formations. The right path, though rugged and difficult, is full of unexpected encounters and treasures along the way."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Wu Man and waited for her to make a decision.

Wu Man looked at Xiao Ran, who asked, "You said the right side is treacherous and difficult to traverse, how treacherous is it?"

“There are places of delusion, where those who enter will be bewildered and their bones crushed; there is a colorless sea of ​​fire, which is colorless and cold, but those who enter it will surely perish; and there are also… Deer Turning Back, Dragon Roaring Altar, and Soul-Calling Valley.”

The ginseng spirit rattled off a long list of place names, all of which were extremely dangerous and difficult to traverse; living people should not enter, for entering would surely lead to death.

"This is called 'difficult to ride'?? Do you have some misunderstanding about the phrase 'difficult to ride'?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Man glared fiercely at the ginseng spirit. Every place in the area sounded ominous to her.

"Yes, yes, but these places, though dangerous, also contain rare treasures."

The ginseng spirit hurriedly retorted, "Tell me about that Land of Illusion. It is said that there is a divine well inside, from which those who drink can remain young forever. There is also the colorless sea of ​​fire, where there is a fruit that can increase one's fortune if eaten."

The ginseng spirit rattled off a list of many treasures that no one had ever heard of before.

However, seeing that Xiao Ran and the others did not seem interested in the rare treasures he had mentioned, the ginseng spirit gritted his teeth and said, "Oh right, there is also the Tree of Destiny. It is said that there are all kinds of destinies on this tree, which are extremely strange. As long as you find this tree, you can even defy the heavens and change your fate."

"Destiny!"

Xiao Ran's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Yes, this tree is said to be an ancient divine tree, whose branches can extend into the darkness and give rise to the destiny and fortune of the world."

Seeing that Xiao Ran seemed very interested, the ginseng spirit quickly continued to replenish.

"That old codger is still up to no good. Even now, he still dares to trip us up!"

At this moment, Wu Man squinted and whispered to Xiao Ran and Wu Man.

The three of them weren't fools; each of them was a seasoned veteran. Judging from the ginseng spirit's words, it was clear that he was deliberately trying to lead them to the right.

However, Xiao Ran also wanted to see what this ginseng spirit was up to, and besides, he was very interested in the tree the ginseng spirit mentioned.

The condition for a self-proclaimed thief to advance in rank is to prepare a top-tier destiny for themselves.

This is so rare; it's exactly what I need right now.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran nodded: "Okay, let's go to the right then."

"Alright, alright, let's go around that rock and climb up."

With the ginseng spirit guiding them, Xiao Ran and the others boarded a sled and continued up the mountain along the left-hand path.

Although the main peak of Changbai Mountain is not high, Changbai Mountain itself is extremely large.

The mountain ranges rise and fall, resembling several giant dragons encircling the area.

The crimson horse pulls the sled up the mountain road on the right. Along the way, you can see the jagged black basalt covered with blue glaciers, piercing the snow like the fangs of a giant beast.

Icicles hanging from the branches refracted eerie rainbow light, and sulfurous white mist rose from the deep ravine, vaguely revealing the boiling underground river below.

The ginseng spirit huddled in the corner of the sled, occasionally pointing out the chalcedony veins that shimmered in the crevices of the cliff to Xiao Ran and the others, and then pointing out the snow lotus hidden under the rubble.

It seems that this ginseng spirit is not only familiar with this place, but also knows about many treasures hidden in the crevices of the mountain streams that no one knows about.

But the group had no time to linger; instead, they sped up and rushed into the mountains. As night fell, the sky seemed to be covered with a layer of crimson light after they entered Changbai Mountain, making it feel like a completely different world from the outside.

When they reached the windy pass halfway up the mountain, Xiao Ran frowned and grabbed the reins.

"We can't go any further. The weather ahead looks bad. Let's find somewhere to take shelter."

Even in this place, Xiao Ran dared not be careless and remained vigilant at all times. Her powerful senses, combined with her mental strength, allowed her to clearly sense that something was wrong ahead.

When one uses mental energy to perceive the past, all that can be sensed is darkness; the specific details cannot be ascertained.

But he could definitely sense that the black storm was rapidly approaching them.

“But… there’s not much to do here. Maybe… we should walk a little further. I know a place ahead where we can rest,” the ginseng spirit suggested.

"It's too late, this way!"

Xiao Ran's pupils suddenly constricted, as if she had seen something in the shadows ahead. She decisively pulled on the reins, turned around, and rushed quickly toward the hill on the other side.

At the same time, dark, leaden clouds suddenly pressed in from the horizon.

The gale whipped up snowflakes that stung our faces like knives, and in an instant, a dense hailstorm, as heavy as a torrential rain, crashed down with a fierce roar!
Strangely, these hailstones melted upon landing, silently, yet wherever they passed, vegetation froze, instantly covering the entire void with ice.
(End of this chapter)