The wind and snow lashed their faces like knives.
Chen Wuya walked at the front, one hand pressed to the rock wall as Misaligned Force slowly probed ahead. Mo Feng followed behind him, the Clockwork Spider crawling close to the ground with faint clicking sounds. Bai Zhi brought up the rear, one hand pressed to her abdomen, her steps much slower than usual.
Following the map given by the Snow Demon elder, they passed through a concealed ice fissure. The ground beneath their feet gradually became stone steps carved by human hands. The air carried a smell like rust mixed with scorched medicinal herbs.
"The outpost entrance is ahead," Mo Feng said in a low voice, taking a clockwork instrument from his robe. "The guards change shifts every three incense sticks. This is the gap."
Chen Wuya nodded and channeled Misaligned Force into his palm, sliding it along the stone groove beside the door. The stone door opened with a sound, revealing a narrow crack, and the three swiftly slipped inside.
Within was a passage sloping downward, its sides set with ghostly blue torches. The farther they went, the colder it became, until even their breaths condensed into white mist. Marks began appearing on the walls—crooked runes linked together in patches, as though they recorded something.
"These aren't decorations." Mo Feng stopped and scraped off a little wall dust with a clockwork blade. "They're markers, recording the number of people brought in each month."
He opened his record book. Several lines had already been written inside: "Seven in March, nine in May, eleven in July... all pregnant women."
At the end of the passage stood an iron door, weak light seeping through its crack. Chen Wuya reached out and touched it, and a faint clink of chains sounded from within.