Let me Touch your Tail

Chapter 185

Ren Qingyue planned to climb to a higher spot to take a look around, but the mountains beneath her feet didn't seem very high, and walking there felt exceptionally distant.
They walked for a long time before finally climbing up a small hill.
Looking ahead, there were even higher mountain peaks blocking their view.
"......"
It seemed never-ending.
As the sky began to darken, fearing wind and snow at night, Ren Qingyue pulled Yan Zhao closer to a steeper mountain wall that could shield them from the wind, hoping to find a cave to rest for the night.

The weather here was extremely harsh, but there was one good thing:
The spiritual energy in the air was abundant, rivaling Yan Yuanqing's cave dwelling.
After night fell, the wind indeed began to blow, and thick snowflakes started to fall gently from the sky.
Though the scenery was elegant and charming, the endless snow-covered mountains inevitably made one feel lost.

Not finding a ready-made cave, Ren Qingyue drew her sword and created one.
They huddled inside, sitting shoulder to shoulder by the fire, the flickering orange flames bringing a slight warmth to the cold cave.
In the silence of the snow-covered mountains, the only sound was the faint crackle of burning wood.
Ren Qingyue thought Yan Zhao would soon fall asleep.
However, Yan Zhao suddenly stood up, took a small step aside, and sat down cross-legged again. "Senior sister, you rest for a while; I'll keep watch," she said.

Ren Qingyue was taken aback for a moment, their gazes meeting, illuminated by the clarity in Yan Zhao's eyes.
Yan Zhao had indeed grown up.
Although she still made careless mistakes, she was genuinely learning to be considerate and shoulder responsibilities.
Ren Qingyue felt a sense of comfort.
Even though it was icy and snowy outside the cave, her heart felt warm and at ease.

Following her suggestion, Ren Qingyue closed her eyes to meditate while Yan Zhao silently stayed beside her, occasionally adding a piece of firewood to the flames, watching the flickering firelight tint her senior sister's frosty profile a warm red.
At one point, she turned to look outside the cave.
The swirling snowflakes were piling up higher at the cave entrance; within just an hour, they had accumulated to about an inch thick.
This reminded her of a dream she once had, sitting in her mother's arms, watching the snow together.
The heavy snow buried the cave entrance, and the vast, free sky was reduced to a palm-sized cage.

Feeling a sudden pang, Yan Zhao raised her hand to grasp the small golden pearl at her chest, bringing her hands together, and closed her eyes to make a wish.
She hoped her mother would wake up soon.
The next morning, the snow had stopped, and half of the cave entrance was blocked. When Ren Qingyue opened her eyes, she saw Yan Zhao leaning at the entrance, looking outside.
"What are you doing?" Ren Qingyue asked her. "Is there someone outside?"
Yan Zhao shook her head. "No, but the sky is very blue..."

Ren Qingyue understood and said, "Let's go outside and take a look."
Yan Zhao eagerly volunteered to break the snow piled at the cave entrance, and their cramped view suddenly opened up.
As the snow completely collapsed under Yan Zhao's feet, she felt an understanding within her, a sense of breaking free from shackles and being reborn.

If three hundred years ago, Yan Yuanqing had also broken this lock, would she have not died?
But what could possibly bind the strongest swordsman in the mortal realm?
A fleeting doubt crossed Yan Zhao's mind, but she didn't come up with an answer and quickly pushed it aside.
She followed Ren Qingyue as they continued to climb the mountain.

The mountain in front of them didn't seem very high, and before they reached the peak, they already spotted another peak in the distance.
Ren Qingyue sighed helplessly; it seemed they would have to keep going, crossing one mountain after another.
At that moment, Yan Zhao grabbed her hand and pointed toward a snowy slope. "Senior sister, look, what's that?"
Ren Qingyue followed Yan Zhao's finger and looked in the direction she was pointing.
At first, she didn't see what Yan Zhao was indicating until Yan Zhao murmured, "It looks like a big ice block."
This time, Ren Qingyue saw it too and was silent in thought.
It was indeed a large ice block, but there were glaciers everywhere in the snow mountains, so it didn't seem particularly special.
The only odd thing was that this ice block was perched on the peak, resembling a person sitting cross-legged in meditation.
But in such a desolate and harsh environment, how could someone be frozen without activating their protective magic?