Chapter 1946: Chapter 970: Landing on the Island
In late August, the ice plains had just passed the warmest season of the year. In some places, the ice layer was not very thick, so the direwolves had to be very careful.
The leader of the young wolf pack seemed young, yet it possessed a talent different from ordinary wolves, with a keen sense of danger.
Whenever the ice layer beneath its feet began to thin, it could sense it and react in time, either by changing course or slowing down.
Liao Chen and Xiao Hen took turns standing at the back, driving the sled, giving commands to the direwolves, and controlling the steering to maintain the sled’s stability.
Gu Jiao and Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, also tried driving the sled.
Gu Jiao was too fast, the sled almost took off, prompting the four of them to unanimously vote her out.
Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, had no sense of direction. The others dozed off on the sled and woke up to find Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, had brought the direwolves and everyone back to the Yan Country border.
Geng Wuxiu got sled-sick, vomiting profusely even when seated, let alone standing up to drive the sled.
By the end of August, the first snowfall of the year hit the ice plains, and they couldn’t find a place to shelter from the snow, forcing them to struggle forward in the snowstorm.
At this time, the snowstorm was not considered heavy for the entire ice-sealing period, yet everyone felt the effort of moving forward.
Xiao Hen and Gu Jiao both thought of Xuanping Marquis.
It was only a light snow in August, and they were struggling even with the help of the direwolves. They couldn’t imagine under what extreme weather conditions Xuanping was able to bring out purple grass and fruits from the ice plains.
As evening approached, the snowstorm finally stopped, leaving them almost frozen into ice sculptures on the sled. The direwolves were exhausted, lying down, unable to move forward any further.
"Are you okay?" Xiao Hen asked Gu Jiao, who was in his arms.
"Yes, I’m okay." When Gu Jiao spoke, she realized her mouth couldn’t open, and she could only speak with numb and unclear sounds.
Geng Wuxiu was also protected by his brother, feeling cold but thankfully not frozen to death.
The one driving the sled was Liao Chen.
He stood at the back of the sled, wrapped in thick furs, with a cap covering his ears. Snow was caked on his long lashes, and snowflakes on his cheeks remained unfrozen, almost forming an icy mask.
"Hey." His lips were already frozen, unable to move, relying on his mouth to produce a blurred sound, "Take (your) hand."
He was wearing gloves, but the gloves had completely frozen to the reins, and his fingers were also thoroughly stiff.
Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, although he wanted to kill him, knew it was not the time to take advantage of someone in danger.
He, too, moved his slightly stiff body, walked over, and used a dagger to pry the ice from his gloves, channeling a bit of internal energy to warm his fingertips.
This was the method he had used earlier to help Geng Wuxiu withstand the cold.
On the other side, Gu Jiao and Xiao Hen took firewood from the sled and lit a bonfire in the snowfield.
"There’s fire, there’s fire!" Geng Wuxiu hurriedly came over, squatted down, and stretched out his hands to warm by the fire.
Xiao Hen went to get some dried food, and Gu Jiao skewered it with sticks for roasting over the fire, while Xiao Hen fetched icefish caught along the way to feed the direwolves.
Gu Jiao, sitting in front of the fire, turned, resting her chin on one hand, watching him: "At home, you never feed the chickens, dogs, birds, or horses, but you’re so diligent in feeding wolves."
"Achoo!" Geng Wuxiu sneezed loudly.
Gu Jiao reached out, touched his forehead.
"I’m fine, just an itchy nose. Is it here..." He sniffed around, then moved closer to Gu Jiao.
"What are you doing?" Gu Jiao looked at him quizzically.
Geng Wuxiu asked, "Are you hiding food?"
"I’m not," Gu Jiao said seriously.
"Pepper." He turned his head, sneezing loudly again, "When I smell pepper, I sneeze... Achoo! Achoo!"
Gu Jiao looked down and saw that the dried meat in her pouch was indeed sticking out.
Under Geng Wuxiu’s gaping gaze, she unflinchingly stowed the dried meat back in.
"Just eating these isn’t enough." Liao Chen glanced at the dry steamed buns on the fire, leisurely went to the ice layer nearby, carved an ice hole, caught a few plump fish, and returned to the fire.
He sat down across from Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, and handed him a skewered fish: "Can you grill fish?"
"No," Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, said coldly.
"Can’t your brother really cook?" Liao Chen asked Geng Wuxiu, who was sitting next to Qingfeng, the Taoist priest.
Geng Wuxiu nodded: "My brother can’t do anything! Can’t cook, can’t sew clothes!"
Liao Chen looked at Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, in disbelief: "How did you survive getting lost in the woods without knowing how to make food?"
Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, said: "Eating wild fruits."
Liao Chen’s mouth twitched.
Liao Chen’s grilling skills were on par with Gu Jiao’s, grilling up fish that were tender and delicious, sprinkled with a bit of fine salt and spices, a true feast for the human world.
Geng Wuxiu ate with great relish: "Liao Chen brother, your grilled fish is amazing! Even better than Tianxiang Building! Can I still eat your grilled fish when we return to Shengdu?"
Liao Chen chuckled: "If your brother doesn’t kill me, I would be happy to grill fish for you again."
Geng Wuxiu, puzzled, asked: "But why does my brother want to kill you?"
Liao Chen smirked: "Because—"
Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, grabbed a fish and coldly stuffed it into Liao Chen’s mouth.
Liao Chen took a bite, holding the grilled fish in his hand, smiled and said: "Because I’m better than your brother, and he’s jealous of me."
"Oh." Geng Wuxiu buried his head in the fish, too busy to speak up for his brother.
Xiao Hen tore off the tenderest part of the fish belly and handed it to Gu Jiao.
Liao Chen smiled, picked up another grilled fish from the rack, and handed it over to Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, with a half-smile: "It’s Three Pure Meat, you can eat it."
Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, said indifferently: "What Three Pure Meat do you monks eat?"
Geng Wuxiu, cheeks puffed out, said: "Brother, he says you can eat it!"
Qingfeng, the Taoist priest, shot him a cold glare, thinking, Whose brother are you?
...
The next day, the group continued their journey, taking three days. Finally, on the night of the third day of September, they saw the Dark Night Island above the ice layer.
There had been a few moderate snowfalls these days, and overall the temperature had dropped quite a bit since they set out, increasing the ice layer’s thickness, which was very favorable for reaching the island.
The direwolves pulled the sled and arrived at the ferry of Dark Night Island.
It was too late, and the ferry was closed, with an iron gate, like a city gate, towering and blocking their way.
A patrol guard on the island spotted them, and the leader quickly and cautiously asked: "Who goes there?"
Xiao Hen showed the Dark Night Island token left by Chang Jing, his gaze cool: "Xuanping Marquis Residence, Xiao Hen."
The head guard asked: "Is it the Little Marquis of Zhaodu?"
Xiao Hen replied: "Indeed."
The lead guard cautiously frowned: "How do I know you’re not an impostor? Wait here; I will report to the sect leader."
Just as he finished speaking, a tall, muscular figure descended from the sky, flew down onto the sled, picked up Xiao Hen and Gu Jiao, and dashed onto the island!
The guards were left with nothing but a domineering view of his back.
All the guards: "???"