Chapter 149: The Peak of Kunlun

"What kind of place is the Summit of Kunlun?"

Sinuosang looked at Xuanyuan Juesi, her tone tinged with deep curiosity. Xuanyuan Juesi glanced at her, then gently stroked the top of her head with his large hand.

"You will know once you go there."

Instead of directly answering her question, Xuanyuan Juesi told her she would find out for herself upon arrival. After all, that place remained merely a legend, existing only as a myth in the eyes of the worldly.

No one had ever truly set foot upon the Summit of Kunlun, save for a very few. Those who knew of its existence would guard the secret with their lives. Had it not been for his desire to keep Sinuosang by his side, he would never have brought anyone to the Summit of Kunlun.

After half a day's journey by carriage, they arrived at a pier. A boat was already waiting there. Sinuosang found such a wooden vessel quite novel, as she had never ridden on one before.

While marveling at the novelty, she conveniently ignored the strange occurrences around her, as though an invisible hand were guiding everything.

That hand belonged to Xuanyuan Juesi. His status at the Summit of Kunlun must be extraordinary, given how every convenience was magically arranged along their path.

Suddenly, she recalled something Yuan Qianlv had once told her:

"The Prince vanished for a period of time in the past."

At the time, she had simply let the words drift past her ears. But thinking about it carefully now, perhaps that disappearance was connected to the Summit of Kunlun.

While these thoughts occupied her mind, the boat had already been sailing down the river for two days. They were navigating through a towering, narrow, and precipitous gorge. There were three boats in total; actually, two of them were clearly escorting their main vessel. Although few people were visible aside from the boatmen, Sinuosang noticed a considerable number of passengers hidden inside the cabins.

Unable to help herself, she asked Xuanyuan Juesi directly, "Are those two boats your men?"

"In a way, yes. In a way, no."

Knowing he could no longer hide it from Sinuosang, he answered truthfully. Sinuosang truly loathed his truthfulness, as it always made her feel petty and narrow-minded.

"What do you mean by 'in a way, yes, in a way, no'? Xuanyuan Juesi, I have so many questions to ask you! Along the way, because of your foul mood, I've been walking on eggshells around you. Now I really want to know what on earth has happened that forces us to flee like this."

Sinuosang grabbed his hand, preventing him from dodging her question.

"Fleeing? This is not fleeing."

"It certainly looks like fleeing! Exactly who is it that makes you so terrified? I can't even imagine—even when facing the Emperor, you never showed a shred of fear."

Perhaps there were simply too many things Sinuosang failed to understand, to the point where she couldn't even fathom whom Xuanyuan Juesi might fear.

"I won't tell you."

Xuanyuan Juesi dropped those words, nearly driving Sinuosang mad with frustration.

"Humph!"

Sinuosang let out an icy cold snort.

Turning her head away, she sat down on a chair upon the deck and looked out at the scenery of the gorge along the riverbanks. This made her mood settle just a fraction, though her heart remained more chaotic than the rushing rapids. Xuanyuan Juesi did not come over to keep her company, instead retreating into the cabin to rest, presumably thinking it would help him find some peace of mind.

Moreover, he wanted to avoid quarreling with her for now. Drifting along the river toward an unknown destination, time seemed to lose its meaning as day after day slipped by. Were they circling half the globe? That was likely an exaggeration, since the boat's speed was modest, and quite slow at that—though considered fast by the standards of this era.

Still, it was far from enough; traveling across the entire earth this way would probably take several years. Most importantly, they hadn't even crossed the open ocean; this was merely a rather long river.

Could it be the Heavenly River? She remembered tales of the Heavenly River from the ancient classic Journey to the West.

She inwardly admired her own whimsical imagination and boundless train of thought.

Finally, they entered a vast expanse of dense fog.

During this stretch, the boat also docked.

However, the fog was so thick that visibility was less than three meters. Xuanyuan Juesi immediately took her hand and led her forward. Many people followed behind them, but kept enough distance that they could not be clearly seen. She could only sense the faint sound of footsteps and steady breathing, perhaps because everyone remained silent, making even the sound of breathing distinct.

Led by Xuanyuan Juesi, she felt like a blind person navigating the dark.

"Where is this?"

She asked in a hushed voice, feeling that speaking too loudly would be inappropriate.

She deliberately lowered her tone. Xuanyuan Juesi pulled her into his embrace.

"Stay close. If you get lost here, no one will be able to find you."

Hearing Xuanyuan Juesi's warning, he gripped her hand even tighter. Sinuosang looked suspiciously at the surrounding mist—was it truly that terrifying? Yet, she began to feel an intensifying chill.

"Are you cold?"

Xuanyuan Juesi draped a fur cloak over her shoulders. Having made thorough preparations, he naturally knew what kind of place this was, so he had instructed everyone to wear thick garments, putting one on himself as well before they continued their march.

"If it's so easy to get lost here, how do you know the way? If I got lost, you'd surely be able to find me, wouldn't you?"

Sinuosang raised her head and noticed he was holding her hand with a death grip. Although it hurt a little, it brought immense warmth.

It was simply too bitter; pressing close to one another made them both much warmer.

"I'll answer that question later."

Xuanyuan Juesi continued walking forward, making Sinuosang feel she had only asked for a rebuff and thoroughly deserved his retort. Yet her curiosity about this place burned brighter than ever.

An intense curiosity. After walking for roughly an hour, she noticed the fog gradually thinning, and dimly, towering ice mountains began to loom into view.

The path beneath their feet began to show patches of ice, and the temperature had surely dropped below freezing. Her delicate face was frozen bright red, and the breath escaping her lips turned into white mist.

A layer of fine, powdery frost even clung to her eyelashes, and her hair was in an even worse state. Unable to help herself, she shivered and huddled closer to Xuanyuan Juesi.

"Where is this? Why is there ice? Those are ice mountains over there! Xuanyuan Juesi, it's freezing!"

She couldn't help stamping her feet slightly, as the cold was truly unbearable.

"We are about to reach the Summit of Kunlun, and it will only get colder. Stay closer to me so you'll be warmer."

"So the Summit of Kunlun is a snow-capped mountain?"

"More or less. We are currently at the foot of the mountain. Walk a little longer, and we can begin our ascent."

"Can we not go up the mountain? Let's stay down here instead! It must be much colder higher up, and I suffer from altitude sickness."

"What is altitude sickness?"

"It means I can't handle high places."

She offered a stiff explanation. Xuanyuan Juesi chuckled, patting her head as he said, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. I was the same way at first, but after living here for a while, it ceased to be a problem at all."

"Ah? Are we really going up?" The fog had almost completely dissipated now, revealing a massive glacier standing right before their eyes.