“I must become stronger, I must!”
That was Xiao Luo’s only goal. He had been kneeling outside the Tianshan Elder’s cave for seven days with no food or drink. He had not even moved, and the look in his eyes remained resolute.
Xiao Quanren worried about him and wanted to give him some water or food. But Elder Long stopped him.
“I will be very disappointed in him if he wants to become stronger, but is unable to withstand something like this!”
Elder Long reached out and grabbed a slice of roasted mutton, clearly enjoying his food. He had a way with words and had even talked Xiao Quanren into building a pergola for him. It was not to block out the wind, but to protect him from the falling snow.
“Luo…”
Xiao Quanren looked worriedly at Xiao Luo as he whispered to himself. “Elder Long, will Tianshan Elder agree to help Luo?” he asked.
“It will be tough!”
Elder Long shook his head and did not hide the truth from Xiao Quanren. “My Junior Sister might have a razor-sharp tongue and a soft heart. But when she is in a ruthless mood, even if Xiao Luo continued to kneel until he’s at death’s door, it might still be not enough to move her,” he said.
“Then what is he supposed to do?”
Xiao Quanren asked and looked immediately troubled after hearing that. If Xiao Luo kneeled to his death, how was he to face the couple, Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying, when he returned? The Xiao Clan finally found a descendant who could fully awaken the powers of their bloodline. It would be an enormous loss to the Xiao Clan if Xiao Luo died here.
“Calm yourself. You have lived for more than a hundred years. Why are you behaving like a worrywart every time you face a problem? Have you never heard of the phrase, ‘One can achieve anything with effort’?”
Elder Long stroked his non-existent beard and said, “Everyone has a destiny. Whether my Junior Sister will help him or not, would depend on Xiao Luo’s luck and fortune.”
Xiao Quanren nodded his head. He and Xiao Luo were both members of the Xiao Clan and had the Xiao Clan blood flowing through them, therefore, it was difficult for Xiao Quanren to remain as calm as Elder Long. Xiao Quanren was deeply concerned as he watched Xiao Luo kneeling for seven days and nights without drinking or eating.
…
On the afternoon of the eighth day, snow began falling once again.
With ice and snow swirling around, the frigid wind cut through the air mercilessly, and the entire place was white and freezing. Here and there, rocks could be seen jutting out through the snow.
Xiao Luo continued to kneel on the ground. A thick layer of snow covered his body, and tiny ice crystals had formed on the tips of his hair. If one looked at him at a distance, one would think he was a human-shaped snowdrift.
“Wait, someone is here!”
Elder Long could acutely sense another aura on the snow-filled mountain.
“Seems like there are two of them. They are walking toward us,” Xiao Quanren pitched in.
BOOM!
The cave doors crashed open, and Tianshan Elder bounded out from within. She soared gracefully into the sky and looked into the distance. Suddenly, her girlish, youthful-looking face looked elated. She exclaimed, “It is my disciple. She’s back!”
Ten days ago, she had received news that her disciple was returning to the cave. Since then, she had been in a cheerful mood. After the ten-day wait, her disciple finally made it back. She was feeling extremely delighted and thrilled.
disciple?
Was it Gu Qianxue?
Xiao Luo’s body was in a weak condition. In the past eight days, he had been using a lot of internal energy to insulate himself from the cold. He had consumed no food to replenish all that energy that he had used up. He was feeling drained and could barely feel his arms and legs. When he heard the Tianshan Elder mention her disciple, he could not help but think of Gu Qianxue.
Tianshan Elder landed on the ground in front of him. She looked at him and was rather perplexed. She had wanted to say something sarcastic but decided against it. In a ruthless old-fashioned manner, she said in her youthful voice, “You little brat, give up! Even if you kneel till you die, I will not be moved!”
“Senior, please help me!”
Xiao Luo pleaded in a sincere tone without responding to what she had said to him.
“Tsk, how stubborn! I cannot be bothered to entertain a stinky little brat like you,” sneered Tianshan Elder.
At that moment, two girls appeared in front of them, both in thick, furry down jackets.
The girl on the left looked aloof. She had a pretty-looking face that looked rather cold. It was a look that made it challenging for one to approach her. Her skin was rosy, and it complimented the white jacket she had on. She was tall and slim and had a pair of deep and beautiful eyes on her delicate face. She exuded a rather extraordinary personality! One good look at her and the words, “first love” would probably appear in every man’s mind.
It was indeed Gu Qianxue!
On the right was her sister, Gu Qianlin. She was wearing an orange furry down jacket. Gu Qianlin did not look aggressive as she was not wearing her police uniform. In plain clothes, she looked more like a normal young woman.
“Master!”
Gu Qianxue could spot Tianshan Elder from afar and she waved to her Master excitedly.
Tianshan Elder waved back excitedly and had a radiant smile on her face. Then she turned toward Elder Long with a warning. “Old man with the surname Long, my disciple is back. You better not make too much noise, or I will not let you off if she becomes upset.”
“Junior Sister, think about what you just said. She is your disciple. That would make me her Uncle. Why would I upset her? Besides, talking to young girls is my forte,” Elder Long replied and laughed gleefully.
“Shut up!” Tianshan Elder shouted.
Elder Long raised his eyebrows and kept his mouth shut. He had no choice. He needed that witch’s help. He knew he had no choice but to continue and remain calm for that period.
Not long after, Gu Qianxue and Gu Qianlin arrived and stood right in front of the cave.
Gu Qianxue had a close relationship with the Tianshan Elder. As soon as they saw each other, they hugged tightly.
“Little Snow, you silly girl. Why do you look so much thinner? Have you not been eating well while you were away from these mountains?”
One could see the love that Tianshan Elder’s eyes had for that girl. She had raised Gu Qianxue, and her relationship with the girl was between mother and daughter. It was a rather strange sight, for that look of motherly love she gave looked more appropriate on the face of a forty or fifty-year-old woman. Instead, it was on the face of a woman who looked no older than a teenager.
Gu Qianxue shook her head in response to her Master’s question. She hugged Tianshan Elder tightly and said, “Master, I’ve missed you!”
“Silly girl…”
Tianshan Elder patted her on the back. Seeing her beloved disciple once again, it was no wonder she was so excited. Tears were rolling down her eyes.
After Gu Qianxue and Tianshan Elder had reminisced for a while, Gu Qianlin pulled Gu Qianxue closer toward her. “Little Snow, so that is your Master, the Tianshan Elder?” she whispered.
“Mm,” Gu Qianxue replied with a nod.
“Why does she look like she’s around your age?”
Gu Qianlin was completely shocked. She could never have imagined that the youthful-looking girl standing in front of her was her sister’s Master, the Tianshan Elder.
Gu Qianxue explained, “My Master’s skill is unparalleled. She has her method of achieving eternal youth.”
“Eternal youth? Immortality?”
Gu Qianlin was shocked beyond words. As a policewoman in this modern era, there was no way she could accept something as mythical as that. Immortality was just an unrealistic fantasy. How could it possibly be achieved?
As long as a person was a human being, then that person would experience life and death. There were no exceptions, yet seeing the Tianshan Elder proved otherwise, and dispelled her belief. Eternal youth? No one would believe such a thing.
“Little girl, there are still many things that you are not aware of in this world. Don’t behave like a frog in a well. Believe that everything you see is what it is,” Tianshan Elder said to Gu Qianlin. She spoke with her hands clasped behind her back. There was an impression of great wisdom about this person with a youthful appearance.
