The Nine Chapters of Mystery Chapter 43: Bitter Cold Land
Su Wangting took out a gold ingot from his arms and gave it to the lotus picker.
The man picking lotus held the gold ingot and was at a loss: "Sir, what are you..."
"How about this? I will take you to the iceberg in a garlic cart, and you will only lead the way. You can take the snow lotus you picked back to Kyushu to sell it, and no one will snatch it from you."
Hearing this, the lotus-picking man looked at each other in confusion with his companions: "Is...is such a good thing possible? Are you sure you will send us there in a garlic cart to pick snow lotus?"
Su Wangting nodded.
The man picking lotus sneered and said: "It's such a good thing, of course we are happy to lead the way."
"Very good. How far is the iceberg you mentioned?"
The man picking lotus thought for a while and replied: "We lotus pickers rely on two legs and do not dare to go too deep into the bitter cold place. After entering the bitter cold place from the pass of Xuelong Mountain Range, walk eastward along the foot of the mountain.
…After about a hundred miles, we’ll just go another ten miles to the north. It will take us about two days to get there on two legs. If we use a car, it will probably take more than half a day.”
"very good."
Then Su Wangting ordered several burly men to hitch the white-haired bear into a garlic cart and send the things back to Zhuangzi. He himself and the lotus pickers got into the carriage they came from and rushed to Zhuangzi.
Seeing that something had been lost and found, Ruyan and the others were overjoyed. They shouted to make preparations and immediately set off on the road.
At this time, the sturdy man resigned and wanted to return to the stone valley.
Seeing the disappointment on their faces, Su Wangting stopped them, thought for a moment and then asked: "You... still want to go back to Jiuzhou?"
The sturdy man nodded repeatedly: "Why don't you want to! It's just... we have killed the people in Cuiyou Valley after all, and we are only afraid that if we go back, we will be killed."
Su Wangting snorted coldly and said: "This matter is wrong in Cuiyou Valley. You have no choice but to kill people to protect yourself. How about this, you guys can help in this village for now, and we will give it to you after we come back from the bitter cold place."
Think of a safe place to go after returning to Kyushu."
Seeing the mighty Blood Shura who used to be the most powerful man in Silla say this, the burly men were overjoyed and hurriedly agreed.
I thought that with the support of such people, even if Cuiyougu found me, I was afraid that I would have to think carefully before taking action.
After everything was prepared, Ruyan asked Su Wangting why two garlic trucks were used.
Su Wangting only said that after entering the bitter cold land, he would go somewhere with the lotus pickers first, and then go to Nuanzhou to meet the pavilion master.
Ruyan didn't ask any more questions, took out a bamboo whistle and handed it to Su Wangting.
He also said that these white-haired bears have been trained. As long as they hear the bamboo whistle after entering the bitter cold place, they will automatically move towards the direction of Nuanzhou. He can just sit in the garlic car to keep warm, and there is no need to brave the cold.
Driving outside the hood.
After hearing this, Su Wangting smiled and said: "What a convenient method. It's just that these white-haired bears are only trained to go to Nuanzhou on their own. Where we go, I'm afraid we still have to drive in the freezing cold."
When the lotus picker heard this, he beat his chest loudly: "This time we don't have to trek step by step, thank God! Sir, please don't worry, there are a few of us driving in turns, you just stay warm in the car
That’s it.”
While they were talking, it was getting dark, and Su Wangting asked if he would set out again tomorrow.
But Ru Yan smiled and said that the further north you go, the brighter the sky will be. After entering the bitter cold land, it will be half a year of daylight. You can just rest at the Garlic Cart along the way. There is no need to waste this night.
So after everyone had a meal of scalding soup in the village, two garlic carts with white bears on them left the village and headed north.
Liangyuan is huge and scary.
Going west, you can reach the desert of the Western Regions.
Going east, you can reach the East China Sea.
It spans more than 20,000 miles from east to west.
Although the span between north and south is not as exaggerated as that between east and west, it still takes nearly 1,200 miles to reach the Snow Dragon Mountains, which borders the bitter cold land.
In addition, the white-haired bears could not move as fast as the horses. It took ten days for the two garlic carts to appear at the foot of the tall Snow Dragon Mountains.
Su Wangting looked up at the towering snow-capped mountains and marveled at their majesty, but he quickly retreated into the car.
Because the cold wind blowing from the pass could cut the skin.
The two garlic trucks entered the pass one after the other. After walking for about thirty miles, the view suddenly became clear.
Everywhere you look, everything is white.
Endless whiteness.
When seeing this scenery for the first time, people will inevitably panic.
It's like floating in the vast sea, giving people no sense of landing.
A bitter cold place.
Ruyan braved the severe cold and rushed into Su Wangting's car, gave him a large animal skin coat to keep out the cold, and told him to rush to Nuanzhou as soon as possible. After that, the two garlic cars parted ways.
After entering the bitterly cold land, the white-haired bear seemed to take to the water like a fish in water, and seemed much more cheerful. The speed in the snow was actually much faster than in Liangyuan.
Most of the day later, the garlic truck stopped.
Su Wangting wrapped himself in his coat, got out of the car, and looked around at the icebergs in front of him.
Although it is called an iceberg, it is far smaller than a mountain. It is more appropriate to call it a huge ice pimple. It is entirely composed of ice, and it is crystal clear inside without a trace of sand.
The lotus-picking man said that he was lucky today because he didn't encounter any snowy weather.
Although the yellow-white sun is hanging above your head, you can't feel the warmth of the sun. It will only make you feel more dazzling in this vast whiteness.
But this is rare good weather in this bitterly cold land.
"Where was the fluorescence when you saw it?" Su Wangting asked.
After hearing this, the lotus-picking man immediately climbed up to the mountainside of an iceberg on his hands and knees, pointing to his feet: "It's right here. I remember that the fluorescence should not be deep, otherwise we would never be able to discover it."
Su Wangting nodded and told them to go find Xuelian while he climbed up the mountainside.
After wiping away the thick snow, a piece of hard and clear ice was revealed.
Su Wangting lay down, got close to the ice body, and looked inside.
After a while, Su Wangting stood up.
Found nothing.
Glancing at the big sun in the sky, Su Wangting understood that if it weren't for the dark night under the moonlight, it would be as difficult as climbing to the sky to find the location of the fluorescent mass in this huge iceberg.
You have to see that fluorescent light with your own eyes.
But at this time, it was daylight that lasted for half a year, and there was no fluorescence anywhere to be seen.
Looking at the lotus pickers at the foot of the iceberg who were cheering for having just found a snow lotus, Su Wangting was at a loss what to do.
"Hey!! Are you sure this is here??"
The lotus-picking man at the foot of the mountain heard Su Wangting's shout and hurriedly climbed up. He nodded firmly and said, "Yes! That fluorescent light comes from under your feet!"
"Tsk..."
Su Wangting frowned and stared at his feet.
"How about giving it a try?"
"Forcibly?" The lotus-picking man looked at Su Wangting with doubts on his face.
Su Wangting took a deep breath and slowly pulled out the long knife from his waist.
He rarely drew his sword so slowly.
Even if the sword is drawn, very few people can see the true face of the sword.
Surprisingly, this long sword, which had earned him the titles of "Blood Shura" and "Jade-Faced Demon Sword", actually looked dilapidated.
I saw that this knife was not only rusty, but also the blade was full of chips of various sizes!
Almost no different than a piece of scrap metal!
"Sir...my lord, your knife is so rusty. Could it be that you don't take care of it on a daily basis?"
Su Wangting said calmly: "It's just a murder weapon, what's the point of taking care of it?"
The lotus-picking man was stunned for a moment, and then asked: "Looking at the many gaps on the blade, could it be that you often split stones?"
Su Wangting glanced at him and said softly: "Human bones are also very hard."
The man picking lotus slipped when he heard this and almost fell.
These gaps are formed by splitting bones over a long period of time!?
Looking at the dense gaps on the blade, the lotus-picking man swallowed.
One can imagine how many people died under this knife!!
At this time, Su Wangting said softly: "Take your companions and stay away from this ice lump."
Although the lotus-picking man didn't know what Su Wangting was planning to do, he vaguely smelled a hint of danger from this frightening long knife, so he quickly jumped off the iceberg and pulled his companions away from him.
"ha!!"
Su Wangting suddenly shouted loudly!
A powerful wave of air burst out from around him, shaking the snow covering the iceberg and flying all over the sky.
Su Wangting held the long knife behind his back with both hands and slowly raised it above his head.
His sharp eyes were fixed on the ice beneath his feet.
"ha!!!"
Shout again!
The long knife stabbed the ice body under my feet fiercely!
The falling snow was blown back into the air by the air wave that burst out again!
Su Wangting was kneeling on one knee, still holding the handle of the knife tightly with both hands.
The long knife has been completely submerged in the ice body.
After a moment of silence, only a faint rumble could be heard coming from the iceberg.
Gradually, Su Wangting's feet began to tremble slightly. As the rumbling became louder and louder, the trembling under his feet became more and more intense.
Suddenly, Su Wangting whipped out his long knife, shouted softly, and raised it high.
"Boom!"
Snow dust is flying.
The lotus-picking man and his companions all screamed in surprise, panicking to avoid the falling ice cubes from the sky.
Half of this snow mountain collapsed in an instant!!
After landing, Su Wangting returned the sword to its sheath.
When the snow and dust settled, I saw only half of the iceberg's cross section, the light blue crystal ice reflecting the dazzling sunlight.
"Sir, look!!!"
The man picking lotus suddenly pointed at the section and screamed.
Su Wangting, who was brushing off the ice and snow on his body, was startled and followed the hand of the man picking lotus.
I saw that there seemed to be a dark shadow in the cross section of the iceberg!
"That is?" Su Wangting frowned.
At this time, the man picking lotus shouted again: "Sir, that... seems to be a person!!"
"people!?"
Su Wangting was startled and hurried over, putting his face against the iceberg's cross section and looking into the ice.
"Um!!??"
Su Wangting took a deep breath, and the hairs all over his body suddenly exploded!
Then cold sweat slid down his cheeks.
It’s human!!
Inside the iceberg, there is a man sitting cross-legged frozen!!
"A person who froze to death?"
Su Wangting took a deep breath and looked into Bing's body again.
But this time when he took a closer look, he felt more and more incredible.
The man inside the iceberg looked lifelike, showing no signs of dehydration or decay. Judging from his calm facial expression, he seemed to have just fallen asleep.
"The lotus picker who died in the snowstorm?" The lotus picker and his companions also came over.
Su Wangting slowly shook his head: "It's not like that. Look at what this person is wearing."
The lotus-picking man looked at the cross section and nodded: "It certainly doesn't look like lotus-picking people. When we lotus-picking people come to this bitterly cold place, we must be wrapped in thick clothes three layers inside and three outside to keep out the cold.
, but this person is wearing seemingly thin clothes."
Su Wangting added: "It's still a very finely crafted piece of clothing."
The man picking lotus sighed: "I don't know how many years this man has been frozen here. Hey, just like us poor lotus pickers, we don't know when we will never be able to go back and will be frozen here forever."
It’s a bitter cold land.”
Su Wangting said with a smile: "That's what I said, just don't be greedy for this money. No one is forcing you to come to this damn place."
"Hey, isn't this so that the mother-in-law and children at home can live a better life?" the lotus-picking man said with a sneer.
Su Wangting stared at the man inside Bing's body and murmured: "Could it be that... the green fluorescence you saw is related to this person?"
The lotus-picking man shook his head repeatedly and said: "Impossible! It's okay to say that in the tombs in the mountains in the south, you can occasionally see green will-o'-wisps in the summer, but here there is no rotten corpse, and it is frozen in the iceberg.
How can the things inside shine?"
"That's true." Su Wangting touched his chin, his brows knitted into knots, "But what exactly is that green light you saw?"
While Su Wangting was pacing back and forth and thinking hard, he heard a "plop" sound.
Su Wangting turned around and saw that the lotus-picking man fell to the ground, his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, and his face turned visibly white.
"What’s wrong with you?"
The lotus-picking man's lips were trembling, and he stretched out his trembling fingers towards the cross section of the iceberg.
"What's wrong? This is a shock." Su Wangting looked back at the cross section of the iceberg following his finger in confusion.
But at this sight, Su Wangting's mind buzzed!!
"This...this is!?"
I saw the man frozen in the ice, and I don’t know when he opened his eyes!!
"Ghost... ghost..."
The man picking lotus rolled his eyes and fainted from fright.