"In such cold weather, you still can't keep still. This place is rarely visited by anyone; who are you putting on this show for?"
The man in white let out a cold snort at the sound. "Your hide is thicker than most spirit beasts."
"Third brother, you are just jealous of me."
The man in white turned his gaze, his deep eyes looking down at the snowfield below.
"Third brother, you say our younger sister insists on catching a Mystic Tiger. What is so fun about that thing? It’s huge, clumsy, slow-witted, and utterly uncouth. It’s not even a top-tier spirit beast, yet it dragged us all the way out here. Sigh, having a sister like that is truly a misfortune."
"If you have so many complaints, why drag me along?" the man in white said mercilessly.
"Ha, haha, I forgot, third brother, you are now..."
The man’s words were cut off by a tiger’s roar.
The man in white narrowed his eyes, and the Golden Phoenix dove straight toward the source of the sound.
The man in cyan paused for a moment before hurriedly following.
At this moment, Liu Rumeng had just dodged another round of attacks from the White Tiger.
The arrows in her hand were already gone, leaving only a short-handled dagger.
"Roar!" The White Tiger let out a skyward howl, the force blowing snow from the surroundings, showering it over her.
The two were less than half a human’s distance apart. The White Tiger’s sharp claws hovered in mid-air, and she could even see the white light reflecting off the tips. With a single swat, Liu Rumeng would be torn to pieces.
The White Tiger shook its head, snorting heavy, foul breath from its nostrils, and suddenly swiped at Liu Rumeng.
Now.
Liu Rumeng dove headfirst into a snowdrift, her slender body vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The White Tiger roared as it charged, swatting down with a claw, only to let out a miserable yelp. As it lifted its paw, a sharp blade was clearly embedded in its pad.
The White Tiger roared in fury, trying to shake the blade off.
While it was distracted, Liu Rumeng darted behind a tree, snapped off a withered branch, and thrust it toward the White Tiger’s eye. The White Tiger dodged, charging at her frantically, but Liu Rumeng pivoted off the tree trunk, shifting and dancing in such a way that the White Tiger’s strikes consistently missed.
Every now and then, she would jab it with the branch. The White Tiger roared incessantly, its golden irises turning blood-red.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Whose young girl is this? So reckless? Daring to provoke a Mystic Tiger—she certainly has guts." In mid-air, the man in cyan clicked his tongue in wonder, a folding fan masking his increasingly intrigued smile.
The man in white remained cold and silent, his gaze following Liu Rumeng’s movements.
The two had been watching for a long time. It wasn't that they lacked compassion, but this girl appeared fragile and helpless, yet every time she reached a critical moment, she managed to avert disaster with a brilliant display of skill.
Furthermore, the techniques she used were ones they had never seen before. Relying only on her physical agility and the rotations of her hands, she could neutralize the White Tiger’s attacks entirely. It was truly astonishing.
To find such a woman in this frozen wasteland was truly interesting. Very interesting.
"Third brother, do you know what technique this girl is using?"
The man in white shook his head, his voice indifferent. "I only know that she won't last another stick of incense."
Even just watching, he could see that her spiritual power was poor, or perhaps even non-existent. In this world, those without spiritual power did not live long.
Although she possessed some technical skills, her footwork was heavy rather than nimble. Moreover, her opponent was the Mystic Tiger, known for its monstrous strength. The gap in power was too great; there was no way she could win.
"That’s not necessarily true. I find this girl quite interesting. She might just exceed our expectations." The man in cyan tapped his folding fan, looking highly amused.
The man in white suddenly frowned.The man in cyan also restrained his playful smile and looked over.
They saw a massive pine tree suddenly shake violently before crashing down. The impact sent up a fog of snow, scattering and obscuring their vision.
In the vast expanse of white, they could only hear the furious roars of the Mystic Tiger; they couldn't see what was happening below.
The man in cyan closed his folding fan. "Third brother, we've seen enough of the spectacle. She's just a young girl, after all. I think we should..."
"No rush." The man in white interrupted him, a faint hint of interest in his deep black eyes.
The man in cyan hadn't noticed, but the man in white had seen clearly: before the giant tree fell, the way that nimble figure dodged and the silver light shot from her hand—even the angle of the falling tree was too precise. It had likely been part of her design.
The man in cyan raised an eyebrow. His third brother was always calm and indifferent; this was the first time he had seen him show such an expression.
The snow mist slowly cleared. The scene was a mess. The fallen giant tree had crushed a patch of smaller saplings, littering the ground with leaves and snow. The Mystic Tiger and the girl were nowhere to be seen.
*Snap!*
The man in cyan opened his fan and tapped it twice, hesitating. "Could they both be dead?"
Although her life or death had nothing to do with them, she was a child after all. Standing by like this would be a bit lacking in grace.
"Go!" the man in white suddenly barked. The Golden Phoenix let out a piercing cry, its wings spreading golden light as it dove sharply.
"Hey, third brother, you're too cunning!" he called out, following closely behind.
The Golden Phoenix circled in the air, churning up gusts of wind that scattered the snow. Yet, there was no trace of any living thing.
The Golden Phoenix hovered in mid-air. The man in white narrowed his phoenix eyes, slowly scanning the surrounding snow.
"Third brother, did you find anything?" The man in cyan followed closely, and upon seeing the scene below, he couldn't help but sigh. "Too late, it seems. Younger sister is going to throw a tantrum again." Although this Mystic Tiger wasn't a top-tier spirit beast, they were hard to find given their harsh habitat.
This was going to be a headache. Where was he supposed to find her another one?
The man in white withdrew his gaze, a flicker of inexplicable disappointment in his eyes. He had overestimated her.
His lips curled coldly as he turned the bird's head. "Let's go back."
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not doing it. You go talk to our younger sister; I'm not taking the blame for this."
As they spoke, they urged the Golden Phoenix to soar into the high sky.
Just then, another tiger roar echoed through the valley.
"Huh?" The man in cyan hurriedly pulled the Golden Phoenix to a stop. "It's still alive?"
A faint, nearly imperceptible curve touched the lips of the man in white. "It's she who is still alive." With that, the Golden Phoenix turned and flew back along the original path.
When the two returned, they saw the Mystic Tiger standing at the edge of a cliff. Both its shoulders were oozing blood, staining its snow-white fur red. A sharpened branch was embedded straight into its back, and one of its eyes was bleeding uncontrollably.
The man in cyan snapped his fan open, a spark of interest in his eyes. "I didn't expect she had such cleverness."
"Hmph, it’s nothing more than that."
"Third brother, you're too harsh. She's just a child without spiritual power. Being able to escape a Mystic Tiger's pursuit is already impressive. But I'm afraid her luck ends here."
Everyone knew that if a Mystic Tiger didn't bleed, it was just an ordinary spirit beast, but if it were wounded, it became a nightmare.
When a Mystic Tiger encountered blood, its hidden beastly nature was triggered, making it even more terrifyingly powerful.
Indeed, the wounded tiger didn't collapse from weakness; instead, it became even more volatile. Its golden eyes faded into a ghastly crimson, it crouched low, digging its front claws into the snow, snorting heavy, ragged breaths, looking as if it wanted nothing more than to tear Liu Rumeng to shreds.
Its size suddenly doubled.
Even the snow beneath its feet trembled from its roars.
Facing such a behemoth, Liu Rumeng remained calm—so calm it was suspicious.
The man in white gazed at Liu Rumeng, a glimmer of interest in his eyes.
"Third brother, let's end it here. Our younger sister will throw a fit, so perhaps we should..."
The man in white suddenly chuckled softly. He pressed his right hand onto the Golden Phoenix's head, and the bird immediately lowered its body, shifting into a resting position.
It was clear he intended to sit this out.
"Third brother?"
"What's the rush? The real show is just beginning."
The man in cyan followed his gaze.
Liu Rumeng stood not far from the Mystic Tiger, holding a sharpened wooden fork, her eyes as calm as water, unmoved by the tiger’s ferocious roars.
The man in cyan sighed, "She isn't even afraid!"
"Roar!" Another roar shook the very ground.
Liu Rumeng suddenly made a move that left everyone stunned: she slowly placed the wooden fork on the ground and then, abruptly, closed her eyes.
A look of confusion swept across the man in cyan’s face. "Is she giving up? Preparing to become the Mystic Tiger’s meal?"
The man in white did not speak, but the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Though he didn't know what she intended to do, he was certain of one thing: she would never give up.
It was strange; they didn't know each other, yet he firmly believed it.
Liu Rumeng kept her eyes closed, her face peaceful as if in deep meditation. Only she knew that she was channeling the internal energy within her body. Fortunately, while this broken vessel lacked spiritual power, her internal energy remained.Before her death, she had practiced martial arts with her grandfather for over a decade, learning how to regulate her body's vital energy meridians and pathways from a young age. Furthermore, in the year her grandfather passed away, she inherited a book he treasured above all else. That book contained detailed records on methods for using internal energy to regulate breathing. Once mastered, one's body would become extraordinarily nimble and agile.
When she was halfway through practicing those techniques, a twist of fate led her to join the women's special forces, where she met Long Kui. Soon after, the Sixth World War broke out. Various advanced weapons devastated the Earth in a very short span of time; humanity reaped what it sowed, and there were no winners at all.
The survivors began fighting over limited resources on an Earth reduced to ruins. As for her, along with thousands of others, she was captured by Long Kui and taken to a laboratory, locked away in pitch-black underground cells where she remained for decades.
Long Kui injected all sorts of different drugs into their bodies, and every time, large numbers of experimental subjects died. Decades later, she became the only survivor. Because of the various drugs injected into her body over all these years, her appearance never changed, making her seem still like the innocent Liu Rumeng of decades past.
The memories drifted away like a wisp of smoke. Liu Rumeng shook her head and refocused her mind.A surge of heat began to churn within her body, gathering in her lower abdomen and slowly, with great difficulty, spreading toward her limbs.
At that moment, the enraged Mystic Tiger let out a sudden roar and lunged straight at her.
The man in cyan snapped his folding fan shut. He could not simply stand by and watch the girl get torn to pieces, and spiritual power already flickered between his fingers.
A flash of white light suddenly coiled around his waist like a chain, binding him firmly to the Golden Phoenix.
The man in cyan moved slightly, but the white light only tightened its hold. He could not help a helpless sigh. "Third brother, that Cloud-Sky Lock of yours was a gift from me back in the day, and now you are using it to tie me up."
"Shut up!"
"Fine, fine, I'll shut up!" He merely didn't want to see that Mystic Tiger devour a human, its vile nature having provoked his younger sister.
Fine, he wouldn't interfere anymore either.
Even as the two men spoke, the White Tiger's sharp claws were already closing in right before Liu Rumeng. At the very last split second,
Liu Rumeng shifted her figure and suddenly vanished from where she stood.
"Huh?" The man in cyan widened his eyes slightly. "Third brother—" But he saw that the very third brother he had just addressed wore an expression of utter astonishment.
The Mystic Tiger pounced on empty air, its massive body plunging deep into the white snow, looking just as bewildered as the two of them."Could it be that she possesses spiritual power?" the man in cyan muttered to himself, before shaking his head. "Even you, third brother, probably couldn't conceal your spiritual power so completely that not a trace remains."
The man in white remained silent, but the Golden Phoenix beneath him, already sensing its master's mood, began to stir restlessly.
Suddenly, snowflakes swirled wildly!
A sharp wooden pitchfork plummeted from the sky, plunging straight toward the Mystic Tiger.
"Nice move!" the man in cyan exclaimed.
Although such a move was still full of flaws in his eyes, for someone without spiritual power, being able to evade the Mystic Tiger's pursuit was already no small feat.
The man in white flicked his sleeve and leaned forward slightly, a flash of approval in his eyes.
Yet the Mystic Tiger was, after all, a spirit beast; such a petty trick could never defeat it. With blinding speed, it spun to dodge the pitchfork and lunged fiercely at Liu Rumeng once more.
Liu Rumeng dodged the White Tiger's sharp claws, and just like that, the two engaged in a chase across the snow-covered ground.
Liu Rumeng's severe injuries had not yet healed, and even after mobilizing her internal energy, she could not sustain it for long.
Gradually, her strength began to fail, and she stumbled, falling to the ground.
The Mystic Tiger followed closely behind, raising its front paws, ready to pounce.
Liu Rumeng rolled on the ground to evade the claws, but her back was still grazed, leaving a bloody scratch.
Catching the scent of blood, the Mystic Tiger grew even more excited, its eyes turning a terrifying crimson.
Gritting her teeth, Liu Rumeng mustered the very last ounce of her strength to leap onto the Mystic Tiger's back, wrapping her arms tightly around its neck.
This was the grappling technique she excelled at; unless they severed her wrists, there was no shaking her off!
The Mystic Tiger let out a roar that shook the heavens.
Liu Rumeng felt as though her internal organs were about to be shattered. Clinging desperately to the Mystic Tiger, her eyes burned with fierce determination: if it wanted her dead, they would simply perish together!
The Mystic Tiger shook its body violently, yet failed to dislodge the woman on its back. With its vital throat locked tight, its strength began to wane.
Just as the two were about to plunge off the cliff together, a blinding golden light shot forth like an arrow. Liu Rumeng felt a sudden flash before her eyes, and her body grew weightless as someone effortlessly lifted her from the Mystic Tiger's back and tossed her aside into a snowdrift.
Coughing twice, Liu Rumeng struggled to her feet.
Another burst of golden light flashed, so piercing that it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.
The Golden Phoenix raised its head and let out an intimidating cry, making Liu Rumeng feel as though her heart, liver, spleen, and lungs were about to take another beating.
A deep shout rang out: "Halt!"The shrieking cries stopped abruptly. The Golden Phoenix lowered its proud head, its golden radiance gradually fading as it folded its wings against the ground.
Liu Rumeng slowly opened her eyes.
Her very first sight was the Mystic Tiger pinned helplessly beneath the Golden Phoenix's talons not far away—a beast of such monstrous strength and fury, yet rendered completely immobile under a single claw.
A secret wave of shock washed over Liu Rumeng. She raised her gaze, and in that instant, she locked eyes with a pair of deep, unfathomable pupils like cold abysses.
She could not describe the nature of that gaze, feeling only that under such eyes, all her pretenses became utterly ridiculous.
The man stood beside the Golden Phoenix with his hands behind his back, the white fabric of his robes snapping fiercely in the wind. His striking, handsome features surpassed human imagination, while a faint white lotus flickered between his brows before vanishing without a trace.
Just standing there, this man radiated an oppressive force and majesty that demanded submission.
As she sized him up, he was appraising her in return.
Emaciated and withered, covered in scars, and with a sallow complexion that made her age impossible to guess, she hardly looked like someone who had just fought a Mystic Tiger bare-handed for so long.
If there was anything striking about her, it was solely that pair of eyes—still as a lake, dark as ink, as though nothing in the world could ever startle or terrify her.
"Who are you?" The man pressed his lips together, his voice deep, resonant, and powerful.
Liu Rumeng stood up; she was not accustomed to looking up at anyone.
"Did you save me?"
"I never save anyone."
"Then there's no need for thanks." Liu Rumeng was unimpressed by the man's proud arrogance; even if he were a heavenly deity, what did that have to do with her?
In this world, the only ones who could save her and her mother were themselves.
Yet sensing this man's noble bearing, seeing how effortlessly he had broken her grappling technique and subdued that massive beast, she knew his internal energy was immense, and it would be wise not to provoke him.
Liu Rumeng turned to leave, but another figure suddenly appeared behind her—the man in cyan, who had been waiting there all along.
"Hold on. There's no rush, miss."
Liu Rumeng stopped, her eyes shifting slightly to the side.
A faint jolt of surprise stirred in her heart. Though this man lacked the overwhelming pressure of the man in white, he was still a dragon among men. His cyan robes could not conceal his graceful elegance, and he radiated an unmistakable aura of nobility.
It seemed she had crossed paths with some extraordinary figures today.
Suppressing her thoughts, Liu Rumeng stood her ground in silence.
"How is it that a young lady like you came to be in a place like this?"
With the Realm of Ice and Snow being so desolate, how could a frail girl suddenly appear here?
Liu Rumeng knew that unless her answer satisfied them, they likely would not let her leave easily.
And so, she feigned a look of mild panic: "I got separated from my mother and ended up here. We originally came up the mountain to forage for wild food."
"As far as I know, there is no human habitation for tens of miles around. How did you and your mother manage to wander out this far?"
The man in cyan effortlessly exposed her lie.
Irritation flared in Liu Rumeng. Her physical strength was completely spent, and freezing and aching, she only wanted to return quickly and take some Black Spirit Ointment to recover her energy. Yet these two insisted on pressing her relentlessly.
A cold glint flashed in her eyes, though her expression grew even more docile: "I have no idea how I got here either. When I opened my eyes, I was already in this place. I heard that many spirit beasts appear around here; perhaps they wanted to amuse themselves at my expense and brought me here. I'm very worried about my mother and don't know how she is right now. Please let me leave."
The man in cyan glanced at the man in white, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Afterward, he looked at Liu Rumeng with a meaningful gaze: "You possess no spiritual power, yet you traded blows with a Mystic Tiger for quite some time, which shows your martial skills are extraordinary. I am quite curious—what was that technique you used just now?"
That white tiger was called a Mystic Tiger?
Liu Rumeng swiftly searched her memory, finally unearthing the relevant information, and could not help a jolt of shock. She had actually fought a spirit beast of monstrous strength for so long, having mistakenly thought it was just an ordinary, oversized tiger.
"Just some crude tricks of a mountain country bumpkin." She knew they would certainly investigate her upon leaving, at which point her identity would naturally be exposed—though by then, they would have certainly lost interest.
The man in cyan looked toward the man standing beside him.
With a snap of rustling fabric, the man in white began walking toward her.
Unsure of his intentions, Liu Rumeng only felt that as he approached, an oppressive pressure closed in with him, making it difficult for her to even stand steady.
The man stopped before her, lowering his gaze to look down at her, and suddenly seized her chin.
She was forced to lift her face.
The man's dark eyes seemed capable of piercing straight through her soul.
Suppressing her panic, she forced a look of fright: "My lord, I did not mean to trespass. If I have offended the two lords, please spare me."