Chapter 152: Breaking the Snow Array

Liu Li watched the ice needle twitch slightly, feeling a deep sense of wonder, which was abruptly followed by a terrifying realization that the binding force on his body had vanished.

"Why has the spell suddenly been lifted?"

Liu Li paced about, failing to catch even a shadow of a person. "No one is here. That means it dissolved on its own. Could something have happened to Xue Ze? Otherwise, why would the spell lift itself?"

Liu Li’s own thoughts startled him, stirring a whirlwind of anxiety in his chest.

Staring fixedly and anxiously at the ice needle, Liu Li pleaded devoutly, "Xue Ze... your master seems to be in trouble. I know you can sense it. Will you please take me to her?"

The ice needle remained motionless. Liu Li sighed, tears welling up in his sore, reddened eyes. Though his vision blurred, his footsteps never wavered. He desperately wished he possessed the arts of telepathic resonance and lightning-fast lightness kung fu. He swore to himself that he would grow stronger to alter this helpless predicament.

Suddenly, the ice needle flashed with a silvery radiance, lifting Liu Li into the air.

Sitting upon the ice needle in frightened suspense, Liu Li watched hills and rivers flash past rapidly beneath him, unable to suppress a swallow. Was this what it felt like to ride a flying sword?

Cold winds howled, and the speed was breathtaking.

Forcing his eyes open with difficulty, Liu Li was suddenly struck by the sight of an icy expanse ahead, filling him with bewilderment.

Without warning, the ice needle descended. Liu Li dropped to the ground, watching as the ice needle plunged straight into the bitter frost while he himself remained unable to approach by even a fraction of an inch.

Before Liu Li lay a realm of piercing cold, radiating a chill that chilled one to the marrow and filled the body with discomfort. To linger here for long was to risk freezing into solid frost.

The ice needle probed deep within, growing progressively larger as it shuttled back and forth through the central zone. Before long, it had dissipated those towering, ice-sword-like formations of cold.

Standing at a distance, Liu Li could see the ice needle descending right back into Xue Ze’s hand.

"Xue Ze!" Overjoyed, Liu Li rushed forward recklessly, only to be grabbed by someone.

Turning around, Liu Li beheld Liu Yi, who was drenched from head to toe.

"Eldest Brother? What are you doing here? What happened to you?"

Liu Yi shook his head, enduring the biting chill that wracked his body, and pointed toward the heart of the snow and ice. "That young lady saved me, but now... you cannot go in just yet!"

"Why? Her life or death is uncertain in there; how can I not be anxious? All of this was caused by me, I must go and see!"

"You cannot go!" Liu Yi pulled Liu Li back, restraining him in place. "Even that formidable fiend stopped right here, terrified. Do you think a mere mortal like you can enter? You would simply be marching to your death!"

"What should we do then? Are we just supposed to wait here?"

"You do not understand. This is a self-defense mechanism belonging to the people of the Heavenly Mountains. When she is in grave danger, she activates this spell automatically until she regains consciousness. You need not worry. With her formations being so powerful, how could she possibly be injured?"

"Is that truly the case?"

Liu Yi stared at Liu Li’s eager and deeply worried expression, saying firmly, "How could your eldest brother lie to you? Tell me, why were you in this place? Why did you vanish here? And why did someone hire that fire fiend to assassinate you?"

"I am not entirely sure of these things either! I left the palace to pay my respects at the memorial of Eunuch Liu, but somehow I ended up drifting here in a small boat. As for everything that followed, I am completely unaware!"

Liu Yi nodded, an overwhelming surge of sorrow and indignation rising within him. He was reluctant to believe that his own mother could be so heartless.

"Your life in the imperial court is fraught with danger at every turn. You must be extremely cautious in your words and deeds, keeping your guard up always! If anyone treats you ill, distance yourself from them, and cast aside all sentiment! Above all, you must protect yourself!"

Hearing this, Liu Li asked thoughtfully, "What if it is... Mother?"

"M—Mother?" Liu Yi froze, the biting cold seeming to pierce his very soul. Could he have found out so quickly? How was he to balance this relationship in the future?

"Eldest Brother, I feel that Mother has changed! Over the years, she has grown increasingly obsessed with power and position, desiring ever more. To that end, she stops at nothing, and it chills me to the bone!"

Liu Yi sighed, his heart forever robbed of peace. "Mother, she..."

"To tell the truth, I have always envied you and Sister. You live in your own fiefdoms, free from the worries of court politics. I bear an empty imperial throne yet find obstacles at every turn. I can neither consider my own desires nor neglect the masses of the realm. I truly do not understand why Royal Father burdened me with this immense responsibility, nor why he had to leave us so early!"

"Royal Father, these matters..."

"Eldest Brother!" Liu Li looked at Liu Yi, asking with intense emotion, "All these years, have you missed Royal Father? Have you ever seen him in your dreams?"

Liu Yi nodded. "I have! Royal Father was always good to us; of course I miss him!"

"Then do you find anything suspicious about his untimely death?"

Liu Yi started, staring at Liu Li with alarm. "What do you mean?"

"For a long time, rumors have circulated everywhere that Royal Father's death was unusual. Recently, these whispers have surfaced again, and I have managed to uncover certain things. If Royal Father truly met a foul end, what would you do, Eldest Brother? Would you feel heartbroken, or would you find it impossible to forgive the murderer?"

The sound of hoofbeats rang out, drawing closer and closer, cutting off their conversation.

After a brief silence, having gauged the direction, the two exchanged glances.

"Oh no, a company of riders is about to pass along this path!"

Liu Li nodded. "This entire radius of several miles is a frozen wasteland. We might startle them. I must enter that formation after all!"

"You! A mere mortal, how do you expect to get in?"

Looking around, Liu Li suddenly remembered his fan and smiled, "She said my fan is a divine artifact. I shall try using it!"

"Then you had better stand further back! Even that fiend with her fire fan didn't dare act rashly, so you shouldn't do anything reckless!"

"Very well, let us try from this hillside!"

The two quickly climbed the hillside. Watching the distant carriages and horses, Liu Li unfolded his folding fan without hesitation.

"My good fan, please see if you can melt this snow and ice!"

With that, Liu Li waved the folding fan, using all his strength and devout intent. Yet the ice and snow on the ground remained utterly unmoved, retaining their frigid chill. Liu Li felt a trace of helplessness.

"I am using you to save someone, not to do evil. Why have you lost all your power?" Liu Li wondered aloud. Usually, this fan was rather formidable; why was it entirely useless here?

Depressed, Liu Li flapped the fan a few times and was about to close it when Liu Yi stopped him.

"Look, there are signs of the ice melting!"

Liu Li looked closely and saw that the outer edges of the ice and snow were indeed beginning to thaw, seeping with moisture. Overjoyed, Liu Li stared at the fan and continued to fan vigorously, watching the frost retreat by a full circle.

"It actually works!"

Holding the fan, Liu Li walked inward, waving it forcefully. The area of ice and snow shrank continuously until only a small patch remained right before his eyes, at which point he lowered the fan.

He inspected the ice crystals, which carried a faint bluish hue because Xue Ze’s attire was light blue. A ring of ice crystals surrounded Xue Ze, walling off the surroundings, and any approach brought an extreme, piercing chill.

Having traversed that path to draw close to Xue Ze, it felt as though a torrential rain had just poured down from the sky. The two stood frozen in place as they heard the thunderous clatter of hooves galloping past.

"Those people have gone by!"

"But when will she wake up?"

As Liu Li spoke, he felt an urge to touch the ice crystals. Before his fingers even brushed them, the entire array of ice crystals shattered into pieces. Fragments scattered everywhere, gradually turning into frost dust before melting into slush.

Xue Ze’s eyes opened slightly. Taking in the surrounding scene, she drifted back to sleep.

"Xue Ze!" Liu Li squatted down, tidying up the ice chunks around her.

"She has woken up!" Liu Yi also drew near. "Since she is awake, she will be fine. These ice blocks should be cleared away too!"

"Indeed!" Liu Li replied, plunging himself wholeheartedly into clearing away the ice shards and debris.

Seeing Liu Li's anxious and tense demeanor, Liu Yi was touched and squatted down beside him to help shovel away the ice surrounding Xue Ze.

Before long, both of their hands turned a raw red-purple. Their entire bodies grew intensely cold, and even breathing became a struggle.

With their fingers stiff and immobile, the ice blocks were finally all cleared. Liu Li closed his eyes, making a supreme effort to drag himself toward the windward spot.

"Eldest Brother, are you alright?"

Liu Yi stood frozen in place, his heartbeat failing and his breathing labored. "I am fine... do not worry!"

With those words, their expressions grew hazy, frost rimmed their eyes, and both collapsed into unconsciousness.