"Elder Cooper, what should we do?"
The snowfall was heavy, and before them stretched a vast, white world. A woman bundled in a thick cotton coat shivered, her hair already dusted with snowflakes as goose-feather snow continued to swirl around her.
A tall, upright man quietly observed everything around them. His clothing was thin, and his face was so cold that shards of ice had formed on it.
"Don’t worry, Yumi. As long as we find the right path, we’ll get out of here. Everything will be fine."
As the man spoke, he reached out his hand. The woman behind him grabbed it and took off her thick coat.
"Elder Cooper, you’re almost frozen. Warm yourself up first."
"It’s alright, Yumi. I can handle this cold. My constitution is different from yours."
As he spoke, the man shivered, and a faint golden glow flickered over his body. A golden dragon appeared on his skin, instantly melting the shards of ice. The woman put her coat back on, and the two trudged forward through the snow, their footprints quickly swallowed by the wind and snow.
"Elder Cooper, I think something’s wrong. Did we take a wrong turn?"
The man didn’t answer. With determined eyes, he pulled the woman forward. Suddenly, the falling snow stopped abruptly, as if time itself had frozen. Two beams of black light shot toward them.
Elder Cooper, be careful.
The woman cried out, her back sprouting a pair of pure white wings. She grabbed the man and floated into the air, but suddenly both were caught by swirling black currents that immobilized them.
A wave of coldness woke me up. I opened my sore eyes to find my mother wiping my forehead with a cold towel. I felt weak all over, as if I had a fever.
Roxie, your health is so frail. You should rest a while before going. Snowridge Springs is at the peak of tourist season right now. Last night I checked the hotels there—none are available.
I coughed, still feeling unwell. It was already past 10 a.m. My mom had come to wake me up after 9, but I was still asleep. She saw my flushed face and realized I had a fever.
I made you some porridge. Eat, then take your medicine and get some sleep. You’ve been working too hard lately, and your body needs rest—you’re not made of iron. Listen to me.
I responded softly, feeling uncomfortable all over. Thinking about the dream I just had, I found it unbelievable. Who were those young people in the dream?
But then I thought, it must have been the Old Man and the Blind Lady. I’d never seen either of them, but recalling the dream, the man’s demeanor really resembled the Old Man, and the woman was like the Blind Lady.
Is Snowridge Springs really such a dangerous place?
My mom was about to leave the room, but paused, shook her head, and spoke.
There’s nothing special about it—just a unique climate. Every winter, it snows and there are hot springs. Drinking wine in the winter and enjoying the snowy scenery is actually quite nice. I’ve been there before; it’s nothing extraordinary. It’s only become popular in recent years.
I checked on my phone and found that it’s not really a dangerous place. The name comes from a single river that runs horizontally through the area. In winter, when it snows and the wind blows, the river freezes and turns white, and the surrounding forests are dusted with snow, forming a straight line of snowy scenery. The photos look spectacular, but considering how crowded it is now, it probably isn’t as beautiful as the pictures. I remembered my trip to Golden Temple—I was full of anticipation, but when I arrived, it was packed with people everywhere, and the attractions were even more crowded. The atmosphere and mood were both frustrating.
Thinking about the place I’m going to, it’s probably the same—so popular, it’ll be packed. That dampened my mood; after all, soaking in a hot spring and enjoying the snowy scenery on a winter day is truly a pleasure.
I don’t know what’s wrong with my body—I just couldn’t muster any energy. After eating some porridge and taking fever medicine, I went back to sleep.
In a daze, I saw the heavy snow again. I saw the man and woman before me, both battered and sitting on the ground. The man was barely alive, seemingly on the verge of death, while the woman cried out.
The wind and snow couldn’t touch them. On both sides of the valley walls, black things crawled like spiderwebs, writhing and looking terrifying.
I’ll ask you again: Who lives, who dies?
The woman cried out, and a heavy voice echoed through the valley. Waves of chilling energy swept in. The two were completely helpless; the woman just wept silently, slowly standing up, but a bloody hand grabbed hers.
Yumi, I die, you live.
No!
Suddenly, the woman’s eyes widened and she began to cry, shaking her head repeatedly. Black energy coiled around the man’s body, and at that moment—
Please, spare him. You said those who come here must leave something behind as proof, so that those who follow can find this place. It doesn’t have to be a life—whatever I have, I’ll give you, just let us go.
After a long while, the snowstorm stopped, just as I’d seen before—the wind and snow frozen around the two.
Alright, I’ll agree. You’re no longer people of Naraku, so leave your eyes behind. That way, others can find this place.
With a scream, the woman clutched her eyes in pain, blood pouring out. The man roared in anger. When the woman opened her hand, her eye sockets were just two bloody holes.
I woke up with a start, panting and drenched in sweat. I felt warmth in my arms, so I took out the dragon and chicken statuettes. Sure enough, the memories from these objects had naturally fused into my mind through my Coexistence Instinct. These must be the memories of the Blind Lady and the Old Man. I didn’t know the true nature of the cruel voice in my dream—it didn’t seem human or ghost.
I wondered, could it be curse power?
But I realized my body felt unusually light—the fever was gone. As I got out of bed, all my fatigue seemed to vanish. I stared in amazement at the two warm statuettes.
It was this power that restored me. I immediately went downstairs and found my dad and Fan Xiaoran playing Go in the living room. I was surprised.
Dad, you know how to play this?
I asked, but my dad didn’t answer. He stared at the Go board, looking serious. I didn’t understand the game, but Fan Xiaoran looked confident, as if he was sure to win.
I sat beside them, watching quietly, but my mind kept drifting back to everything I’d seen in my dream. I wanted to ask Fan Xiaoran about it when their game ended.
My dad held a black stone, looking unsure where to play. I glanced at him sideways.
Play here.
I pointed to a small gap surrounded by white stones. Suddenly, my dad looked as if he’d awoken from a dream, placed his stone, and laughed, slapping his thigh in delight before looking at me happily.
Daughter, that move was brilliant.
Of course. Who do you think I am?
Now it was Fan Xiaoran’s turn to look serious. After a while, he admitted defeat.
You don’t really understand Go, do you?
I blinked.
Why don’t I understand?
That’s a great move—“Immortal Points the Way.”
Fan Xiaoran said, and I glared at him before telling him about the dream I’d had. Suddenly, his face grew serious.
I didn’t expect that thing was still around.
What thing?
I stared at Fan Xiaoran in confusion. He slapped his forehead and sighed.
This trip might be dangerous—you’ve already had a prophetic dream.
I gasped and asked.
Is this really a prophetic dream?
Fan Xiaoran nodded, and my dad spoke.
A prophetic dream isn’t just about the future—it can be about things that happened in the past. In a dream, it’s actually a warning or reminder. Fan Xiaoran, what exactly is that thing?
That was a unique technique created by the third-generation leader of Naraku. I thought it had disappeared, but it’s still around. The technique is powerful. I once went there with others representing the dragon, chicken, snake, and monkey. The other three died there. I defected from Naraku because of the seal at Snowridge Springs—I didn’t want to die, so I left.
I grew more and more confused.
Why is it so dangerous? At least tell us first, okay?
Fan Xiaoran shook his head.
It’s hard to explain—let’s wait until we get there. With my abilities and Lan Qinmo’s help, we should be able to break it.
I stared at Fan Xiaoran, and he immediately smiled and said—
Of course, there’s you too, Lan Roxie.
Then my dad started searching for hotels in Snowridge Springs online. He looked for a long time before finally booking two rooms. I had him buy tickets for tonight’s 7 p.m. flight. I planned to leave tonight, arrive at night, check into the hotel, soak in the hot spring, and go back to sleep.
Roxie, you’d better be careful.
My dad looked at me with concern, and Fan Xiaoran shook his head.
It should be fine for now—the third-generation leader’s technique only targets people from Naraku. As for you people from Huangquan, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Don’t say “should”—what’s the real situation?
I asked, and Fan Xiaoran stood up.
How about we keep drinking tonight?