Li Guanglong’s fingers gently stroked the ornate box, the chill of its silken surface seeping into his fingertips, yet it could not mask the damp sweat pooling in his palm. He glanced at Murong Xue, who was locked in a drinking contest with Batu. Murong was tilting back his head, draining a large bowl of amber-colored liquor. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and in the corner of his eye he cast a fleeting glance toward the copper kettle in the corner of the igloo. That was where they had hidden the prepared knockout drug --- brewed from a poisonous herb of the icefields that gave off a sweet aroma. Once mixed into strong liquor, it was nearly impossible to detect. “Leader Batu truly has a mighty capacity for drink!” Murong Xue slammed his empty bowl down on the table, sending ice shards scattering. “This ‘ice-burn’ liquor cuts like a blade. Ordinary men collapse after three bowls, yet you remain unshaken. Truly worthy of being called the eagle of the snowfields!” Batu r...