Chapter 32: The Ice Soul Acquired

As dawn approached, we finally arrived at the Frozen Canyon. Before us lay a valley sealed in ice; biting winds mixed with swirling snowflakes slapped against our faces, the chill piercing to the bone. Though it was only early autumn, this place was a realm locked in winter, bleak and desolate.

Yu Jing hugged his thin frame tightly and said, “Brother Yun Fei, it’s so cold here. Let’s hurry and look—once we find it, let’s get back as soon as possible.”

I nodded silently, surveying the wide expanse ahead. The flurries overhead and the thick snow beneath made me shiver despite myself. My feet sank into the snow; as it melted atop my shoes, icy water seeped through, making every step miserable. Ahead, the path led to a broken cliff, where a few small trees stood coated in white frost. Gazing into the distance, the Frozen Canyon was barren—would the Ice Soul really be here?

Cautiously, I scouted the way forward. The snow was deep and the mountain path treacherous; I could easily slip. Reaching the edge of the cliff, I leaned out to look down, causing the snow at the rim to tumble into the abyss below, which was still a landscape of pale emptiness. I decided to search the upper area before considering how to descend. Suddenly, I noticed a glimmer on the cliff face—sunlight reflected off something.

Snow couldn’t possibly reflect such light. Upon closer inspection, I saw, about a hundred meters below us on the sheer wall, a translucent object sparkling. I hurriedly called Yu Jing over. Excited, Yu Jing approached the cliff’s edge—perhaps the snow beneath his feet was too slippery, and he lost his balance, sliding downward.

In a panic, I lunged forward and caught his hand. Yu Jing’s other hand groped desperately for a hold on the cliff’s edge. I signaled for him to stay still. Lying flat, I dug my fingers into the rocky ground with one hand, straining to pull him up with the other. Despite all my effort, I couldn’t lift him—instead, I was dragged towards the precipice myself. Who would have thought that Yu Jing, seeming so frail, was actually so heavy?

Yu Jing cried, “Brother Yun Fei, let go! You’ll fall too!”

I glanced down—the cliff was so high, a fall would mean almost certain death. My body was already at the verge, one leg dangling over the edge.

“Don’t talk, don’t move. I’ll pull you up,” I gritted out.

Suddenly, the load lightened. Yu Jing looked at me gratefully and said, “I’ve lightened myself. Hold tight, I’m coming up.” He felt for footholds on the cliff wall, preparing to climb. But just then, the stone I gripped couldn’t bear our combined weight and crumbled. Caught off guard, both of us slipped rapidly down the cliff.

My arms flailed in the air, one hand still grasping Yu Jing. Suddenly, our descent halted—Yu Jing looked up, and I saw that I’d grabbed a dead branch. It must have been ancient, for it began to creak and crack almost immediately.

“Let go! The branch can’t hold both of us!” Yu Jing shouted.

“Hold on! I’ll never abandon a companion!” I replied.

Yu Jing looked up at me and said quietly, “Brother Yun Fei, I’m glad I met you. You’re my only friend. If there is another life, let’s be brothers again.”

I felt his hand slipping from mine, and with all my strength I gripped tighter. “Brother Yu, if we die, we die together. Hang in there,” I said.

Yu Jing smiled faintly at me, reached out his other hand, and began prying my fingers off, one by one. I stared below—Yu Jing smiled up at me, then his body plummeted quickly. I reached out helplessly after him. At that moment, the branch finally reached its limit and broke, and I too fell.

Wind roared past my ears; I shut my eyes. This time, death seemed certain. Yet I felt no fear—only a strange sense of lightness. Perhaps, dying here would let me return to the twenty-first century, to see Liu Tingting again.

Suddenly, an icy sensation washed over me. I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by murky water—I had fallen into a pool. I was alive! The pool below was covered in ice, with snow masking its surface, making it look like solid ground from above.

“Yu Jing, where are you?” I called, surfacing, but saw no sign of him.

A splash—Yu Jing’s head appeared behind me. I felt a rush of relief; we were both alive. Before I could rejoice, Yu Jing hauled me up onto the ice.

“What’s wrong, Brother Yu?” I asked.

“Run!” Yu Jing said in terror, as if something dreadful lurked beneath the water.

Seeing his panic, I too raced forward, the ice cracking beneath our feet. We had about seven or eight meters to reach the shore; the last of the ice crumbled completely. I leaped onto a large chunk of floating ice, grabbed Yu Jing, and jumped ashore. At last, we were safe.

From the water, a monstrous head emerged, jaws gaping, roaring at us before diving back underwater.

“What was that?” I asked, wiping my face with a wet sleeve.

“No idea. Maybe some kind of fish,” Yu Jing replied.

“This world is truly crawling with monsters,” I sighed.

The sun was already high; noon approached. We had to find the Ice Soul and return to the Misty Forest before midnight tomorrow—time was tight. The thing on the cliff might be the Ice Soul, but the wall was so high, I had no idea how to reach it. Staring up from below, I was at a loss.

This time, Yu Jing came up with a good idea: to climb the cliff by hand, with one of us waiting below in case the other fell. If the height was too great, catching someone would be impossible; in that case, we’d have to push the fallen person toward the pool below, though that meant facing the monstrous fish again. I wasn’t skilled at climbing, especially bare-handed—mountaineers usually use tools and safety ropes. So the daunting task fell to Yu Jing: native to this world, climbing was almost second nature to him; besides, my cultivation surpassed his now, so it made sense for me to stay below as support.

Yu Jing darted across the cliff face like a monkey, shifting left and right. Half an hour later, I called up to the blurry figure above, “How is it? Is it the Ice Soul?”

“Yes, it’s the Ice Soul!” Yu Jing’s voice echoed through the valley.

The Ice Soul, also known as Ice Spirit Grass, thrives in snowy regions and is regarded as the soul of ice and snow. Nearly transparent, it is rare and hard to spot amidst snow. The Ice Soul not only extends life, but when combined with Fire Dragon Grass, can revive the dead. Most importantly, it boosts the cultivation of practitioners. Murong Xue had explained all this clearly before we set out, so searching for it wasn’t as difficult.

Now that we had found the Ice Soul, we had to hurry back—every moment counted, as the Nine-Tailed Fox had little time left. I called out, “See if you can climb straight up. I’ll find another way up right now.”

On the right side of the cliff, I found a protruding rock and climbed up as well. Sitting down, I patted my chest and said, “Finally made it up. Thank heaven!”

I’d rarely climbed mountains before, especially ones this tall. In the twenty-first century, the tallest peak was Mount Everest, over eight thousand meters. From my estimation, this mountain must be five thousand meters at least.

“Do you believe in Buddhism?” Yu Jing asked.

“Hm? Does your world have Buddhism too?”

We raced back along the path we’d taken, chatting and laughing along the way. Adversity had forged true friendship—Yu Jing had become much more talkative, perhaps because he’d been wary of me before. The journey back was much quicker. When we reached the river, there was no need to build a raft; we simply summoned the octopus spirit from the water and crossed swiftly. The octopus’s request would take another two or three days to fulfill; I still had to return to see my master.

At last, we arrived at the Misty Forest. “Miss Murong, how is it?” I hurried forward as Murong Xue emerged from her room.

“Thankfully you returned in time. There’s no danger for now. With a few days’ rest, she’ll recover completely,” Murong Xue said. Relief flooded me and I sank into a chair.

“Miss Murong, I’ll be away for two days. In the meantime, my friends will stay here—would that be convenient?”

Murong Xue smiled. “It’s no trouble at all. There are plenty of empty rooms.”

Bidding farewell to everyone, I set out alone. Xu Qinghuan had repeatedly asked to accompany me, but I refused; staying with Murong Xue was safest. I didn’t let Yu Jing tag along either, or else Xiao Xiang Ke’er would have insisted on coming as well.