Snow Poppy

"Mother, where did my father go?"

A child's innocent voice rang out.

In a daze, You Su seemed to see a blurry image: a woman with a graceful back was holding a child and swaying him from side to side. Her movements were a little clumsy, but her attitude in coaxing the child to sleep was quite patient.

"Your father..."

The woman's answer came abruptly; she fell silent as if recalling something. After a long while, only a low sigh escaped her lips, followed by a rise in her voice, as if she didn't want her sorrow to affect the child in her arms:

"Your father is playing hide-and-seek with you... He'll appear when you find him."

The woman's voice was gentle, but You Su stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

The woman's voice was so familiar, as if it came from my own throat.

Isn't that the voice of my beloved junior sister?

But... how could a child call her junior sister "Mother"?!

Who is this father? Me?

But didn't my junior sister say with absolute certainty before she left that all the great physicians, including the Third Elder, had examined her and confirmed that she wasn't pregnant?

Is this a dream?! Or an illusion?!

You Su had experienced too many similar situations, and the doubt between illusion and reality had almost become a physiological reaction. And the scene before him began to collapse as he quickly regained his senses, like a shattered mirror.

"Then I will definitely find my father, no matter where he is hiding."

The girl's voice was sweet and gentle, yet incredibly firm.

These words were like a falling stone, instantly creating ripples in You Su's heart.

His unique experiences, fragmented memories, and the critical attitude towards the outside world he developed from childhood all contribute to his almost instinctive aversion and alienation from illusions, which is why he can see through even the most realistic illusions.

Yet this rudimentary illusion felt incredibly real to him, and he began to regret waking up so quickly.

He quickly turned his gaze toward the shattered scene, and with his last glance, he seemed to see the illusory part materialize.

The child in the junior sister's arms slowly turned its head, and a pair of bright, watery eyes looked over, as if meeting her gaze.

"Daddy... you have to hide it well..."

The girl said this, then closed her eyes, as if finally being coaxed into sleep by her patient mother.

The scene flashed by in an instant, You Su truly felt the gaze upon her for that brief moment.

When a person realizes they are dreaming, they are actually already awake.

You Su opened her eyes and saw a faint, colorful patchwork of hues—the various animal furs on the tent roof.

His eyesight has recovered considerably, but he still needs to activate his Ink Eyes if he wants to observe the world in detail.

"Cough cough!" You Su couldn't help but cough a few times.

"Great God, have some water!"

A woman's voice with a Northern accent suddenly rang out, followed by the sounds of metal clashing.

Xiao Lu actually stayed by You Su's bedside the whole time. She brought You Su a cup of Snow Tea that she had kept warm by candlelight.

You Su was slightly taken aback, then frowned and said coldly, "I remember saying I didn't want anyone to come in."

Xiao Lu apologized repeatedly, "Great God, I'm so sorry! Great God, I'm so sorry! It's warm in the tent, but it's easy to feel stuffy. The Great God was worried that you weren't sleeping comfortably, so he sent Great God to lift the curtain every now and then to let in some fresh air. I was keeping watch outside, but it was just too cold... so I couldn't resist sneaking in to comfort you for a while... Please don't be angry, Great God, I'll go out now!"

The girl was almost in tears as she spoke, then she got up to leave.

You Su ultimately couldn't bring herself to be harsh with the child. "Alright, go ahead and warm him up before you go out. I've had enough sleep too."

"Thank you Great God!" Xiao Lu was so grateful she almost knelt down and kowtowed.

You Su sat up in the quilt, took a sip of the warm tea, and immediately felt much better.

"How long have I been asleep?" You Su rubbed her temples.

"I don't know," the girl answered readily.

You Su instinctively wanted to question it, but then suddenly remembered that she was in the far north, where time was inherently ambiguous.

He had only read about this theory in books before, but after trekking through the snow for so long these past few days, he had come to understand it firsthand. A day here felt much longer than a day in the Central Yuan Continent.

Because the sky is bright most of the time, the fearsome darkness here becomes a fleeting and rare commodity. And in this desolate and dilapidated little tribe, expecting them to have something that can accurately record time is tantamount to asking the impossible.

You Su suddenly sniffed, immediately held her breath, and became extremely vigilant, asking in a cold voice:

"What's with this incense?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an incense burner under the curtain was suddenly overturned by a burst of energy.

The Xiao Lu was startled by You Su's sudden cold attitude. While marveling at the boy's ability to destroy objects remotely, she quickly said:

"Great God, please let me explain! These are fragrant pills made from Snow Poppy! They're harmless!"

"Snow Poppy?" You Su frowned deeply. He only knew about poppies, but he didn't know there was such a thing as Snow Poppy. But thinking about it, his dizzy and lightheaded feeling, as well as the scenes he had dreamed about, were probably all related to this fragrant pill.

"I didn't light this before I went to sleep, so why did you light it after I fell asleep?!" You Su's voice was icy. His sense of smell was exceptionally sharp, and he was quite certain that there was no such fragrance in the room before he went to sleep.

"You've misunderstood, Great God. We didn't wait until you fell asleep before we lit it. It was because we lit it that you fell asleep..." Xiao Lu explained nervously.

You Su was greatly surprised upon hearing this. He had clearly fallen asleep out of exhaustion, so what did it have to do with Xiang Wan? Was this some kind of reversal of the Heavenly Gang?

But then he thought about how he had been trekking through the snow since coming ashore, and how he had tried to close his eyes and rest, but even though he was so tired he was about to collapse, he could never fall asleep. Even when he did fall asleep, he would wake up quickly, and when he did, he would feel even more exhausted. This feeling of disconnect had tormented him, which was why he needed to kill an evil spirit to vent his frustration.

"Don't be scared, Great God... We sleep here using this."

The Xiao Lu cautiously observed You Su's expression. The young man had already grown some beard, which only added a touch of determination to his handsome face.

"This traveler is so handsome..." the girl thought to herself.

"You guys order this to sleep too?"

Noticing the questioning look in You Su's eyes, Xiao Lu avoided his gaze and continued to explain:

"Yes, yes. Without lighting the Snow Poppy incense pills, it's impossible to sleep that long."

"Why?"

"The chieftain said that the days here are too long. It's either almost always bright or almost always dark. Sometimes people feel tired, but their minds don't want to sleep; sometimes people aren't tired, but their minds feel they need to rest. Sometimes a cold wind blows in, and people immediately wake up, so they can't sleep soundly."

If this continues, such people won't live long. Our ancestors discovered that Snow Poppy can calm and induce sleep, so we use Snow Poppy syrup to help us sleep. Only in this way can we sleep longer and more soundly, and then have the energy to work when we wake up."

After listening attentively, You Su realized that for the people of this far north, even a good night's sleep was a luxury. Even he was tormented by the drastically different day and night cycles.

When did you order it?

"At the time, we were preparing to slaughter the snow deer we had brought back. The snow deer kept calling out, and we were afraid of disturbing the Great God' rest, so we didn't dare to come in. Therefore, the chieftain told me to secretly place the incense burner at the door."

This also explains why the incense burner is placed next to the door curtain.

You Su touched the tip of her nose and began to breathe again. The scent of Snow Poppy was faint, but it lingered in her nasal cavity.

The dizziness and nausea that You Su had felt when he first woke up had almost disappeared. It seemed that the Snow Poppy had little effect on a conscious person who was not sleepy, but could only induce a deep sleep in a tired person. Therefore, Xiao Lu did not react at all when she was in the same room with him.

"Did the Great God have a dream?" Xiao Lu suddenly asked curiously, a smile playing on her lips, as if she were quite surprised that even immortals could dream.

"Was the Great God startled awake? That's normal! That's what happens when you use Snow Poppy to help you sleep; you dream a lot. Sometimes you have good dreams, sometimes you have nightmares. You just have to get up and go back to sleep." Xiao Lu explained casually, as if she was already used to it.

Was this really a dream...?

You Su didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she found her sunglasses and put them back on.

"Great God, what's that thing you're wearing on your glasses?"

"Sunglasses."

Sunglasses? What's the use of those?

The girl felt that there were many intriguing things about this immortal, but what intrigued her most was the immortal himself.

"I can't stand the world so bright; it's uncomfortable to look at for too long, so I made this Law Artifact to block my view."

"I know! It's called Snow Blindness!" the girl said proudly of her knowledge.

"Xiao Lu." You Su suddenly called out solemnly, making Xiao Lu tense for no reason.

Why are you and the clan chief there?

The Xiao Lu lowered its head slightly, hesitating to answer.

"You're going to worship Evil God, aren't you?" You Su asked bluntly.

The Xiao Lu knew it couldn't hide it from the boy, so it could only nod gently.

Do you have a grandfather?

The Xiao Lu looked up in surprise, not understanding why the Great God's topic had changed so quickly, so suddenly.

Yes, there is. Why are you asking this, Great God?

You Su nodded as if he had expected this, leaving Xiao Lu somewhat puzzled. Who doesn't have a grandfather?

"Have you ever met your grandfather?" You Su continued to ask.

The Xiao Lu obediently shook its head, "Grandpa froze to death before I was born."

"Then it seems you've never met your grandmother, nor your maternal grandparents."

This should have been a sad thing, but You Su said it as if it were nothing.

Xiao Lu felt the Great God was being overly cold, but she was even more shocked:

"Great God! You're a god! How could you even predict this?!"

You Su smiled and dismissed it, saying, "Let's go out and take a look."

Stepping outside, one is still awestruck by this pure white world.

The biting wind felt like a knife slicing through the skin.

The phrase "clad in silver" is perfectly embodied here; even in the Northern Ao Continent, such a completely snow-covered world is rare.

Fortunately, the snow finally stopped, and the golden sun hung high in the sky, as if the gods had given these people struggling to survive a chance to catch their breath.

"Master Immortal, you're awake," the clan chief greeted in a hoarse voice.

You Su noticed that many members of the Snow Mulberry Tribe had also come out of their igloos in this open space. They were gathered together, with a burning bonfire in the middle. A large pot was placed on the bonfire, and fragrant steam rose from the pot, making one's mouth water.

"Great God! This is the snow deer that came back with us! Go and try it!" the Xiao Lu excitedly urged You Su.

The tribespeople were all wearing thick woolen coats, with downy fur covering their faces and even obscuring their eyes.

You Su slowly approached, she discovered that the snow venison in the huge hot pot hadn't been touched at all.

"Why aren't you eating?" You Su asked curiously.

"This snow deer was brought back by the Xiao Lu is willing to share it with everyone, but the Immortal Master must eat first. We will keep our promise," the clan chief explained.

Upon hearing this, the Xiao Lu carefully observed You Su's expression. It wasn't that she was trying to curry favor, but simply to repay a debt of gratitude. This snow deer should have been exchanged for her life, but thanks to the young man, it was spared. Therefore, she should repay the young man first.

You Su didn't show any particular expression, as if her face was frozen.

You Su found a place to sit down by herself, but no one else dared to sit down.

He stirred the boiling broth, which, despite the lack of added seasonings, only enhanced the original aroma of the meat. But his words were colder than the ice beneath his feet:

"You were going to kill me, so why did you stop?"

The Xiao Lu's eyes widened suddenly; she looked at the boy in disbelief.

She deceived the boy. Snow Poppy were indeed used to help people sleep, but it wasn't she who put them in the incense burner; it was the clan chief himself.

Yesterday, when she discovered her tribesmen surrounding the tent with knives and bows, she suspected something was wrong. She shouted to You Su, but the chieftain covered her throat. However, for some reason, the chieftain sighed and dismissed the crowd.

I thought this lie would let this unpleasant incident pass, but why did the Great God still find out?

Those around him froze upon hearing You Su's words, and no one dared to move.

"Immortal, please forgive me!" The clan leader knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling.

Seeing this, everyone followed suit and knelt down in succession, except for Xiao Lu, who remained standing there dumbfounded.

"There's no need to call me an immortal; we're all on the same path," You Su said indifferently.

The Xiao Lu was increasingly confused, while the chieftain's old eyes gleamed with a sharp light, as if he had become young again:

"A mortal body should be called an immortal!"

You Su turned to meet his gaze. Despite the old man's words, there was no reverence in his eyes, only a deep longing.

You Su sneered. He knew very well that these people weren't killing him only because they felt their value might be greater than that evil spirit.

You Su would be tormented by the excessively long days and unable to sleep, because he had become accustomed to a day with equal day and night.

If these people have lived here for generations, they should have adapted to this day-night cycle long ago. Why would they need Snow Poppy, which can even bewitch immortals, to fall asleep?

If they aren't native inhabitants, who would choose to come to such a desolate place?

Therefore, there are only two possibilities: they were either driven here or they fled here for their lives!

This chapter seems a bit boring; I'll speed things up tomorrow!