The ice lake on the Tea Horse Road resembled a shattered silver mirror. The moment Zhang Yifan's Wooden Ox caravan stepped onto the ice, a sharp creaking sound rang out. The ice crampons on one of the Wooden Oxen suddenly slipped, triggering the Sneeze Bomb mechanism at the ox's tail, and a cloud of chili powder blasted directly into Huwa's face.
"Brother Fan, you set me up!" Huwa rubbed his eyes and hopped about, leaving a trail of crooked footprints across the ice. "Didn't you say iron-birch ice crampons are sturdier than yak hooves?" Zhang Yifan crouched down to tap the crampons, then suddenly burst out laughing—Huwa had actually stuffed pieces of rock sugar into the gaps of the crampons. "You little rascal! Is the slippery ice my fault? Do you think this is the Cyan Ox Village threshing ground, where you can stroll the oxen while eating rock sugar?"
The Khampa men gathered around, laughing until tears streamed down their faces. The Chieftain pointed at Huwa's footprints on the ice and said, "It looks just like a snow spirit performing a shaman dance!" Seizing the moment, Zhang Yifan pulled out a pouch of Snow Beetle Shell Powder and sprinkled it over the slippery spot. The ice crystals instantly bonded into coarse grains upon contact with the powder. "Remember this: Snow Beetle Shell Powder is the true 'ice-surface miracle cure', a hundred times more effective than Huwa's rock sugar."
Chapter 27