Li Guanglong gripped his sword tightly, his knuckles turning white from the strain.
The footsteps outside the cave grew nearer,
accompanied by heavy breathing and the crisp crackle of breaking ice, as though
a herd of giant beasts was crushing across the snowy plains.
He signaled his soldiers to extinguish the
torches, leaving only the faint blue glow from the minerals on the cave walls,
which stretched the shadows of more than thirty men long and narrow against the
damp moss.
“Hu --- chi… hu --- chi…”
Out of the shadows emerged several towering
figures, each as wide as two ordinary men at the shoulders, their entire bodies
covered in gray-white fur, as if woven from the threads of polar ice.
In their hands were long spears tipped with
sharpened ice crystals, refracting the pale light from outside and casting
flickering cold gleams against the rock walls.
The leader wore a string of icy beads around
his neck, each bead encasing tiny beast bones, clinking sharply as he moved.
“Awuuu!” The leader suddenly pounded his chest,
the bead string rattling violently. Behind him, the snowmen raised their long spears,
issuing guttural growls like the furious winds sweeping across the icefields.
Li Guanglong frowned deeply. The attire and
weapons of these snowmen exuded primitive ferocity --- it was clear they were
no peaceful people.
Just then, the leader pointed toward the spirit
deer mural on the cave wall, then at the ornate box hanging from Li Guanglong’s
waist, shouting a string of strange, unintelligible sounds.
From within his fur gleamed a pair of amber
eyes, now locked firmly on the box, as if he had spotted a long-lost treasure.
“Protect His Highness!” A soldier stepped
forward, spear leveled at the snowman leader’s throat.
The leader roared in fury, sidestepped the
thrust, and swept his ice-crystal spear across, the wind it raised stinging the
soldier’s cheek.
Li Guanglong drew his sword in a flash. Golden
light clashed with icy crystal, when suddenly a clear, commanding voice rang
out from outside the cave:
“Stop!”
Everyone turned toward the sound. At the cave
entrance stood a middle-aged man clad in animal hides, his beard and hair
snow-white yet his complexion ruddy, a simple iron sword hanging at his waist.
Tall and straight as a pine tree, he seemed
small among the snowmen, yet his presence alone made them all lower their
weapons, awe glimmering in their amber eyes.
“And you are…?” Li Guanglong sheathed his
sword, though his fingertips still tingled from the clash of energies.
The man cupped his hands in greeting, his voice
roughened by years in the cold but his words clear:
“I am Murong Xue. Ten years ago, I once joined
the martial discussions at the Imperial Academy in Stonia, where I caught a
glimpse of Your Highness.”
Li Guanglong’s heart stirred. He had long heard
of Murong Xue’s name --- back then, with his Flowing Wind Swordsmanship,
he swept across the northern martial world, only to suddenly vanish at his
peak. Who would have thought he would reappear here on Penglai Island?
“Why is Mr. Murong here?” Li Guanglong asked.
“That is a long story.” Murong Xue turned
toward the snowman leader, speaking to him in the same strange tongue. After a
brief exchange, the leader’s anger subsided, replaced by curiosity in his amber
eyes.
Murong Xue explained: “The leader’s name is
Batu. They are the guardian tribe of the snowfields. When they saw you carrying
the Ice Soul Flower and lingering before the spirit deer mural, they mistook
you for having harmed the spirit deer.”
Wan Zhong suddenly realized: “No wonder they
roared at the ornate box --- it was because they thought the Ice Soul Flower
was the spirit deer’s token.”
Murong Xue nodded with a smile. “The spirit
deer is the tribe’s totem. For generations they have followed its tracks,
believing its path guides the life of Penglai Island. Batu said they saw the
spirit deer lead you into the cave, which is why they pursued you.”
“We never harmed the spirit deer. On the
contrary, it was the spirit deer that saved us,” Li Guanglong explained.
Murong Xue relayed his words.
Upon hearing, Batu’s gaze toward Li Guanglong
changed. He pounded his left fist against his chest, bent forward, and lowered
his head, offering a respectful salute.
Li Guanglong blinked in surprise and looked at
Murong Xue for an explanation.
Murong Xue chuckled: “The snowman tribe regards
the spirit deer as their spiritual totem. Whoever is favored by the spirit deer
is also their friend. Batu now sees you as a friend.”
“So that’s how it is.”
Li Guanglong let out a breath of relief,
returning the salute in kind.
He could tell that even among these few warriors,
none were simple characters --- the weakest of them were at the Grandmaster
level.
As for Batu, he was far more formidable, likely
at the realm of Ultimate Grandmaster.
Just standing there, he radiated an oppressive
presence.
Fortunately, it had all been a
misunderstanding. Had a battle broken out, they would have stood no chance.
“Gulu gulu… gulu gulu…”
Once again Batu spoke.
Murong Xue translated: “Second Prince, Batu the
leader invites you to their tribe as a guest.”
“As a guest?”
Li Guanglong hesitated, but finally nodded.
“Since Leader Batu is so gracious, I shall respectfully accept.”
When Murong Xue translated, the snowmen erupted
in cheers. They sheathed their spears, and some fashioned makeshift stretchers
of vine to carry the wounded soldiers.
Batu personally led the way, his massive body
slightly hunched to fit the narrow cave entrance, icy shards falling from his
fur and piling on the ground.
When they emerged, Li Guanglong saw over a
hundred snowmen standing in formation in the snowfield, their ice-crystal
spears angled skyward like a frozen forest.
As soon as they saw their leader bringing
guests, the snowmen bent forward in unison, saluting with perfect discipline.
“Deep within the tribe lies a geothermal
spring, far warmer than the cave’s hot spring,” Murong Xue said quietly as he
walked alongside Li Guanglong. “They guard many secrets of Penglai Island.
Perhaps they will aid you.”
At this, Li Guanglong’s eyes flickered with
thought, though he held his silence.
It seemed that this encounter with the snowman tribe had turned misfortune into blessing. - Ton
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