manynovel Chapter 22 Departure, Beiming Snow Manor
Chapter 22 Departure, Beiming Snow Manor
In the desert, oases are coming back to life, dried-up riverbeds are being filled with water again, and poplars on both banks are sprouting tender green buds that sway gently in the breeze.
The purified mythical beasts lay or stood, guarding this hard-won peace.
These villages were not depicted in the animation.
Nangong Wentian's journey only covered the route through Sweetwater Town, Clear Spring Mountain, Echo Valley, and West Gate City.
But in the real Ximen City area, there are hundreds of villages and tens of thousands of people. They, too, have suffered from the ravages of monsters and are waiting in the darkness for someone to come and save them.
Since we're here, let's clean it all up.
Five days later, the last village was purified.
Wu Yi stood on a sand dune, gazing at the distant horizon.
The morning breeze ruffled his cloak, making it rustle.
He sank into his consciousness and looked at the mortal world panel.
[Energy Bar Recharge Progress: 14%]
From five percent when it started in Nangongcheng, to fourteen percent now.
The monsters throughout the West Gate City region contributed a considerable amount to the energy bar's progress.
Just as Wu Yi was thinking about the rest of the trip, footsteps came from the sand behind him.
Turning around, I saw Ximen Hao leading Ximen Xiao over.
After a few days, Ximen Hao's injuries had improved considerably. Although he still had scars on his face, he was in good spirits, and his iron fists were clenched tightly again.
Ximen Xiao followed behind him, a hint of reluctance on his chubby face.
"Brother Nangong," Ximen Hao said, clasping his hands in a fist salute, his voice booming like a bell, "Leave the affairs of Ximen City to me. I'm familiar with post-disaster reconstruction and pacifying the people."
Wu Yi nodded. Ximen Hao was the lord of the city, so it was most appropriate to entrust these matters to him.
"Ah Xiao," Ximen Hao patted his son's shoulder, his hand heavy and firm, "You'll go with Uncle Nangong to Beiming Snow Manor."
Ximen Xiao was taken aback. "Dad, I..."
"You won't be of much help staying here," Ximen Hao said seriously, but a hint of tenderness flickered in his eyes. "Follow Uncle Nangong, broaden your horizons. Ximen City will be handed over to you in the future; you can't hide behind your father forever."
Ximen Xiao remained silent for a moment, his eyes slightly reddening.
He looked up at his father's rugged face and suddenly noticed that his father's temples had turned white at some point.
"Yes, Dad!"
Ximen Xiao nodded vigorously, his voice still trembling slightly, but it conveyed an unprecedented firmness.
Wu Yi did not refuse.
Anyway, one more person won't make a difference, and one less person won't make a difference either.
Ximen Hao patted his son's shoulder to comfort him, "Don't worry, Xiao Taixu will go with you."
"Really?!" Ximen Xiao exclaimed excitedly.
Wu Yi withdrew his gaze and looked again at the northern horizon.
That's the direction of Beiming Snow Manor.
A world covered in ice and snow.
The territory of Jue Tianji.
"Let's go."
After Ximen Hao and his son had finished their conversation, Wu Yi walked towards the giant dragon that had been prepared.
The giant dragon spread its wings, let out a long roar, and its massive body rose from the ground, carrying everyone into the sky once again.
The Celestial Beast lay at Wu Yi's feet, its crimson gem on its forehead gleaming in the sunlight.
Jingxie lazily clung to the dragon's tail, its bluish-gray shell gleaming faintly, while Shenwu flew beside the giant dragon, its golden feathers fluttering in the wind.
Nangong Wenya nestled in Wu Yi's arms, her little face showing some sleepiness, but she stubbornly refused to fall asleep.
Nangong Wentian and Ximen Xiao sat side by side on a flying dragon, the two boys whispering to each other, seemingly exchanging some combat tips.
Behind them, Ximen City gradually receded into the distance.
The oases in the desert are like sapphire gems, inlaid in the golden sea of sand. From those oases come the cheers of the people and the long cries of mythical beasts.
A city is recovering, and a piece of land is being reborn.
Ximen Hao gazed at the dragon's silhouette gradually disappearing into the distance and bowed deeply.
Behind him, the Void Beast slowly flew over, its enormous body casting a shadow on the ground.
"City Lord, City Lord Nangong's journey to Beiming Snow Manor will likely not be easy," the Void Beast's voice was low and worried. "That Jue Tianji fellow is far more cunning than the Fierce Yama King."
Ximen Hao straightened up, his gaze still fixed on the distance.
"I know," he said slowly, his voice carrying a strange trust, "but he is Nangong Yi."
"The number one swordsman of Jade Dragon Kingdom."
"I believe him!"
……
After leaving Ximen City, the group headed north.
The further north you fly, the lower the temperature gets.
The desert heat has long been left behind, replaced by a biting cold wind.
The giant dragon's breath condensed into white mist in the air. Nangong Wenya huddled in Wu Yi's arms, her little face red from the cold, but her eyes were wide open, curiously looking at the white world below.
Ximen Xiao wrapped himself up like a rice dumpling, with only his eyes showing, and kept breathing on his palms.
Little Taixu, who came out to see the world with them, was not afraid of the wind and snow at all, and could even skate and surf on the snow.
"Ah Xiao, just how cold is Beiming Snow Manor?" Nangong Wentian asked, rubbing his hands together, his breath forming a small cloud in front of him.
"It's even colder than this." Ximen Xiao's voice came through the layers of clothing, muffled. "I came here once with my dad when I was little, and we almost froze to death."
Wu Yi did not participate in their conversation.
His gaze pierced through the wind and snow, looking towards the vast white expanse of land in the distance.
The territory of Beiming Snow Manor.
From a bird's-eye view, this place is completely different from Ximen City.
Ximen City is a scorching, dusty place, while here it's an endless expanse of pure white.
The continuous snow-capped mountains, like giant silver waves, seem frozen in time.
Scattered at the foot of the mountain are villages, hidden by thick snow, with only a few wisps of smoke rising from the snowdrifts, proving that people still live here.
The giant dragon lowered its altitude and flew over the first village.
The village shows obvious signs of damage.
The houses in the village were all destroyed, and huge footprints remained on the snow, as if left by some kind of enormous monster.
The villagers were repairing their damaged roofs when they saw the giant dragon land. They were initially alarmed, but then recognized the figure on the dragon's back and gathered around it.
"It's Lord Nangong!"
"Lord Nangong has arrived!"
"Those monsters destroyed our homes and kidnapped so many people..."
Wu Yi asked a few questions and received a familiar answer: the monster ran away, it ran north.
He didn't say much, but after reassuring the villagers for a few moments, he led the group onward.
Nangong Wenya wanted to stay and help, but Wu Yi gently held her back.
"There are many more people waiting behind."
The situation was exactly the same in the second village.
Destroyed houses, trampled farmland, and the monsters that have already retreated.
"It's like this again?" Ximen Xiao, perched on Feilong's back, spoke with a hint of smugness. "Uncle Nangong, I think these guys from Beiming Snow Manor are just like the Fierce Yama and his gang. They all ran away in fear when they heard you were coming!"
"He's probably hiding in Beiming Snow Manor, shivering in fear right now."
Jingxie lay on the dragon's back, lazily yawning, seemingly uninterested in this unchallenging march.
Shenwu perched on its back, gently preening its feathers, its golden eyes scanning the snowfield below, lost in thought.
The Celestial Crystal Beast followed beside Wu Yi on auspicious clouds, a hint of doubt flashing in its emerald green eyes.
"Master," the Celestial Crystal Beast's voice echoed in Wu Yi's mind, "I sense something is wrong."
"explain."
"The signs of destruction in these villages... are too deliberate." The Celestial Beast paused, "It's like they were left on purpose, rather than a natural consequence of the monsters' rampage."
"Look at those footprints; they're all the same depth and spaced regularly, not like they were left in a panic."