Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 243 - The News of Death (1)

The ice abyss grew colder as night fell.

In the Abyss of Extreme Ice, the exit was invisible, and the distinction between day and night couldn’t be made by the rise and fall of the sun and moon. However, the blue flowers that glowed in the abyss would open their petals for half the day and close them for the other half, thus providing a way to gauge the passage of time.

It had been ten days and nights since Zanxing continued her climb.

Bu Jiang watched the person slowly ascending through the abyss. The woman, originally tall, was now weighed down by snow that had covered her fox fur coat. Despite the burden, she continued to advance without pausing, moving slowly like a snail with a bent shell, making her way up the distant giant peak.

She sighed and murmured to herself, “What a fool.”

Bu Jiang raised her hand and gathered a burst of demonic energy from her fingertips, directing it towards Zanxing. The demonic energy burned, melting away most of the accumulated snow on Zanxing’s fox fur coat. Zanxing stopped, supporting herself against the ice wall, and looked up at Bu Jiang floating in the air, smiling, “Thank you.”

“We are close kin, there’s no need for such formality,” Bu Jiang glanced around at the blooming blue flowers, their petals opening wide and glowing like flowing fire. She said, “It’s night now. You’ve been climbing all day. You should rest.”

Leaning on her Wuyou Staff, Zanxing looked up at the abyss above. It looked no different from ten days ago. Despite her relentless effort, it felt as if she had only moved a small fraction upward, which was deeply discouraging.

A fire burned in the desolate abyss.

The flickering red flames seemed to ward off some of the cold of the night. Zanxing sat against the ice wall, stretching her hands towards the flames in the fire basket, trying to warm her stiff fingers.

Bu Jiang observed her, or rather, the fire basket in front of her, and raised an eyebrow, “This fire basket is quite useful. Even after ten days, the flames haven’t diminished in the slightest.”

“The fire basket contains three fire crystals, which burn continuously and can last for three years. If I use them as sparingly as I do, it might last for decades,” Zanxing said, rubbing Mimi’s frozen belly. “It’s only been ten days, it’s nothing to worry about.”

Her rarely proud tone made Bu Jiang narrow her eyes. “Fire crystals are hard to come by. Your senior brother must have been quite generous with you.”

Zanxing climbed during the day and rested at night. During her breaks, Bu Jiang often asked her about her past. Zanxing didn’t know much about what happened in Yuecheng, so she seldom mentioned it. Most of her stories were about the daily life on Gufeng Mountain. She thought of Tian Fangfang and couldn’t help but smile. She had once found Tian Fangfang’s gift of a seemingly useless fire starter annoying, but now it had saved her life here. Without the fire basket, with only Meng Ying’s fox fur, she would have become an ice statue in the abyss.

“I see you have good relationships with people from Taiyan Sect,” Bu Jiang observed. “Things like the fox fur, the fire basket, and the decoy talismans are rare even in the demon realm. It seems you have a likable personality, unlike your cold and aloof father.”

Zanxing paused and spoke softly, “They are very kind and have taken good care of me.”

“They are indeed very good,” Bu Jiang said meaningfully, glancing at the hairband on Zanxing’s wrist.

The Zhuyan had lost its escape charm and had become an ordinary hairband, dull and faded, resting on her wrist like a withered butterfly.

Zanxing thought of Gu Baiying and her expression grew solemn.

He had stubbornly sent himself away, facing the wrath and criticism of the entire cultivation world alone. With his prideful and obstinate nature, he would likely never soften his stance towards his sect. Those old-timers were ruthless, she truly didn’t know what they would do to him.

In the end, it was her fault that Gu Baiying was in this situation.

Sensing Zanxing’s concern, Bu Jiang changed the subject. “So, do you still plan to keep climbing? At the pace you’re going, it might take you ten or even twenty years.”

“That’s not too bad,” Zanxing said, looking down at the flames. “The fire basket can burn for decades, and since I’m a demon, I have a long lifespan. I shouldn’t still be here after so many years.”

“I’d like to encourage you,” Bu Jiang said, spreading her hand. A small jade comb appeared in her palm. Holding the comb in one hand, she slowly began to brush her long hair.

The chains binding her limbs made a faint rustling sound, but Bu Jiang paid it no mind as she continued to comb her silky black hair, speaking: “You’ve probably noticed that it gets colder the higher you go. If you keep climbing, the flames in the fire basket will burn out faster. Even with the fire crystals, you can’t prevent yourself from freezing. Zanxing, you need to think carefully,” her tone became more serious, “If you stay put, I can lend you some of my power to help you last a bit longer.”

Mimi’s body had become softer under the warmth of the flames. The silver-furred lion lazily opened its eyes, licked Zanxing’s hand briefly, and then closed them again. As time passed in the Abyss of Extreme Ice, Mimi slept more and more, sometimes for an entire day, with its waking moments rarely lasting more than half an hour.

Zanxing patted Mimi’s head and said, “Your magic power must be running low too.”

Bu Jiang was taken aback.

“If you’re trapped here with Gu Yansheng’s confinement, your magic power is depleting daily. If you give me more, what will you do? At least there’s still someone here who can talk. If you fall asleep too, climbing this high ice abyss alone would be truly desolate,” Zanxing smiled, “If my own power runs out, you won’t fare much better. There’s no need for you to force yourself. Besides, it’s not that I’m unaware of the risks, I just don’t like sitting idly waiting for death.”

“It’s better to try than not to try at all. If it really comes to that point, then you can help me then. It’s not time to give up yet,” she said.

The Abyss of Extreme Ice fell into silence, the only sound was the quiet flickering of the flames, casting lively shadows on the ice wall.

Bu Jiang remained silent, watching Zanxing without revealing her thoughts. After a while, she smiled and said, “It seems the Yang family raised you well.”

“Your character is indeed quite likable.”

The blue Yao bloomed through the night in the Abyss of Extreme Ice, its glowing light gradually dimming as dawn approached. The petals closed, and the once vibrant flowers returned to their dormant state, looking as if they were waiting to bloom again.

The red-robed beauty’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

She yawned and summoned the jade comb from her palm. While brushing her hair, she glanced at the person leaning against the ice wall and muttered, “You’re waking up late today. Habout what I said, have you thought it over carefully last night and decided that I was right, planning to change your mind?”

Zanxing sat with her head bowed, not responding to her words.

After waiting a while without hearing a reply, Bu Jiang couldn’t help but look over again and asked, “You’re not still sleeping, are you?”