Did the Top-Ranked Girl Get Exposed Today? [HoloVerse] - Chapter 20

There’s gossip to be had!

A side quest is progressing!

It wasn’t in vain that she struggled through all hardships to get here!

Feng Xiaoxiao perked up her ears and curiously asked the Snow Woman, “Why aren’t those people allowed to come near here? What connection does the Mountain God have with them?”

Perhaps because she had passed the Snow Woman’s test, and also because she could tell Feng Xiaoxiao wasn’t from the valley, the Snow Woman answered her questions without holding back.

“Three hundred and fifty years ago, the Mountain God first appeared in the Snowstorm Valley through a summoning. She was omnipotent, with two great demon kings serving by her side.”

“One was me, though my power has faded greatly since the Mountain God’s passing, three hundred years ago, I was a mighty demon king who could command the wind and snow.”

The Snow Woman smiled at Feng Xiaoxiao and continued.

“The other was Hua Ji. If she were still in this world, she would probably be living a very happy life now…”

When mentioning her former colleague, the Snow Woman’s expression turned somewhat complex.

“The Mountain God led the two of us, each with our own duties. Back then, this place wasn’t called Snowstorm Valley, but Four Seasons Mountain. Hua Ji and I jointly controlled the cycle of the seasons, while the Mountain God guided the mountain folk to find seeds and herbs, teaching them how to use their own strength to withstand natural disasters.”

“Those injuries that would be fatal to the mountain folk, the Mountain God could heal with a mere wave of her sleeve. But she never allowed them to rely on her power, instead urging them to learn to face storms independently.”

“What happened after that?”

Feng Xiaoxiao asked curiously.

“After that,” the Snow Woman fell silent as she walked to the jade tree ice coffin, gently stroking its hard surface.

“Human greed is insatiable, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. There is no medicine to prolong the life of a noble… They wanted immortality, to be like the Mountain God, whose appearance hadn’t changed in fifty years, ageless, deathless.”

Feng Xiaoxiao took a moment to glance at her quest panel. Since she arrived here, the side quest progress had already increased to 35%.

She estimated that once the Snow Woman finished telling the story of the past, the side quest progress would surpass halfway.

As the Snow Woman’s fingers touched the mirror-like surface of the coffin, a stream of light flashed, and her appearance changed once again.

Wei-Jin era robes, soft red shawls, it was highly likely that the system had drawn from historical fashion trends when creating the Mountain God as a game NPC.

Transformed into the likeness of the Mountain God, the Snow Woman stood before Feng Xiaoxiao. Her pale face featured two crescent eyebrows and a vermilion dot on her lips, the same color as the sash at her waist.

Her attire was ancient and elegant, her black hair styled into a startled crane bun. She smiled gracefully at Feng Xiaoxiao, her eyes like spring water, softening the harsh winter surrounding them.

Feng Xiaoxiao realized she had forgotten to ask a very important question.

“How did the Mountain God die?”

The Snow Woman formed ice into a mirror, caressing the familiar face.

“She fell in love with a mortal and wanted to live and die with her, sharing half of her time and divine power.”

“She was wrong, and so she died by the mortal’s heart-piercing hairpin. I resolved to stay and guard her remains, while Hua Ji refused to remain here and took the other seasons with her. From then on, this place has known only eternal winter.”

“That mortal and her accomplices, their hands stained with divine blood, achieved their wish and became ageless and deathless.”

Did they truly get what they wished for?

Feng Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, recalling the mountain folk she had seen earlier.

They indeed did not age or die, but they still suffered from illnesses and injuries like ordinary people, with no way to recover.

Over three hundred years, only newborn infants could escape this curse of agelessness and deathlessness. The rest of the mountain folk who had participated in the deicide back then could only continue to exist in this wretched state.

Would they be content? Or would they regret the mistakes they had made?

Or perhaps…

Feng Xiaoxiao thought of the mountain villagers’ various actions since her appearance as the fake mountain god. They wanted to use her, this “new mountain god,” to achieve something once again.

For example, breaking the curse.

The Snow Woman quietly gazed at her. Suddenly, Feng Xiaoxiao asked, “Do you know where the forbidden land the villagers speak of is located?”

“Do you wish to go?”

Feng Xiaoxiao nodded.

The Snow Woman was very accommodating. Gently taking Feng Xiaoxiao’s right hand, she smiled softly as she looked at her.

“Then I will take you there.”

Just as the two were about to leave the platform, Feng Xiaoxiao felt a sudden tug on the hem of her dress.

Turning around, she saw the white cat she had long forgotten, its two paws tightly gripping the fabric of her dress.

Noticing that Feng Xiaoxiao had finally acknowledged it, the cat let out two displeased meows.

“Your meows are so unpleasant,” Feng Xiaoxiao remarked disdainfully, pinching the scruff of its neck and placing the cat in her arms. “You’re the worst-sounding cat I’ve ever heard. If you ever meet other cats, they’d definitely make fun of you.”

The white cat: “…”

It refused to accept such feline criticism.

While stroking the cat’s fluffy fur, Feng Xiaoxiao didn’t forget to ask the Snow Woman beside her, “Did you and the mountain god raise this cat in the past?”

The Snow Woman shook her head. “I’ve never seen it before.”

“That’s strange. I encountered it in the temple. It led me to an underground passage, and after coming out of the passage, I walked straight ahead and ran into you.”

The Snow Woman smiled faintly. “No matter which direction you took after emerging from there, you would have eventually encountered me.”

“Why?”

“We’ve arrived.”

The Snow Woman fell silent. As they spoke, they had already traversed the snow-covered land and passed through a dense forest. Suddenly, the view opened up before them.

A natural stone bridge connected to a platform on the other side, where faint, indistinct human-like silhouettes could be seen. However, the distance was too great to make out any details.

The Snow Woman stopped here and turned to Feng Xiaoxiao. “There is a sacrificial array here that suppresses the mountain god’s power. I cannot cross this bridge, so I will wait for you here.”

Before stepping onto the stone bridge, Feng Xiaoxiao asked the Snow Woman one final question.

“The mountain god statue in the temple is missing its head. Do you have any idea why?”

The Snow Woman frowned and shook her head.

“I suppose it was the work of those villagers. They dared to kill a deity, so naturally, they would have no fear of destroying a statue.”

Her tone was indifferent as she watched Feng Xiaoxiao, who thanked her, cross the stone bridge. Eventually, only a small dot could be seen on the opposite platform.

A shimmer of light flashed beside her, and the Snow Woman had returned to her original form.

Without turning around, she spoke calmly, “How much longer do you intend to follow me?”

The wind blew for a moment, and the snow fell silently.

It was a steady female voice that finally broke the silence. Realizing they had been discovered, Sasha stepped out from behind a tree and approached the Snow Woman.

“It has been a long time, Lady Snow Woman.”

The Snow Woman cast a cold glance at them.

Unfazed by her icy demeanor, Sasha tentatively asked, “You won’t stop us, will you?”

Before Sasha could say more, the Snow Woman merely took a few steps back, clearing the way to the bridge. Her meaning was clear.

Delighted, Sasha shot a glance behind her. The villagers, who had been fearful of the Snow Woman’s wrath, took the cue and hurriedly stepped onto the stone bridge, rushing toward the opposite shore.

Sasha lingered at the rear. Cupping her hands in a gesture of respect, she curled her lips into a smile and said, “Thank you for your cooperation, my lady.”

On the other side, Feng Xiaoxiao, still unaware of the impending disaster, was weaving her way through countless stone statues.

From afar at the stone bridge, she hadn’t been able to see clearly, but now that she had reached the opposite shore, she realized these human-like silhouettes were all statues crafted in the likeness of the former mountain god.

Without exception, no matter how detailed and lifelike their bodies and robes were, the place where their heads should have been was always missing a piece.

It was like ink staining white paper, unsettling and deeply uncomfortable to behold.

The longer she walked among these headless statues, each in a different pose, the more she felt an eerie, sinister atmosphere closing in.

Though none of the statues had heads, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her.

Pausing mid-step, Feng Xiaoxiao stopped and glanced back suspiciously. Had the statues been in these positions earlier?

She couldn’t help but feel that the surrounding statues were drawing closer, and the sensation of being watched grew increasingly intense.

Slowly unwinding the silk ribbon from her waist, she took two steps forward before whirling around, only to come face-to-face with a smiling stone statue.

Feng Xiaoxiao: !!!

The statue’s head was mere inches from her, its stone eyes rolling eerily in their sockets. Though it should have exuded divine presence, it now radiated an overwhelming aura of malevolence.

Cursing under her breath, Feng Xiaoxiao leaped back several steps to put distance between herself and the statue. She had sensed something was off, but the sudden close encounter still startled her!

But…

Narrowing her eyes, Feng Xiaoxiao stared at the smiling statue, which remained motionless, its gaze fixed on her.

Among the hundreds of headless statues, this was the only one with a head.

Recalling the mountain god’s form as conjured by the Snow Woman and comparing it to the statue’s head before her, aside from the unsettling expression, they were nearly identical.

This was very likely the missing head of the temple statue she had been searching for.

The urgency of her unfinished mission quickly overshadowed the fear from the sudden confrontation. Drawing her short sword, she didn’t retreat but instead advanced step by step under the statue’s gaze.

The blade gleamed coldly in the dim light. As the wind and snow momentarily stilled, she drove the sword tip decisively into the statue’s neck.

The razor-sharp short sword sank three inches deep into the stone with ease. While marveling at the quality of the equipment provided by Dijiang, Feng Xiaoxiao increased her effort, determined to pry the head off and complete her mission.

Everything happened in an instant.

The statue stiffly lowered its head, glancing at the sword embedded in its neck, then at the woman before it, wholly focused on decapitating it.

Belatedly realizing what was happening, it let out a piercing shriek. The surrounding headless statues, under its control, began to converge, attempting to seize Feng Xiaoxiao.

Using both hands and feet, Feng Xiaoxiao fought to finish her task before being surrounded.

She nimbly leaped onto the statue’s shoulder, leveraging the gap in its neck to deliver a powerful kick to its head.

When one kick didn’t dislodge it, she simply jumped on the spot, using her body weight to stomp down hard on the statue’s shoulder!

A sharp crack echoed, followed by a series of smaller fractures. The statue’s head wobbled precariously before finally breaking free and tumbling to the ground. It rolled several times across the filthy snow, coming to a stop at the feet of Sasha and his group, who had just arrived.

Sasha: “…”

The mountain villagers who had witnessed Feng Xiaoxiao’s fierce actions: “…”

???

!!!

“Seize her!”

Sasha picked up the statue head from the ground in disbelief, then erupted in uncontrollable fury.

“What are you waiting for?? Seize her!!”

The villagers snapped out of their daze, exchanging hesitant glances. Wary of Feng Xiaoxiao’s capabilities, none dared to step forward immediately.

Feng Xiaoxiao, who had originally planned to turn and run, noticed the hesitation of the group. A thought crossed her mind, and she spun the short sword in her hand, taking two steps forward.

The mountain villagers instinctively retreated two steps, except for Sasha.

Sasha: “…”

She rubbed her forehead, somewhat incredulous. “What are you all afraid of? She’s just a fake mountain god!”

“If others don’t know, that’s one thing, but you survivors from three hundred years ago, how could you not remember how the mountain god fell back then?”