Above them, the sky was ablaze with starlight; all around, snowy peaks stretched endlessly into the night.
The group built a bonfire and gathered in a circle as Xin Yilong roasted mutton legs over the flames.
Wang Yu had not taken all the prey the snow leopard had risked life and limb to catch. He had merely carved off the argali's four legs and returned the carcass to the beast.
"I saved your life, and I'm taking half your catch. That's fair, right?" Wang Yu had said to the snow leopard.
The snow leopard had offered no reply, huffing and panting as it dragged away half the argali. Wang Yu had waved to it from afar. "Since you're not saying anything, I'll take that as a yes!"
Ardai clutched Li Yunxiu's hand, bent double with laughter. "I had no idea he was so funny!"
Li Yunxiu glanced at Wang Yu. "Sometimes I don't know what's going on in his head either."
Qianqian beamed. "That's because Brother Yu is kindhearted!"
Li Yunxiu could not help giving Qianqian a sidelong look. To hear an enchantress of the Demonic Cult praise someone for being kindhearted left her utterly at a loss for words.
Having spent many years beyond the pass, Xin Yilong always carried a knife and salt. With practiced ease, he drained the blood, plucked the hairs, skinned and seasoned the mutton legs, then skewered them on branches to roast over the bonfire. Everyone sat on the ground, warming themselves by the fire and chatting away.
Ardai chattered on about life in the White Qiang tribe, her words filled with the vibrant beauty of the grasslands in spring and summer, the gentle charm of the animals, and the warmth and kindness of the herders.
In her voice, the entire world seemed bright and bathed in sunshine.
Of course, Ardai knew of the Black Qiang's ambitions, the terror of the grasslands' white disasters, and the unscrupulous merchants traveling north from the Central Plains. But she chose to face the light.
Even Li Yunxiu was touched by her spirit. Smiling, she shared a few amusing anecdotes from the Central Plains, deliberately choosing tales of punishing corrupt officials and bringing bullies to justice.
Fang Shaobai and Xin Yilong, and even Leng Jiangzhu, chipped in with a few entertaining stories of their own chivalric deeds.
Before long, the mutton legs were thoroughly roasted. Xin Yilong carved the meat with his knife and shared it among the group.
Fang Shaobai teased, "Looks like you don't plan on heading back either, Brother Xin."
Xin Yilong laughed heartily. "How could I take advantage of Junior Sister Leng!"
Xin Yilong stood at the head of the Tianshan Sect's new generation of disciples. Though he had yet to roam the Central Plains, he had already earned the moniker of the Tianshan Divine Dragon beyond Yumen Pass, and together with three of his junior brothers, was known as the 'One Dragon and Three Steeds'—the pinnacle of the sect's current generation.
When the disciples of the Central Plains' Seven Great Sword Sects had arrived at the mountain, both sides had quietly sounded each other out over the past few days.
Leaving aside the four who remained in the Houtian realm, they might hail from prestigious lineages and hold their own against unorthodox fighters or martial artists who had stumbled into Xiantian by sheer luck, but against Xin Yilong, who bore the legacy of the Sword Fiend, they certainly stood no chance.
Yet Xin Yilong was equally certain that he was no match for Fang Shaobai. His internal energy was somewhat inferior to Liu Wuchen's, but half a notch above Leng Jiangzhu's, placing him roughly on par between the two.
Now that Leng Jiangzhu was keeping Sun Wenzhu company out in the wilderness overnight to await the blooming of the snow lotus, Xin Yilong prided himself on being a true son of the Northwest; he was neither willing nor debased enough to take such an unfair advantage.
"Well said!" Fang Shaobai praised, draining the wine from his bowl in one gulp.
Xin Yilong's eyes widened, and he snapped, "You're just looking for an excuse to drink! We didn't bring much wine tonight—save some for me!"
The group burst into laughter.
Fang Shaobai smacked his lips and explained, "You've wronged me there. Ever since I discussed wine with Brother Zhao, I've held myself to high standards: I don't drink if the flavor isn't right, I don't drink if the vessel is unfitting, and I don't drink if the mood isn't proper."
Xin Yilong asked, "And just now?"
"Good friends by my side—the mood couldn't be better!" Fang Shaobai began pouring himself another bowl.
Xin Yilong snatched the wineskin away and poured himself half a bowl. "Not much left, not much left! Go easy on it, go easy on it!"
Wang Yu laughed. "Brother Xin, show some of that Northwestern generosity!"
Xin Yilong took a sip. "Without wine, the cold makes a man shiver. How can anyone be generous then?"
Laughter rang out once more.
Ardai, on the other hand, nodded in deep understanding. "During a white disaster, it really is freezing to death. Inside a yurt you can still burn dung, but out in the open, surviving the cold depends entirely on shaodaozi and mare's milk wine."
They chatted a while longer, and even Sun Wenzhu was infected by Ardai's cheer, a smile gracing his face from time to time.
None of them felt weary, conversing from the previous night straight through to the following dawn. A sliver of sunlight gradually peeked over the eastern horizon, illuminating the nearby precipice and shining upon the snow lotus bud perched on the cliff face.
Sun Wenzhu looked up. "It's about to bloom."
The Tianshan snow lotus could sense the world's very first ray of dawn, unfurling its petals beneath that luminous touch.
Right at that moment, the thunder of hoofbeats abruptly echoed from afar, drawing near with startling speed. The riders soon arrived not far from the group, having evidently spotted the blooming Tianshan snow lotus caught in the sunlight as well.
"A Tianshan snow lotus?"
"It really is a Tianshan snow lotus! What fortune—and it's blooming right now!"
"We only came to Mount Tianshan to try our luck after buying warhorses. Who would have thought our luck would be so good that we'd run into a snow lotus in bloom?"
"Hahaha! This shows our Red Lotus Cult is favored by Heaven! Heaven is showing that our every wish will come true!"
Their voices drifted over on the freezing wind as three fast horses rode up side by side.
"There are people beneath the cliff!"
With sunlight spilling across the terrain, the day had grown clear and bright. The newcomers naturally noticed the group under the precipice, along with their extinguished bonfire, two tents, and horses resting nearby.
"Looks like they've been waiting here since last night?" The blue-robed rider on the left frowned.
"So what if there are people? The Tianshan snow lotus belongs to no one. It goes to whoever has the virtue to claim it—there's no such rule as first come, first served!" the red-robed rider on the right laughed.
"They might be from the Tianshan Sect," the blue-robed man cautioned. "The Tianshan Sect is right on Lingxiao Peak to the east."
"What does the Tianshan Sect amount to?" the red-robed man scoffed. "Plenty of people have gathered snow lotuses near their mountain—can they police every single one? Besides, they don't even know who we are. Once we take the snow lotus, we leave. Where would they even look for us?"
The green-robed man in the middle cast an appraising sweep over the group, noting they were all youths, and dismissed them casually. "No need to entangle ourselves with them. Take the lotus and leave. We'll bring it back as an offering to the World-Honored One."
The red-robed man nodded, then suddenly leapt from his saddle into the air, hurtling straight toward the group as a broadsword flashed in his hand. "Third Brother and I will hold them off! Eldest Brother, go seize the lotus!"
Hearing his eldest brother's command, although the blue-robed man still harbored doubts, he thought no further of them, drew his sword, and followed right behind the red-robed man.
Confident though they were, they were seasoned men of the Jianghu; seeing that these youths were armed, they took no careless chances.
Yet as they closed in, all they met were gazes that were cold, curious, mocking, or brimming with pity.
Fang Shaobai weighed the wineskin, which had long run dry, and asked with a grin, "Who's taking this?"
Xin Yilong chuckled. "Me, of course!"
Every one of the companions possessed formidable martial arts, and the wind had carried the strangers' words with crystal clarity. The intruders had shown blatant disrespect toward the Tianshan Sect; as a Tianshan disciple and their host, Xin Yilong naturally had no choice but to step forward.
The next instant, the red-robed and blue-robed men swept forward together, while the green-robed man ignored everything else and dashed straight for the cliff face nearest the snow lotus.
Then, a sharp, ringing sword chime pierced the air.
*Clang—!*
Xin Yilong's internal energy surged, and as his blade cleared its scabbard, it rattled against the sheath, unleashing a crisp, lingering resonance that struck directly into the minds of all three men with overwhelming intimidation.
A jolt seized the hearts of the red-robed and blue-robed men. They saw Xin Yilong plant his foot, his longsword sweeping out to churn up thousands of drifts of snow, descending upon them like a divine dragon of the snowy ridges.
Before the man even reached them, an endless wave of frost bore down upon them, as though a divine dragon were parting its jaws to devour them whole.
Still on his horse, the green-robed man cried out in horror, "A Xiantian expert!"
The pupils of the red-robed and blue-robed men shrank to pinpricks. Before their blade and sword could even mount an attack, they frantically pulled their weapons back into a desperate guard.
Xin Yilong sneered. His longsword raged like swirling wind and snow, unleashing a deluge of sword light that nearly blinded the pair with its brilliance.
Despair gripped both men's hearts: *I am undone!*
"Please, show mercy!" the green-robed man shouted, leaping down from his saddle. His sword whirled into a blossom of flashes, barely managing in the nick of time to intercept Xin Yilong's wind-and-snow strike.
The green-robed man grunted, injured in a single exchange. The red-robed and blue-robed men hastily joined in with broadsword and sword; only by combining the strength of all three did they barely withstand Xin Yilong's onslaught.
"Are you a swordsman of the Tianshan Sect?" The green-robed man could not even steady his breath before calling out urgently, "This is a misunderstanding! Please stay your hand, sir, and allow me to explain!"
"I heard every word loud and clear! Misunderstanding, my foot!" Xin Yilong's eyes widened in fury. His sword grew swifter and sharper, circling the three like a blizzard until a single man had surrounded all three of them.
Fang Shaobai praised, "The Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow—swift, fierce, and unpredictable. The Sword Fiend fought his way across the Seven Great Sword Sects with this very art. It truly is swordplay of the highest tier under Heaven."
The three opponents were all first-rate experts in their own right, which was the only reason they could hold off Xin Yilong's swordplay for a brief moment by fighting three on one. But clearly, they would not last more than a few more exchanges.
"Aargh!"
The red-robed man possessed the crudest blade technique and had been the one to insult the Tianshan Sect, so Xin Yilong had targeted him from the start. With a flash of his sword, he opened a gash deep enough to reveal bone on the man's arm. Crying out in agony, the red-robed man dropped his weapon.
*Clink! Clink!*
Two sharp cracks rang out as the swords of both the blue-robed and green-robed men were knocked flying one after the other. They stood beside the red-robed man, their faces pale and their hands trembling—whether chilled by Xin Yilong's invasive internal energy or stunned numb by the impact of his blows, neither could tell.
Xin Yilong gave a cold sneer. "Do you know what the Tianshan Sect amounts to now?"
The green-robed man cupped his trembling hands. "W-we know. My second brother spoke without thinking. Thank you for showing mercy."
The blue-robed man's lips quivered. He tried to cup his hands as well, but his movements were far slower than the green-robed man's. Then he heard his second brother's teeth chattering violently. Turning his head, he discovered his second brother was as pale as paper, his lips already turned bruised purple.
The divine art of Mount Tianshan was terrifying indeed!
The blue-robed man's heart pounded with terror. Reaching out, he pulled his brother close and hastily channeled a stream of internal energy into him, struggling to help drive out the cold.
Xin Yilong merely scoffed. Of the three, only the green-robed man possessed decent cultivation. The red-robed man had taken a sword cut and could not withstand the Jade Snow True Qi that had sliced into his body; he was bound to suffer a grave illness once he returned.
Xin Yilong did not even bother asking their names or origins. Sheathing his sword, he waved his hand dismissively. "Men in your decades, yet you still haven't learned that disaster comes from a loose tongue. Scram!"
Relieved as if granted an imperial pardon, the green-robed man pulled his companions along as they turned and hurried to their mounts. Working together, he and the blue-robed man managed to hoist the red-robed man onto his horse, then mounted their own steeds and fled at a gallop.
With the interlude over, everyone turned back to look. Beneath the morning sun, the Tianshan snow lotus on the cliff had opened petal by petal; now, even the petals closest to the stamen were in full bloom.
Sun Wenzhu leaped into the air and began scaling the cliff.
Chapter 82