diskusbooks Chapter 384: Adventure in the Snow
Chapter 384: Adventure in the Snow
The biting cold wind blew fine snow particles and whistled past the low thatched roofs of the village.
The village chief was hunched over, his rough fingers tightly gripping the collar of his worn cotton-padded jacket, his lips trembling slightly from the cold.
He spoke tremblingly, his cloudy eyes filled with fear and helplessness.
"Orc Kingdom... To them... we are just food."
His voice was hoarse, as if every word took immense effort. "They come down the mountain to plunder every few months, stealing food and eating people... We are simply powerless to resist."
Hu Qing frowned slightly, and his fingertips gently stroked the buttons on his waist, as if thinking about something.
Gu Yang looked around. The village walls were low and dilapidated, and several fences had collapsed long ago. It was obvious that the village had no defense capabilities.
He couldn't help but ask: "Since this place is so dangerous, why don't you move away?"
Upon hearing this, the village chief's eyes reddened and his skinny hands trembled slightly: "Move? Where can we move to?"
He shook his head bitterly. "Our ancestors have lived here for generations. Although the land is barren, it is our only home. If we leave here, we will die on the road..."
Hu Qing was silent for a moment, and a trace of pity flashed in his eyes.
He understood that for these ordinary people, migration meant greater risks.
Hunger, cold, wild beasts, and even other more cruel predators.
He sighed softly and took out a bag of spirit stone powder from his sleeve. The crystal powder gleamed faintly in the cold wind.
“In that case, I will set up a sword formation for you.
He whispered, and with a flick of his fingertips, the spirit stone powder drifted away in the wind, transforming into fine runes that quietly merged into the land around the village.
The sword formation is complete. If any orcs approach, they will be hit by the sharp sword energy. Unless they are much stronger than Hu Qing, there is no way they can break through.
The villagers stared at the scene with wide eyes in disbelief.
The village chief knelt down tremblingly, tears streaming down his face: "Master, we are so grateful for your kindness. We have no way to repay you..."
Hu Qing raised his hand to support her, saying calmly, "It's just a small favor, no need to do this."
Gu Yang patted Xiao Zi's head, and the latter yawned lazily, as if he didn't care about the joys and sorrows of human beings.
Upon seeing this, the village chief quickly asked the villagers to take out some dry food and dried meat, and handed them forward with both hands:
"Master, it's cold on the road, please take these dry food with you..."
Hu Qing shook his head and smiled slightly: "No need, you can keep it."
Before he finished speaking, he and Gu Yang flashed and jumped into the air.
The villagers cried out in surprise and looked up, only to see two figures streaking across the sky like meteors and disappearing in the snow in an instant.
The biting wind and snow were still raging, but around the village, a faint sword light was faintly emerging, standing quietly like a protective shield.
........................
The biting cold wind cut across their faces like a knife. Hu Qing and Gu Yang flew in the air, their spiritual energy flowing around them, forming a thin barrier on their bodies to resist the biting cold.
Xiao Zi curled up in Gu Yang's clothes, with only a pair of dragon pupils glowing purple showing. She shivered from time to time, obviously feeling extremely uncomfortable in this extremely cold place.
"In this damn place, even the spiritual power seems to be frozen." Gu Yang exhaled a breath of white air and frowned slightly.
He could feel that the spiritual power in his body was circulating much slower than usual, as if what was flowing in his meridians was not spiritual power but sticky ice water.
Hu Qing looked solemn as his eyes swept across the desolate snowfield below.
Occasionally, you can see a few dilapidated villages with weeds growing among the broken walls and ruins, which have long been uninhabited.
Some houses were even destroyed by brute force, with broken wooden beams and collapsed walls, obviously having experienced brutal looting.
"This was once human territory." Hu Qing whispered, with a hint of heaviness in his tone.
Gu Yang was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "The strong prey on the weak, that's the way the world is."
The two said no more and continued on their way.
The sky gradually brightened, and the morning light shone on the snow, reflecting a dazzling white light.
However, the rising sun did not bring much warmth. Instead, the damp and cold air added a bit of chill due to the melting snow.
"Let's find a place to rest. Flying any further will consume too much spiritual energy," Hu Qing suggested.
Gu Yang nodded, and the two landed beside a pool of water that had not yet completely frozen.
A thin layer of ice floated on the surface of the pond, but the faint sound of flowing water could still be heard deep in the pond.
Hu Qing flicked his fingertips, and a wisp of spiritual power turned into a flame, igniting the dry firewood that had been prepared long ago.
The bonfire was lit, and the orange-red flames looked particularly warm on the pale snowfield.
Gu Yang took out a few pieces of marinated animal meat from his storage ring, skewered them on tree branches, and roasted them over the fire.
Grease dripped, flames sizzled, and the rich aroma of meat quickly spread.
Xiao Zi's nose moved, and she finally poked her head out from Gu Yang's collar, staring at the barbecue eagerly, making a gurgling sound in her throat, obviously unable to hold back any longer.
"Greedy Dragon, you've gotten fatter again." Gu Yang smiled and rubbed its head.
However, just as the aroma of meat wafted through the air, a rustling sound suddenly came from the nearby grass.
Hu Qing and Gu Yang looked at each other, their expressions did not change, but their spiritual power was already quietly circulating.
"Shh!"
The grass was pulled aside and a group of dog-headed men came out.
The leading dog-headed man was tall, covered with gray-brown hair. His nose kept twitching as he stared greedily at the barbecue on the fire, saliva dripping from his fangs.
"Human! There are humans running here!"
The Kobold leader shouted excitedly, his eyes flashing with bloodthirsty light, "Men, we have meat to eat today!"
As he roared, dozens of dog-headed men emerged from the bushes one after another, each holding a rough bone stick or a rusty dagger, making strange howling sounds, and surrounded Hu Qing and Gu Yang.
Hu Qing glanced at them indifferently. These dog-headed men were weak, not even as strong as the lowest-level cultivators, and they did not arouse his interest at all.
Gu Yang lazily patted Xiao Zi's head and said with a smile, "I've raised you for so long, it's time to stretch your muscles."
Xiao Zi has long disliked these dog-headed people - how dare they covet its barbecue!
A purple light flashed in its eyes, and its dragon scales stood up instantly. Its body was like lightning and it suddenly shot out!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The dog-headed people didn't even see its movements clearly. They only felt a purple shadow flash before their eyes, and then their foreheads felt cold, and they completely lost consciousness.
In just a few breaths, dozens of dog-headed men fell to the ground, each with a tiny bloody hole on their forehead, killed in one blow!
Only the ogre leader was left standing there, trembling all over.
Xiao Zi gracefully landed back on Gu Yang's shoulder, licked the blood off his paws, and looked at him with contempt, as if he had just swatted a few annoying flies.
The kobold leader's legs went limp, and he fell to his knees with a thud, saying in a trembling voice, "Master... please spare my life! I've been blind and have failed to recognize a great man!"
Gu Yang slowly tore off a piece of barbecue and handed it to Xiao Zi, looking at it with a half-smile:
"What do you think we should do with this blind fellow?"