Chapter 53: Holding Hands, We Won’t Get Separated

Siiiiigh… Life isn’t easy. Wangxue sighed internally. Seriously.

The little deer had no idea how those two human women had negotiated things, but somehow, they’d reached the conclusion that she, a single small deer, should carry three people by dangling them from her mouth while flying.

Does that even make SENSE?! Even for a divine deer, being treated like a pack mule felt a bit much!

So there they were, soaring through the air: He Yimo grimly clutching onto Wangxue’s hoof with one hand, while Jiang Jinyue and Yun Jin clung tightly to his other arm, one on each side.

By the time they finally landed at the foot of the Northfall Snow Mountains, both He Yimo and Wangxue were panting heavily, completely exhausted.

Wangxue was tired from flying. Having been imprisoned in the mountain temple, her spiritual energy was severely depleted and hadn’t fully recovered. Carrying three people was genuinely strenuous.

He Yimo was tired from being held. Dangling mid-air holding onto the Nine-Colored Deer, with the full weight of both Jiang Jinyue and Yun Jin hanging off him… he felt like both his arms had gone completely numb.

But what could he do? Jiang Jinyue refused to squeeze onto the small shuttle boat, and she refused to be near Yun Jin. She’d latched onto He Yimo and wouldn’t let go, like she was terrified her prize catch would escape.

Yun Jin had actually been quite accommodating at first, even offering to let Jiang Jinyue ride the Blue Crane with her if necessary. But she hadn’t expected Jiang Jinyue to be so shameless! Snubbing the crowded little shuttle boat was one thing, but rejecting her Blue Crane too?! The nerve! So, eventually, Yun Jin gave up, recalled her Blue Crane, and marched right over to cling onto He Yimo alongside Jiang Jinyue.

And thus, the three of them ended up in their current, rather awkward, situation.

“Wangxue, there’s still a long way to go. Come back and rest for a bit,” He Yimo said, stopping on the snow-covered mountain path. He gently patted the panting Nine-Colored Deer beside him.

Snow Village was situated at the very peak of Northfall Snow Mountain. After the massacre by the evil cult, the entire Northfall Peak had been sealed off by the Immortal Alliance with a protective barrier.

Because of this, He Yimo and the girls could only land halfway up the mountain. They had to pass through a checkpoint manned by Immortal Alliance members, verify their tokens (well, Yun Jin verified hers, and Jiang Jinyue used an illusion to make the rock He Yimo held look like his token), before finally being allowed to enter the barrier and begin the climb up Northfall Snow Mountain.

The climb was taking its toll on Wangxue. She was clearly exhausted, pushing herself forward on sheer willpower alone. He Yimo knew she just wanted to see her homeland again with her own eyes.

But as they finally reached the foot of the long stairway leading up to the Snow Village gate, He Yimo couldn’t bear it. He stepped forward and gently covered the Nine-Colored Deer’s eyes with his hands.

“Don’t look,” he murmured softly, his own eyes looking up at the dilapidated gate plaque far above the hundred-meter staircase. “It will only bring back bad memories…”

This was the entrance to the ruins of Snow Village, perched atop Northfall Peak. Once, according to Yun Jin’s childhood story, this place should have been a secluded paradise under the protection of the Nine-Colored Holy Deer—a beautiful landscape where villagers laughed daily, and the deer itself often came down to play with the children.

But now…

That small happiness, which had belonged to the people of Northfall, had been brutally wiped out by Gu Wanglan and the Miyue cultists.

As a regressor, He Yimo had witnessed the tragedy of Snow Village on screen in his previous life. But he’d never imagined he’d one day return to this desolate homeland… with the Nine-Colored Deer herself by his side.

“Whimper…” Wangxue let out a soft sound, not struggling, just silently pleading with him.

He Yimo’s resolve softened. “Sigh… Okay… Just a little peek, then…”

“Nod.” The little deer agreed.

He Yimo slightly parted his fingers, allowing the deer, still shielded by his hands, to glimpse the snow-covered ruins in the distance.

“Whimper…(wū wū – sobbing sound)…”

“Alright, that’s enough. Come back and rest,” He Yimo said gently, pulling her into a hug again as he heard her soft cries. “It shouldn’t be long… I’ll get revenge for you soon.”

In his warm embrace, the Nine-Colored Deer’s form gradually faded, dissolving into a golden light that returned to the spirit seal on the back of He Yimo’s hand.

“This place…” Not far away, Yun Jin’s face was pale, grief washing over her as she stared at the ruined village buried under snow. “How could this happen? There’s… there’s no one left…”

Although she wasn’t a Snow Village resident herself, her own hometown was just at the foot of this mountain. More importantly, ever since the Nine-Colored Deer had saved her grandparents, Yun Jin had deeply revered the creature as her personal guardian spirit.

And now… only a few years since she’d last been home, such a horrific tragedy had struck the peak of Northfall.

“The sun’s setting. Let’s head into the village and see what we can find,” He Yimo said calmly, glancing at the descending sun.

The actual ruins of Snow Village were still higher up, requiring them to climb the long, snow-covered staircase. Northfall Peak was naturally steep, and now, encased in deep winter snow, a biting wind whipped large snowflakes against their faces, feeling particularly cruel and sharp in this desolate place.

Yun Jin battled the wind, struggling up the steps. Each footstep crushed the layer of fine snow, revealing dark, frozen bloodstains beneath – remnants of the fierce battle that had occurred here. Even after all this time, the extreme cold had preserved the gruesome evidence on the steps.

“Ah!” Suddenly, Yun Jin felt her foot slip on something hard and bone-like beneath the snow. She cried out, stumbling, her legs threatening to give way as she pitched forward.

But in an instant, He Yimo, who was walking ahead, spun around and grabbed her arm firmly.

“Don’t scare yourself,” he said calmly, his gaze steady. “It was just a rock. Stop looking down at the path all the time.”

“Look forward. That way, you won’t fall.” His voice was gentle but firm.

Yun Jin looked up, momentarily lost in his clear eyes. Unbeknownst to her, tears had blurred her vision. She bit her lip hard, mustered her strength, and tightened her grip on He Yimo’s hand, stepping forward determinedly.

“See? Much easier, right?” He Yimo smiled faintly, holding her hand securely. “My wise auntie once told me that no matter how strong the blizzard outside, as long as we hold onto each other’s hands tightly and never let go, we’ll never get separated.”

Yun Jin listened silently, wiping the tears from her face with her free hand. Despite the cold that had numbed her cheeks, a faint blush crept onto her cute face. Her voice was a little hoarse as she just managed an “Mm,” nodded obediently, and squeezed He Yimo’s hand even tighter.

“It’s amazing…” she murmured after a few more moments of climbing, reaching the top step. “Holding hands… I don’t feel cold at all anymore. Even the stairs didn’t seem so high.”

He Yimo glanced at her, then turned his gaze towards the depths of the snow village ahead. “Yeah. But don’t zone out now. This place is freezing, and our supplies are limited. We need to investigate the truth behind the massacre quickly. We have to leave here in two days.”

“Hey! He Yimo, wait for me!” Seeing him start to walk away, Yun Jin quickly pushed aside her grief for Snow Village and hurried after him, jogging to catch up.

This time, she reached out proactively, firmly taking hold of He Yimo’s hand.

“?” He Yimo looked back, curious.

The girl’s small face was already numb from the biting wind, but she managed a sweet, determined smile, her cheeks flushed. “Didn’t your wise auntie say: no matter how fierce the storm, as long as we hold hands, we’ll never get separated?” she reminded him happily.

“But… the wind isn’t that strong right now,” He Yimo pointed out calmly, “And the path in the village is flat…”

Before he could finish, the girl, bundled in her thick cotton-padded jacket, gasped dramatically. “Ah!” She quickly turned her head away, blushing furiously, changing the subject. “S-Say! Young Master He! D-Did you notice…? Junior Sister Jiang… she’s been gone since we started climbing!”

“Sh-She didn’t… she couldn’t have met with some accident on the stairs, could she?!”

(Meanwhile, back down on the hundred-meter staircase before Snow Village…)

“He Yimo, you JERK! Climbing so fast without even calling for me! Hmph!” The fox girl battled the fierce wind, struggling to make headway up the stairs.

She’d been crouching halfway up, admiring the view, scouting the terrain, gathering intel… and trying to spot where the little shuttle boat carrying Chen Jianxin and the others had landed. Suddenly, she realized things had gone eerily quiet. Looking up, she saw He Yimo and Yun Jin were already halfway up the long staircase!

Damn it! Jiang Jinyue had no choice but to hurry after them.

She’d yelled out, trying to get their attention, but in the howling wind and extreme weather, her voice was swallowed up, lost without a trace. Grrr!

Jiang Jinyue looked up again, faintly seeing the white-haired girl on the steep slope above stumble, about to slip and fall. But just in the nick of time, the boy walking ahead reached out—grabbed the faltering girl’s wrist—spoke something softly to her with a gentle look—and then… the two of them smiled at each other, held hands, and continued onward together, eventually disappearing into the swirling snow-mist at the top, out of Jiang Jinyue’s sight.

“HE YIMO! Go ahead! Play favorites with her, you—?!” Jiang Jinyue felt a pang of inexplicable anger and betrayal, shouting again into the wind.

But this time, before the fox girl could even finish her curse, a pale, slender hand—marked with a distinctive golden sword pattern—suddenly clamped down hard over her mouth from behind.

“Help— Mmph! Mmph mmph! Help mmmmeeeee!”

(Later…)

Through the blizzard, a figure dressed in a black skirt unceremoniously dragged the struggling fox girl by her fluffy tails deep into the dense pine forest.