Chapter 270 – The World Map, the Far Western Ice Folk, and Gains Before Retreat - Part 1

“Sheng'er and Nian Nian are both in Cloudpeak Province. If you go, you can look after them. That’ll put my mind at ease,” Li Yuan said.

“Mhm.” Yan Yu nodded. Amid the haunting shadows of the twisting ghost street, the hem of her red robe swayed lightly—a vivid flame against the monochrome backdrop, radiating an eerie allure unseen by mortal eyes. Her pale fingers tightened around the ice coffin’s edges as she gazed downwards, her eyes penetrating through its frosted depths as though peering through to the ghost on the other side.

“Huh?” A trace of doubt crept into her voice.

“What’s the matter? Is something off about this ghost?” Li Yuan asked when he noticed her change in expression. “If it doesn’t feel right, we won’t attempt it. Better to play it safe.”

“No,” Yan Yu said, shaking her head. “I can devour it. Then turning around, she added, “You go on ahead.”

“Alright.” Li Yuan said nothing more. He paused for a few seconds, reflecting on how thoughtful she always was. It was likely that once the merging started, there was nothing he could do to help. He might even become a hindrance, and his life would be in danger. But she wouldn’t say something like that. She was always looking out for his feelings.

He looked up, countless words condensing into a single line, “See you in Cloudpeak Province.”

Her cold, unsmiling eyes blinked—perhaps the faintest echo of her former liveliness or just her unique way of showing emotion. “See you there.”

Despite the iciness in her tone, Li Yuan still heard warmth in her words. He tugged on his thousand-mile thread, crossed a dark and chilling tunnel, and reappeared beside Wang Heran.

The scene shifted back to the Famous Toast. The tavern’s familiar aroma of wine filled the air, mingling with the stagnant chill of the secret chamber.

“Master,” Wang Heran greeted him.

Li Yuan took three copper pendants from inside his robe and handed them over. “In a few days, take some men and head for Cloudpeak Province. Meet up with Tang Nian there.”

“Yes, Master,” Wang Heran replied respectfully. “But with snow already covering the roads, Cloudpeak Province will be extremely hard to reach. Even with good luck, it’ll take around two months to find the young miss. If our luck’s poor, we may have to wait until spring when the snow melts.”

“That’s fine. Just take it slow, don’t rush, and avoid any trouble on the road. Once you arrive, stay with Tang Nian and await further instructions,” Li Yuan said.

“Understood.”

After giving a few more details, Li Yuan ended the conversation. By the time Wang Heran reached Cloudpeak Province, he himself would be able to arrive as well.

Silently, Li Yuan ascended from the hidden passage and switched places with his stand-in waiting outside. He imagined that by now Yan Yu had already started the merging process with the ice coffin ghost.

With a sigh, he sat down in front of the assortment of dishes and drinks laid out in front of him. He took hold of a wine jar and gazed at it for a few seconds, lost in thought. He broke the seal and then started chugging down its contents.

Only after wine trickled from the corner of his mouth, dampening his collar and clothes, did Li Yuan toss the jar aside and laugh. “Ah, that familiar taste of home. Hah...hah!”

With that, he staggered outside, hailed a carriage, and called, “Take me to the third gate”

The driver, recognizing him, answered, “Sure thing, Master Li. But I’m not allowed inside the third gate...”

Li Yuan laughed heartily. “Just trust my face. Once we arrive, I’ll let them see who I am.”

The driver grinned in response.

Li Yuan stretched out comfortably on the carriage bench, while those assigned to protect—or perhaps monitor—him followed from a distance, noticing nothing unusual.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

“Husband, why did you drink so much? Was something wrong with my service? I’m so sorry...” A petite woman supported Li Yuan as she helped him onto the bed, all the while apologizing and undressing him.

After a moment, Li Yuan seemed to recover. Sitting up, he looked at Jing Shuixiang and said, “I’m just a bit homesick.”

“I remember your hometown is Gemhill County,” she said.

He nodded. “Yes, but the Lotus Cult has occupied it.”

“If you need a drink to drown your sorrows, there’s that Hundred Blossoms Brew in the city stronghold. It’s strong enough to knock out a fifth rank martial artist.”

Li Yuan leaned back, spreading his arms across the bedding, his tone a bittersweet mixture of amusement and longing. “The Hundred Blossoms Brew may be good, but it can’t match the Snowbrew from back home.”

“So you were drinking Snowbrew today?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry...”

“For what?”

“It’s my fault, for not giving you the happiness you want... That’s why you’re troubled.”

Silence fell. After a long pause, Li Yuan simply said, “Let’s get some rest.”

Jing Shuixiang blew out the candle. In the darkness, the soft rustle of clothing being removed was all that broke the stillness.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The next morning.

Jing Shuixiang rose early and prepared a sumptuous breakfast for Li Yuan.

Around noon, an ox drawn cart laden with Snowbrew rumbled in through the swirling wind and snow. Its bells jingling, it passed the third gate and pulled up in front of the Jing estate, where servants began unloading jar after jar of wine.

A steward of the Jing Clan tracked down Li Yuan and said, “Master Li, the clan head sent these 50 jars of Snowbrew for you.”

“Oh right!” he murmured, suddenly remembering something. From within his robe, he retrieved a small jade box and handed it over with both hands. “Inside are 200 burning heart flowers.”

Also known as fiery wine flowers, these blossoms were poisonous to ordinary folk, but for martial artists at sixth rank or above, they were intoxicating. If brewed into wine, or simply dropped one into a regular jar of wine, the drink would become many times stronger.

“One flower per jar of wine should be more than effective,” the steward suggested.

“Well, the Jing clan head certainly knows how to show thoughtfulness,” Li Yuan replied.

“Our clan head speaks of you with the highest admiration. He always says he couldn’t have wished for a better live-in son-in-law.” The steward chuckled. With that, the man offered a respectful bow and departed.

Li Yuan was at a bit of a loss, though he had to admit he felt more inclined toward the Jing Clan’s calmer approach than the more straightforward style of the Gu faction.

Once the steward was gone, Li Yuan opened a fresh jar of wine, dropped in a single burning heart flower, and watched the flower soak up the liquid, its wilted white petals seeming to come to life as the rich fragrance spread.

Two hours later, the aroma had grown nearly tangible.

Taking a swig, Li Yuan felt the familiar heat that ordinary people get from strong spirits. The surge of intoxication was intense.

Worried, Jing Shuixiang approached as she saw him drinking. Li Yuan picked up his flute, glanced around, then lightly leapt onto the rooftop with jar in hand.

The glazed roof tiles sparkled in the winter sunlight, and from this vantage, his mind felt just as bright and open.

After downing half a jar, Li Yuan lifted the flute to his lips and played a song called

Longing

.

A melody native to this world, it carried a faint sense of homesickness, drifting through the air so the entire Jing estate could hear.

Jing Shuixiang quietly sat beside him.

When the tune ended, Li Yuan was already a little tipsy. He looked over and laughed. “Queen, you’re the one who taught me how to play the flute in the first place...”

She froze at the title the Queen but only said, “Husband, you’re drunk.”

Seeing she still refused to talk about why she lived so humbly or acknowledge being called Queen, Li Yuan merely nodded. Glancing at the hovering numbers by her side—800~850

(950~1,000)

—he smiled. “Yes, I’m drunk.”

He laid his head on her lap and drifted off to sleep, faint suspicions lingering about who she really was.

Jing Shuixiang gazed down at him, her eyes full of conflicting emotions. Slowly, though, that usually submissive cast to her expression faded, as if she were finally healing in some way.

“One year and 16 days...” she whispered.

Eyes closed, Li Yuan answered simply, “Indeed.”