Don't mess with that Miao boy, he's sickly and perverted.

Jiang Zhiyu and Song Yueyao were still in a daze, staring blankly at the dazzling red snow in Chai Xiaomi's palm.

Song Yueyao squatted down and gently held her fingers, which were red from the cold. At this moment, it was almost impossible to tell whether her slender white fingertips were frostbitten or soaked in blood.

"Xiaomi, what happened to Wu Li?" She gripped Chai Xiaomi's hand tightly, her voice firm. "Don't worry, we're friends. No matter what, I'll be with you. I'll do everything I can to help you."

"Don't cry, your tears are freezing." She reached out to wipe away Chai Xiaomi's tears.

Jiang Zhiyu also came over, dipped his fingertip in a little blood from the snow, rubbed it, and said with a solemn expression, "It's still fresh blood, they just left. Let's split up and search."

He looked up at Chai Xiaomi, his tone calm: "Whether it's a demon or an evil spirit, I, as his senior brother, will risk my life to save him. Besides, Wu Li is so skilled, maybe this blood isn't even his."

Although the two had not yet figured out what had happened, and had no time to think about why they had fallen asleep in the cave, their first reaction upon seeing the situation was to save Wu Li without asking why or worrying about life or death.

Chai Xiaomi stared blankly at them, then suddenly raised her hand and wiped away her tears haphazardly with her elbow.

Yes, now is not the time to cry.

Why be so down, Chai Xiaomi!

You must go and save your husband!

Initially, she was just a cannon fodder female supporting character who was tasked with preventing the villain from casting a love potion on the female lead. Her mission was to help the protagonist group push the villain toward the predetermined bad ending.

But now, she has to do everything in her power to give Wu Li a happy ending.

Chai Xiaomi pressed the red snow from her palm into the snow, sniffed hard, picked up her hat, and stood up: "Do you know what the fastest way to travel is?"

Just then, the white cat's voice suddenly broke in from not far away, "Wait a minute, little Xiaomi. Once I find a stronger bird, we'll set off."

Chai Xiaomi turned her head and saw it squatting on the slope, looking up at the sky, muttering to itself, "It's freezing cold here, so it's not easy to find one. The journey is long, so we need to choose one with a strong physique." It sighed as it spoke. It did have a nine-tailed demon beast that it had subdued and could use, but unfortunately, that nine-tailed beast could not fly.

At this moment, it was also extremely anxious.

Chai Xiaomi paused for a moment, then asked, "Old Ji, you also know where Wu Li went?"

The white cat, still holding its head high, confidently uttered, "In the heart of Chi Mountain, the village of the Wugu tribe."

Chai Xiaomi didn't ask any more questions, then suddenly turned her head to look at the red dragon on her shoulder: "Red Dragon, do you know how to summon Anan?"

The falcon that Wu Li regarded as a friend, which would bring him fruit to eat.

The red dragon nodded, opened its mouth, flicked its tongue, and with all its might, let out a sharp whistle.

It can even imitate Wu Li's whistle.

After waiting for a long time, a long cry came from the distant, white horizon, piercing through the wind and snow, growing louder as it approached.

A dark shadow tore through the pale white sky, its wings spreading like clouds hanging from the heavens. A falcon swooped down, its feathers covered in frost and snow, its sharp eyes like blades, looking down at the group of people on the snow.

It was Anan!

Chai Xiaomi's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but praise, "I didn't expect you, you big fat snake, to be so capable. You can even imitate Lili's whistling seven or eight parts correctly."

The red dragon, who had been feeling down about its master's departure, swayed its tail slightly, looking quite pleased with itself, after being praised like that.

Although it can only make these breathy sounds right now, it won't be long before it can speak human language.

Normally, a snake needs to cultivate for five hundred years before it can transform into human form. It can stay by its master's side and devour the inner cores of many demonic beasts. Occasionally, when its master is in a good mood, it will feed the snake a few mouthfuls of pure blood, which are all highly nourishing and greatly shorten its cultivation path.

"Wow! This one's really good, quite robust. Let's put it in that open space."

The white cat stared excitedly at the falcon that had circled a few times before obediently landing on Xiao Mi's shoulder, and raised its paw to point to the snow beside it.

A bird on the left shoulder, a snake on the right shoulder, and a petite girl sandwiched in the middle—the scene was quite comical.

Chai Xiaomi was indeed about to collapse. Her winter clothes were already thick, and with the added weight, she hunched over slightly.

She reached out and stroked Anan's feathers, saying softly, "Anan, we need to go find Lili. Thank you for your help."

The falcon tilted its head and approached her fingertips, closing its eyes to enjoy the caress. As if it understood, it then flapped its wings and flew to the open ground, landing steadily in the snow and waiting quietly.

The white cat leaped in front of the falcon, its four paws treading on the snow, and stood upright with its head held high.

It holds its two claws together in front of its chest, its eyes closed in concentration.

"Borrowing the power of heaven and earth, the spirit bird transforms into a roc."

A wisp of white light condensed between the white cat's paws. After the eight words were uttered, several rays of light intertwined into a net and suddenly wrapped around the eagle's body.

The brighter the light, the larger the eagle's body appeared within it.

In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a giant bird that blotted out the sky, raising its head and letting out a long cry. With a flap of its wings, it swept away all the surrounding wind and snow.

Jiang Zhiyu stood aside, quietly watching this scene, his eyes filled with two kinds of worries.

The first layer was for Wu Li.

The other reason is for the master.

He knew all too well that his master's actions were going against the will of Heaven.

For cultivators, demonic beasts are inherently different beings and should be eliminated. My master has always turned a blind eye, only subduing those that do evil, while letting those that are harmless to humans roam freely.

However, at this moment, it actively infused spiritual power, forcibly transforming an ordinary eagle into a powerful demonic beast.

This overstepping of boundaries caused Jiang Zhiyu a vague sense of unease.

What bothered him even more was that when his master uttered the words "Chishan," he clearly glimpsed something flashing in the depths of those cat-like eyes, like a desperate look, so fast that he almost thought it was an illusion.

Chishan.

That place seemed to be where it all began.

The region is vast, with rolling mountains, and scattered among them are villages of various ethnic groups, including the Miao, Dong, and Yi...

The most mysterious place is the forbidden land for the living seedlings, shrouded in miasma deep in the valley.

He left the Central Plains to find Yao Yao, and went to Ribai, a place located on the edge of Chishan Mountain. This time, however, he was going deep into the mountains to find the Wugu tribe, a place that no ordinary person had ever set foot in.

At this moment, the group had already climbed onto the bird's back.

Jiang Zhiyu sat nestled among the wings, gazing intently at the mountains and rivers below that had shrunk in an instant, his thoughts drifting far away.

His memories of the past few years were always shrouded in a thin veil of haziness, like a few light strokes, indistinct and unclear. It wasn't until he met Xiaomi and Wu Li that every scene that followed became clear in his mind, as if a bold and vivid brushstroke had been added from that moment on.

He always had a strange feeling that if it weren't for Xiaomi's appearance, perhaps the group of them wouldn't be getting along so well now, and Wu Li would never have become his junior brother.

"Xiao Mi," he suddenly said, looking at the girl who was staring intently into the distance.

Chai Xiaomi turned her head.

"I have a very strong feeling," Jiang Zhiyu said, "that Wu Li will definitely be fine, because the story between us has only just begun."

The sun had just risen, and the first rays of light shone on his face. Chai Xiaomi stared blankly, unable to distinguish whether the shimmering light was sunlight or the protagonist's aura.

But those words still brought her a lot of comfort.

"Yes!" She nodded firmly, her eyes reddening again.

Seeing this, Song Yueyao gave Jiang Zhiyu a sharp rap on the head: "What are you doing, making people cry? Take this opportunity to practice your sword techniques and mental techniques, so you don't mess things up at a crucial moment."

Amidst the commotion, the white cat was rummaging through the feathers on the falcon's back, muttering, "Oh dear, am I seeing things? These feathers look so familiar!"

Chai Xiaomi: "..."