The young man and his attendants happened to walk onto a plain, where visibility was less than two meters ahead, causing the group to scatter like headless flies.
The wind was so loud that they had to shout to be heard, "Young Master, hold on a little longer."
The young man's vision blurred, his whole body powerless. He regretted not listening to that man's advice.
If they had delayed by a day, they could have avoided this disaster. He had escaped the assassin's blade, only to face death in this calamitous storm.
Two more attendants fell, instantly freezing into ice sculptures, followed by others collapsing one after another. In the end, only the leader in black robes and the young man remained.
The young man feebly leaned on his man, "Qiao Yi, don't worry about me, quickly leave and find shelter."
The two were close, though the young man's voice was faint and difficult to hear over the wind, Qiao Yi understood his young master wanted him to escape alone.
Qiao Yi pretended not to hear, as he was an orphan with no ties. He had been rescued by the lord in his youth, which led to his current position. He considered this life a debt to repay.
He fought desperately to protect the young man, but mere human effort could not defy nature's might.
The two leaned on each other as they fell into the snow, instantly buried under the accumulating drifts, erasing all traces.
The howling plain sounded like the heavens in a rage, intent on destroying the earth.
Not only the young man and his attendants were buried in this blizzard, but half of those traveling to Lingnan rushed out of the mountain caves when the snow stopped, eager to continue their journey.
They had run out of food and could not wait for the snow to melt, hoping to reach the next town quickly.
Some chose to wait for the snow to melt, patting their chests in relief at narrowly escaping death.
Village Chief Yang led his people, heeding the warnings of the two clan elders, avoiding this disaster.
The blizzard raged for three full days and nights before gradually weakening into moderate snowfall.
This snow lasted two months, during which the villagers had to clear the accumulation three times.
By the fourth month, it snowed for three days, then stopped for a day, or snowed for two days, then stopped for half a day. Many families in the village had run out of food, and the previous harmony had dissipated.
Some began venturing into the deep mountains in search of food, despite the dangers—those who did not freeze to death became prey for vicious beasts.
Some turned their attention to Old Gu Six, hoping he could guide them into the depths.
After reprimanding a few people, the villagers developed a respectful fear of Old Gu Six, unanimously describing him as a man on par with ferocious beasts.
One day, an old man came pleading, taking out an ancient-looking jade pendant from his robe and trembling as he handed it to Old Gu Six.
His cloudy eyes were full of hope as his hoarse voice, like a crow's cry at night, said: "This is a family heirloom passed down from my grandfather. I offer it as payment if you would lead us into the mountains."
Chang'an took the jade pendant from Old Gu Six's hands, examining it twice. The pattern faintly resembled a dragon, with characters in oracle bone script.
Though she could not decipher the meaning, the old man's ancestry must have been extraordinary, as only emperors in ancient times could use dragon imagery. Could the old man be a descendant of a former dynasty?
Chang Le peered over, also unable to read it, but blinking a few times, it seemed vaguely familiar.
He felt he had seen a similar jade pendant pattern in an ancient book, but could not recall the details at the moment.
Seeing his daughter's keen interest in the jade pendant, Old Gu Six accepted the old man's payment and agreed to his request.
"If it's not snowing tomorrow, we'll go tomorrow. If it is snowing, we'll wait until it stops. Those going must listen to me. Anyone acting on their own will bear the consequences."
"Yes, yes, I thank you on behalf of everyone," the old man excitedly bowed in gratitude. Old Gu Six swiftly stepped aside, worried the old man might injure himself.
He personally escorted the old man back, watching his unsteady steps, afraid he might fall on the way.
An hour later, Old Gu Six returned. Chang'an, recalling novels from her previous life, thought that the older an object was, the more spiritual power it possessed. This jade pendant might also be enchanted.
As Old Gu Six sat down beside her, she grabbed his large hand and scratched his index finger with her nail, but his skin was too thick to break.
Without questioning, Old Gu Six cut his own index finger, and Chang'an quickly pressed his bleeding finger onto the jade pendant.
There was no reaction.
The air suddenly fell silent.
Under their strange gazes, Chang'an smiled awkwardly, grabbing a handful of ash to stop the bleeding on Old Gu Six's finger.
She did not avoid Chang Le, for if the jade pendant possessed any mystical power and Chang Le harbored ill intentions, she could simply strike him down with lightning.
Ten breaths later, the jade pendant emanated a dazzling purple glow, and Chang'an seemed to hear the roar of a dragon.
At the moment the purple light descended, Chang Le fell into a deep slumber, or rather, everyone in the village except Chang'an and her father fell unconscious. Even the animals hiding in the deep mountains cowered in fear and trembled.
Miraculously, no one outside the mountains could see this purple light that only shone for three breaths.
Chang'an was speechless, realizing the jade pendant's slow reaction time.
A nine-clawed purple dragon formed from the purple light and entered Old Gu Six's brow, vanishing along with the light. Old Gu Six sat motionless with his eyes closed.
As Chang'an approached to check on him, an invisible force pushed her away, merely preventing her from touching Old Gu Six.
Chang'an sat watching Old Gu Six, intending to ask him about the situation once he awoke.
She waited until late at night, struggling to stay awake and occasionally adding firewood to the pit.
She did not want the person lying on the ground to catch a cold, as falling ill during such times would be especially troublesome.
Just as Chang'an was about to doze off from exhaustion, Old Gu Six awoke, a purple flash flickering across his eyes before fading.
Seeing him awake, Chang'an's drowsiness vanished, and she excitedly grabbed Old Gu Six's hand, asking, "Father, how are you feeling? Is anything amiss?"
"I'm fine, it's just that there's a purple dragon in my mind," he said, a bit bewildered. Others might curse one for having a brain full of fish, but in his case, his mind housed a dragon.
Chang'an: "...Dad, that's the Sea of Consciousness," not knowing whether Old Gu Six would want to go through the trials again after regaining his memories and recalling his current foolish state.
"Oh, I can't get rid of it," Old Gu Six said with a hint of grievance, for who wouldn't be concerned if a foreign entity suddenly appeared in their mind?
"Why would you want to get rid of it?" Chang'an, unaware of Old Gu Six's train of thought, asked in confusion.
"I'm afraid if it stays in my mind, I'll become an idiot," he said worriedly. What would his daughter do if he became a complete fool?
Chang'an tried to reassure him, for someone who seemed so clever, how could he be so daft at times? Was it perhaps an aftereffect of failing the trials five times?
"It won't harm you. The fact that you were able to open that jade token means you're destined for it. It might even protect you."
The purple dragon in Old Gu Six's Sea of Consciousness propped its massive head on its front paws, watching as Old Gu Six acted foolishly.
Tsk, these were all Old Gu Six's embarrassing past moments. It had to record them so that it would have a chance to turn the tables on him in the future.
