Unorthodox Wuxia: While Others Practice Martial Arts, I Cultivate Immortality - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Ice Toad—Awakening (Part 1)

Once they had a fire going, the seven of them used their own pot and snow dug from outside to boil a pot of hot water. They warmed themselves by the fire while drinking the hot water and gnawing on their dry rations.

One of the girls noticed that Yuan Zhao hadn’t finished her bowl of noodle soup and instinctively swallowed.

That soup was something Yuan Zhao had cooked specially because she found the roasted mutton too greasy. But she hadn’t managed to finish it, leaving just a little behind.

It looked really tasty…

The more the girl stared at it, the more tempted she became.

Lowering her head to look at the dry, tough flatbread in her own hands, she suddenly found it utterly tasteless.

The oldest man noticed her gaze and helplessly shook his head. Then he turned to Yuan Zhao and said, “Miss, may I ask if you still have any noodles on you? My brothers and sisters have been frozen for a long time and would like to drink something flavorful to warm ourselves. We can pay for it.”

The other six immediately looked at her with hopeful expressions.

Yuan Zhao had no intention of selling her noodles.

No one knew how long they would have to stay in Yulian Mountain. In this icy wilderness, with wolf packs around, meat was easy enough to come by, but noodles were actually the rare commodity.

She hadn’t brought much herself—if she sold them, she definitely wouldn’t have enough to eat.

Suddenly, her eyes fell on the ox bones left behind by the wolves. An idea struck her, and she pointed at them.

“Those ox bones are all fresh—just leftovers from the wolves. If you don’t mind, you can use them to simmer some bone broth.”

If she had said this elsewhere, people would have thought she was insulting them—food left behind by wolves, for me to eat? Who are you looking down on?

But in a situation like this, where food was scarce, it was a completely different matter. Fresh meat was incredibly hard to come by!

Not everyone was like Yuan Zhao, with a wolf pack at her side, able to find prey so easily.

Sure enough, the seven of them didn’t mind at all.

The leader hurriedly thanked her. “Many thanks, miss. Name your price—we’ll pay.”

Yuan Zhao shook her head. “No need for money. They’re just some ox bones.”

She wasn’t someone who only knew how to fight and kill. If possible, she was more than willing to make friends in the martial world.

No matter where you went, connections were important.

These people seemed decent enough—it was worth trying to get to know them.

Of course, one must still be cautious. She didn’t want to run into a second Ci’an.

“Thank you for your generosity, miss.” The man cupped his hands toward Yuan Zhao, then introduced himself. “I am Wu Jun of the Wu Family Fort on Vermilion Bird Mountain. These are my younger brothers and sisters…”

Through Wu Jun’s introduction, Yuan Zhao learned that among the remaining six, one man was his biological younger brother, named Wu Su.

The other two men were his cousins, named Wu Zhen and Wu Feng.

The three girls were also his cousins, named Wu Tan, Wu Xi, and Wu Yue.

The one who had first been drooling over the noodle soup was the youngest of the seven, Wu Yue.

Wu Family Fort of Vermilion Bird Mountain was quite well-known in the martial world. These seven juniors of the Wu family were considered outstanding among the younger generation. The seven siblings often traveled the martial world together, upholding justice, and were collectively known as the Seven Heroes of the Wu Family.

Among them, Wu Jun was a second-rank martial artist and the most famous. Because of the ancestral Vermilion Bird Sword Technique, he was known as the Vermilion Bird Young Master.

Wu Su, Wu Zhen, Wu Feng, Wu Tan, and Wu Xi were all third-rank martial artists.

As for the youngest sister, Wu Yue, she hadn’t yet reached a recognized level.

Yuan Zhao had heard of these seven from patrons in noodle shops before, so as soon as Wu Jun introduced them, she immediately knew who they were.

“So it’s the Seven Heroes of Vermilion Bird Mountain. My apologies for the lack of courtesy!”

Wu Jun waved his hand modestly. “Seven heroes or not, it’s just the martial world being kind to us.”

Yuan Zhao thought to herself: Seems the martial world really is a place that runs on social favors. Otherwise, how would Wu Yue—a martial artist not even ranked—end up being counted among the Seven Heroes? She’s clearly just making up the numbers!

Wu Jun then asked, “May I ask how to address you, miss?”

He was genuinely curious about this extraordinary young woman who could command a wolf pack.

Yuan Zhao introduced herself simply. “My name is Yuan Zhao.”

“Yuan Zhao?”

All seven were stunned—they had never heard of such a person.

Wu Jun and the others had climbed Yulian Mountain from the opposite side and hadn’t passed through the border between Great Liang and Great Xiao, so they naturally hadn’t heard of the name Heavenly Prison Blade. After all, Yuan Zhao’s reputation hadn’t spread that far yet.

After they became acquainted, Wu Jun took the ox bones and began simmering them. Before long, the cave was filled with the rich aroma of meat.

Yuan Zhao asked curiously, “Are you all here for the Bandit King’s treasure as well?”

They were quite frank about it. Wu Su admitted openly, “Yes! That’s the Bandit King’s treasure—who wouldn’t be tempted?”

Legend had it that the Bandit King’s treasure contained astonishing wealth, peerless manuals, and even treasures that could enhance one’s cultivation. In short, there were all kinds of rumors.

But no matter which was true, any one of them was enough to make people flock to it.

Hearing Yuan Zhao’s question, Wu Yue asked in confusion, “Little sister Yuan Zhao, aren’t you here for the treasure too?”

Wu Yue had just turned twenty, while Yuan Zhao was barely fifteen, so calling her “little sister” was perfectly reasonable.

Yuan Zhao shook her head. “Someone in my family is gravely ill. I came to look for medicine.”

“So that’s the case.” Wu Yue suddenly understood.

Yuan Zhao asked again, “Are there many people here searching for the treasure this time?”

Wu Xi replied, “Most of the large and small forces in the martial world should have sent people… quite a lot.”

Yuan Zhao frowned. “Is everyone really that sure the news about the Bandit King’s treasure is true? Yulian Mountain is extremely dangerous—countless people have gotten lost and frozen to death here. Is it really worth risking your lives like this?”

Wu Yue spread his hands. “Who knows if the news is true or not? I think most people are just following the crowd. The rumor about the Bandit King’s treasure in Yulian Mountain has spread widely, but as for the exact location, it seems no one has any solid information. Everyone’s just running around the mountains like headless flies!”

Wu Jun laughed. “Actually, even if someone really did find the treasure now, no matter who got it, it would be a hot potato. Those who covet it would probably band together and attack.”

Yuan Zhao nodded. That was indeed the case.

“Then why are you still here searching for it?”

Given the Wu family’s strength, even if they obtained the treasure, they probably wouldn’t be able to keep it—it would only bring catastrophic disaster.

Wu Yue replied with a grin, “Oh, we’re just here to join the fun! If we can drink some meat soup, great. If not, we’ll just treat it as gaining experience.”

The others all nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Yuan Zhao thought to herself: This ‘fun’ might not be so easy to join.

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and Yuan Zhao got along fairly well with them.

Early the next morning, everyone walked out of the cave.

The blizzard had already stopped. Golden sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone straight down, and against the white snow, the surroundings looked especially bright.

But even though the sun was out, not a trace of warmth could be felt.

After coming out, Wu Jun cupped his hands toward Yuan Zhao. “Miss Yuan, this is where we part ways.”

The other six followed suit, cupping their hands as well. “Miss Yuan, take care!”