After Jing Chen took the keys, he led the group upstairs.
“Wait, they—”
“Hahaha!”
Before the group could finish speaking, someone in the lobby burst out laughing.
“That’s the Young Master of Jing Xue Palace! I don’t know where these people came from, trying to fight for a room with the Young Master of Jing Xue Palace?” The person looked at the group trying to claim the rooms and laughed, “You really have guts.”
The Young Master of Jing Xue Palace?
Upon hearing this, the group froze.
Before today, they had never met Jing Chen, but they had certainly heard of the Young Master of Jing Xue Palace.
Why hadn’t they realized it when the man had already called his name?
The group exchanged awkward glances and, feeling embarrassed, quietly left.
…
The incident downstairs was just a small interlude that Huang Quan and the others didn’t pay much attention to.
When they reached the upstairs rooms, the six of them divided the rooms.
Jing Chen and Feng Jiuyuan, Chu Lang and Nan Gongyan, Huang Quan and Qing Le, and the teacher had separate rooms.
Qing Le was a little nervous about sharing a room with Huang Quan, but there were no other choices. She couldn’t very well share a room with the teacher.
Once the arrangements were made, everyone returned to their rooms.
After the waiter brought their food, they all ate together before retiring for the night.
…
The next day.
The seven of them left the inn early.
They entered the inner Snow Plains, where they would pass through Jing Xue Palace.
The teacher, sitting on the back of the flying beast, facing the swirling snow, asked, “Jing Chen, aren’t you going back?”
Jing Chen shook his head. “No, not this time.”
This trip was for training, not for visiting home. And besides…
His father was currently dealing with matters related to the Yun Zhong Auction House. If he returned now, his father would definitely put aside his work and come to see him, and he didn’t want to disturb him.
Seeing that Jing Chen was certain he didn’t want to return, the teacher didn’t stop the flying beast when they passed by Jing Xue Palace.
The flying beast continued into the inner Snow Plains.
The northern Snow Plains were not truly endless snowfields; there were also continuous snow-capped mountains.
The teacher said, “Once we cross the snow mountains, we will reach the deeper parts of the Snow Plains. You can move around in the inner area, but under no circumstances should you cross the snow mountains, understand?”
Chu Lang replied, “Teacher, don’t worry, we definitely won’t cross.”
“Go ahead,” the teacher said. “I’ll wait for you to return here.”
“Half a month, no more than half a month.”
Everyone nodded, then jumped off the flying beast’s back, heading toward the vast white snowfield.
The teacher watched them go, and only after they were out of sight did he return to the flying beast, steering it back.
In the icy, snow-covered wilderness, who would want to wait for those little brats here?
He would wait for them in about half a month.
Not long after the teacher left, the group returned. Seeing the empty space, Chu Lang sneered, “See? I told you the teacher wouldn’t be waiting here.”
Huang Quan remarked, “But there was no need to come back to check, was there?”
“Of course, we had to come back and check,” Chu Lang said. “Even though we know he wouldn’t really be waiting here, it’s only reassuring once we confirm it.”
Jing Chen looked at him and asked, “What are you so reassured about?”
“Slacking off.”
The others: “…”
How could he say that so shamelessly?
Aren’t you afraid we’ll tell the teacher?
“It’s not slacking off. I’m just suggesting we don’t act today,” Chu Lang said. “Look at the weather—this blizzard is nearly blinding. In this condition, how can we go out and train?”
“Let’s find a place to rest. Once the snowstorm eases, we’ll move,” he suggested.
“Even to find a place to rest, we need to go further ahead,” Jing Chen said. “There’s nowhere to rest here.”
383
Jing Chen had lived here since he was young, so he was familiar with the area, and everyone followed him.
The Snow Plains were not completely barren; if they were, animals would not be able to survive here.
After walking for over an hour, Jing Chen finally led them to a sheltered spot.
The group sat inside, watching the blizzard outside, beginning to question their life choices.
With this terrible weather, how were they supposed to train?
Was the teacher sure he wasn’t setting them up?
“I know of a crack,” Jing Chen said as everyone was mulling over their situation. “The conditions below are better than up here, but it’s also more dangerous.”
“Will the wind and snow be as blinding down there?” Chu Lang asked.
Jing Chen shook his head. “No.”
“We’ll go down,” Chu Lang decided. “I’d rather go to a more dangerous place than just sit here every day, hiding from the wind and snow.”
Huang Quan didn’t have an opinion on where to go.
Her main goal for coming out was to find a place to refine medicine.
Half a month—what else was she going to do with that time if not refine medicine?
“Let’s go,” Jing Chen said. “I’ll take you there.”
Seeing this, the others stood up and followed Jing Chen into the Snow Plains.
Leaving the sheltered spot behind, they traveled using spiritual energy for several hours before finally stopping at a location.
Ahead of them was a crack in the ground. It wasn’t wide, very narrow, with a feeling that it could close at any moment.
Chu Lang stood at the edge of the crack and peered down, but could see nothing.
“Jing Chen,” Chu Lang called, looking at him. “How did such a crack form in the Snow Plains?”
Jing Chen shook his head. “I don’t know either.”
“I heard from my father that this crack has been here for a long time,” Jing Chen said. “At first, everyone thought it would close up, but in reality, it never did.”
“Do you want to go down and take a look?” Jing Chen asked, looking at the others. “If we’re going, now is the best time. It’ll be even more dangerous to go down after dark.”
“I’ll go first.” Huang Quan didn’t say much and immediately jumped into the crack.
The crack appeared narrow, but it was wide enough for a person to pass through. Huang Quan didn’t need to use any force and directly dropped downward.
As she fell, Huang Quan glanced at the walls of the crack. At the top, there was just ice and snow, but the further down she went, the more flowers and plants she could see.
When she finally landed, even Huang Quan was shocked by the scene in front of her.
Below the snow mountain crack, there was a paradise hidden from the world…
There was still snow below, but it was nowhere near as intense as above. Here, plants and trees grew freely, completely unaffected by the snow.
Logically speaking, this shouldn’t be possible…
Even if something could grow beneath the snow mountain crack, it shouldn’t be this extraordinary.
As she was about to move forward, she heard a sound from above.
Looking up, she saw the others.
Huang Quan moved slightly to the side to make room.
After the five of them landed, the other four, apart from Jing Chen, were also shocked by the situation below.
What in the world was growing down here?
Huang Quan turned to Jing Chen. “Jing Chen, you’ve been here before. Do you know what’s down here?”
Jing Chen shook his head. “I came with my father when I was young. At that time, there were others too. They seemed to be looking for something. They’d come back every few years, but they never found anything.”
“I asked my father, but he never told me anything. He just always brought me along when he came,” Jing Chen continued. “So I don’t know what’s down here either.”
“Quan Quan, why are you asking?” Nangong Yan asked.
