I Reloaded the Save File! [Transmigration] - Chapter 53

The City Lord’s proper attitude successfully avoided a greater conflict. Zuo Wuyi divided the “extorted”—scratch that—the reasonably compensated spirit stones equally. Each person’s pocket now contained an extra one thousand high-grade spirit stones.

Xiao Que felt she was undeserving of the spirit stones, so she repeatedly declined, not daring to accept them.

“Since you don’t want to accept it, then forget it,” Qiu Wu never forced anything and directly took the storage bag back from Xiao Que.

She then took one spirit stone out in front of Xiao Que. “You went through trouble today. This is my reward to you. Keep it safe.”

“Master, this…” Xiao Que blinked blankly. What is the difference between this and accepting the compensation?

Qiu Wu raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say you would acknowledge me as your Master for a hundred years? Are you already being disobedient after only a few days? You won’t accept the reward your Master gives you?”

“Xiao Que thanks Master,” Xiao Que accepted the storage bag with some internal struggle, her expression complicated. “Master, why are you so good to me?”

“Does this count as good?” Qiu Wu countered, then honestly replied, “I think my attitude toward you is just average. If I were truly good to you, I would keep you by my side, feed you spirit stones and demonic beast inner cores daily, and you wouldn’t have to do any work.”

Xiao Que was stunned. So, Master being this way to her is only considered not good, but just an average attitude?

“Stay here and help me earn spirit stones and buy materials. If you do well, I will be good to you in the future,” Qiu Wu said, gently patting Xiao Que’s forehead. “At that time, I will no longer be your Master, but your partner or friend.”

“Yes, Master! I will definitely work hard, Master!” Xiao Que’s eyes sparkled with unprecedented brilliance. She would definitely work hard and strive to make her Master good to her soon! To become her Master’s friend soon!

To ensure Xiao Que would be safe, Mo Xiao and the others stayed in Bafang City for a few more days. Only after seeing the City Lord publicly declare his protection over Xiao Que did they set off with peace of mind.

With sufficient supplies and spirit stones, the five stayed on the spiritual power boat for twenty days straight, only stopping when they reached the outer perimeter of the extreme northern region.

“Achoo!” As soon as Yun He stepped off the spiritual power boat, she sneezed. Rubbing her hands, she said, “It’s so cold here.”

“If you want to resist the cold, you must constantly circulate the spiritual energy in your body,” Zuo Wuyi was the second to step out and felt the temperature. Even the outer perimeter was already around minus ten degrees Celsius.

“Put this on,” Mo Xiao didn’t say much. She took out a large cloak from her spatial storage and draped it directly over Zuo Wuyi.

Zuo Wuyi moved her arms, wrapping herself entirely in the cloak, and thanked her with a smile, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Yun Yu glanced at the cloak on Zuo Wuyi, silently took out a cold-resistant defensive garment, and put it on herself, self-sufficiently.

This defensive magical garment was given to me by Master. Indirectly, it means Master dressed me! I’m not envious at all! Not jealous at all!

Although Qiu Wu’s combat strength wasn’t great, she was still a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, and maintaining body temperature didn’t require much spiritual energy from her.

Seeing that only Yun He was lightly dressed, she proactively took out the coat she had prepared. “Yun He, put this on quickly.”

“If you give me your coat, what about you?” Yun He asked, sniffing. Although she was cold, her long-term physical training quickly allowed her to adapt to the temperature here.

“It’s fine. I have several pieces of clothing like this. If I get cold, I will put one on,” Qiu Wu said. Although she had many clothes, this one was the most effective at resisting the cold.

“Wuwu, Qiu Wu, you are such a good person!” Hearing that Qiu Wu had spares, Yun He no longer refused, taking the coat and putting it on immediately.

After fully equipping themselves, the five began walking towards the extreme northern region.

After walking for a while, the number of cultivators around them began to increase. Most of them were Golden Core stage, wrapped in white coats made of demonic beast hide. They rushed forward with their heads down the entire way, paying no attention to who was around them, nor did they have any intention of stopping.

“Senior Sister, why do I feel like these people are hiding from something?” Yun He found this scene odd and couldn’t help but ask, “Is there any danger nearby?”

Mo Xiao shook her head. “I’m not sure. Perhaps there are some strange customs?”

Yun Yu observed the surrounding cultivators and quickly made a discovery: these cultivators not only wore heavy layers of clothing, but they all wore white outer robes with black inner linings. If they chose to lie down and flatten themselves, they would easily blend into the surrounding environment.

“You should hurry up. The snowstorm is coming soon,” Seeing the unhurried pace of the five, an older cultivator couldn’t help but remind them. “If you don’t find an inn before the snowstorm arrives, it will be very dangerous.”

“What kind of danger?” Zuo Wuyi asked.

“When the snowstorm comes, Icewing Birds will appear. They feed on cultivators’ flesh and blood. Although their cultivation isn’t high, their numbers are massive—hundreds and thousands once encountered. Even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator could perish if discovered,” the cultivator said, involuntarily letting his gaze fall on Zuo Wuyi.

“Icewing Birds perceive cultivators through color. You should try not to wear overly conspicuous clothing,” the cultivator advised.

Yun He, not understanding, asked, “But, I see that besides your outermost cloak, all your clothing is black?”

“This is just to give myself an extra chance of survival,” the cultivator said, looking up at the sky. “The snowstorm will arrive in half an hour at most. There is an inn about twenty li ahead. You should hurry there.”

Having said that, the cultivator quickened his pace and soon disappeared from the five’s sight.

“Since the snowstorm is coming, why don’t we fly on our swords or use the spiritual power boat?” Yun He suggested. “To avoid any accidents if we’re too late.”

Yun Yu pursed her lips and turned to Yun He. “Did you consider why these cultivators would rather walk than fly on their swords?”

“Is flying on a sword dangerous?” Yun He was a bit confused. “If flying too high will get us discovered by demonic beasts, flying lower should be fine, right?”

“If the altitude is too low, the sword energy can easily harm people,” Mo Xiao said. “And the terrain here is complicated. Even flying on a sword wouldn’t be much faster. Overall, walking is better.”

Yun He nodded thoughtfully, pulling her coat tighter. “Then, shall we follow them?”

Yun Yu nodded. “Mhm, let’s go.”

A distance of twenty li was not far for the five of them. With Zuo Wuyi and Yun He putting in their full effort, they saw the inn mentioned by the cultivator in just over a quarter of an hour.

However, the scene was different from what they had imagined. The inn did not occupy a large area. Many cultivators had not entered the inn but were sitting outside, leaning against its walls. Others had directly set up camp on the spot, lighting fires to keep warm.

“Hello, Fellow Daoist. Is the inn ahead full? Why are so many people gathered outside?” Yun He walked a few steps closer, beginning to gather information from the cultivators.

The cultivator she asked looked up at Yun He’s attire. “You must be new here?”

“Yes, we just arrived recently,” Yun He nodded.

“That explains it. The inn isn’t full. We aren’t going in because we don’t have enough spirit stones,” the cultivator said. Yun He’s appearance looked harmless. The cultivator looked at her face and told her everything he knew.

“This inn doesn’t charge by the day; it charges by the hour. Starting from the moment you step inside, it costs ten high-grade spirit stones per person per hour! Staying for one day would be one hundred twenty high-grade spirit stones. It’s not something we can afford.”

“If we don’t go in, will it still be safe out here?” Yun He asked.

The cultivator nodded. “Within a hundred meters centered on the inn, no demonic beasts will approach. But as for the snowstorm, you have to endure it yourself. If you’re worried about being buried, you can take off your white outer robe to expose your darker inner clothing. That way, it will be easier to find you later.”

Hearing this, Yun He finally understood why those people were dressed that way. It was indeed to give themselves an extra chance of survival.

“I asked just now. The snowstorm occurs once every five days and lasts for two hours each time,” Yun Yu said, making arrangements. “You all go hide inside the inn. Yun Mu and I will investigate the situation outside.”

“Okay, Eldest Senior Sister and Senior Sister, please be careful,” Yun He did not say much more. Her cultivation was the lowest, and she only needed to follow instructions at this moment.

Zuo Wuyi also didn’t insist on following Mo Xiao. She simply took off the large cloak she was wearing and carefully wrapped it around Mo Xiao. “I still want to wear it later.”

Mo Xiao nodded. “It’s just a snowstorm. There won’t be any problems.”

Before long, the wind around them began to pick up. The formerly almost non-existent snowflakes started to grow larger and more numerous. If you stood still without any protection, half of your body would be covered in snow in less than a quarter of an hour.

Mo Xiao and Yun Yu stood together, each erecting a barrier to block the snowstorm.

“Something is coming,” Mo Xiao said, looking up at the sky. Many pure white large birds were circling the inn.

“Remember, absolutely do not let the wind and snow blow you away!” Some cultivators shouted loudly, reminding their companions nearby. “If you can’t hold on, hold your breath and lie flat on the ground. Someone will come to rescue you after the snowstorm passes.”

Yun Yu followed Mo Xiao’s gaze. “These must be the Icewing Birds they mentioned, right? The ends of their wings look very much like ice.”

Mo Xiao nodded, reinforcing the barrier around them. She narrowed her eyes and said, “The snow is getting heavier, and there seems to be something else mixed in with it.”