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A blizzard was approaching; wolves were circling all around, and zombies were trailing behind the car.

But as the wind and snow grew fiercer, Meimei couldn’t see the road clearly and couldn’t drive any faster, so the remaining people inside had to raise their guns and shoot the zombies.

Xiao Rong also raised a huge torch and waved it about, blasting the car stereo to scare off the wolf pack. Perhaps because she was so immersed in the moment, she even joined in, snarling and howling along with them.

Jian Xingyi: “……”

So skilled.

You could tell everyone was really struggling.

Jian Xingyi and Shuixi quickly mowed down the zombies trailing behind them with their guns, mainly thanks to Shuixi’s perfect headshots, which were incredibly efficient.

The wind and snow grew increasingly fierce, obstructing their vision more and more. With the car’s headlights already at full brightness, Meimei could only rely on his usual experience to steer roughly toward the cave she remembered.

Fortunately, the tires were large enough to roll over plenty of loose rocks and broken branches and keep moving forward.

“Phew…” Exposed to the blizzard, Jian Xingyi was shivering all over from the cold.

Shuixi hesitated. He wanted to reach out, but worried Jian Xingyi might mind; yet his lips had already turned purple.

But unexpectedly, the next moment, Jian Xingyi threw himself into his arms.

Jian Xingyi curled up in Shuixi’s embrace, burying his face in his jacket.

Forget Mount Kongtong—nothing matters more than staying alive!

So warm… and it smells so good!

Shuixi was at a loss for words, pulling his coat open to wrap Jian Xingyi in it as he held him close.

“Crack.”

Meimei: “Damn it… We’ve got a flat tire.”

Xiao Rong: “Huh??”

Meimei said helplessly, “Let’s rest here for now. We’ve got no choice.”

Xiao Rong and Meimei took the canvas out of the car. The four of them each held a corner, using the canvas to cover the roof. Once secured, it immediately blocked a fair amount of the biting wind and snow.

Meimei said, “If the blizzard gets any worse, this canvas won’t be much help. Everyone, just bear with it.”

Xiao Rong: “Should we tell the guild we’re spending the night out here?”

Meimei: “Let’s not… What if those three brainless idiots drive over here? Let’s wait until the blizzard passes before we have them come over with a spare tire to help out.”

“You’re right.”

Jian Xingyi asked, “Doesn’t Thousand Bells Snow Mountain have any gear to prepare for blizzards or avalanches?”

Back at Shengqi Mountain, the gear was all kinds of fancy—wind-repelling devices, wind-attracting devices, tents, and so on.

Xiao Rong said with a long face, “No, there’s nothing except a fire source. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be in such a mess… A tornado, at its core, can be described as a giant beast, but a blizzard is different. It’s as hard to control and avoid as rain. In fact, what kills us isn’t the blizzard itself, but the extreme cold, wild animals, and dangers it brings.”

Meimei raised an eyebrow: “There is actually a way. Whether you encounter an avalanche or a blizzard, ringing a bell to make a wish can stop the Holy Spirit from ‘losing its temper,’ but usually, you don’t have that kind of luck or opportunity.”

Although sacred bells are scattered all over the snowy mountains, once you’re caught in a blizzard, you won’t have a chance to go look for one, and an avalanche is a matter of life and death—you’re lucky just to avoid being buried.

“Oh…”

Huuu—

Huuu-huu—

The wind and snow were indeed getting heavier; everyone’s noses were frozen red, and their lips had turned a pale purple.

“Don’t fall asleep. Let’s chat a bit.” Meimei rubbed his hands together and said, “Judging by the way things are going, it’ll stop in four hours. Just hang in there.”

Shuixi gently tapped Jian Xingyi’s cheek, and he jolted awake.

He had almost fallen asleep.

How terrifying…

It’s the temperature that kills you without you even realizing it.

Jian Xingyi sat up straight and said, “Wait a moment…”

Jian Xingyi opened his terminal and used the ginger from his backpack to brew four bowls of ginger soup for everyone.

Meimei took one and asked curiously, “Is this the ginger you said can raise the body’s temperature by 50%?”

Of course, scientifically speaking, that certainly doesn’t mean multiplying the body’s temperature by 50 degrees Celsius—it’s just a rough estimate, meaning it probably provides about 50% more warmth.

“That’s right.”

Perfect for a test! If it works, it’ll be a lifesaver.

Jian Xingyi gulped down the ginger soup and instantly widened his eyes.

Wow, this feeling… It’s amazing!

After the ginger soup went down, Jian Xingyi felt a warm sensation in his throat and stomach, which then spread throughout his entire body. He could actually feel his body heating up.

It feels so good…!

Jian Xingyi looked at the other three; they all had the same reaction.

It really works!

Meimei said in disbelief, “I really don’t feel cold anymore…!”

“Waaah…” Xiao Rong was so moved she couldn’t speak for a moment; she just buried her head and kept drinking.

After drinking the ginger soup, everyone felt like they’d come back to life.

Meimei clung to Jian Xingyi’s shoulders, shaking him back and forth—he was practically hugging him. “You’re my fucking god! From now on, I’m calling you ‘brother’!! You’re my big brother!! Tonight’s happiness is thanks to you, Xinghe!”

Jian Xingyi grinned, “Hehe, as long as it works…”

Taking advantage of Jian Xingyi’s distraction, Shuixi smoothly and naturally pulled him back into his arms.

Well, no wonder he’s such a heartthrob.

Xiao Rong: “……”

Oh my~~~~?

With everyone having regained their strength, they were now in the mood to chat and pass the time.

After hearing Jian Xingyi’s purpose, Meimei explained, “As for the beasts and rare herbs you’re looking for… that’s really hard to say. Resources in the Thousand Bells Snow Mountains respawn randomly, so you’ll just have to rely on luck along the way. Anyway, you’re probably going to do the Colorful Flag quest, right? That quest requires you to climb almost the entire mountain, so you’ll have a chance to come across them.”

Jian Xingyi leaned against the stream. Because the setting felt so natural, he didn’t notice the intimate posture they’d fallen into—he felt as if he were being embraced by a great lion—so he simply continued the conversation: “We’ve already successfully obtained the Auspicious Cloud White and Earth Yellow.”

“Oh… Next, for the blue flag representing the sky, you’ll need to go to the mountaintop; the red flag representing fire is in the dungeon; and the green one representing rivers requires you to go to the frozen lake. The locations are quite spread out, so you’ll need to plan your route carefully.” 

Meimei pulled out a map and said, “Let me think this through… How about this? Let’s tweak our plan a bit. We’re at the foot of the mountain now, and it’s close to the Ice Lake. I’ll mark the route and the areas to avoid for you. You guys head to the Ice Lake first to get the colored flags, while Xiao Rong and I go back to the guild to swap vehicles and make sure we’re fully stocked with supplies. After all, we didn’t know at first that you’d be going all the way up to the mountainside.”

Jian Xingyi nodded. “Sounds good.”

He was actually planning to go to the Ice Lake to soak some seeds anyway.

“Once we get the car, we’ll head to the Ice Lake to pick you up. The day after tomorrow, we’ll go up to the mountainside together to find 【It’s Really Cold】 and 【Warm Cotton Coat】, and then you can decide whether you want to run the dungeon or climb to the summit to get the remaining colored flags.”

“Great!” Jian Xingyi nodded vigorously. “You’re such a good person.”

“Oh, you’re welcome!”

Shuixi froze.

Jian Xingyi actually called someone a “good person”?

Before, Jian Xingyi had clearly only ever complimented him… or did Jian Xingyi say that to a lot of people?

Xiao Rong looked at the shattered Shuixi, the innocent-faced Jian Xingyi, and the enthusiastic Meimei, and felt utterly speechless.

Xiao Rong pulled Meimei close to her. “Guild President, use your head a little…”

“Hm?”

“Nothing.” As everyone knows, on Kongtong Mountain, only the women have brains; the men have no brains, just a lot of chatter.

“By the way,” Meimei asked, “if the ginger can raise the body temperature by 50%, and I drank three bowls at once, wouldn’t I just die from the heat?”

Jian Xingyi shook his head. “No, the effects of all enhanced foods only last for one day. They can’t be stacked, and they don’t carry over to the next day. Once the enhancement has taken effect, eating more enhanced food will just turn it into ordinary food.”

“I see…” Meimei pondered. “Then I’ll go back and calculate how much I need to buy from you…”

Jian Xingyi nodded, already picturing piles and piles of crisp, white cash.

Hehe.

Soon, the wind and snow stopped, and the two went their separate ways.

Jian Xingyi brushed the snow off his and Shuixi’s shoulders, preparing to walk to the frozen lake. After all, the distance wasn’t too far, and they could gather resources along the way.

Shuixi asked, “What do you think of Meimei?”

“Hm?” Jian Xingyi asked, puzzled. “He’s a nice person? What’s up?”

Seeing that Shuixi didn’t respond, Jian Xingyi’s expression grew subtle. “You aren’t attracted to him, are you?”

Is this the power of a heartthrob? Even NPCs are smitten??

Shuixi: “?”

What?

Seeing that Shuixi still wasn’t speaking, Jian Xingyi pouted and turned to walk away.

Shuixi: “?”

Shuixi silently followed behind Jian Xingyi for quite a while, watching the silent Jian Xingyi. It wasn’t until they had passed through a small grove that he finally spoke, asking uncertainly, “Are you… angry?”

Jian Xingyi just didn’t seem like the type to get angry, so Shuixi felt like he was hallucinating.

Surely… he wasn’t?

And sure enough, Jian Xingyi turned around and looked at him in confusion.

“Huh?”

No wonder Jian Xingyi was confused; after all, it had been… an hour since they last spoke.

Jian Xingyi was intently gathering essences, hazelnuts, and resources, his mind entirely focused on calculations, so Shuixi’s sudden question left him a bit bewildered.

“What do you mean, angry?”

“Nothing.” Shuixi walked silently up beside Jian Xingyi and took his hand.

Jian Xingyi blinked.

Oh…

Since there were no outsiders around, Jian Xingyi didn’t think much of it and forgot to pull away.

After all, Jian Xingyi actually really liked being led by Shuixi, because it meant he could slack off—Shuixi’s hand was strong and would pull him along.

Hand in hand, the two left deep and shallow footprints in the snow.

Jian Xingyi’s Essence Points had already accumulated to 1,620, and his backpack was now filled with hazelnuts. After picking them up, he noticed that the progress bars for several recipes had advanced.

Not only that, but Jian Xingyi couldn’t help feeling that there was more wood on the snowy mountains than anywhere else.

The upcoming zombie horde… or rather, the fortress battle—building a fortress requires countless dawn coins, wood, and zombie kills. That’s why there are now plenty of special dungeons where you can obtain wood, and wood is scattered across the map for you to pick up.

Jian Xingyi’s mind and eyes were now completely focused on how to earn more dawn coins and stockpile supplies to prepare for crises. After all, the guild had already assigned roles, and while his primary responsibility was dawn coins, he was still happy to pick up wood whenever he came across it.

A piece of wood would only respawn after being collected by three or four people, so Shuixi was quietly following Jian Xingyi, picking it up as well.

After walking for nearly four hours, the two finally reached the frozen lake.

Jian Xingyi gazed at the endless expanse of the frozen lake before him, feeling a sense of awe. A thin layer of ice covered the water, its surface crisscrossed with intricate patterns, crystal clear and translucent.

So beautiful…

Jian Xingyi took out a shovel and dug a hole by the lake. He carefully removed several bags of seeds from his backpack and submerged them in the water along with the bag.

……There was no reaction.

Jian Xingyi blinked: “How long is this going to take?”

“I’m not sure. If you’re bored… want to try ice fishing?”

“Huh?”

……

Ten minutes later, the two spread out a cloth and sat cross-legged on it.

Shuixi used Jian Xingyi’s special axe to chop down a branch, then tied a line and a hook to it. Jian Xingyi also cut some game meat and hung it on the hook. The two of them waited for the seeds to take root while fishing.

As Jian Xingyi fished, he began to feel tired, his head nodding slightly.

Turning his head, he saw Shuixi looking perfectly normal, and couldn’t help but marvel, “Is this what they call a machine…”

“Hm?”

Jian Xingyi asked curiously, “Why aren’t you tired?”

Since arriving at the snowy mountains, the bitter cold and the surrounding environment had left Jian Xingyi feeling constantly drained.

Shuixi said, “If you’re tired, lean against me and take a nap. I’ll watch the fishing rod for you.”

“But… I can’t possibly do that,” Jian Xingyi said as he lay down, curling up into a ball with his head resting on Shuixi’s knee.

Shuixi couldn’t resist ruffling Jian Xingyi’s hair.

“Snap…!”

Not long after Jian Xingyi lay down, the fishing rod began to move.

Jian Xingyi jolted awake and scrambled to reel it in.

“Shuixi, Shuixi! It looks like a big one!”

Splash—

Jian Xingyi reeled in a huge fish.

“Wow!!”

Shuixi raised an eyebrow.

Jian Xingyi laughed, “Looks like I’m actually pretty lucky sometimes, huh?!”

Before the fish had completely died, Jian Xingyi quickly activated his skill.

Please, please! It’s rare to come across seafood—give him something good! Let his luck keep going!

If he could raise fish in the aquaculture zone, he couldn’t even imagine how wonderful that would be! Eggs and fish had practically become Jian Xingyi’s obsession.

At the same time, a system notification popped up.

【Seed Reincarnation Successful! Player 【Xinghe】 may choose to receive 4 A-rank seeds or retry again to receive 1 S-rank seed!】

Huh?

Jian Xingyi pondered for a moment. Although trading 4 for 1 seemed like a bit of a loss—or even a total rip-off—most A-rank seeds were seasonings or ingredients that enhanced flavor. While they could improve taste and diversify recipes, S-rank seeds offered tangible stat bonuses!

Plus, A-rank seeds could be obtained from the map, but S-rank seeds were almost exclusively acquired through wishes.

So, trading four delicious items for a single buff item… that stings a bit.

Jian Xingyi hesitated.

But after some thought, he ultimately chose the S-rank seed.

Wah, one bends to the will of five bushels of rice.

【Player 【Xinghe】 has chosen Second Nirvana, obtaining a Golden Legend—S-rank Seed x1!】

Great!

Jian Xingyi opened his backpack and saw two new slots: one containing the rewards from fishing, and the other holding a golden seed. The regret he felt at losing four A-rank seeds vanished instantly.

Yes, yes, yes!!

Praise the S-rank, praise the fish!

Jian Xingyi clicked on the golden seed.

【Variety: S-Rank Coffee Bean】

【Description: A rich, aromatic coffee bean forged from the fusion of extreme fire and absolute ice. Consuming it grants a 50% Mental Boost.】

【Source: Lava from a volcanic eruption and ice lakes from the Thousand Bells Snow Mountains.】

Jian Xingyi: “?!”

If the watermelon’s boost was for Stamina, then the coffee bean is undeniably for Mental!

I can’t believe how invincible I’ll be after eating watermelon and drinking coffee! If I pair it with ginger soup in the Thousand Bells Snow Mountains region—even though these three items don’t seem related—the effect would be incredible!

Jian Xingyi exclaimed happily, “It’s coffee beans!”

After Jian Xingyi explained the bonus to Shuixi, she couldn’t help but marvel, “That’s a great item.”

Mental stamina… it might sound like a minor detail, but only those who spend years adventuring and exploring know just how essential it is.

And it’s not just for exploration—it also keeps you in top form during zombie hordes.

After all, the hordes always strike in the dead of night, and the next fortress battle will likely be a series of back-to-back fights. Good mental stamina ensures strong performance.

“Mmm!!” Jian Xingyi said gleefully, “Let’s see what kind of fish it is… Maybe it’s a little fry? Maybe I can start raising fish right away… Huh?”

Jian Xingyi: “……”

How could he have forgotten that the system distributes seeds and farm products randomly? After using a skill on a wild boar only to get a sheep, what else could he possibly expect…

The system wouldn’t just hand him such a precious fish that easily!

Good things like eggs or fish—he’d probably have to spend Wish Points to get them, right?

Shuixi: “Hm? What is it?”

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath and said, “A loach.”

“?”

True, they both swim in water.

But something just feels off about this.