A new chapter of A Deadly Secret: the patterned heritage of the snowy mountains' ice veins (Hu Fei's companion arc). Half a year after the constellation plant festival in the Congo Rainforest ended, Muhammad received a letter from Hu Fei-inviting the Pioneer Team to the snowy peaks of Changbai Mountain, where he had lived in seclusion for years, to help revitalize the local Evenki tribe's "Ice Patterns" and "Snow Vein Pattern." These patterns, carved into icy rock and snow, held the Evenki people's wisdom about winter hunting and reindeer migration: "Ice Crack Patterns" recorded ice thickness and safe hunting grounds, while the "Snow Vein Pattern" marked reindeer migration routes and water sources. But the younger generation relied on modern equipment and could no longer read these "snowy mountain codes." Muhammad immediately gathered Soka, Karen, Mba, Quito, and the other youngsters, bringing rainforest hardwood and snowy mountain cold iron to meet Hu Fei at the foot of Changbai Mountain. Uli Ji, the Evenki tribal elder, wore reindeer-hide clothing and clasped Hu Fei's hand as he said, "Young hero Hu comes every year to help us protect our reindeer, but the wisdom of these Ice Patterns and Snow Vein Pattern still needs young people like you to pass it down." He pointed to the "Ice Crack Patterns" on a distant ice cliff. "Look at those intersecting lines. Where they're dense, the ice is thin; where they're sparse, the ice is thick. But what child these days would dare follow the Ice Patterns out hunting?" Hu Fei drew the Cold Moon Saber, its blade reflecting the light of the snowy mountains. "This time, we'll combine the rainforest's constellation wisdom, the martial arts of A Deadly Secret, and the Hu Family Saber Technique to bring the Ice Patterns and Snow Vein Pattern to life!" I. The symbiosis of snowy mountain martial arts and Ice Patterns: letting footwork "tread ice to find the way." Hu Fei led everyone beneath the ice cliff and pointed to the alternating dense and sparse tracks of the "Ice Crack Patterns." "The 'Treading Snow Without a Trace' form of the Hu Family Saber Technique emphasizes 'drawing support from the snow and moving with its contours.' The course of these Ice Crack Patterns is the best possible guide for footwork." Working with Lin Xiaowu, he combined "Astral Seedling-Guarding Steps" with "Treading Snow Without a Trace" to devise the "Ice Pattern Treading Snow Step": using the density of the "Ice Crack Patterns" as a guide, they could take long, quick strides where the patterns were sparse (thick ice), but where the patterns were dense (thin ice), they needed to touch the ice with their toes and shift lightly in small steps. At the same time, their hands imitated the winding curves of the "Snow Vein Pattern" to keep their bodies balanced, as though "performing a saber dance on ice." Batu, a fifteen-year-old Evenki boy, was the first to try. At first, he kept slipping where the patterns were dense. Hu Fei guided him hands-on, teaching him to adjust his center of gravity with the circling technique of the "Willow-Sweeping Return Wind" form. By evening, Batu could follow the Ice Patterns and walk smoothly across the ice. He shouted excitedly, "So the Ice Patterns aren't a danger-they're the 'signposts' the snowy mountains gave us!" Hu Fei also adapted the "Sapling-Protecting Wind-Cleaving Fist" into the "Ice Hunting Defense Fist": when striking, they pressed their palms against the ice, drawing on its chill to gather force, then swung toward their prey like a saber cleaving a block of ice (simulating precise application of force during a hunt). When withdrawing their fists, they brushed gently over the surface to avoid cracking the ice with the impact. After practicing, Quito exclaimed, "This fist technique has both the deft force used to protect rainforest seedlings and the hard strength of snowy mountain hunting. It's perfect for the snowy mountains!" II. A new snowy mountain innovation in cross-cultural craftsmanship: letting patterns "remain forever frozen-engraved." Inspired by the Ice Patterns, Soka and Marco made a special snowy mountain adaptation of the "Constellation Rubbing Kit": they mixed Changbai Mountain's natural ice ink (made by grinding minerals from beneath the ice) with glycerin to create "Ice Patterns and Snow Vein Pattern rubbing tools"-engraved on one side with "Ice Crack Patterns + Snow Vein Pattern" and on the other with "Sirius Pattern + Blade-Mark Curve." The youngsters could press the rubbing templates against the ice cliff and trace the patterns with ice ink. The low temperature would freeze the ink marks onto the ice, creating "Frozen-Engraved Patterns" that preserved the snowy mountains' biting chill while incorporating the imprint of patterns from around the world. Hu Fei personally demonstrated frozen engraving, dipping his scabbard into the ice ink,
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