novelsite Chapter 42 Snow Mountain
Chapter 42 Snow Mountain
Qin Jiu wasn't interested in the knowledge of pots and pans; he was chasing a yellow guard dog on the earthen embankment of the farmhouse. At first, the dog pricked up its ears, bared its teeth, and barked arrogantly.
Qin Jiu didn't run away; he just stood there, tilting his head and staring at it quietly with his emerald green eyes.
Three seconds later, the yellow dog tucked its tail between its legs, its ears drooped, and it let out a weak whimper before slinking away behind the woodpile.
When Ye Cheng saw this, he slapped his thigh with delight: "This kid's something else! Even the dogs are scared of him!"
Early on the third day, the guide arranged by Chen Pi Asi arrived. He was a local man in his thirties named Shunzi. His skin was tanned and shiny from the mountain winds and ultraviolet rays, and he looked like someone who made a living in the snow-capped mountains year-round.
After a brief explanation, Shunzi nodded without asking any further questions, only saying, "We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning. I slept soundly tonight."
After dinner, everyone did a final inventory of their equipment. Chen Pi Asi sat alone on a stone stool in the courtyard, twirling an iron pellet in his hand, coldly watching the group work. He suddenly spoke to Wu Xie, his voice like it was laced with ice: "When we get there, listen to me. Otherwise, if you die, don't blame the old man for not warning you."
These words were spoken without any politeness. Wu Xie's expression changed, but he still gritted his teeth and nodded.
At four in the morning, the sky was still as dark as if ink had been splashed on it.
Braving the biting cold wind, the group set off. The car struggled to reach an abandoned parking lot halfway up the mountain, but could not go any further. The rest of the journey would have to be done on foot.
Once past the snow line, the snow was so deep it reached above the thighs. With each step, you had to pull your leg out of the snowdrift and then plunge it into the next one. The fat man started panting after less than half an hour: "This isn't mountain climbing…this is rice planting! And rice planting in the freezing cold!"
Chen Pi Asi was getting on in years, and walking this kind of path was really strenuous for him, but he had his methods. Lang Feng took out a huge bathtub that he had prepared beforehand, lined with thick sheepskin rugs and warm pads.
"Fourth Master, please sit tight," Lang Feng said.
Chen Pi Asi didn't stand on ceremony and sat down after lifting his coat. Lang Feng, Ye Cheng, and Hua Heshang, the three helpers, took turns pulling in front, with the rope around their shoulders, dragging the basin as they slid across the snow.
The old man sat steadily in the basin, holding a thermos cup in his hand, taking sips of ginseng tea every now and then. His demeanor was even more impressive than that of a county magistrate in ancient times who rode in a sedan chair.
The fat man, his face flushed from trying to suppress his laughter, leaned close to Qin Yuan's ear and said, "This old man... he's quite the prankster!"
Qin Yuan carried Qin Jiu on his back; the two of them, one big and one small, were the least strenuous in the group. Qin Jiu lay on his father's back, his little head turning back and forth, his white hair blending seamlessly with the snow-white skin.
Shunzi led the way, stopping occasionally to observe the terrain and marking the snow with his trekking poles. After walking for most of the day, when the sun was high in the sky, the group stopped to rest in a sheltered mountain hollow.
Shunzi looked up at the sky; clouds were piling up. "Let's camp here for today. If we go any higher, the weather changes in an instant; even a god couldn't withstand it."
Everyone started frantically setting up the tents. While Qin Yuan was setting up, Qin Jiu was playing with snowballs nearby. The little guy made a sturdy snowball, and just as the chubby guy was bending over to secure the tent, he tossed it up with his little hand…
"Ouch!" The fat man took a solid hit to the butt, snowflakes seeping into his pants seams, making him jump with a shiver. "Who?! Who attacked Fatty?!"
Qin Jiu chuckled and darted behind Qin Yuan, revealing only a pair of cunning green eyes.
Zhang Qiling sat alone on a bare black rock not far away, quietly gazing at the distant, continuous snow-capped peaks. His profile appeared particularly cold and lonely in the light of the snow.
Dinner consisted of tasteless compressed biscuits and rock-hard jerky. Qin Yuan did have food in his spatial storage, but he couldn't bring it out in public, so he had to sneak a snack in his tent at night.
Just then, Zhang Qiling, who had been silent all along, suddenly walked to a distance. He didn't look at anyone, but slowly turned towards the depths of the snow-covered mountains, shrouded in wind and snow. The next second, to everyone's astonishment, he bent his knees and knelt down without hesitation in that direction!
The snow instantly submerged his knees. He bent down, his forehead gently touching the cold snow.
At that moment, the howling wind and snow seemed to pause. His kneeling posture was devout yet filled with unspeakable sorrow. Snowflakes fell on his black hair and shoulders, piling up quickly, but he remained motionless.
"Little...Little Brother?" Wu Xie was stunned.
The fat man opened his mouth wide, forgetting the cold.
Qin Yuan's heart skipped a beat. When he read the novel before his transmigration, he vaguely remembered that some netizens had commented that Zhang Qiling was kneeling to the countless Zhang family ancestors who were performing their duties inside the Bronze Gate, while others had guessed that he was kneeling to a mother who was sleeping in the snow-capped mountains and sea of flowers.
But after witnessing it firsthand, he felt that the truth no longer mattered.
A few seconds later, Zhang Qiling stood up, brushed the snow off his knees, and returned to his usual indifference, as if the shocking scene had never happened, and went straight back to his tent.
At night, the temperature plummeted to minus twenty degrees Celsius.
Even wrapped in a thick down sleeping bag, it was still so cold that everyone's teeth chattered. Qin Jiu, however, was like a natural little furnace. Snuggling into Qin Yuan's sleeping bag, his little body was warm and cozy, and he soon fell asleep with a rosy cheek and even breathing. Qin Yuan touched his forehead; the temperature was normal, even warmer than most people's. The effects of the Prayer Pearl were becoming increasingly apparent; Qin Jiu now looked exactly like a human cub.
In the middle of the night, Qin Yuan suddenly woke up.
He wasn't awakened by the cold; it was an inexplicable intuition. He heard a very faint creaking sound outside the tent, the sound of snow being compacted by footsteps. Gently pulling open the tent a crack, a biting gust of cold wind immediately rushed in.
The moonlight was obscured by clouds, casting a faint blue glow on the snow. At the edge of the campsite, a slender and upright figure stood silently, facing the snow-capped mountains.
It's Zhang Qiling.
He stood like a frozen sculpture, even his breath appeared extremely faint.
Qin Yuan watched for a while, then silently pulled up the tent. In his arms, Qin Jiu unconsciously nuzzled against his chest and continued to sleep.
That night, apart from Lang Feng, who was on night watch, most people didn't sleep well. The wind howled like ghosts, and the tents rattled loudly, making it feel like they were about to be uprooted at any moment.
As soon as it was dawn, Shunzi yelled at everyone to wake up.
After setting up camp, the group continued their trek through the deep snow. The higher they went, the deeper the snow became, and the wind felt like knives seeping into their clothes. Shunzi led the way, carefully probing the path with his trekking poles with each step.
Qin Yuan carried Qin Jiu on his back with relative ease, thanks to his enhanced physique. The fat man, however, was in a much worse state, his breathing like a broken bellows, groaning as he walked, "I can't go on... This fat body of mine... isn't meant for off-roading in the snowy mountains..."
Wu Xie wasn't much better off; his face was as white as snow, and he was only able to be half-dragged and half-supported by Pan Zi.
Zhang Qiling remained in the middle of the group, his steps so light that it seemed the snow posed no obstacle to him, leaving very few deep footprints.
As they walked, Shunzi's expression grew increasingly grave. He stopped and gestured for everyone to halt. Suddenly, the wind picked up, and swirling snowflakes pelted them, reducing visibility to less than ten meters in an instant, leaving everything in a white blur.
"Something's not right," Shunzi squinted, trying to make his way through the snowstorm, his voice tinged with barely perceptible anxiety. "I've walked this road at least ten times, and it wasn't this difficult before... It's an avalanche that has completely changed the terrain."
The fat man, panting heavily, leaned closer and asked, "What do you mean? We...we're lost?"
"Not completely lost, but the road is gone." Shunzi took out a hand-drawn map, carefully wrapped in waterproof tarpaulin and already yellowed, from his inner pocket and gestured on it with his finger. "According to the map, there should be an abandoned border post ahead. It can block the wind and is the place we planned to stay for today."
The group set off again. After walking for almost an hour, Shunzi stopped on a relatively flat snow slope. He walked back and forth several times, repeatedly poking the snow with his trekking poles, his brow furrowed in worry.
Finally, he straightened up, his voice heavy: "The sentry post... right under our feet, was buried."
Wu Xie's face drained of color: "Then... what do we do?"
Shunzi looked up at the sky. The sun had disappeared behind the leaden clouds, and the sky was darkening. The wind and snow intensified. "I remember there should be a hot spring nearby... The hot spring is at a higher elevation than the sentry post, so maybe it hasn't been buried yet."
These words silenced everyone, but in this desperate situation, even a sliver of hope is still hope.
Chen Pi Asi sat in the basin, his lips slightly purple, but his voice remained steady: "Lead the way, find the hot spring."
Shunzi nodded, took a deep breath of the cold air, and re-identified his direction.
The wind blew them about, making it hard to open their eyes. In some places, the snow was waist-deep. Lang Feng and the other two, pulling Chen Pi along, also seemed to be struggling, exhaling large puffs of white breath with every step.
The sky darkened visibly, and Shunzi began to stagger, his breathing heavy. Panzi tried to help him, but Shunzi waved him away.
"I...I'm alright," Shunzi said through gritted teeth, each word seemingly squeezed from her lungs. "The hot spring...should be just ahead...it's a small valley, and there's some warmth..."
Before he could finish speaking, his footing gave way, and he fell forward, unconscious.
"Shunzi!" Panzi rushed over in one stride, grabbed his backpack strap tightly, and pulled him up.
Chen Pi Asi sat in the basin, his face covered with a layer of white frost, and his consciousness began to wander.
"Split up and look for hot springs." Zhang Qiling turned to look at everyone, his tone calm. "The area isn't large; splitting up will increase our chances."
This suggestion was extremely dangerous, but in their current desperate situation, it was the only feasible solution. The group rummaged through their backpacks and pulled out climbing ropes, tying a section around each person's waist. The ropes were linked together, like a string of grasshoppers in the snow, ensuring that everyone was within the sight of their companions and the rope's range.
Qin Yuan took Qin Jiu off his back and fastened him back to his chest.
The group spread out in a fan shape, the ropes taut and trembling slightly in the wind and snow.
Qin Yuan walked with extreme caution, repeatedly probing the path with his trekking poles with each step. The snow was too thick; whether it was solid ground or a deep abyss below, no one knew. The fat man followed not far behind him, muttering nervously, "Hot Spring Goddess... I know you're here... Come out and meet me... I brought you some compressed biscuits..."
"Save your energy, save it for breathing." Qin Yuan said without turning his head.
"I wasn't just looking for some psychological comfort... oh my god..."
Before the fat man could finish speaking, he suddenly let out a startled cry. Qin Yuan turned around and saw the fat man suddenly sink downwards.
"Fatty!" Wu Xie was terrified.
The climbing rope connecting everyone suddenly taut, unleashing a terrifying force. Immediately afterward, one person fell into the pit, the rope pulling down those nearby, who in turn dragged down even further down…
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump...
"Ouch... my back..." came the fat man's painful groan from not far away. "Little Blackie! Master Qin! Are you still alive?"
"He won't die for now." Qin Yuan pulled himself out of the snow pit and quickly checked Qin Jiu on his chest. The little guy was well protected, with only a little snow on his face.
"There's something in the snow... there's something in the snow!" Ye Cheng suddenly exclaimed from the side, his voice filled with terror.
Qin Yuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw Ye Cheng struggling to pull his arm out of the snow. Under the snow beside his hand, several long, thin, black, and distinctly jointed things were clearly visible, like the claws of some kind of arthropod!
Following the direction of the claw, the snow layer arched slightly, and a long, narrow outline could be vaguely seen beneath the snow. It resembled a snake, or a giant centipede, exuding an indescribable eeriness.