After pampering two villainous cubs, the rough hunter becomes addicted to flirting with her.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain forest, Baiyun was trudging through the snow, sometimes sinking deep into the ground, sometimes sinking into shallow ones, all the while muttering curses under his breath.

"Damn it, what kind of place is this! It's the middle of nowhere, and they had to send me here! Do they really think that Li Xiaoyun is some kind of mountain god descended from heaven?"

He was indignant.

They searched all the towns at the foot of the mountain but couldn't find any trace of Li Xiaoyun, so Bai Er actually set his sights on this desolate mountain.

With snow this heavy, ordinary people simply couldn't survive, let alone Li Xiaoyun who was carrying a woman and two children.

This is simply courting death!

Despite her complaints, Baiyun dared not actually give up the search.

The prince has been in a bad mood lately. If he finds out that I've done a poor job, I'm sure I'll be in big trouble.

They haven't been having a good time lately either.

Those damned assassins are like ghosts; you can never find them normally, but they'll pop up and launch a sneak attack whenever you let your guard down.

Although they were able to repel the enemy each time, their own side also suffered heavy casualties.

Baiyun became increasingly agitated the more she thought about it.

What secrets does this Shanqing Town hold that make the prince willing to deal with bandits here rather than leave?

What puzzled him even more was that, dealing with the assassins was already a headache enough, so why did the prince have to spare manpower to hunt down an insignificant person like Li Xiaoyun?

Standing in the boundless snowfield, Baiyun felt so restless that it almost burst through the clouds above her head.

He trudged through knee-deep snow for a whole day before finally managing to climb to the mountainside.

Looking around, there was nothing but snow and not a single person in sight.

The bone-chilling cold had seeped into his clothes, his hands and feet were already numb from the cold, and his whole body was stiff as a piece of wood.

The dry rations he carried were as hard as a rock and difficult to swallow; he shakily pulled out his water bag, only to find that the water inside had long since frozen into a solid block of ice.

"Damn it!"

Bai Yun cursed and angrily threw his water bag onto the snow. He was so thirsty that he could only bend down, scoop up two handfuls of snow, and chew them.

"Giggle..."

His teeth were chattering from the cold. He clenched his teeth, struggled to his feet, and found a sheltered rock face to take temporary refuge.

"In this awful weather, if Li Xiaoyun's family really stayed here, they'd probably be frozen solid by now," Bai Yun muttered to herself, already having second thoughts.

He planned to pretend to search for another half day before heading down the mountain to report back.

Anyway, the other brothers who went to other mountains probably had the same idea.

Just as he was about to get up and deal with his errands, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a mark on the snow out of the corner of his eye.

It was a clear footprint, wide and deep, embedded firmly in the snow.

Bai Yun's expression instantly turned serious. He cautiously walked over and stretched out his foot to measure it.

Without a doubt, these are human footprints, and judging by their size, the owner must have been a man even taller and more robust than himself.

A terrible thought arose in his mind: Could this be what Li Xiaoyun left behind?

If that's the case, wouldn't I have done a great service?

Thinking of this, my body, which had been frozen stiff, suddenly felt inexplicably hot.

He could almost see himself standing before the prince, claiming credit and receiving rewards; a bright future seemed to be just around the corner.

Baiyun rubbed her frozen hands, shaking off her earlier dejection, and rallied her spirits to follow the footprints.

The footprints were intermittent in the snow, but as long as there was a direction, new clues could always be found.

About an hour later, he tracked them down to a cliff.

Below the cliff, a snow-covered path is faintly visible.

He also found drag marks on the snow, and even saw congealed dark red bloodstains on several snowdrifts.

The footprints on the ground became dense and messy, indicating that people were frequently active here.

The latest footprints point to a crooked ancient tree on the edge of the cliff.

Bai Yun's eyes lit up, and he was extremely pleased with himself: "As expected, my tracking skills are truly legendary! Bai Yi sent me here because he values ​​my abilities!"

He walked quickly to the tree and dug through the thick snow. A wheeled cart buried in the snow suddenly appeared before his eyes!

Baiyun gasped, her heart pounding wildly.

"Found them! It's them!"

Unable to contain his elation, he burst into laughter: "Haha! Hahahaha!"

"What's making you so happy? Why don't you tell me and share the joy?"

A cold voice suddenly came from above, like a laugh piercing through the white clouds with an icicle.

He was terrified and jumped back, quickly drawing his double-ringed sword from his waist and looking up warily at the treetop.

A dark figure suddenly leaped down from the tree and landed steadily in the snow.

Even though the snow was up to his knees, the person walked towards him as easily as if he were walking on flat ground.

In contrast, every step the white clouds took in the deep snow was extremely difficult.

Bai Yun remembered what Bai Er had said before, that Li Xiaoyun was exceptionally skilled, so he dared not be careless in the slightest.

Holding the knife in both hands, he shouted sternly, "Arrogant scoundrel! Surrender now! My master might spare your life!"

Li Xiaoyun looked at him expressionlessly, a cold smile playing on her lips: "Oh? Is that so? I heard that your orders were to wipe out our entire family?"

Bai Yun's face turned deathly pale instantly, and a fierce glint flashed in her eyes.

Li Xiaoyun really does know everything!

Since that's the case, there's no need to pretend anymore.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Since you understand everything, then prepare to die!"

Before he could finish speaking, Baiyun had already charged forward, brandishing his twin swords.

His swordsmanship was swift and ruthless, each move deadly, clearly making him one of the best guards in the Prince's mansion.

However, to his astonishment, the seemingly ordinary Li Xiaoyun was able to easily deflect his attacks.

Li Xiaoyun held only an ordinary woodcutter's knife, yet he could always accurately parry his twin blades, and each parry carried a powerful force that made Li Xiaoyun's hands go numb.

After several rounds, Baiyun was already feeling exhausted.

"How is this possible! How could I not even beat a mountain hermit like Li Xiaoyun!"

He was both shocked and furious. He gritted his teeth and continued his fierce attack, his mouth already tasting of blood.

"Ding ding ding!"

The crisp sound of blades clashing echoed through the valley, stirring up the snow beneath their feet and sending it flying everywhere.

Finally, Baiyun seized an opening, unleashing the power of both swords simultaneously, and a crisp "crack" resounded—

The machete in Li Xiaoyun's hand snapped in two with a snap.

Bai Yun was overjoyed and was about to press his advantage when he saw Li Xiaoyun calmly duck to dodge, and at the same time, raise his hands and accurately sprinkle a handful of snowflakes into his eyes.

Baiyun's vision went completely white in an instant, and she couldn't see anything anymore.

Just as he was panicking, Li Xiaoyun pounced on him like a tiger, delivering a heavy punch to his head.