In the cold and desolate weather, a black snake slithered across the frozen ground. Occasionally, it would lift its head and scan the surroundings. It was hunting, but food was hard to come by in winter. Most animals were in hibernation, but it was still awake, aimlessly crawling on the ground.
Hearing the chirping of chicks, it coiled around the frozen trunk of a tree. It climbed up and coiled in front of a small nest. The chicks had just hatched and couldn't fly. It slowly slithered towards the edge of the nest. Its black, heavy body bent the branch. The more it leaned on the branch, the more it bent. Finally, when it reached the nest, the branch broke, and the nest fell onto the train tracks along with the chicks.
The train was moving at high speed, whistling as it crushed the light winter snow. Just as the large snake opened its mouth, the mother bird swooped down and blinded its eye. The snake struck the nest with its tail, throwing it onto the frozen plain.
The mother bird saw that the chicks were unharmed. It spread its wings to leave, but the black snake bit its wing. The snake lifted the bird several times and slammed it onto the ground. It coiled around it and was about to swallow it when the train arrived and crushed them both.
In one of the freight cars, among bundled yellow haystacks, Fang Yuan lay weak and injured, his body bruised and battered. Beside him was Xiao, who was in no better condition.
They had barely survived the attack by the Murim. In fact, if it weren't for Zou Fan, they would have died long ago. Although many members of the Murim were killed in that attack, only small groups remained in the area.
Before fleeing through the gate, Zou Fan gave Fang Yuan four relics: a spiritual beast and three Gu worms named Healing Gu, Immortal Legacy Gu, and Fixed Travel Gu.
But he wasn't a Gu master and couldn't use the three worms. However, the Healing Gu had a powerful aura, and wounds healed faster in its presence.
Cultivation had various paths, and one of them was Gu cultivation.
But the knowledge of Gu cultivation had been forgotten with the disappearance of the last Gu worm, and Fang Yuan had no way to learn it.
The train whistled loudly as it crossed an arched stone bridge.
Sunlight reflected off the frozen surface of a wide river.
The cold air made Fang Yuan shiver, and if it weren't for the haystacks, he would have frozen long ago.
He stared at the ceiling of the wagon. He sighed and lay down beside Xiao on the haystacks. He thought about the future; their destination was unknown.
The train whistled, waking the sleeping plains.
The bare trees and the old mountains echoed the sound.
Xiao stretched and climbed down from the haystacks.
Just like Fang Yuan, he was losing hope. But in the midst of despair, he saw the tall walls of a city through a small crack in the wooden wagon.
"Ah, finally, this long journey is about to end…"
After days of crossing the sorrowful mountain range and the forgotten plains, they still had a long way to go to reach a sect.
Reaching the city was the first step.
Fang Yuan struggled to open the door. The cold wind hit his pale face. His patched and worn clothes fluttered in the wind. He waited for the right moment. He counted to three, and then they both jumped off the train.
They landed on the soft snow and rolled several times on the ground.
The train moved further and further away. It whistled loudly and returned to the city station, although Fang Yuan couldn't enter the city.
Due to the recent wave of conflicts, it was difficult to pass through the checkpoints. He had to come up with another plan, and it couldn't take too long. The cold had penetrated his flesh and bones.
If he could use the Fixed Travel Gu, everything would be perfect. But becoming a Gu master wasn't easy. There were no books or scrolls for cultivating it.
By nightfall, three more trains had passed along the same track.
The night sky was full of stars, and the moon shone brightly. A pale cloud spread across the sky, hosting thousands of stars. The hanging lanterns from carriages and the lit torches at the gate winked at him. Occasionally, a comet appeared from behind the mountains and set behind the distant plains; and sometimes, a cultivator riding a sword cut through the clouds and entered a tall tower in the middle of the city.
Fang Yuan searched around the city for a safe way in but found nothing.
Finding a security gap wasn't easy.
Gradually, hunger began to press on him. He had to search like a wild dog among the snow piles for a mouse or any other creature. Xiao was a spiritual being and naturally different from Fang Yuan.
Spiritual beings could feed on the free spiritual energy in the world, which was an advantage for them.
"Oh… there!!!"
Fang Yuan, like a wild dog, crawled on all fours, chasing a large mouse. He was hungry and no longer cared about the type of food he ate. He had fallen into disgrace and learned a great lesson; when hunger presses, even filth seems sweet and delicious!
The black mouse tried to pass under a bush but was suddenly swallowed by a gray snake. The snake had been lying in wait under the snow. When it swallowed the mouse's tail, which was sticking out of its mouth, it slowly returned under the snow and fell into a deep sleep.
Fang Yuan gritted his teeth and killed the snake with a stone. He crushed the animal's head and tore its flesh with his teeth. Xiao didn't hold back in this feast either, and his claws were thoroughly bloodied.
Fang Yuan lay on the snow with his bruised and bloody hands. He had reached his limit and was about to give up. The dark night sky was the perfect scene to say goodbye to this world. Fang Yuan stretched out his hand and took a deep breath.
It seemed this was the end of the road.
"Xiao… Xi…"
He looked for Xiao, but the fox was gone.
"Ah… so I'm going to die alone after all."
He heard Xiao's howl nearby.
A little later, the fox returned with six large black mice. Its muzzle was bloodied. Fang Yuan patted the fox's neck. He was no longer hungry.
Suddenly, the sound of crunching snow came from nearby, and a hidden hatch opened right in front of him.
"Bastards… those scum expect to extort from that damned sect; I can't take the risk, I have to…"
But suddenly his voice was cut off.
A man had stabbed him in the chest with a small sword from behind.
"This isn't something you can back out of; we started it together, and we'll finish it together… Goodbye, old friend."
He pulled out the sword.
A trail of blood fell on the snow, and the man lost his life.
The killer, dressed in the robes of the righteous faction cultivators, emitted a red aura that caused the man's body to decay. The demonic energy was getting stronger and clearly, he was a demonic cultivator.