Jun Mo led Lou Yunxiao and Ning Ke into the heart of the snow-covered mountains.
He brushed his palm over the mountainside.
Ripples spread across the places his hand touched before slowly fading away, revealing an entrance.
Warm air wafted out, warming Ning Ke's and Lou Yunxiao's chilled bodies.
They stepped inside. Compared with the ice and snow outside, this place was a hidden paradise. More than a dozen wooden houses stood in a row, and a river wound between the green trees and houses before flowing into a vast lake at the foot of a distant mountain. Fish occasionally leaped from the water as they followed the current.
Birds flew past now and then.
Yet no one emerged from any of the houses.
Jun Mo pointed to the second house on the southern side and said,
"You two can stay in this house."
"I'll prepare some spirit fruit and food for you."
Before leaving, he told Qing Ru, "Qing Ru, brew them a pot of warming tea to dispel the cold."
Qing Ru was still somewhat wary of Ning Ke and Lou Yunxiao, but since neither Jun Mo nor Niao Niao bore them any hostility, he said nothing more.
He rose to brew the tea. As he set it on the table, he took a small yellow flower from his storage space and tapped it against the rims of the cups. "It's impressive that you lasted so long on our snowfield. Ordinary people would probably have frozen to death out there long ago."
"This is a Warm Sun Flower. Adding its pollen to the tea will dispel the cold that has seeped into your bodies."
"Big brother, this cup is for you!" Niao Niao held out one of the cups to Ning Ke with a sweet smile. "Drink it