Chapter 111: The Little Girl on the Glacier

Lu Yanchang’s eyes never once blinked from beginning to end; naturally, he discerned the reason why the arrow’s light had vanished.

He opened his mouth wide in astonishment. This was utterly unfathomable.

Though it was merely a minor spell he had casually employed, he knew that this young lady’s cultivation was far inferior to his. Could it be that once she forged her elixir, or became somewhat stronger, she would even be able to nullify his trump card, the “Heartful Sword”?

Lu Yanchang stared blankly at Hong Jian. She had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage shortly after turning twenty; now that she was free again, how long would it take for her to advance to Nascent Soul?

Suddenly, a lightning bolt seemed to strike Lu Yanchang’s mind, summoning a thought: What meaning did Heaven have in letting me encounter this girl? She is my destined nemesis. Heaven must have been displeased with my reckless dalliance, first throwing me into prison for reflection, then sending her specifically to keep me in check. Even if I, Lu Yanchang, were to become invincible one day, I would have to bow before her. As for her, no one in the world can defeat her, yet she holds me firmly in her grasp. Is there any couple more perfectly matched than these two?

Hong Jian noticed Lu Yanchang’s distracted gaze and his sudden vacant expression. She found it inexplicable; in her impression, Lu Yanchang was always quick-witted and sharp-minded. Why did he now show such a foolish look? Had imprisonment unsettled his mind?

After so long, Hong Jian’s true energy was fully restored. She suggested, “Brother Lu, how are you feeling? If you’re well, let’s hurry back and check.”

Her tone was one of consultation, but Lu Yanchang immediately lowered his brows and obediently replied, “Alright. Just follow me from a distance and don’t interfere.”

With Lu Yanchang in front and Hong Jian behind, they retraced their steps. Upon reaching the area where spiritual energy felt different, Lu Yanchang reminded Hong Jian once more before releasing his lightness skill to speed across the icy plains.

Seeing him sometimes run, sometimes glide like a falcon in flight, growing more distant with every bound, Hong Jian could not help but sigh inwardly: Lu Yanchang was naturally gifted, and through these experiences, he realized that his martial arts were not entirely useless to cultivators. Perhaps he would blaze a path unlike any before him. Given time, he was destined for greatness.

Hong Jian dared not fall too far behind and took a shortcut to keep close.

Unable to circulate his true energy, Lu Yanchang labored for over two hours before finally standing still atop a glacier. He then sent a message to Hong Jian to come join him.

Hong Jian trudged through the snow, gasping as she asked, “Well? Did you find anything?”

Lu Yanchang’s spirit dampened. “Nothing. Could it be that the demon cultivators have all withdrawn? It can’t be so soon.”

They stood high above, overlooking the undulating glaciers and seawater around them. Though not able to see a thousand miles, nothing within a few hundred yards escaped their notice.

Hong Jian said, “Let’s wait here a while.” If they couldn’t find anyone, the rescue plan for Helian would have to be put on hold. There were too many urgent tasks demanding her attention.

“Look over there, what’s that?” Lu Yanchang suddenly spotted something.

He pointed to a small platform near the sea at the foot of the glacier, formed by a fault line. A faint patch of red rested on the platform.

It was very far. Hong Jian stared for a long time before hesitantly saying, “It looks like a person.”

Lu Yanchang agreed it must be a person but wondered if they were still alive. The figure had remained motionless all day like a statue.

Lu Yanchang said, “Strange. I’ll go take a look myself. Don’t get close.”

Hong Jian nodded and cautioned, “Be careful.”

Suddenly, on the other side of the glacier, a few large black birds appeared. Unlike seagulls, they made no calls, and the sound of their wings beating was unheard; they silently glided between sky and sea. If it weren’t for their shadows clearly cast on the white ice, she might not have noticed so quickly.

Lu Yanchang also saw them and halted. In a low voice, he said, “Heavenly Demon Sect!”

Apparently, his wits only faltered when he met Hong Jian. These black birds immediately reminded him of the story Old Jing once told.

He pulled Hong Jian low to avoid attracting the birds’ attention.

The black birds led the way, followed downstream by a large raft stretching dozens of yards, spacious enough to run several horses side by side.

On the raft, shadowy figures stood or lay about. Black vines coiled around the raft like countless venomous snakes baring their fangs. Clearly, this great wooden raft was crudely fashioned by the Heavenly Demon Sect, who felled trees nearby and had their demonic beasts bind the trunks together.

Such a formidable display immediately deflated Hong Jian. She asked Lu Yanchang, “It seems they are returning victorious. If Helian was captured, he should be on that raft. Do you have a way to rescue him?”

Lu Yanchang stammered, “Good grief, so many of them?”

“Just the two of us,” she replied bluntly, “we can’t even get close to that raft.”

“They have Nascent Soul monsters. If we can’t find an opportunity here, it will be even harder once outside the glacier,” Lu Yanchang said, rubbing his chin in worry.

The two lay prone on the snow-capped mountain, watching helplessly as the enormous raft drifted farther downstream until it became a tiny dark speck on the horizon.

Hong Jian sighed.

Lu Yanchang brushed snow from his clothes and stood up, speaking first: “Don’t worry about Helian. Since the Heavenly Demon Sect brought back a captive all this way, they won’t kill him immediately. They’ll hold him elsewhere, maybe even let him cultivate. We’ll just have to think of a plan to rescue him.”

Hong Jian found this odd. Lu Yanchang was supposed to be the one rescuing Helian, yet now that the plan was thwarted, he comforted himself first.

But she pushed the thought aside. Her gaze fell again on the patch of red. If the Heavenly Demon Sect had withdrawn, who was that person?

Since something was amiss, she decided to find out.

Lu Yanchang led the way to investigate. As Hong Jian drew nearer, she saw it was indeed a living person squatting on the ice.

The person wore white clothes. From a distance in the snow, it was hard to discern, but the red they had first seen was a long red ribbon tied to the person’s braid, fluttering in the snowy mist.

Judging from the back, it was a little girl, squatting still in the bitter cold. She seemed to be doing something, though motionless.

Lu Yanchang stopped and waited for Hong Jian to approach, then whispered, “A little girl who won’t grow tall? Do you think she could be Old Jing’s wife?”

Hong Jian hesitated. “Did Old Jing ever tell you what happened to his Heavenly Demon Sect wife?”

Lu Yanchang shook his head. “He said they separated while fleeing, then he got caught. Whether she was a cultivator or a demon, or had some defect, she was sincere to him. As for Jing, that man doesn’t even bother looking at himself in the mirror—he’s not worth my attention!”

Though Hong Jian had been taken to the Black Tortoise Prison, and Old Jing insisted he had nothing to do with her, Lu Yanchang held him accountable and refused to speak kindly to him.

But now, Lu Yanchang refused to miss any chance to rescue Helian. He said, “Wait here. I’ll talk to her. If Old Jing wasn’t lying, and she went with him to the Dan Cliff Sect to visit your Senior Uncle, she probably isn’t a ruthless villain.”

Hong Jian watched as Lu Yanchang approached the white figure. The “little girl” seemed unaware of their presence, remaining motionless.

Her heart tightened. Lu Yanchang stopped five or six yards away and appeared to be speaking with her. After a pause, he slowly drew nearer. The two were quite close, and Lu Yanchang even squatted beside the “little girl.”

Strange—this looked like a friendly conversation.

Since no fight broke out, Hong Jian also approached. A cold north wind blew, carrying the sound of their voices.

“What will you do then?” Lu Yanchang asked.

“I don’t know. I thought if I saw him, I’d beat him badly, pull out all his whiskers and eyebrows, then make him kneel at my mother’s grave for a year or so. But I searched everywhere and couldn’t find him,” she replied.

“Would you recognize him?”

“I’d know him at once. My mother said he was very handsome and that my eyes resemble his most.”

Lu Yanchang was speechless. Looking up, he introduced to Hong Jian, “She’s your Senior Uncle Jing’s cousin. She snuck out to look for Old Jing.”

The little girl looked up with a pitiful expression. “If Grandpa knew I followed out, he’d be even angrier. He hates my father the most.”

Hong Jian was at a loss for how to respond. The girl’s big, wet eyes showed distress and grievance. Given her stature and attire, she looked about eleven or twelve, but knowing when Old Jing was imprisoned in the Demon Refining Prison, Hong Jian realized this daughter, like her mother, was a dwarf who would never grow tall.

Lu Yanchang, however, was patient. “I saw your grandfather’s large group already heading back. Why didn’t you follow? Maybe your father is still on the raft.”

The girl’s face twisted in sorrow, about to cry. “When they left, Grandpa said if he found my father, he’d snap his neck immediately and wouldn’t bring him back. Grandpa watches me closely, and my little Black won’t approach his ship. Ten to one, my father’s already dead. Wahhh.”

“Who’s Little Black?”

“Here, this is Little Black.” The girl raised her hand and released a tiny black flying insect no larger than a fingernail. It silently flew around Lu Yanchang once before returning to her palm.