The moon sets, the sun rises, and the sky is a boundless blue. High up, the snowy mountains glitter in the sunlight, and across the snowy plains, Jill Young is sprinting at full tilt. With her long strides, each step covers ten meters, shockingly fast. It turns out, everyone has something they're afraid of. Even the bravest hero might fear his wife. Even gods and ghosts might be scared of loneliness.
Terrence Bar finally caved. These so-called 'heroes of the martial world' are really just obsessed with saving face. If they lose their reputation and become infamous for generations, that's worse than death for them. Jill Young's persuasion was simple—the classic 'Judge Bao persuades the Emperor' routine: threaten to write Terrence Bar’s embarrassing story as a serialized novel and broadcast it in every city, over and over. Plus, all the lackeys who witnessed today’s fiasco were released. These big-mouthed guys would spread the news across the martial world faster than seeds on the internet. By the time Jill’s name is famous, Terrence Bar will be stinking up the place.
"Don’t doubt me, I’ve got plenty of free time for this kind of fun. First stop—let’s go to your hometown and spread the word to all your folks."
Terrence Bar’s expression was truly something—raising his eyes, howling at the sky, full of heroic spirit. But after Jill Young punched him, that heroism deflated fast and he surrendered: "This is the western slope of Tianshan. To reach Misty Peak from here, even with horses or boats, it’d take seven or eight days. If you’re going on foot through these mountains, you won’t get there in less than a month. Plus, those Wuhuan and Weibo guys are tricky. By the time you arrive, Spirit Eagle Palace will be a river of blood."
His eyes darted, clearly scheming, and he probed: "I heard Spirit Eagle Palace is great at training hawks and mystical birds to send messages. If you use a carrier bird, you’d get the news there much faster. Why not notify the palace right away?"
"Mystical birds?" Jill Young slapped Terrence Bar unconscious, then looked down and asked the Second Generation Empress Tianshan, "You got any?"
The Second Generation Empress Tianshan kicked at her swaddling clothes, looking super innocent: "Do I look like someone who carries birds around?"
"Definitely not. Guess we’ll just have to take the shortcut and run."
"What shortcut?"
"Walk. In. A. Straight. Line."
And so, Jill Young began her epic sprint across the snowy plains. With the Second Generation Empress Tianshan tucked in her arms and Terrence Bar dangling in her hand, Jill started leaping over mountains and valleys. The peaks of Tianshan towered overhead, the gorges ran deep, and every step Jill took sent snow flying—her speed was unreal. Terrence Bar, being dragged along for the ride, got a real education and deeply regretted his reckless pursuit.
This witch might not know any internal martial arts or fancy footwork, but her strength is freakish, and her body is tough as nails. When she runs flat out, the wind she kicks up nearly blinds Terrence Bar. Even sheer cliffs can’t stop her for long—she just grabs the big guy and uses him to bounce off boulders, leaping five or six stories high each time. To a normal person, it looks like she’s flying.
Even among martial arts masters, Terrence Bar had never seen anyone leap so high, even with the best footwork. Maybe those legendary figures could do it—rumor has it the leader of Spirit Eagle Palace can soar like an immortal—but Terrence Bar himself had never witnessed anything like this.
Of course, this journey was anything but pleasant for Terrence Bar. Jill Young would sometimes swing him by the arm and toss him howling onto a cliff, or, going downhill, stomp his feet and turn him into a human snowboard, slicing through the snow in a perfect arc.
The speed was, of course, ridiculous—but Terrence Bar was just about being run ragged.
He did think about escaping. Sometimes when Jill Young was resting, she’d lounge on the snow with her hands behind her head, legs crossed, eyes closed, looking totally relaxed and off guard. Terrence Bar would glance at her, wondering if he should smack her on the head. But then he’d remember he only had one arm left, so maybe it was safer to just sneak away.
But he’d barely gotten a few steps when a snowball, packed hard as a chunk of ice, came whistling at him and knocked him off balance. He tumbled down the snowy slope, dizzy and breathless. When he finally pulled his head out of the snow and looked up, Jill Young was still lying there, saying nothing—but now she was holding a short spear she’d somehow found.
The short spear was shiny and black, simple in design, no flashy edges. But with Jill’s freakish strength, she could easily skewer him. Terrence Bar is the type who, facing certain death, might go out heroically—but if you give him time to think about how precious life is, he’ll soften up on his own.
So Terrence Bar, looking like a dead man, quietly shuffled back and sat down nearby, his posture as gray and lifeless as his mood.
"Pfft!" Someone snickered—it was the Second Generation Empress Tianshan, sneaking a look. Staring at the dejected Terrence Bar, Wu Zhengfeng mused to herself: "This girl’s methods are wild and unconventional, but they sure work. Not a word spoken, and she’s already tamed that stubborn mule. If my palace had someone like her, maybe today’s rebellion wouldn’t have happened." She watched Jill Young, her mind spinning with thoughts.
After a short rest, they hit the road again. In the occasional bits of conversation, Jill Young finally understood why she hadn’t been able to blow her cover earlier—it was just too remote, too hidden! These folks had done a ton of secret-keeping for their uprising, even changing the location of their rally several times to dodge Spirit Eagle Palace’s intelligence network, finally settling on that low mountain peak.
It’s like the fellowship in Lord of the Rings struggling all the way to Mount Doom, only to meet some random guy who says he’s just passing by—who’d believe that?
The Tianshan mountains run east to west, high in elevation, but there are still forests and grasslands. After crossing a dangerous peak, a lush broadleaf forest appeared below—a mountain valley with a stunning view of lakes and hills. "Nice spot, let’s head there first," Jill Young said, stroking her chin. Then she looked at Terrence Bar. He stared back in horror, then resigned himself, bent over, and turned into a human snowboard.
His internal martial arts let him reduce friction while sliding—almost as good as a real snowboard.
Going uphill is hard, downhill is harder—but with a snowboard, it’s a breeze. By midday, the three of them reached the riverbank in the valley. After a night without food or water and being tossed around, Terrence Bar just wanted to dive into the clear lake. But before he could move, he instinctively glanced at Jill Young for permission—and in that moment, he felt deeply sorry for himself.
"Go find your own food. Eat, bathe, sleep—do whatever you want. You’ve got half an hour. Stay at least a hundred meters away, but if you’re not back on time, well, you can figure out the consequences." Jill Young waved him off, and Terrence Bar immediately bowed and retreated. Once he was far enough away, Wu Zhengfeng asked, "What if he tries to escape?"
"Don’t worry, he can’t run. If he tries, I’ll chop him into a stick—leave the head to point the way, that’s enough." Jill said terrifying things like they were nothing. Suddenly, she noticed, "Hey, what’s with the squirming?" Sure enough, the Second Generation Empress Tianshan looked awkward, her little face turning purple. Her eyes darted, and she finally managed to say, "I...need...to pee..."
"Huh?" Jill Young blinked, then burst out laughing. Rejuvenation at this level means some things are just impossible to handle alone. A one-month-old baby can’t walk, so how’s she supposed to take care of business? (Of course, the guy Li Yuncong met doesn’t count...) Hearing Jill laugh, the Second Generation Empress Tianshan blushed even harder, wishing she could crawl into a hole.
"Alright, alright, no problem!" Jill Young had suspected something was wrong with the baby’s face for a while—now she realized she’d been holding it in to the limit. With a mischievous grin, Jill reached for the swaddling clothes: "Nature calls, everybody’s gotta go—what’s there to be shy about?"
"Y-yeah!" Wu Zhengfeng tried to sound calm, her eyes darting, but she forced herself to say, "We’re both women, so... please, I’m counting on you!"
Whoosh—Jill Young unwrapped her from the swaddling clothes, exposing the Second Generation Empress Tianshan’s tiny body. Well, she was just a newborn, nothing much to see. Actually, Jill was pretty good at this—after all, when Uncle Quentin Yang’s kid was born, Jack Young had helped out for a while. But even if there’s nothing to see, Jill’s mischievous spirit couldn’t be tamed. She expertly aimed the baby at a big tree: "Come on, even puppies mark their territory. Give the Freewind Sect some new land!"
The Second Generation Empress Tianshan whimpered in utter embarrassment, her face nearly steaming. In an anime, she’d have those spiral eyes by now. The more embarrassed she got, the more nervous she became, and the more nervous, the less she could pee—a vicious cycle.
"By the way, it must’ve taken you a few days to get here from Misty Peak. Who helped you out along the way?" Jill’s wicked curiosity surged: "Shadowless?"
"Argh—I’m gonna fight you!"
Bullying little lolis is the most fun! Elsie Nightwater, Gao Sisters—you’ve got worthy successors.