Finding Golden Jade Fruit

His thoughts had drifted a little too far when Xiao Bai impatiently nudged him with his nose. "Stop daydreaming, Little Cloud! Let's go, let's go! The weather's nice today—perfect for treasure hunting!"

Xue Lingyun came back to himself and walked to his little Ice Cave. From a pile of odds and ends, he pulled out a thick volume bound in some kind of supple beast hide.

It was not a cultivation manual, but the Geomantic Weather Miscellany he had gradually compiled over the past few years, based on his insights from Huangji Jingshi and his familiarity with the Far North.

It contained all sorts of scattered notes: which Ice Valley would see its cold air surge back during the turn between the new and full moons, possibly producing Profound Ice Crystals;

which underground river would carry the scent of particular minerals during certain seasons;

and even the stable patterns of energy flow in certain regions.

It was somewhat like a unique "calendar" and "weather forecast" of the Extreme North Land.

He quickly flipped to the recent entries and compared them with last night's star patterns and this morning's wind direction.

"Today... in the Ice Crack Valley Area to the northeast, the earth energy is rising smoothly. Favorable for seeking Goldstone Herbs and Trees; avoid deep dives."

He closed the book and looked at the eager Xiao Bai. "Let's go take a look northeast. But the aura doesn't seem especially strong, so it may not be any great treasure."

"As long as there's something to eat!" Xiao Bai instantly perked up, excitedly spinning in place before skillfully lowering his enormous body. "Get on!"

Xue Lingyun climbed up and settled amid Xiao Bai's thick, soft neck fur, finding a good place to hold on.

With a howl, Xiao Bai sprang forward on all fours, breaking through the cold air at the Ice Palace entrance and charging into the vast white world of ice and snow outside.

The freezing wind immediately rushed into his face, but Xue Lingyun had long since grown used to it.

He narrowed his eyes and let Xiao Bai race across the familiar Icy Plains, while his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Over the past few years, aside from "treasure hunting," there was one other event that had left a deep impression on him.

It had happened when he had just begun to use the perception of Huangji Jingshi with a little clarity. Once, an exceptionally powerful sensation had pointed toward the edge of the Extreme North Land, even in the direction of the human kingdoms.

That sensation carried an intense aura of bloodshed and a sorrowful "fate," making it impossible to ignore.

The Snow Empress had originally had no intention of paying it any mind, but she could not withstand his repeated babbling of "Yiya yaya, aba aba," and eventually brought him and Xiao Bai to investigate.

Outside a small human town at the edge of the Icy Plains, they saw a girl of around ten kneeling in the snow, covered in blood, her eyes hollow.

The girl's family seemed to have been murdered by enemies. She had escaped by sheer luck, but had nowhere left to go.

The Snow Empress had intended to leave directly. What did human grudges have to do with her?

But Xue Lingyun tugged at her sleeve, pointing at the girl's faint yet exceptionally tenacious aura, which seemed to share a subtle thread of karma with his own, and babbled as he gestured.

Later, the Snow Empress acted. To her, crushing a few enemies who were at most Spirit Kings was no harder than blowing away a snowflake.

After avenging her great wrong, the girl knelt in the snow and thanked the Snow Empress profusely, saying she wanted to repay her.

The Snow Empress merely looked at her coolly and said, "You are too weak. Come speak of repayment once you are strong enough to fear neither wind nor snow."

Then she lowered her head to look at Xue Lingyun in her arms, her gaze somewhat complicated, and added, "I came here under this little fellow's guidance. Perhaps you should thank him instead."

The girl's gaze shifted to Xue Lingyun. The gratitude in her eyes, along with a certain inexplicable obsession, moved even Xue Lingyun at the time.

The Snow Empress seemed to find it amusing and casually added, as though joking, "If you truly wish to repay him, then become his wife once he grows up."

The girl froze for a moment, then forcefully kowtowed. Without saying anything else, she turned and staggered away, vanishing into the wind and snow to the south.

The Snow Empress never mentioned the matter again afterward, and Xue Lingyun gradually forgot about it as well.

Only when he occasionally recalled the discussions of "karma" and "fate" in Huangji Jingshi would he vaguely remember that girl's stubborn gaze.

He had not taken the Snow Empress's words seriously at the time. Thinking back now, they had probably just been a rare, almost teasing remark in her long life.

"Little Cloud! Look! Is it there?" Xiao Bai's shout interrupted his memories.

They had already arrived at the edge of an unfamiliar Ice Crack Valley.

The abyss below was bottomless, its cold air chilling to the bone. Yet in Xue Lingyun's "eyes," near a rock wall at the valley floor, a gentle cluster of intertwined gold and white aura swirled, carrying rich vitality and a sweet, delicate charm.

"Yes, it's below. Be careful." Xue Lingyun patted Xiao Bai's neck.

Xiao Bai gave an excited low growl, found a relatively gentle slope, and carefully climbed down. His claws dug deeply into the Ice Rock, keeping him perfectly steady.

Before long, they reached the valley floor. Following the sensation, Xue Lingyun guided Xiao Bai to a rock wall covered by a thick layer of ice.

"It's behind there. The ice isn't very thick."

Without another word, Xiao Bai raised a massive paw. With a soft pfft, his sharp claws easily pierced the ice, and he tore away a huge sheet of ice as though ripping paper.

Behind the ice was a small natural stone cave.

At the center of the cave, a small pool of milky-white stone marrow emitted a faint glow.

Growing at the center of the stone marrow was a jade-like plant no larger than a palm, shaped like an orchid. At its tip hung three pale golden fruits the size of pearls, crystal-clear and fragrant.

"Wow! Golden Jade Ice Orchid Fruit! And three of them!" Xiao Bai was practically drooling. "These are delicious! Sweet, and they make your whole body feel warm after you eat them!"

Xue Lingyun smiled as well. The spirit herb guide had records of this fruit. It was excellent for nourishing the body and gently strengthening Soul Power, making it perfect for laying his foundation at his current stage.

And there were three at once. Their luck truly was not bad.