Chapter 250: The Guidance of Little White Hair

Lu Xingzhou found the flaw in her words: "Do you mean, Madam, that the two of us are to muddle through here by ourselves, and you're not coming with us?"

"If I were to follow, what trial effect would there be?" Ye Tinglan said matter-of-factly. "You need to find usable materials here yourselves and attempt to light fires and refine pills in this extremely cold climate. This is different from normal conditions. Furthermore, the days are short and the nights are long here, and the requirements for timing and yin-yang are different. What you can usually refine might not be possible in a place like this... Oh, and Lu Nuonuo's talent for adjusting medicinal properties is forbidden."

Lu Xingzhou: "..."

"What, do you have any objections?"

"I was just thinking, if it's just this, wouldn't it be better if you just let me come by myself? Why did you bother following through all this wind, frost, snow, and rain?"

"Of course, there are different requirements for different stages, and I will appear from time to time." Ye Tinglan revealed a rare mischievous smile. "So, for now, you two travel north from here, approaching the center of the ice plain. See what unique things you can refine along the way. I will only appear once you've refined a Grade 3 pill, or when you've reached a specific special node."

After speaking, she vanished instantly.

The master and apprentice looked at the endless ice plain, completely dumbfounded.

"This is exile!" A Nuo exclaimed, waving the cold bun in her hand. "She's getting back at you!"

Lu Xingzhou pinched her cheek. "Why isn't she getting back at you?"

"I didn't snatch her veil."

"I... What do you know? That old woman must have her own reasons for coming here. Otherwise, trial grounds are everywhere; why choose the Frozen Moon Cold River?"

From high above, Ye Tinglan stood with her arms crossed, looking down coldly.

Aside from him cursing her as an 'old woman' behind her back, his analysis was always precise enough. She had indeed come here for other business; the originally arranged trial ground was not this place.

However, it didn't affect the trial; it was still very suitable for the master and apprentice.

"Forget it. If even that little white-haired girl could live here for ten years, how could it stump us, master and apprentice?" Lu Xingzhou pulled out a talisman.

With a "poof," a cluster of flames ignited and immediately died out.

A Nuo was stunned. "Isn't that a Grade 4 talisman?"

Lu Xingzhou squatted in front of the ice crystal fruit tree. "Forget it, let's study this fruit first. I highly suspect these are for looking at, not eating; that old woman deliberately put us here."

A Nuo sniffed. "Can't eat them. Your stomach would freeze solid if you did."

Lu Xingzhou ate a little bit. "Surprisingly, it tastes decent, a bit soft and chewy... but you can't eat too much. Hmm, it's not very suitable for pill refining either, unless for specific medicinal purposes, like treating certain internal burn-type injuries. Oh, it has a beneficial effect on ice-attribute cultivation, and the energy contained within is quite good."

As he spoke, he collected a few fruits and some tender branches. He stood up, speechless. "How about we roast this ice snake and eat it first?"

A Nuo burst into tears. "I'm not eating that!"

Lu Xingzhou: "..."

A Nuo walked back, sniffling and crying. "I want to go back. I'm not doing this trial anymore. Anyway, I'm just a child; it doesn't matter how well I learn pill refining."

Lu Xingzhou quickly said, "Don't worry, Master will make something good for you to eat."

A Nuo looked back; the tears on her face had frozen, making her look particularly comical.

High above, an elder appeared beside Ye Tinglan. He watched with her for a while, then said, somewhat speechless, "Sect Master, are you reliving the process of raising Qingli ten years ago? Why bring another child here..."

"Qingli was much more obedient than her. She never cried or made a fuss from beginning to end; she was always quiet."

"Didn't you scold her for being dull back then, saying no other children would cry?"

Ye Tinglan: "...You have a perfectly good mind; why must you speak?"

The elder coughed dryly. "Since they've arrived, there's no need to keep watching, is there? The outer reaches of this cold river are far from dangerous; Qingli lived here for ten years."

"Wait a moment," Ye Tinglan said. "See how he coaxes A Nuo. Aren't you curious?"

The elder: "..."

"I'm really not curious. Haven't I had enough of coaxing my own granddaughter at home, without having to watch others coax someone? Has the Sect Master taken the wrong medicine?"

However, they saw Lu Xingzhou squatting there. He took out a few pieces of candy and cheese from his pocket, then took a mild medicinal pill, crushed them all together with the ice crystal fruit, and kneaded them.

Before long, it became a bowl of icy paste.

Lu Xingzhou took a small spoon and stuck it in. "You can eat it now. It's delicious."

A Nuo skeptically scooped a tiny bit and licked it. The next moment, her little face was glowing. "Master, let's pluck all these fruits!"

The elder above scratched his head. "Why do I feel like eating some?"

Ye Tinglan glanced at him sideways. In fact, she also felt like eating some.

How sweetly the little child licked it.

When did these fruits become suitable for snacks?

The elder said, "Sect Master, are you staying here to observe this person's innovative ideas?"

In truth, Ye Tinglan herself didn't know why she was staying to watch how these two would get by. Hearing this, she found a convenient excuse. She nodded and said, "Yes, there are many people who only stick to convention in pill refining. Those who can innovate are always few. This person is not bound by old methods and has a flexible mind; he is a promising talent."

The elder secretly thought, 'Oh no, the Sect Master finds Qingli dull.'

"Alright." Seeing A Nuo happily hopping forward to look for more fruit trees, Ye Tinglan finally smiled brightly. "What's the progress on the dragon bone matter over there?"

The elder took out a small bone fragment. "Sect Master, please take a look."

Ye Tinglan took it and gently sniffed it at her nose. "Indeed... there's a faint trace of vitality."

"Previously, a few bone fragments appeared for auction in Coldmist City. Initially, no one paid attention, but later, when they were discovered to possess a faint vitality, it caused a sensation. The owner, unable to withstand the threats and inducements from a group of people, finally revealed that they were obtained near the center of the ice plain. This led to the suspicion that a severely injured ancient dragon might be dormant beneath the center of the ice plain. Some even stretched their imagination, claiming the formation of the ice plain itself was related to it."

"I've explored at least dozens of meters beneath the center of the ice plain; there's nothing unusual. Unless there's been a spatial shift, causing a displacement." Ye Tinglan's expression was grim. "These cultivators truly don't know what they're doing! How can something like this be openly leaked?! If there truly is an ancient dragon that isn't fully dead, the Demon Empress will surely come upon hearing the news. Do they not value their lives?"

"Some people have realized this, which is why few dare to go. Those who truly dare are mostly powerful cultivators of the upper three ranks, especially those of Grade 1 or 2."

"Grade 1 or 2 cultivators are merely a flick of a finger to the Demon Empress. They can't truly believe she and Gu Zhanting suffered equally devastating losses, can they, making her easy to bully? Her injuries are far lighter than Gu Zhanting's..."

"Then..." The elder hesitated. "If that's the case, are you still letting Lu Xingzhou and Lu Nuonuo go in that direction?"

"The ice plain spans a thousand li; they are far apart. Their strength isn't enough to even enter the central region. If they only conduct their trial in the outer perimeter, it's essentially two separate worlds, of little relevance. Let's go. First, take me to see where the owner discovered the dragon bone."

Lu Xingzhou led A Nuo northward. A Nuo, wanting to eat more 'ice cream,' only followed the direction of the ice crystal fruit trees. As a result, they walked until dark, and the master and apprentice found no other suitable items for pill refining.

As night fell, the cold wind howled. The cutting wind was so fierce they had to activate their protective aura shields. Only then did they realize they had practically wasted an entire day on the road.

A Nuo curled up, holding her knees, with a world-weary expression. "How did Sister White-Hair live in a place like this for ten years? I'm already utterly bored after just one day."

It was indeed boring. All they saw were endless white glaciers. Not only was there nothing fun, but the snow glare made everything look the same.

Monotonous, icy, and treacherous.

Staying alone in a place like this for too long, one might lose the ability to speak, and one's mind might become sluggish compared to others.

Lu Xingzhou looked up at the moon. The bright moon shone serenely on the glaciers, as if he could see it once shone upon a small white-haired girl, holding a sword, walking hesitantly and alone.

The little white-haired girl's language function hadn't degenerated, most likely because she was accompanied by the old woman, allowing her to communicate and speak a few words. If she were truly alone, how would she have survived...?

"This way," Lu Xingzhou said, pulling A Nuo towards a small ice mountain. "At least it'll block the wind."

Just as they reached the side of the mountain, they saw a small, simple, and narrow hut made of ice bricks.

They exchanged glances, knowing that this was indeed the white-haired girl's former dwelling, and perhaps they could find traces of her life inside.

A Nuo eagerly slipped inside to look. Just as she stepped through the door, sword energy suddenly flared.

A fierce, unparalleled sword beam shot straight out from the hut, as if the little girl curled up inside had encountered an attack from a strange beast and suddenly resisted.

The sword energy was only around Grade 5 or 6. It was the sword array the little white-haired girl had set up in her home, and for the current master and apprentice, it was very weak; A Nuo easily deflected it. But this way, they couldn't live there...

Lu Xingzhou raised a sachet and extended it into the hut.

A Nuo watched her Master in amazement as he took out a few tufts of white hair from the sachet, and the agitated sword array in the hut suddenly went quiet.

The owner's aura...

"Let's stay here for now." Lu Xingzhou sat down by the small bed, stroking his chin in thought. "Qingli lived on the ice plain for a long time; it's unlikely she'd just build a hut wherever she went. There must have been something nearby requiring her long-term presence for her to temporarily reside here. Therefore, since Qingli chose to build a hut here, there must be something unusual nearby—either an an ancient tomb or a secret realm."