The year passed slowly after Chen Xuns furnace exploded.
They added the Immortal Point to The Essence of All Things, and now they were at nineteen.
Under the Ningyun Mountain Range, heavy snow fell, covering the land in a white puffy blanket.
The line between the sky and the earth was hazy, hiding the horizon line that separated the two from each other.
This year, there seed to be so turmoil in the Qian Nation. It was said that there were battles on the border, and countless patriots embarked on journeys to defend the country.
In the midst of the snow, their families bid them farewell.
The snow filled with trailing footsteps engulfed the hearts of their loved ones with worry.
The footsteps of countless family mbers seed to sink further down into the snow as they took long pauses in their journey back ho, lingering. Many stood rooted till the blazing sphere ca into view once again. The twilight snow felt especially heavy this winter. Perhaps it carried the countless emotions of many. The turmoil was like the sudden upheaval of the sea, turning the calm breeze into a fierce storm that filled them with worry.
Still, no matter what happened in the mortal world, it seed unable to hinder the path of countless vagabonds seeking immortality.
The Ascension Conference proceeded as usual. Chen Xun and the black ox didn't co again. They seed to gradually fade from peoples mories.
However, sothing significant occurred within the valley this year. Hundreds of sect cultivators personally intervened to arrest those who were selling the guidebooks. Although they didn't kill anyone, they confiscated all their possessions.
These guidebooks had significantly affected the interests of major sects. Originally, everyone competed fairly, but with the ergence of these "strategies," more cultivators went to participate in the trials, clearly leading to more people competing for the opportunity.
Even the talented individuals were handled accordingly. The ten major sects united and declared that they would eliminate the threat. If such an incident happened again, those involved would et a tragic fate.
On the outskirts of the Ningyun Mountain Range, within a cave, their remaining seedlings for cultivating spiritual herbs had been exhausted. The alchemy furnace had also exploded. Chen Xun was already considering their next plan.
The big black ox sat to the side, grinding herbs. Its hooves were exerting trendous force. These were the seasonings they used for their als.
"Old ox, let's use up the remaining pills first and keep the other spiritual herbs for now."
"Moo."
The big black ox answered perfunctorily while filling a bottle with the powdered herbs. Then, it continued grinding, its eyes full of concentration.
Chen Xun lifted two water barrels, containing clothes.
He grinned and asked, "Old ox, want to fetch water?"
"Moo moo~"
The big black ox responded anxiously and quickly prepared to take the millstone with it. Wherever Chen Xun went, it followed.
The big black ox directly moved a huge rock outside the cave, and when Chen Xun went out, it covered the entrance back, making sure there was no open spots.
Snowflakes danced in the air, and the biting wind swept through. Chen Xun was only wearing a piece of thin clothing, but he didn't feel any cold.
They arrived near a stream. It was frozen solid. They went ahead and carved holes into the frozen ice. Chen Xun held a water barrel, while the big black ox held another in the middle of the creek, looking quite cheerful.
During the process, the big black ox got overly excited and broke the ice, falling in. Chen Xun swiftly pulled it out.
After filling the barrels with water, they sat together near the creak and washed their clothing. They spoke quietly, laughing heartily.
Snowflakes drifted from the sky, and they sat amidst a few feet of snow, as if in this world, only the young man and the ox existed.
Not long after, the sound of breaking branches echoed from the distance, accompanied by the heavy sound of trudging through the snow. Although far away, their heightened senses had heard it.
Chen Xun and the big black ox looked toward the snowy forest. At this mont, a large group of people were fast approaching. They wore tattered clothes and carried wooden sticks.
Their faces were dirty and red from the cold. There were at least a hundred of them, of all ages and genders.
The faces of the many in the group turned into ones of shock as they saw a man resting by stream with an ox, washing clothes in the middle of such heavy snow.
"Old sir, are you lost?" Chen Xun casually asked.
The group was filled with mortals, which caused his caution to go away.
The big black ox just glanced at them and saw no danger, so it resud grinding herbs, occasionally making a "moo" sound.
"Young master, we are refugees from Dansong City," an elderly man with a limping stride said. This young man seems to be a martial cultivator. His robust physique allowed him to endure the cold, despite the heavy snow, he thought.
"Dansong City? That's quite far. It's on the other side of the Ningyun Mountain Range," Chen Xun exclaid.
He had heard of Dansong City before. It was adjacent to Panning City. The journey was not short, however. "Are you heading to Panning City?"
"Yes, yes." the elderly man nodded, relieved that they were finally getting close.
"What happened, sir? The Ningyun Mountain Range is very dangerous, yet you dared to cross it," Chen Xun inquired.
"Young master, you've got it wrong. We traveled around the outskirts, taking a longer route." The old man shook his head and sighed deeply before he continued: "In the present turbulent tis in Qian Nation, there are rebels and bandits everywhere. Even the Lord of Dansong City was killed."
"What?" Chen Xun was shocked, but understood the situation nonetheless."Panning City is to the southeast. You've taken a detour."
"Thank you, young master," the old man expressed his gratitude. He had been trying to ask for directions all along.
"Dont ntion it." Chen Xun waved his hand and watched as the refugees left.
The big black ox also made a couple of "moo" sounds toward them.
"Old ox, let tell you. Regardless of the world, as long as there are nations and borders, there is conflict. As long as there is conflict, there is suffering. And the commoners suffer the most," Chen Xun comnted with emotion.
The history of his forr ho was filled with painful wars that were shed with the blood of many.
"Moo? Moo moo moo!" The big black ox beca intrigued with his words and paused its work. It kept nudging him to go on and keep talking.
"In that case, let's start with the Xia Dynasty..." Chen Xun began to narrate with solemnity. The big black ox stared round-eyed, listening with fascination, even jotting down a few nas.
After half an hour, they had finished washing their clothes.
They sat and enjoyed the snow as it fell. Chen Xun continued to recount history to the black ox, which was deeply imrsed.
"To know what happened next, stay tuned for the next episode," Chen Xun patted the still eager black ox and looked at the cleaned clothes. "Our clothes are frozen solid!"
"Moo!" The big black ox suddenly snapped out of its trance.
"Co on, let's go. Fortunately, we have Fireball Magic," Chen Xun got up and carried the barrels filled with water, carried the clothes, and led the black ox back into the cave.
They would dry the clothes later, with Fireball, it was too easy._ _
On the way, they gradually sensed sothing was amiss. Amidst the wind and snow, the sll of iron filled the airblood.
"Old Ox..." Chen Xun whispered, taking out the hood and covering his head. "Be careful."
"Moo"
The big black ox replied softly with its eyes open for anything out of sorts. Its sense of sll was quite keen, and it had sensed the sll quite a distance away.
Beneath a tree in the distance were several bodies, laid face down, staining the snow red with blood.
Chen Xun's brow furrowed deeply. His steps slowed as he noticed that every half a mile or so, there were several bodies. The wounds on them were fresh, and their footprints were chaotic and unclear.
"Moo?"
The big black ox looked at Chen Xun. A few of them looked familiar, like the people who had asked for directions earlier.
Chen Xun approached and examined the bodies. One woman was protecting a little girl, but both of them had already lost their lives. Even their wounds were beginning to freeze.
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