Chapter 46: Northfall Snow Village

The praises He Yimo heard from Mo Yuyan in just the last half hour probably outnumbered all the compliments he’d received since arriving at the Wuji Sect tenfold.

Honestly, He Yimo was seriously taken aback. He had no idea what had gotten into Mo Yuyan. She’d suddenly poured out her heart with such deep emotion, making it sound like this Snow Village mission was some kind of life-or-death farewell.

He Yimo knew the entire walkthrough for the [Snow Village Mission]. He was originally just planning to stroll in, grab some easy loot, feeling zero stress. But after Mo Yuyan’s tender face-touching and emotional compliments, He Yimo actually started feeling… uneasy. Like she’d somehow jinxed him by planting a bunch of death flags over his head.

Somethin’s fishy…

He Yimo hadn’t done anything special! He’d just been living with Mo Yuyan on Ranmo Peak for a week, chatting and playing chess occasionally. How did she suddenly start valuing him so highly?

Could it be…?

“Could Senior Sister have guessed your true identity…? Is that why she’s suddenly looking at me differently?” He Yimo pondered as they walked down the mountain path, casually squishing the little deer’s face beside him.

Mmph?! Wangxue yelped silently, caught off guard. Her entire little face felt smushed into a ball. She glared up at He Yimo, looking like a grumpy little steamed bun.

He Yimo had specifically warned Wangxue to keep a low profile when they first came up the mountain, not to reveal her divine deer status. So, these past few days, Wangxue had diligently kept the colors on her antlers hidden, pretending to be an ordinary little snow deer. Theoretically, Mo Yuyan shouldn’t have been able to tell her true identity.

“He Yimo, you’re walking too faaast~! Wait uuuup!” During his musings, the green-skirted girl came jogging up, finally catching up to him halfway down Ranmo Peak. She bent over, hands on her knees, panting softly.

Seeing how exhausted she looked—having just climbed Ranmo Peak only to immediately climb back down—He Yimo thoughtfully pulled out a water flask from his robes.

“H-Here, Senior Sister, drink some water.”

“Ah! Th-Thank you…” Yun Jin, simple-hearted as ever, took the flask without a second thought.

Back on Ranmo Peak, He Yimo had offered her hot tea, which meant Yun Jin had waited ages without being able to take more than a tiny sip. Finally faced with cool water, she was genuinely parched. Lifting the flask, she took a big, gulping drink. Gulp, gulp, gulp!

But she quickly remembered something, pulling the flask away with a blush creeping up her cheeks.

Oops! As she moved it, two thin strands of saliva stretched from the flask’s spout.

“I-I didn’t mean to—hnngh…” Yun Jin ducked her head, red-faced, hastily pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the spout clean.

However, when He Yimo took the flask back, he only hesitated for a fraction of a second before taking a small sip right in front of her. “Ehh, what’s the big deal? You wiped it clean, it’s fine. I don’t mind. Besides, Wangxue here licks this thing all the time when she drinks.” He said it casually, smoothly bringing the nearby deer into the conversation to ease the tension.

“Meeeaaah?” Wangxue tilted her head, looking up at He Yimo. She really felt she was at a huge disadvantage not being able to speak proper human!

Caught in the middle, Yun Jin suddenly felt her flustered reaction was the weirdest part. She was still blushing, about to say something, but her gaze was drawn to the expressive little deer beside He Yimo:

“Speaking of which, Young Master He, you haven’t introduced this… erhm… this little deer? Is her name Wangxue?” Yun Jin stumbled over her words. It was just an ordinary-looking deer, yet something about her inexplicably reminded Yun Jin of childhood memories.

He Yimo was about to start the introduction when he noticed Yun Jin crouching down in front of the deer. The two stared at each other silently, seemingly communicating somehow.

After a moment of silence, Yun Jin nodded with partial understanding: “Oh, I see… So, Wangxue, you and Young Master He are the veeeeery bestest friends in the whole wide world, huh? And you’ve never shared a flask with him… Is Young Master He b-bullyiiiing you because you can’t talk properly…?” Yun Jin murmured the deer’s thoughts aloud, her voice getting quieter and quieter, her cheeks burning hot again.

She peeked nervously at He Yimo’s expression. He just shrugged with an awkward smile. “Wellll, you know… I was worried you’d feel awkward… Look, we’re fellow disciples, right? In the future, when we’re fighting demons on the battlefield, life or death situations, we’d be lucky to get any water. Why sweat the small stuff now, eh?”

“R-Right! I understand Young Master He meant well!” The girl nodded firmly, though a trace of pink still lingered on her cheeks. She crouched down again, gently stroking the little deer’s face.

“Hello! My name is Yun Jin! I’m Young Master He’s Senior Sister. Can Wangxue be good friends with Yun Jin too?”

“Meeeeh!” Wangxue chirped happily.

Yun Jin beamed, her bright smile complementing her green robes and white hair, making her look surprisingly harmonious with the mountain snow deer. Having made a new friend, Wangxue was quite pleased, tilting her antlers and humming a little tune.

Suddenly, He Yimo felt a jolt of realization.

Waaaaait a minute… In the original story, Yun Jin, being a healer-type character, had an innate talent for resonating with the thoughts of various small animals in the mountains. She’s clearly having a cross-species chat with the Nine-Colored Deer right now!

Remembering Wangxue’s sweet, naive, and slightly ditzy personality, He Yimo quickly activated the contract seal on the back of his hand, sending a mental warning:

Wangxue, making friends is fine, but don’t be a dummy and reveal your identity!

{But… but Wangxue… recognizes her…} the Nine-Colored Deer replied softly in their mental channel, her voice full of reluctance. Over the past few days, as He Yimo and Wangxue grew accustomed to each other, they’d both become proficient with the contract seal’s communication. Although Wangxue still struggled to speak aloud, she could at least express her thoughts mentally.

{Wait, you recognize her?!} He Yimo’s brow furrowed. He looked again, puzzled, at the innocent-looking girl with the stray hair strand, who was crouching in front of the deer with gentle eyes and a bright smile.

Just then, Yun Jin looked up, smiling happily: “Young Master He, Wangxue is sooo cute!” Her words trailed off as she noticed the contract seal on He Yimo’s hand. “O-Oh! So Wangxue is actually Young Master He’s contracted spirit pet?”

“Pfft, the contract is just for official identification. Really, I’ve considered Wangxue family for years now. That’s why I brought her with me when I came to Wuji Sect,” He Yimo explained with a warm smile, subtly pulling down his sleeve to cover the mark.

He was totally bullshitting, of course, but whether true or not, his words made Wangxue physically jolt.

F…Family…? Did… did Wangxue get… a family?!

The little deer’s eyes sparkled like stars, her ears drooping slightly. She looked up at He Yimo with an expression of being overwhelmingly flattered. Honestly, most of the time, she couldn’t understand He Yimo’s logic. She just knew he’d saved her, he seemed incredibly smart and farsighted… and as her best friend in the whole world, trusting He Yimo when she felt confused couldn’t possibly be wrong!

“Ohh, I see! The Grand Preceptor’s household truly is prestigious. To have already arranged a contracted spirit beast for you before even coming to Wuji Sect!” Yun Jin nodded, completely convinced. Compared to their first meeting, she didn’t seem as surprised anymore. After all, contracting a snow deer wasn’t that extraordinary; most ordinary beast masters in the Wuji Sect could manage it.

What truly made Yun Jin a little envious was how perfect this deer named Wangxue was. Not only did she possess immense spiritual energy, but her personality was also docile and understanding—the absolute ideal of an elegant, beautiful snow deer princess!

“Indeed. But Senior Sister Yun Jin seems quite moved. Did you perhaps resonate with some information from Wangxue?” He Yimo asked casually, feigning indifference, but a flicker of coldness passed unseen through his eyes.

Beside him, Wangxue, who had been basking in the warmth, suddenly shivered from the icy aura emanating from his back.

Sigh… Life is hard for a little deer. Although Wangxue hated to admit it, she honestly felt He Yimo’s lightning-fast switch to that dark, cold smile was eerily similar to that evil fox lady from the other night. They almost looked like… a couple…? Yikes.

“Young Master He is truly perceptive; no little thought can escape you…” Yun Jin’s smile faltered slightly, falling into silence. She pursed her lips, gave the little deer one last reluctant pat, then stood up, smiling apologetically. “It’s not that I resonated with anything specific… It’s just that Wangxue reminded me of a beautiful childhood memory…”

“Childhood memory?” He Yimo’s expression grew more serious. He knew Yun Jin was from a village, raised by her grandparents, but because she died so early in the original story, he’d never heard her personal story firsthand.

“Oh, it’s just tales from a mountain village kid… if Young Master He is interested in hearing…” Yun Jin trailed off with a slightly embarrassed, bittersweet smile. After all, she was just a girl from a small village; her life must seem incredibly rustic compared to a wealthy young master from the Grand Preceptor’s household.

He Yimo smiled faintly. “Let’s chat while we walk. It’s a long way down the mountain. We can just kill some time.”

“Okay! Then I’ll tell you. Please don’t fall asleep, Young Master He, okay?” The girl clasped her hands behind her back, smiling self-consciously.

He Yimo waved dismissively. “Don’t worry. Senior Sister Mo lectures me like chanting scriptures every day, and I’ve never fallen asleep during that. Could your story possibly be more boring than scripture chanting?”

Yun Jin giggled behind her hand, amused.

After a moment of laughter, the girl’s gaze drifted towards the northern mountains. Lost in recollection, she began softly:

“When I was little, I lived with my grandparents in a small village at the foot of the Northfall Snow Mountains.”

“When I was only three, Grandpa suddenly fell gravely ill. The village doctor said only a special herb growing on the Northfall Cliffs could cure his illness…”

“Everyone in the village said that unless you were a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, mortals couldn’t possibly climb the cliffs amidst the extreme cold and storms… So, they all said Grandpa’s illness was incurable, unless a miracle happened, like a god intervening…”

“But… my Grandma was incredibly stubborn. She refused to accept it. She was determined to try for Grandpa’s sake…”

“Later, one snowy night, after coaxing little me to sleep, Grandma packed a bag alone… and set off up the Northfall Snow Mountain to find the medicine for Grandpa…”

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