Read Novel Full Chapter 696 - 67: News of Death
Chapter 696: Chapter 67: News of Death
Three days have already passed, Xiao Xian and Zhou Ziang have been cooped up in the snowy mountain cabin for three full days without seeing Master Lin.
The deaf and mute little girl didn’t seem particularly bothered by this, as if she was already accustomed to this lifestyle. She ate twice a day, each meal consisting of a potato and bean soup.
Perhaps noticing that Zhou Ziang was a better cook and Xiao Xian was good at chopping wood, the little girl smoothly delegated the tasks to them.
"We can’t keep going on like this," Xiao Xian pretended to help peel the potatoes, muttering beside Zhou Ziang. Xiao Xian had recently discovered that the little girl, though deaf and mute, was very observant in understanding the situation, especially a few days ago while she was discussing something in front of Zhou Ziang.
She watched closely, her eyes filled with thought.
Zhou Ziang said that in the north-east near North Korea, many North Koreans who couldn’t bear the hunger and cold have fled to China in previous years, marrying local mountain folks. Those who were lucky made it; those who were not were shot at the border by the military.
Listening to Zhou Ziang, Xiao Xian thought the little girl couldn’t possibly be living alone in the cabin and looked at her with some pity.
However, Xiao Xian spoke cautiously, considering the strange combination of just a little girl and a dog living in a small cabin without adult supervision.
"Could this child be an orphan? Living on the northern side of the mountain, she must be from a Korean family. There are adult items in the house," Xiao Xian had noticed. Though the cabin was simple, the utensils were meant for two people. There were big and small bowls, and some were for guests, indicating that the cabin wasn’t completely isolated from the world as it still had some visitors.
Zhou Ziang once had a professor at Cornell who was a political refugee from North Korea. He used to share lesser-known stories about North Korea after class, explaining how even today, the region relied on political rations. The capital region was better off, with the government ensuring basic food and warmth.
The poorer people were, the more likely they were to commit crimes. Despite the decent relationship between China and North Korea, there were significant issues when the borders were first drawn. It was only through the steadfast Communist beliefs of the older generations of leaders that Changbai Mountain was halved.
"It’s just a mountain, isn’t it?" Xiao Xian viewed it nonchalantly. Looking at Changbai Mountain buried under the pristine snow, it seemed rather insignificant compared to places like Black Mountain and Lei Gong Mountain.
"A mountain might seem trivial, but the mountains in the north-east are pristine, unmatched by any other place within the country. Take this mountain, for instance; there is a significant difference between its southern and northern sides. Have you noticed that the snow is thinner on the northern side than the southern?" Zhou Ziang and Xiao Xian had used Inch Land Skill to get here, staying on the southern side.
Normally, according to the natural distribution, the southern side facing the sun should have faster snow melting and the northern side should accumulate thicker snow. But in this region, the situation was the opposite, which was quite unusual.
"How about we go out and search?" Time was of the essence. Xiao Xian couldn’t wait and took out the ice blade fragment, flipping it in her hand. The fragment had just been taken out and suddenly the lazy white-haired dog by the stove stood up, perplexedly watching them.
"Don’t put it away yet," Zhou Ziang stopped Xiao Xian, took the ice blade fragment from her hands, and presented it to the big white dog.
The dog appeared even more puzzled, snuffing out a few breaths from its shiny black nose.
The little girl noticed the big dog’s abnormal behavior and walked over, grabbing its thick fur.
The dog sniffed Zhou Ziang’s hand, seemingly feeling something amiss, then turned back and lay down again.
"It seems like it knows something," Xiao Xian and Zhou Ziang both realized this. The northern slopes were a necessary path into Changbai Mountain. If Mei Nian were to enter the mountains, she would definitely have passed through this cabin.
Xiao Xian regretted not having taken a picture of Mei Nian from Huang Yaoshi or Yu Gangyao when they left. If she had the picture, she could bypass the language barrier and ask the Korean girl if Mei Nianmei had been through this cabin.
Zhou Ziang stared at the big dog squinting its eyes again, and suddenly, a rich aura of Gold Grade Space emanated from him. The little girl didn’t react, but the white-haired dog again responded. This time, it ran up to Zhou Ziang and bit his hand.