Chapter 151: Treading Snow in Search of Secluded Wonders, A White Ape Carrying a Sword
Chapter 151: Treading Snow in Search of Solitude, the White Ape Bearing a Sword
A heavy snowfall lasted for three full days and nights before gradually tapering off. Yet the sky remained overcast, with icy clouds stretching endlessly like lead, and a biting north wind rising as if preparing for another snowstorm.
During these three days, the young girl, A Ran, nestled comfortably in He Chang’an’s small wooden cabin, freeloading food and drink without even bothering to step outside.
She disliked Lang Fei. Whenever she saw that demon youth, a faint murderous aura would flare from her, frightening him so much that he wore a perpetual scowl, even eating his meals hesitantly and shrinking back.
This only fueled her anger all the more.
Hence, He Chang’an timely intervened, advising the demon youth to stay indoors and avoid going out. Whenever it was mealtime, He Chang’an would personally bring a plate of meat to him.
The youth was deeply grateful for this kindness.
Yet, once back in his own cabin, he seethed with hatred, clawing at the doorframe until his nails bled, glaring venomously toward He Chang’an’s cabin.
He wished He Chang’an dead—preferably torn apart alive by some unknown monstrous beast, chewed up and swallowed piece by piece, and finally excreted as nothing more than a lump of dung.
Like a beast trapped in an iron cage, he longed to become powerful enough to slap He Chang’an into the ground with one hand, so deep that only a stick could pry him out.
The small wooden door bore numerous claw marks stained with blood...
...
“That wolf brat harbors nothing but malice and murderous intent toward you. Right now, he’s probably cursing you with venomous hatred,” A Ran said, imitating He Chang’an as she held a rolled-up book, nestled in a warm quilt.
“Maybe I should just stab him dead with a single sword strike,” she added.
“Such an ungrateful wretch is nothing but a catastrophic curse upon the world!”
He Chang’an smiled gently and handed her a roughly woven basket filled with pine nuts.
“Looks like the other me is quite detestable.”
A Ran sighed deeply, exhaling like a little adult and smiling wryly.
“Alright, as you wish. But we absolutely cannot let him become stronger than you; otherwise, you’re as good as dead.”
He Chang’an nodded slightly, unconcerned, and resumed reading a book titled “Sword Qi: Near and Far,” though his mind seemed restless.
Sensing his unusual mood, A Ran asked softly, “He Chang’an, is something troubling you?”
He nodded silently but said nothing.
Suddenly, a wave of anxiety washed over him, as if something significant was about to happen.
It was an inexplicable premonition, one he had felt once before—just days before an assassination attempt in Chang’an City, when he had grown restless and uneasy.
Could it be remnants of the Night God Cult returning? Or something else entirely?
Uncertain, the feeling made him uncomfortable, prompting him to step outside and stand atop a cliff, shouting curses at the gloomy heavens.
Of course, he wasn’t like the sword cultivator A Fei, who often cursed heaven recklessly. He lacked such boldness.
He also knew clearly that, as a mere nobody, even if he cursed the heavens day and night, the sky would likely never hear him.
Such is the plight of the insignificant.
“Why don’t we go for a walk?” A Ran put down her book, stretched her waist, and laughed heartily.
“If you’re feeling restless, go find someone to spar with—that always calms the mind.”
“I used to do that often, so all the juniors on the mountain feared me.”
“Juniors? You’re the senior sister? My apologies,” He Chang’an teased, cupping his hands in mock respect.
A Ran’s face stiffened, a faint blush rising as she laughed awkwardly.
“Come on, I’ll accompany you. I’m in a foul mood too. How about we go give that demon wolf brat a good thrashing?”
He Chang’an smiled, tapping her forehead gently.
“I’m still planning to take that demon youth as my first grand disciple.”
A Ran groaned, shaking her head. In no time, she tidied up, pushed open the wooden door, stepped into the snow, and took a few deep breaths.
“Living like this is just too suffocating!”
She clearly despised that demon youth.
He Chang’an laughed heartily, stepped out of the cabin, looked up at the sky, and gauged the wind direction and humidity.
“Let’s head into the mountains for a while. In two or three days, it’ll snow again. We should hunt some wild game in advance; otherwise, we’ll be starving and freezing.”
“Alright!”
---
Though a child at heart, A Ran had long wanted to venture outside. It was only the cold and the warmth of the cabin that kept her under the covers.
She stepped onto her flying sword, ready to dart off.
Glancing back at He Chang’an, she curled her lips in disdain.
“He Chang’an, I’ll teach you sword riding later. You’re so dumb, still walking on foot at your age!”
After scolding him, A Ran laughed heartily, standing on her flying sword.
He Chang’an squinted, admiring her charming yet spirited demeanor.
“You’re truly beautiful, Miss A Ran.”
It was a sincere compliment.
A Ran blushed slightly.
She jumped down, sheathing her silver-white small flying sword, then theatrically pointed at distant peaks.
“Look, those mountains look like a bunch of old turtles.”
He Chang’an stifled a smile and approached Lang Fei’s cabin to check on the demon youth.
He told him not to wander, that there was still some game meat inside to stew if he got hungry.
After a long round of nagging, the demon youth, seemingly annoyed, finally emerged and joined A Ran.
“Let’s go.”
“You’re even more nagging than my master,” A Ran stomped her foot, clearly displeased.
She hurried down the mountain, forgetting her earlier annoyance, shouting and playing gleefully along the perilous mountain path.
He Chang’an was initially worried but then thought, since she could ride a flying sword, a sort of terrestrial immortal, what was there to fear from mere mountain streams?
...
The two traveled swiftly, crossing several mountain peaks within an hour, entering a deep canyon.
The canyon walls were sheer cliffs, sharp as if carved by sword strikes, astonishing A Ran.
“He Chang’an, doesn’t this canyon look like it was cleaved by a single sword?”
He Chang’an walked ahead, replying casually, “Because it was.”
“This canyon is called Sword Gate.”
“Legend tells of a down-and-out scholar who, after failing his exams many times and sinking into despair, built a hut here to meditate on the Way of the Sword.”
“He spent countless years in the mountains, unaware of the passing seasons.”
“One day, feeling a sudden inspiration, he stepped out laughing, drew his sword, and slew a legendary Black Tortoise beast that had slept for millennia.”
“Thus were born Mount Zhenwu and Mount Wudang. A terrestrial sword immortal was born.”
“And from this came two sword manuals—‘Sword Qi Near’ and ‘Sword Qi Far.’”
...
He Chang’an’s tale captivated A Ran, who was enchanted and longed to touch the smooth stone walls.
He Chang’an chuckled.
“So, how’s the story? Interesting?”
A Ran stamped her foot.
“What story? It’s real history!”
“My master’s wife told me the same—that the sword immortal returned and carved the two sword manuals into the stone walls of Zhenwu and Wudang Mountains.”
He Chang’an said nothing, climbing a tall ancient tree like a clumsy monkey to peer at the distant cliffs.
A Ran scrambled up beside him, standing shoulder to shoulder.
“Found anything strange, He Chang’an?”
“Let’s agree beforehand: if we discover any immortal relics or secret sword techniques, we split them fifty-fifty.”
He Chang’an gazed at her earnest expression and smiled.
“And what if it’s an unparalleled sword?”
“Of course it belongs to me!” A Ran declared proudly, standing on the sturdy trunk, standing on tiptoe with chest out, as if it were self-evident.
“I’m a sword immortal in the making. If I get a peerless sword, it must be mine! But don’t worry, if I obtain an immortal sword, I’ll compensate you with things like rare sword manuals, spirit stone veins, and millennia-old spiritual herbs—I’ll grab them all for you.”
“By the way, He Chang’an, if I get that immortal sword, how about taking you as my disciple...”
Her cheeks flushed as she laughed, realizing she was bragging.
“But with a real immortal sword, I could go beyond the realm.”
“Beyond the realm?” He Chang’an asked suddenly.
“Yes, beyond the realm. I heard it’s a lawless land where demons run rampant and monsters roam, but also where opportunities and treasures abound,” A Ran’s eyes gleamed with longing, tinged with a maiden’s melancholy.
“My parents went beyond the realm and vanished without a trace. If I could get an immortal sword, I’d go find them...”
“How does one go beyond the realm?” He Chang’an asked.
“How would I know? You’re so dumb!” She stamped her foot and glared fiercely.
“You’re not allowed to tell anyone what I just said! Or I’ll beat it out of you!”
---
Saying this, A Ran summoned her flying sword and lightly leapt onto it, soaring deeper into the canyon without looking back.
He Chang’an smiled wryly, glancing at the cliff walls with a strange expression.
He climbed down the tree and, choosing a direction, followed a small stream through the canyon, treading through the snow and passing a forested area.
He had long been suspicious: why was this stream unfrozen despite the ice and snow?
What intrigued him most was a fleeting white shadow that flashed on the cliff to his right before vanishing without a trace.
He clearly saw a white-furred old ape, carrying a black sword scabbard on its back.
A scabbard without a sword was odd to begin with.
What moved him was an indescribable familiarity toward the scabbard, as if it had once been part of his own body...
Drawn by this strange feeling, He Chang’an spotted the white ape.
Otherwise, despite his spiritual senses and eyesight, he was no match for A Ran’s keen vision, and would never have noticed the anomaly on the cliff.
“Could this premonition be a great opportunity in disguise?”
He Chang’an, stepping on thick snow, released spiritual awareness and headed toward the southeastern cliff.
After a short while, he passed through an ancient forest, encountering several mischievous little monkeys with pale gray fur and arms so long they nearly reached their feet.
These were gibbons.
Noticing him, the gibbons giggled, throwing pine cones, snowballs, or broken branches with sharp whistling sounds.
He Chang’an hesitated.
Though small, their strength was impressive; a randomly thrown pine cone, about the size of a fist, cut through the air with a sharp shriek.
He estimated their power to be no less than seventh-grade human martial artists.
How was he supposed to handle this?
He stopped and considered retreat.
Not out of fear, but because he sensed a strange, dreadful presence silently watching him—an unbearable prickling sensation.
Since leaving Linglong Town, he hadn’t felt such an oppressive aura.
He was familiar with this canyon’s terrain, having observed it multiple times from his mountain peak, though he had never ventured down before.
Just then, he heard a startled cry—A Ran’s voice.
She seemed to be in danger.
Without hesitation, He Chang’an took several steps back, then leapt forward, rushing toward the dense forest on the right.
Her cries sounded urgent and were only a few hundred yards away.
Bursting through the woods, He Chang’an saw a white-furred old ape over three meters tall, crouched in the snow, towering over him.
The ape’s back was hunched, with a black sword scabbard embedded directly into its body, about one-third visible.
Because of the distance and the ape’s long white fur hiding the connection point, He Chang’an couldn’t immediately discern how the scabbard was affixed.
But the scene was eerie enough.
A white ape bearing a sword is no feat of a mere immortal—who else could accomplish such a thing?
The old ape appeared contemplative, propping its chin with one hand, looking down thoughtfully at A Ran.
On the snowy ground before the ape, A Ran’s hair and clothes were dusted with snow, her flushed cheeks angry and defiant as she held a silver-white short sword, glaring fiercely at the strange creature, unafraid.
Yet He Chang’an noticed fine beads of sweat slowly forming on her temple.
Her fierce demeanor was a façade...
Upon hearing He Chang’an emerge from the woods, the white ape slowly turned and smiled broadly, seeming quite affable.
He Chang’an cupped his hands and returned the smile.
Then, unexpectedly, a massive ape paw the size of a millstone came crashing down on him—without mercy!