Snow Fiend, An Invitation to Alchemy

As snowflakes drifted down.

Above the Four Seasons Sect's shop.

Spirit Vine looked at the white-haired woman standing amidst the clouds and could not help asking, "Senior Sister, how many days do you plan to keep Winter Treasure in the market?"

Since its establishment, Returning Shore Market had maintained a stable temperature within its bounds.

Unless the celestial phenomena changed, there would absolutely never be torrential downpours, unseasonable spring chills, blizzards, or such weather.

But that could not stop an elder from wanting to test the cultivators here and see how well they could withstand a sudden spring chill.

Upon hearing this, the white-haired woman in the clouds instantly appeared before Spirit Vine. She drew the round fan wreathed in snow-white cold plum blossoms into her body and said with a smile:

"Ten days."

"Looking at you, have you forgotten that the sect has trials like this as well? Our sect must follow the seasons and understand the heavens. It is only a minor spring chill."

"And here I personally intercepted a portion of winter's cold from the sect's Divine Snow Grotto-Heaven. That is a grotto-heaven! So long as these cultivators can endure the cold, the Spiritual Energy that follows will benefit their crops."

That was indeed true.

Within the Four Seasons Sect, mighty cultivators would often use enfeoffed deities or Magic Treasures to artificially create certain "celestial phenomena," but the problem was...

"Returning Shore Market has never experienced such a thing. Senior Sister, this may affect the cultivators in the market and make them lose faith in our Four Seasons Sect's capabilities."

"Senior Sister, what do you intend to do about it?"

Spirit Vine's voice was somewhat stern.

Without a moment's hesitation, the white-haired woman said, "Just place the blame on me afterward. Letting these cultivators have such a rare experience is worth shouldering a little infamy. Besides, after Winter Treasure's power fades, I intend to give the cultivators here a sermon. I'll teach the technique I am best at—Bean Soldiering."

After hearing her put it that way, Spirit Vine fell silent as well.

If a poor harvest of some crops could be exchanged for a Nascent Soul's sermon, that was simply an enormous benefit. No matter how hesitant one was, they would feel that this bargain was immensely worthwhile.

But just as it began to feel that its senior sister was being overly generous, it suddenly took out a jade tablet for a look. Its entire vine body immediately turned somewhat red, though it was impossible to tell whether from anger or fright.

Because...

Several Snow Fiends had actually appeared within the market!

When it looked back at the white-haired woman, her face was full of innocent bewilderment. Spreading her hands, she said, "Do not look at me. Who told the Snow Fiend demonic energy in the Divine Snow Grotto-Heaven not to be completely cleaned up? Besides, it is no great matter. These Snow Fiends are quite helpful to certain cultivators."

Spirit Vine: "..."

It understood now. There was no way it could persuade this senior sister of its, so it could only send word and wait for the sect's martial uncles to come deal with this troublemaker!

After watching the Flint Crystal Worms finish eating the crystal powder, Li Ye suddenly heard the beavers' shrill squeaking. Their cries were so loud that it sounded as though they had encountered some deadly threat.

He hurriedly ran out of the house, only to see a grotesque humanoid silhouette silently bulging up from within the falling snowflakes.

Like some sort of snowman monster he had seen in his previous life, it twisted its body as it pounced toward the beavers.

Yet before it could leap over, a surge of black aura suddenly rose from the beavers' nest and wrapped around the snowman, melting it away in an instant.

Only a white crystal fell onto the snow.

"Ah?"

"What is that thing?!"

Li Ye's scalp tingled.

How could something like that appear inside his small courtyard, which was protected by an array? That baleful aura was definitely no good thing.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Perhaps seeing the black aura devour a Snow Fiend had emboldened the cleverest beaver. It abruptly sat cross-legged atop the nest.

Its tiny paws pressed together, and it muttered under its breath.

"Chirp chirp chirp..."

Immediately afterward, a wisp of rainbow-colored radiance rose around it. The peaceful glow vaguely formed into a rainbow lotus of light!

Once the lotus took shape, it spread a ripple outward, instantly sweeping through all the snow in the courtyard.

Three or four more strange Snow Fiends crawled out of the snowdrifts one after another.

Naturally, they too were swiftly dealt with by the black aura.

"...Aren't you lot a little too amazing?" Golden-red flintfire had long since ignited at Li Ye's fingertips, but he had not expected that he would not need to act at all.

Shaking his head, he walked over to the white crystal that had fallen to the ground, wrapped it in Spiritual Energy, and held it up before his eyes for a careful examination.

It was a triangular crystal, and inside it seemed to be trapped some strange qi.

"What exactly is going on today?"

"First a late spring cold snap, then these monsters..."

Li Ye found it very strange. Before coming here, the original owner of this body had investigated Returning Shore Market. Basically nothing ever happened here, which was why he had come to live out his days in peace.

He did not like these sudden events. Even if killing those strange "snowmen" yielded some crystals, he absolutely would not leave his home at a time like this.

So he chose to wait through the night.

During that time, he killed several dozen more snowmen and obtained over a dozen crystals.

At the same time, he kept listening to the sounds outside and discovered that cultivators really were running about outside.

They even seemed quite excited.

He heard things like, "Don't let that Snow Fiend get away!", "This is a spirit crystal nurtured by demonic qi!", and "There's Pure White Marrow Fluid inside!" He remained silent.

Only after daybreak did he finally take up his Magic Tool and quietly leave home.

Fortunately, he had the beaver and Hungry Bone to help him. Otherwise, he truly would not have been able to leave like this.

It was daytime now, but the snow still fell without pause. From time to time, cultivators could be seen traveling in groups along the road, seemingly searching for and hunting something. Li Ye ignored them all and kept his head down as he hurried onward.

They did not seem inclined to stop him either. Li Ye smoothly arrived at the market and entered the shop, but instead of finding Spirit Vine, he ran into Su Ya.

"Fellow Daoist Su!" Li Ye stepped forward to greet him.

Su Ya was not surprised to see him. He merely pulled Li Ye to a secluded spot before saying, "This late spring cold snap was caused by one of my sect's martial uncles."

"Take good care of your wheat. Once it ripens, Martial Uncle will come to give you all a lecture on the Dao! The better you do, the farther up front you'll get to sit."

Li Ye was somewhat surprised by these words, but not overly so.

After all, this had come on too suddenly. Besides, with the Four Seasons Sect's strength, something like this should not have happened.

So there really was the will of someone higher up at work.

After blurting out the news in one breath, Su Ya suddenly thought of something and hurriedly asked, "Do you have Flint Crystal Worm flint fire? I need your help with something!"

"Don't worry, I only need you to assist me in refining pills."

"There are some Snow Fiends within the cold snow released by Martial Uncle. Pure White Marrow Fluid can be extracted from the spirit crystals they drop. Their shells need to be melted with a steady flame, and flint fire is quite a good fire source."

Li Ye nodded. "I do. I still have some fire in my possession..."

"Then hurry, let's go!"

Before he could finish, Su Ya dragged him into the Four Seasons Sect shop. Li Ye was instantly left helpless. Was this senior's temperament really this impatient?

Thank you, great ones, for the monthly tickets and recommendation tickets you've given this little brother. Hehe, every time I see a notification, I'm so happy. This little brother bows here in thanks to you all!