High-class Spring Joy

Once again, the Third Young Master stood in her way, bumping his shoulder against the wall.

Qinghe rushed to protect him, but how could her reaction speed be faster than the Third Young Master's?

Before she could stop him, the Third Young Master had already pulled her into his arms.

"Young master!?"

Qinghe exclaimed almost instantly, and Chensha beside her reacted quickly as well. Using her lightness skill, she flashed behind Chu Jingxian, standing like a human shield behind him. This was clearly not the time to speak.

It was because after that snowdrift collapsed, besides the sounds of swords clashing and spears clashing, there was also a deafening roar of a lion!

This was the sound of Lion's Roar that they had heard before!

The roar of the lion seemed to shake the entire world, and the snow covering the snowdrift trembled incessantly, with snowflakes and ice fragments falling from it. Looking precariously balanced, it was impossible to tell when this snowdrift would collapse.

"This is bad, young master. This is not a good time or place to make a move! If we really start fighting, and that huge thing jumps down from above, let alone making a move, the mere act of jumping down could probably cause this snowdrift to collapse! At that point, we might not even be able to fight, and we might all die here."

Besides the lion's roar, there was also a deafening sound of footsteps, which, though chaotic, were all masked by an even louder vibration.

Chen Sha frowned and said in a low voice, "It's Shi Liao, young master. I can't tell how many people they have."

"We've been hiding in this snowdrift for three or four days now. Those guys must be getting impatient," Chu Jingxian decided immediately, "Let's go!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Sha reacted immediately, grabbed her long sword and rushed forward to clear a path, while Chu Jingxian protected Qing He in his arms and followed closely behind.

Qinghe was held tightly in Chu Jingxian's arms. At this moment, Qinghe couldn't care about anything else. Chu Jingxian pressed Qinghe's head into his chest, almost covering Qinghe's entire body under his cloak. Qinghe could see some of the road ahead, but she could feel the warmth of the person's embrace behind her.

In such a critical situation, although Shi Liaoqinghe had not seen it with his own eyes, anyone who had seen a circus troupe knew how dangerous those large wild beasts were, and the most dangerous thing was not the beasts themselves, but the people who drove them.

Those people were targeting the Emperor and the princes, so they couldn't possibly be kind or good people; they were mostly desperate criminals.

Since these people have caught up with us, they must have their own plans, and we can't expect them to be careless anymore.

They were completely after their lives, with the Third Young Master being the primary target. But if they stayed in that snowdrift, they would easily be trapped inside, like turtles in a jar.

So the only way now is to keep playing a chase with them in the snowdrift. Only in this way can we barely distract them and buy them time so that the Third Young Master and the others can come up with a solution.

Clearly, the person in charge of the Lionfire had realized their intention to escape, so without hesitation, he directly commanded the Lionfire to chase after them along their escape route.

The enormous commotion, let alone a large beast like a lion, would be enough to shake the snow and ice off the ground, even if the sound alone traveled through the snowdrift.

Qinghe. At this moment, she didn't care about anything else. She only knew that her legs and feet were running and moving around non-stop. She knew that she absolutely could not let herself become a burden to the Third Young Master and the Chensha Guard.

If they become a burden, they might die here. It's the three of them. Qinghe doesn't want to die, and she doesn't want anyone else to die because of her. The last thing she wants is for the Third Young Master to die because of her.

The three of them traversed through a continuous series of snowdrifts, but they barely had time to catch their breath in each one.

The ice and snow covering them immediately collapsed, clearly indicating that the enemy was relentlessly pursuing them, pressing closer and closer. They seemed intent on annihilating them.

Although Chen Sha and Chu Jingxian were martial artists, they had been subsisting on wild fruits for the past few days, so their physical strength was naturally not as good as usual. In addition, the three of them were in such a dangerous and frigid environment. Chu Jingxian also had to spend time and effort protecting Qinghe in his arms. So even though the snowdrifts could prevent the enemy from finding their whereabouts in a short time, their physical strength was declining rapidly. The enemy, on the other hand, was different. There were many of them, and even a war of attrition would be enough to wear them down.

Sure enough, before long, both Chu Jingxian and Chen Sha were running out of energy.

"Young master, we can't continue like this. Even if we manage to escape, how can Miss Qinghe continue to wander with us like this?"

Chen Sha looked at the Third Young Master with great concern: "Besides, Young Master, your body has not fully recovered yet, and you really can't see right now. Even if we hide like this, how long can we hide? If one of us is unlucky enough to run into that group of people, wouldn't the three of us be walking into a trap? Young Master, I'm fine no matter what, but I absolutely cannot let anything happen to you and Miss Qinghe."

Chu Jingxian thought the same thing, naturally not because of Chen Sha's reminder. Chen Sha had more on his mind; he lowered his head, his chin inadvertently brushing against Qinghe's head.

"Ahe? Are you tired?"

Qinghe tried her best to keep her voice calm and steady: "Young Master, I'm not tired, but this really can't go on. I'm fine myself; I already owed you my life, it's just a matter of how much, but I have to repay it eventually. If I can save you and keep you safe, I'll give my life for it. But this snowdrift is very dangerous. Although it's considered easy to defend and difficult to attack, the enemy has a huge numerical advantage and is also accompanied by large wild beasts like lions. It's definitely not something the three of us can easily defend. Escape is indeed the best way, and the only effective way right now, but if we delay, the enemy's numbers will..." There are too many. A war of attrition would be enough to wear us down. It's true, these snowdrifts are hard to find, but if the enemy goes into a frenzy and tramples them all, you could easily kill them, young master. Those desperate, ruthless people won't be swayed by the collapse of these snowdrifts, which could potentially cause the entire area to crumble. We can't fight ruthless villains, nor can we gamble on their occasional mercy. If we keep hiding, we'll only remain passive. Completely losing the initiative means handing our lives over to others…”

After Qinghe finished speaking such a long passage in one breath, she felt as if all the air and strength had been drained from her chest. Realizing she had indeed rambled on for quite some time, she looked somewhat uncertainly at the Third Young Master's expression:

"Young master, I was just talking nonsense. I haven't read many books, I don't have much culture, and I'm not very smart, so I'm just saying what I think. Please don't take offense. As for the decision, of course, we still have to listen to you."

"You're absolutely right. You're not unintelligent at all; you're very intelligent. Everything you say makes sense. There's no need to belittle yourself."

Chu Jingxian lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment of silence, he quickly made a decision: "Then let's listen to Ahe."

"Roar roar roar roar..."

One roar after another came from overhead, filling the entire vast, snow-covered landscape.

The enormous lion was as tall as four or five people, with a body covered in shiny golden fur that was wild and thick. Its long, thick tail slammed against the icy snow with each thud, leaving a deep crater in the snow.

If that tail were to hit a person, even if they didn't die, they would be seriously injured, and would probably be knocked unconscious by the tail.

This enormous, terrifying beast was sitting on its back, and a refined young man dressed as a scholar was on it.

It was the same leader who had kidnapped Princess Jing'an in that old woman's hut. Now, he sat on the back of a lion that was four or five people tall, whistling some off-key tunes.

Behind the lion-like creature, dozens of people were searching tirelessly in the snowdrift. Normally, they wouldn't dare approach the snowdrift, but now they were fearless, because when the giant lion-like creature passed by, its half-human-sized paws had already crushed the snowdrift, leaving them with no further danger to explore.

Before long, the snow collapsed down from the snowdrift, forming a series of pits. The people sitting on the lion-shaped platform and those following behind it could easily see what was inside the pits by looking down slightly. As for whether there were people inside, it was completely obvious. This was the most time-saving and labor-saving method.

People are indeed very afraid of snowdrifts because everything underneath is unknown. Once the ice and snow collapse, people can easily be trapped inside and have no way to get out. In such a icy and snowy place, once trapped, there is only one outcome: freezing to death.

But if it were the lion that trod the snowdrifts, the outcome would be completely different.

The danger of snowdrifts, however small, is merely a matter of a claw strike, whether deep or shallow, for this lion-like creature.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have thoroughly investigated all seventy-three snowdrifts, searching them meticulously, but we have indeed found no trace of Chu Jingxian. What should we do next?"

His men searched every single one of the collapsed snowdrifts, but in the end, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and go up to the lion-headed lion, reporting to the young man dressed as a scholar on the lion's back.

Even his subordinates dared not get too close when they saw the enormous Lionfire, keeping a distance.

The enormous lion's head, covered in thick fur, lay lazily on the snow, unable to find a target to kill. Its scarlet tongue curled up and licked its huge, sharp fangs, occasionally dripping saliva. Bena's fierce gaze was chilling.

The young man sitting on the lion's back had calm yet cold eyes. When his gaze fell upon the lion, it was no less gentle than that of the enormous lion, and it sent chills down one's spine.

After the subordinate who came to report finished speaking, he dared not look up again and could only wait for the person in front of him to reply.

The young man they called their lord was named Di Qing.

"You mean that a blind person and a person who only has a body but no brain, together, managed to escape from these seventy-odd snowdrifts? Not only did they escape my sight, but they also escaped your search, is that what you mean?"

Di Qing's icy gaze lingered on the face of the subordinate who came to report for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his face. Even though the smile had no warmth whatsoever, it made his subordinates dare not let their guard down. Instead of feeling any relief or liberation, they only felt more terrifying and sinister.

The subordinate who had just reported the news was trembling even more violently, especially after seeing the ambiguous smile on Di Qing's face.

They were so frightened that they dared not breathe, fearing that they would lose their lives if they breathed too heavily.

Di Qing's tone grew colder, but his smile became more pronounced: "Are you inferior to that blind man, or am I inferior to that blind man? If you can't find him, don't you know to keep looking? Do you think a blind man and two brainless people can just grow wings and run away? If you can't find the person I'm looking for today, then my precious one will have no one to feed it. You'll have to feed it yourselves then."

After Di Qing finished speaking, the enormous lion beneath him seemed to understand, baring its pale white fangs at its group of subordinates. Saliva dripped from its fangs, falling onto the snow-white ground and melting into a patch of snow.

Its scarlet tongue looked as if it were stained with human blood. The moment its blood-red maw opened, a foul stench emanated from the lion's mouth. This simple action was enough to make its subordinates kneel on the ground in a flurry.

The foremost subordinate hurriedly replied, "I'll go find it right away! I'll go find it immediately! My lord, please don't be angry!"

After saying that, he left without looking back, as if afraid that if he was a step too slow, he would be swallowed whole.

The group of men immediately began to search frantically, looking through each of the seventy-three snowdrifts, fearing that if they couldn't find the person, they would become the lion's meal.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "My lord, here!! There are signs that someone lived here!"