The Piaoling Mountain Range is perpetually covered in snow, the mountain peaks draped in a silvery white cloak, with goose-feather snowflakes howling down, mixed with a bone-chilling gale that cuts at one's face.

Where ice and snow cover, flowers and herbs often wither away, but there are some spirit flowers and spirit grass that resist the freezing, enduring the cold snow, blooming beautifully.

On a mountain peak, a shallow footprint trails upwards.

A red, bulky figure is trudging forward with difficulty. It's a little girl wrapped entirely in fluff, her cute face blushing red from the biting cold wind.

The little girl carries an old bamboo basket on her back, inside are a few scattered spirit flowers and spirit grass, the harvest of her day.

At sixteen or seventeen years old, in the prime of youth, she treads step by step through the icy world, the thick snow reaching past her knees. To climb this steep peak, the little girl has to use a sturdy stick for support.

Snowflakes flying, the solitary figure of the little girl stands out vividly against the snowy mountainside.

In her eyes, there is always tension and a hint of fear.

This is the Piaoling Mountain Range, and the elders in the village have said that beasts roam here.

Especially when the heavy snow howls, the beasts in the mountains are left without food, and to fill their stomachs, they will stop at nothing to attack humans. Once discovered by them, even a martial artist of the third layer would be killed.

With dangers everywhere, a single misstep could cost one's life. The Piaoling Mountain Range has already claimed the lives of countless young martial artists, but for her father's illness, she must press on.

She doesn't know how long has passed when the little girl feels a layer of white frost on her face and the crystal beads of sweat turning chillingly cold. She finally arrives at an open space, where she sees the spirit flower she has longed for in her dreams.

Cold Spirit Flower.

This spirit flower grows in extremely cold regions, exuding unique spirituality, a rare spirit medicine in the Piaoling Mountain Range.

Excitedly, the little girl trots over to pick the Cold Spirit Flower and carefully holds it in her hands, afraid that it might wither with a careless mistake.

A single Cold Spirit Flower is worth three hundred silver, selling it would get the money for her father's treatment.

Gently placing the Cold Spirit Flower in her bamboo basket, the little girl happily shoulders the basket, ready to descend the mountain.

Picking even a single Cold Spirit Flower is already very fortunate. The little girl can't wait to return and give her parents a surprise.

Step!

Suddenly, amidst the sound of howling wind and snow, an unusual noise comes through. The little girl turns around, her face turning ashen pale.

A snow wolf as tall as a person bares its fierce fangs, drooling, its ghostly green eyes greedily staring at the little girl.

It advances step by step, and the little girl retreats step by step. She suddenly turns around, grabs the bamboo basket, and frantically dashes down the mountain.

Awoooo~~~

The snow wolf howls to the sky, kicks off with its hind legs, and chases after the little girl.

The sound of the wolf's howl traveling far, several more snow wolves soon appear at both ends of the little girl, salivating, with a greedy desire shining in their ghostly green eyes, desperately pursuing the little girl.

Terrified to the extreme, the little girl uses all her strength to sprint.

The commotion here draws in more and more snow wolves.

After several days of relentless snow, they haven't had food in a long time. Hunger drives them mad, pursuing madly.

No matter how fast the little girl runs, she is ultimately no match for the snow wolves. The distance closes bit by bit, yet the little girl clings tightly to her bamboo basket as she frantically sprints forward.

Thud!

Suddenly, the little girl's foot gets caught on something hard in the snow, causing her to fall uncontrollably to the ground.

Just at that moment, the snow wolf pack behind her catches up, slamming into her with their bloodthirsty maws wide open!

The little girl buries her head in the bamboo basket, clutching it tightly in her arms, preferring death over releasing her hold.

Bang!

The bodies of the pouncing snow wolves are suddenly flung away, as if struck by a heavy blow, tumbling ten meters away, letting out wailing whimpers.

The little girl senses something odd, lifts her head to find the snow wolves circling around her but not approaching, seemingly daunted.

As if there is a protective barrier, the snow wolf pack lingers outside the boundary, not daring to step over.

The little girl doesn't know what happened, she just clutches the bamboo basket tightly in her arms, her body trembling in fear.

At this moment, she suddenly realizes the ground she's sitting on feels somewhat soft...

Ah!

The little girl springs to her feet, alarmed, looking at the snow, revealing a corner of a black robe.

A person?

Frightened, the little girl glances around, noticing the growing number of snow wolves, all drawn by the commotion, yet none dare to step forward, as if there is something that scares them.

Is it this person that makes them afraid?

The little girl crouches down, cautiously reaching out to brush away the snow on the black robe.

She can feel the softness of flesh and blood, and she can even feel a bit of warmth.

This person isn't dead yet!

Thinking of this, the little girl continues to clear all the snow off the black robe, revealing a man with features chiseled like a knife and a black robe draped over his shoulders.

The little girl placed her fingers on the nose of the man in black robes to check his breath, but upon examining, she was so startled that she almost sat down on the ground.

No breath, a dead man!

The little girl's heart thumped with fear, causing her to pant heavily, afraid to approach this man in black.

As time ticked by, the pack of snow wolves grew increasingly restless.

They had been hungry for days and couldn't just let a prey right in front of them slip away!

Hunger drove them mad, and the passing time wore away their patience; under the instinct to survive, the ferocity in their eyes intensified.

Whoosh!

Finally, a snow wolf could no longer suppress the hunger in its stomach; regardless of the danger inside, it was desperate to survive!

"Oh..."

At that moment, the "dead body" on the ground suddenly moved.

A wisp of an incredibly terrifying aura, like that of a deity, spread out, nearly suffocating the surrounding snow wolves.

Whimper—whimper—whimper—

The pouncing snow wolf suddenly let out a mournful whimper, legs flailing as its body retreated rapidly.

Not only it, but all the snow wolves no longer dared to linger, turning to flee as if they had encountered their mortal enemy, completely losing their previous drooling and greed.

In just a moment, the pack of snow wolves had vanished without a trace.

Only the little girl remained, staring in fear at him, clutching the bamboo basket tightly.

The man in black propped himself up with his hands on the snow, trying to stand, but as memories surged into his mind like a tide, he went mad.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"

The man in black frantically pounded the ground, kicking, pawing at the snow, letting out painful, mournful howls like a wild beast gone mad.

"Why!! Why!!!!"

"Tang Yan!!"

"Dad!!! Mom!!!"

"Wang Tu!!!!"

"Wang Zhe!!!"

"Wang Yan!!!"

"Why!! Why is this happening!!!!"

His fingernails scraped the grass, clawing through the soil, fists pounding the earth relentlessly, yet at this moment, he no longer possessed the power to destroy stars at will; he had become a completely ordinary person, writhing, throwing a tantrum.

Tears coursed down the man in black's face as he sobbed uncontrollably, his wails of sorrow echoing in the silent world, but no one could answer him.

The little girl was very afraid, but more than that, she felt he was very pitiful.

The agony and sorrow in the man in black's eyes were real, a kind of pain that others could not understand.

Losing everything, losing hope, falling into an eternal abyss, shrouded by darkness.

All the coldness and solitude engulfed him like a tide.

The little girl mustered her courage, slowly approached, and gently placed her hand on the man in black's shoulder.

The man in black turned around, holding the little girl in his arms without looking.

"Why!!! Why!!!!"

"Gone!! All gone!!! Tang Yan is gone! Mom and Dad are gone! Wang Zhe, they're all gone!"

"It was all my fault, it was my fault!!!"

"I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!!"

The cries of misery grew louder; the little girl, yet to recover from the shock of being clasped in the arms of the man in black, heard these heartrending cries. She did not push the man in black away but gently patted his back, comforting him.

"If it weren't for me, they wouldn't have died!"

"If it weren't for me, they could all live well!!"

"I killed them!! I'm the sinner!! It was me who should have died!! Not them!!"

"Why—"

The cries were abruptly cut off, the man's hands fell powerless, and there was no longer any sound.

The little girl seemed to feel the heartbeat of the man in black ceasing, gently checking his breath.

Dead again... is he dead again?

Even so, the little girl could feel that the body of the man in black was still warm, not at all cold, filled with warmth. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)

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