Fan Wubing paused, not expecting her to start crying.
Luo Qingyao glared at him, "I told you not to tease people!" She quickly stepped forward and wiped Kalyaâs tears with a silk cloth.
Kalya cried out, "The mountain has collapsed. Youâd better eat the Profound Fire Butterfly soon, or youâll die."
"Kalya, donât worry. Look." Luo Qingyao pointed ahead.
Kalya looked forward.
Only to see Fan Wubing standing in mid-air, facing the collapsing peak. The roaring cold of the great path and violent freezing energy charged at him like a fierce beast in the snow.
Kalya screamed and shouted hoarsely, "Donât use your cultivation! The cold of the great path..."
A massive vortex gathered in front of Fan Wubing. It truly looked like the mouth of a ferocious beast, suddenly opening wide, blocking the collapsing mountain peak, and then frantically devouring the path and energy.
Kalya dazedly finished her sentence, "...will make you die faster."
The ferocious mountain collapse-avalanche turned into a cold reminderââ
[Life Limit +17.2 trillion points]
Fan Wubing landed from the sky, pouting, "What, with such a frightening scene, thatâs all?"
He didnât miss a beat, swallowed all the path and energy, only able to increase the blood of two Peak of Integration energy levels.
Kalya took a deep breath and, after a long pause, asked:
"Are you really an outsider?"
Fan Wubing: "Otherwise?"
Kalya was very puzzled, "But for outsiders in the Snow Mountain, isnât their cultivation supposed to plummet severely! And using cultivation increases the accumulation of the cold of the great path, which canât be recovered! But youâ"
"What about me?"
"You look perfectly fine."
Luo Qingyao thought to himself beside her, not only fine, but his life force has become stronger.
Fan Wubing laughed, "Maybe itâs just good luck."
"Good luck..." Kalya felt dizzy, that was a whole mountain collapsing! Could it be just luck?
"Anyway, thank you, Kalya."
"I didnât do anything." Kalya felt a little guilty. She was supposed to protect the guests, but instead, she was protected by them.
"Those two Profound Fire Butterflies were specially prepared for us." Fan Wubing smiled and asked, "Were you thinking that once we go deeper into the Snow Mountain and our Cold-Expelling Profound Fire couldnât hold on, youâd sell them to us?"
Kalya lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquitoâs, "Sorry, I..."
"Itâs okay, wanting to make money, thatâs understandable."
Luo Qingyao curiously asked, "But, why were you willing to give them to us for free just now? You could have completely raised the price on us."
Kalya gritted her teeth and said, "Uncle said making money is taking advantage of peopleâs needs, not taking advantage of their peril." She added softly, "Besides, you treated me to stew soup."
Fan Wubing smiled.
The people in this mountain are quite honest.
The three headed to the site of the mountain collapse, and soon they arrived.
The path and energy were continuously surging in from other places.
Fan Wubing stood on the sunken ruins, quietly sensing.
"Kalya, has there ever been an avalanche in the Snow Mountain before?"
Kalya shook her head, "The peaks of Eternal Night Snow Mountain are very solid; nothing like this has ever happened before."
"Then perhaps itâs just an accident."
As it gradually brightened, they had to move to another mountain and continue hunting and gathering.
Kalya was tracking a transparent Immortal Deer ahead.
Behind, Luo Qingyao asked, "Did you discover something?"
Fan Wubing said, "The mountain collapse just gave me a feeling it was bound to happen."
"Bound to happen?" Luo Qingyao was a little puzzled, "Man-made?"
"No..." Fan Wubing furrowed his brows, "Itâs hard to articulate this feeling. Itâs quite complicated." He actually had a sense of unease but didnât say, not wanting to worry his junior sister.
...
Two months later.
Kalya sat on an exposed rock, holding a small booklet made of animal skin in her hand, sketching with a bone pen. This was her hunting and gathering plan, route, types, quantities, distribution...
Very detailed.
"Only seven more types to complete the task." Once complete, she would return to the village with a large amount of Spirit Stone to hire the best witch doctor in the great tribe to treat her brother. Just the thought filled Kalya with happiness, motivation, and vigor.
But then she became worried again.
In this month, she had traversed over two hundred forest patches in the Profound Fire Tribeâs territory, yet was still short of seven types to complete the collection.
She told this to Fan Wubing.
Fan Wubing asked, "Canât you go to other forests?"
Kalya thought it over, "The territory of the Eternal Night Tribe is off-limits, but the Ancient Immortal Tribe is possible. However, Iâm not very familiar with that side."
Fan Wubing said, "Well then, Kalya. Forget about the remaining seven types. Weâll go find them ourselves. But as per our agreement, still pay you twenty top-quality Spirit Stones for the commission."
Kalya immediately widened her eyes and said, "No! I havenât completed the agreed content, I canât charge!"
"Itâs okay..."
"No!" Kalya said firmly, "If I really canât do it, I shouldnât charge such a high fee."
"Donât you want to go back soon to treat your brother?"
Kalya gritted her teeth and said, "My brother also wouldnât want his sister to be someone whose words donât match her actions. Lord Xuanhuo wouldnât recognize such a citizen either!"
"Well... alright."
Fan Wubing thought, the people in the Snow Mountain indeed seem to have some unique traits, not just Kalya.
The Lord Xuanhuo that Kalya mentioned is the faith and totem of their tribe. According to her descriptions, Lord Xuanhuo is the first spark in this Snow Mountain. It is thanks to Lord Xuanhuo that they survived in the Eternal Night.
The three set out for the Ancient Immortal Tribeâs territory.
Fan Wubing noticed that once they entered the Ancient Immortal Tribeâs territory, Luo Qingyao became somewhat silent.
...
Sunrise Snowfield, Risheng Village.
Village chief Hakale summoned the decision-makers from each household and told them about the arrangements passed down by the tribeâs grand witch doctor.
After listening, everyone gasped.
"Relocate?" a man asked, "To where?"
"Not specified yet." The village chief frowned, "Judging by the grand witch doctorâs words, the situation is quite severe. We must move out before the end of the sunlit period, or it will be too late."
"The collapsed mountain a month ago must have been an omen." a woman said.
Everyone began to discuss.
By afternoon, they unanimously decided to follow the tribeâs arrangement and relocate.
The village chief issued orders, "Count your household members, pack up necessary items, and leave unnecessary things behind. Meeting adjourned."
The crowd gradually dispersed.
A muscular man stepped forward to ask, "Chief, when do we move?"
The village chief shook his head, "It happened suddenly, and Iâm not sure myself. But judging from the grand witch doctorâs indication, it starts at most within half a month, batch by batch. For our village, itâs probably just a matter of days."
The muscular manâs face changed, and he slapped his thigh, "Oh no!"
"Whatâs wrong, Cang Ji?"
"The Lima familyâs child hasnât returned."
The village chief thought for a moment, "Kalya?"
"Yes," the muscular man said, "She took a mountain guide job on the Sunlit Snowfield to fund her brotherâs treatment and went into the mountain with two tourists for hunting and gathering."
"How long ago?"
"Two months ago. Still hasnât returned."
"Does hunting and gathering take that long?"
The muscular man lamented, "Those two tourists want to collect everything that can move or canât move in this Snow Mountain. The pay is generous. Kalya was tempted and took it."
"Everything!" The village chiefâs eyes widened, "Arenât you her uncle? Why didnât you persuade her? Not even old mountain guides of decades dare claim they can collect everything!"
The muscular man urgently said, "I did persuade her, but she wouldnât listen, said itâs the only way she could earn enough money. Look, this is her planned route map."
"Oh dear!" The village chief looked at it and saw the route map circled through the entire territory of the Profound Fire Tribe.
He paced back and forth twice, his old face full of worry, "We canât just leave her. Uda, Uda!"
A man walked in from outside, "Dad, whatâs wrong?"
The village chief briefly explained the situation and then instructed, "You and Cang Ji set off immediately to find Kalya in the mountain. You have half a month; be back within half a month!"
"Alright!"
The two men quickly prepared their gear, then set off at high speed along Kalyaâs route to search for her.