Chapter 680: The Frozen Valley

Chapter 680: The Frozen Valley

The temperature suddenly dropped, which was quite eerie, like a sign of some disaster, causing everyone to chatter in speculation.

While the cold wind blew, Lin Nuo sneezed in surprise.

“Ha-choo!”

Whenever the wind came and the temperature fell, a certain girl with mysterious white hair always popped into his mind. She usually arrived with a frigid gust, sometimes even bringing ice along.

There was a hint of shadow.

The sudden drop in temperature didn’t reach the level of outright freezing; it was still child’s play.

But speaking of Qin Shili, he hadn’t seen her in a while, even when he was still at Helong Hall.

She had mysteriously vanished, an unsolved riddle.

Of course, she could have been out on a quest, battling monsters or something of the sort, which wouldn’t be strange at all.

She was a lone wolf anyway, never telling anyone when she went out; it wasn’t surprising at all for her to simply disappear.

Could she be nearby?

He glanced around, failing to catch sight of Qin Shili. Instead of looking for her, he preferred to sense her presence. He was particularly sensitive to energies, especially hers, which he could detect with ease.

Nothing. She wasn’t here.

Lin Nuo shook himself and asked, “Is this weather been like this lately?”

Luo Xiaoxue nodded:

“Yeah, it’s been like this recently; suddenly the wind picks up, and the temperature drops, with ice forming at night. It’s bizarre, especially since it’s not even the changing of seasons. Sometimes the sun shines bright, which is even stranger.”

Exactly, when the sun shines so brightly, how can the wind suddenly pick up? Is the sun not saving face?

To be honest, if it were truly the weather, how come such things didn’t happen while he was at the Su family’s place?

Perhaps the Su family’s warmth made him forget the cold, especially with Su Kexin’s fire spirit root, which felt like being warmed by a bonfire—more than just cozy, it was hot!

So it should relate to the locale, or maybe it was this damned weather’s fault.

“Lin the Knight, if you’re cold, we have great coats in the camp. You can wrap one around yourself to avoid catching a chill.”

“Sure.”

No more pretending; if it’s cold, then it’s cold. Just throw on some clothes.

Luo Xiaoxue handed him a splendid military coat, which was exceedingly warm. It must be said that the Royal Guard had plenty of money and power; their military coats were several times warmer than those of the common folk.

However, once the wind settled, the warmth returned to normal, and Lin Nuo started sweating, feeling like he was by a furnace.

This crazy weather—suddenly cold, then back to hot—really knew how to mess with a person!

“It’s warming up again. Has it always been like this?”

“Yep, it has.”

“Then you’re enjoying a bizarre combination of ice and fire, huh? Here you go.”

Lin Nuo took off the coat and returned it to Luo Xiaoxue.

That veiled princess didn’t say a word; it was all Luo Xiaoxue attending to him.

“Lin the Knight, would you do us the honor of staying in the camp for a while to observe military discipline?” Luo Xiaoxue asked.

An inspection, huh?

You want a villain to help your Royal Guards with their inspection? That’s definitely a unique flair.

Whether he could stay or not, didn’t the princess need to ask?

Well, here we are; this is a puppet show. If she were the real princess, wouldn’t she slap you and shout, “How dare you act on your own accord?”

Just then, some random side character might come running in and say, “Greetings, Lord Dragon King,” and boom, we’d be in a grand spectacle!

But no, it was all just his imagination.

Luo Xiaoxue seemed to remember something and looked over at Han Xiao, asking:

“Your Highness, what are your thoughts on this?”

This was nearly taking matters into her own hands; she almost slipped up.

“Great! Lin the Knight is young and talented; we hope you can guide us,” Han Xiao responded, her tone respectful yet authoritative, maintaining the demeanor of a princess without disrespecting Lin Nuo.

Lin Nuo stuck around in the military camp for a bit, pondering how to unveil this princess’s veil. It was broad daylight—didn’t she feel embarrassed showing her face with a veil on?

Just snatching it off suddenly wouldn’t be what a true villain would do; he’d have to act discreetly.

For instance, he could conjure up a breeze; as the gentle wind blew by, the veil would be whisked away—easy peasy.

He was just mulling over how to create a gust to mess with her dress when suddenly, a soldier came rushing in with a report:

“Reporting! Your Highness! We’ve heard in town that the Ziyuan Mountain to the west is freezing over. The closer you get to Ziyuan Mountain, the weirder the weather becomes, often dropping suddenly. Rumor has it that some monsters are causing trouble.”

No sooner had he finished reporting than another chill wind hit, and the temperature dropped once more. Just when they thought it was hot, it got cold again!

The sudden chill had everyone wanting to curse.

The cold wind usually came in waves, but now it crashed down like a strong gale, making everyone shiver.

Lin Nuo quickly threw on the military coat; it was even colder now than before, and it came out of nowhere—what a nuisance!

“Monsters causing trouble? Has anyone seen them?”

“No, just rumors. Because it’s so strange, everyone wants to believe it’s monsters causing the ruckus. Your Highness, this sudden temperature drop is extremely harmful to the soldiers’ recovery. It’s best we move away from Ziyuan quickly!”

The soldier advised, and Han Xiao pondered for a moment before looking towards Luo Xiaoxue.

Luo Xiaoxue met Han Xiao’s gaze and then her eyes darted back to Lin Nuo.

The intent was clear—she wanted Lin Nuo to make the decision.

Han Xiao understood and respectfully asked Lin Nuo:

“What do you think, Lin the Knight? Is this truly the work of monsters, or is it just strange weather? Should we retreat?”

Everyone was astonished. Even the usually wise princess was consulting Lin Nuo, showing just how authoritative he was.

Upon hearing this, Lin Nuo thought, does this princess really need to ask for my opinion? If I tell you to die, will you actually do it?

Your lives or deaths have nothing to do with me; I can’t be bothered to decide for you.

“This concerns the Royal Guards’ interests; Your Highness should make the decision yourself.”

He kicked the ball back into their court—it was still up to Luo Xiaoxue and the others to decide.

Lin Nuo looked towards Ziyuan Mountain in the west, which was a towering ice cone, the icy aura visible on the surface.

This business…

Lin Nuo grew suspicious, feeling it wasn’t just an ordinary monster situation.

At that moment, he spotted cultivators flying towards Ziyuan Mountain on swords; among them, he recognized the figures from Xuanyun Sect.

This situation…

From Lin Nuo’s instinct, the arrival of cultivators indicated it wasn’t a small matter; ordinary monsters could be handled by a couple of low-tier cultivators.

Or perhaps something divine was stirring deep in the mountains as well.

If it turned out Su Kexin showed up, that could easily lead to another opportunity.

What a misstep! He had thought the events at Tianwu Star had concluded and that there wouldn’t be any major incidents. How was he to know this would happen?

However, rather than worrying about Su Kexin stumbling upon a new opportunity, he felt an ominous premonition urging him to go there.

Yes, he felt the need to head over there.

…

In the valley of Ziyuan Mountain, the chilling wind howled, the once lush green mountains now surrounded by ice and snow, transformed into a world of frost.

A girl clad in a blue cloak walked through the snow, her hood concealing her silvery white hair akin to fresh snow.

The whistling snow continued to fall thicker, the white expanse spreading out from Ziyuan Mountain.

The girl halted at the edge of a cliff, her cold eyes gazing into the distance, watching more and more cultivators approaching on their swords.

With a blank expression, she turned and walked back into the depths of the valley…