Chapter 13: The Mysterious Disappearance of Qing Xuanche and Yun Zhao

Returning to the thatched hut, Yun Zhao processed all the wild game they had hunted, then took out the wild boar leg from the spatial pocket and tossed it into the large pot. Next, she added the matsutake mushrooms and wild vegetables picked that day, along with some freshly gathered bilberries to mask any gamey odors.

She then took a strip of wild boar meat she had purposely set aside, sliced it thinly, washed and cut the newly picked wild greens into sections, and rendered fat from the boar to make cooking oil. Stir-frying the meat and greens in the fat, she added seasonings stored in the space to finish the dish.

“There’s quite a lot prepared today; we might not be able to finish it all,” Wen Lang remarked.

Yun Zhao explained, “I made extra on purpose. The surplus is meant as a gift for the cold birds.” Having gathered so many fine things today, she wanted to repay them properly.

The aroma of the food filled the air, fragrant and inviting.

Once the meal was ready, Le Fei eagerly took a bite, savoring it so much he nearly swallowed his tongue. Xiao Yan clutched his round belly and collapsed onto the ground, too full to move. Ye Chonglou lazily went to bed, while Wen Lang leaned against the wall, closing his eyes to rest. Qing Xuanche began meditating to restore his strength.

Yun Zhao packed the leftover food into a basin and placed it into the space before heading back into the dense forest. As soon as she took out the food, five level-five cold birds gathered around. If cold birds could express emotion, Yun Zhao thought they must have been quite satisfied.

During this interval, other cold birds appeared carrying eggs from the forest, soon amassing a small pile. One of the five cold birds fanned its wings, and an egg flew into Yun Zhao’s arms.

“Is this meant for me?” Yun Zhao felt honored and touched.

There was plenty of food, with much left after the five cold birds finished eating. When they left, other cold birds swarmed forward to snatch the remains. Fortunately, Yun Zhao had already stored the eggs in the space, or else there would have been chaos.

Qing Xuanche and the others stayed in the thatched hut for two more days. During this time, Xiao Yan and Le Fei seemed to have unlocked Yun Zhao’s spatial knowledge. They scoured everywhere for food—snow rabbits, snow mountain wild boars, mountain goats, cold sparrows—everything was gathered and stored in the space.

Their thinking was practical: once they reached Li City, such wild delicacies would be hard to come by.

Every day, Yun Zhao brought food to the cold birds, who in turn gave her a variety of gifts—beautiful stones, unknown herbs, feathers, animal teeth, jade, flowers, and more.

On this day, Qing Xuanche was fully recovered, and the group left the thatched hut.

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As usual, Qing Xuanche placed a gold ingot on the table.

Le Fei eagerly said, “This time I’ll draw the character. It measures the south—‘road.’”

“The left side is ‘foot,’ symbolizing movement and steps, hinting at the need to tread carefully and cautiously. The right side is ‘each,’ which breaks down into ‘foot’ and ‘mouth’ (goal), emphasizing that action and objective must align. A clear path means risks are controllable. In short, it warns against straying off the right track,” Qing Xuanche explained.

The group trekked through the snowy mountains, unusually silent this time. Even lively Le Fei spoke softly when chatting with Xiao Yan, the memory of their battle with the level-six bear beast still vivid.

For several days, their journey was smooth.

One day, they noticed the snow melting and the temperature rising slightly.

“Guess what I found?” Le Fei, the scout, was excited.

“Stop teasing and tell us,” Xiao Yan threw a snowball at him.

“There are hot springs on this snowy mountain—can you believe it?”

The group was stunned.

Snow and hot springs seemed mutually exclusive, yet here they coexisted—a true marvel.

They arrived by the hot springs and found there was more than one.

Xiao Yan became wild with excitement, ripping open his shirt to reveal his muscular chest and starting to pull off his pants. “I’m coming in!”

Before he finished, Qing Xuanche shot a sudden icicle from his fingertip, instantly freezing Xiao Yan into an ice statue.

Xiao Yan’s amber eyes widened, a half-curse stuck in his mouth. He struggled and was about to roar but saw Yun Zhao covering her face beside Qing Xuanche. He choked on his words, scratching his head, “Cough… forgot there was a lady here.”

After days in the snow, with occasional injuries and bleeding, having a place to cleanse themselves made their excitement understandable.

Yun Zhao wisely suggested soaking in one of the hot springs and headed toward the innermost pool.

“Xiao Yan! Let’s see who can hold their breath the longest!” After Yun Zhao left, Xiao Yan and Le Fei completely let loose.

The two beastmen plunged into the hot spring, splashing water everywhere, their laughter mixing with the steam and rising to the sky.

Wen Lang sat by the pool’s edge, gently stirring the water with a fish tail and washing himself. He preferred cold water and showed little interest in the hot springs.

Ye Chonglou rolled twice and then lazily leaned against a spot.

“Ye Chonglou, do you have no bones? Always lying down,” Le Fei teased, flicking hot spring water at him.

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Ye Chonglou’s eyes glowed strangely, then suddenly a red supernatural energy flashed forth, and the playful Le Fei’s eyes rolled back as he sank vertically into the water. After a long moment, he surfaced, gasping for air, almost suffocating.

“You sly fox, no sense of humor at all,” Le Fei scolded, amazed he used supernatural power against him.

Suddenly, Yun Zhao gave a sharp cry.

The others hadn’t reacted yet when Qing Xuanche vanished in a blur.

At the deepest hot spring, Qing Xuanche saw the water churning into a sinister whirlpool, with Yun Zhao’s skirt being sucked beneath the surface.

Her terrified gaze met his as her finger traced a desperate arc in the air.

“Grab her!” Qing Xuanche reached out, gripping her wrist with his fingertips.

But the undercurrent’s force was beyond expectation; despite fully using his power, he was pulled forward, staggering.

Yun Zhao’s pupils contracted sharply as she clearly saw shock—and worry?—in Qing Xuanche’s eyes.

“Let go!” she screamed, trying to shake free, but his grip tightened.

The whirlpool’s suction was like a whale swallowing the sky. As they plunged into darkness, Yun Zhao glimpsed Xiao Yan and Le Fei’s terrified faces, heard Ye Chonglou and Wen Lang’s calls, and Qing Xuanche’s low growl beside her: “Hold on to me!”

Wen Lang, Ye Chonglou, Xiao Yan, and Le Fei wore grave expressions as they took turns diving into the hot spring, searching every corner without finding Qing Xuanche or Yun Zhao.

If not for seeing the two disappear right before their eyes, they might have thought the entire scene was an illusion.

“How is this possible? Where did they go?” Xiao Yan frantically searched again, still finding nothing.

He looked dazed and said to Le Fei, “Pinch me quick—I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

“Smack!” A heavy slap sent Xiao Yan spinning twice, his head spinning even more.

A booming voice shouted, “You idiot! Pinch him, not slap him like that!”

Le Fei muttered, “It’s not a dream—I actually hurt my hand!”

Ye Chonglou looked at these two fools and shook his head.

Though unbelievable, Qing Xuanche and Yun Zhao had indeed “disappeared” before the others’ eyes.