Chapter 61: Playing in the Snow, Building a Jade Statue; In Panic, Seeking a Doctor, Causing a Stir in the Alchemy Room

More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and the weather gradually turned cold.

The Xiaoyao Sword Sect was located near the Daze, where the abundant water vapor mixed with the damp, chilly air, soon bringing the first snow of early winter.

Snowflakes fluttered down, draping the continuous mountain peaks in a layer of pure white.

On Danxia Peak, two girls were crouching in the snow, heads buried as they tinkered with something.

“Hmm… that seems about right.”

Hua Xiangrong clapped her small hands together and took a few steps back, resting her hands on her hips as she examined her masterpiece.

Today, she wore a goose-yellow, standing-collar jacket with a front opening.

Peach blossoms in pink and white were embroidered across the fabric, and the collar and cuffs were trimmed with fluffy white fur.

Below, she wore a thick, gradient pink embroidered Mamian skirt.

Her hair was styled in twin buns adorned with fuzzy pink and white floral hair accessories, making her look both spirited and charmingly innocent.

“Rongrong, what did you build?”

Ning Shiliu approached curiously from the side.

She was also dressed in a standing-collar jacket today, though hers was light beige.

Over it, she wore a matching fur vest with white fur edges and elegant white floral embroidery.

Her lower half was covered by a thick, creamy-white embroidered cotton skirt.

Her long, pale-gold hair was intricately braided and pinned with yellow and white velvet flowers.

Most striking of all were the long, pale-gold rabbit ears standing tall atop her head.

“It’s you and me, of course!”

Hua Xiangrong raised her head with confidence.

“This…”

Ning Shiliu stared at the two—perhaps barely recognizable—snowballs in front of her.

Their bodies were lumpy and loose; the stone eyes were uneven, with one higher than the other.

The “smiling faces” drawn with red ink were large and crooked, looking somewhat frightening.

The stick arms were of different lengths, and the two sets of “hands” were joined together as if they were shaking hands.

The only way to distinguish them was by the long ears pinched out of the snow on one of the heads.

“Rongrong, how about… I help touch them up a bit?” Ning Shiliu suggested softly.

“Hmm… okay!”

Hua Xiangrong was clearly aware that her “masterpiece” was a bit of an eyesore for Danxia Peak, so she nodded readily.

“Go for it, Little Pomegranate! If you need any materials, I’ll go get them for you!”

“Mhm!”

Ning Shiliu nodded heavily. She looked at the two snowballs representing her and Hua Xiangrong as if she had made a momentous decision, her eyes full of seriousness.

After a period of busy work.

“Wow! Little Pomegranate! You’re amazing! The snowmen look so beautiful now!”

Looking at the two transformed snowmen, Hua Xiangrong couldn’t help but cheer in surprise.

It wasn’t just a transformation; it was a complete reconstruction.

The snowman on the left had round twin buns made of snow, stone eyes curved into crescents, and a wide, festive mouth cut from red cloth.

The snowman on the right had a pair of long, hand-pinched rabbit ears and red button eyes that curved slightly in a shy, well-behaved smile.

The two little snowmen had their short stick arms hooked together, their snowy bodies pressed close, looking incredibly adorable.

“Actually… I’m not that amazing. It’s all thanks to your help, Rongrong.”

Hearing the praise, the habitually shy Ning Shiliu felt her cheeks flush, and her long ears instinctively tangled together.

“Oh, you’re just too modest! You did all the work yourself; I didn’t help at all.”

Hua Xiangrong shook her head and reached out to take her hand.

“Come on! Let’s go find Sister Li Lian and borrow a Shadow Recording Stone so we can take a photo and keep it!”

“Mhm!”

“Take a photo”—according to what Hua Xiangrong had explained before—meant using a Shadow Recording Stone to preserve an image.

Ning Shiliu had long since grown accustomed to hearing novel terms from her best friend’s mouth, so she didn’t ask further.

“I’m going to take it now! Come, Little Pomegranate, strike a pose with me!”

After setting up the Shadow Recording Stone, Hua Xiangrong excitedly pulled Ning Shiliu to sit in front of the snowmen.

She held up two fingers in a peace sign.

Although Ning Shiliu didn’t understand the meaning of the gesture, she imitated her friend, timidly making the same sign.

The two girls sat very close; she could even smell the faint, sweet floral scent lingering on Hua Xiangrong.

“Three, two, one! Cheese!”

After shouting the strange slogan, Hua Xiangrong skipped over to the Shadow Recording Stone.

Ning Shiliu watched her cheerful back as she ran to check the image, and only one thought remained in her mind: ‘Rongrong smells… so nice.’

For some reason, she just wanted to be a little closer to her, just a little bit closer.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small patch of dark red on the snow—it was the spot where Hua Xiangrong had just been sitting.

The color didn’t look like the ink used for the snowmen; it looked like…

Blood?

Ning Shiliu’s heart tightened, and she immediately turned to look at Hua Xiangrong’s back.

On the girl’s pink Mamian skirt, a small, startling patch of blood had seeped through the fabric near her backside.

“Rongrong! Come with me, quickly! I’m taking you to see Elder Ji!”

“Eh? What?!”

Hua Xiangrong was holding the Shadow Recording Stone, happily reviewing the captured image, when her wrist was suddenly pulled.

She turned to see the usually soft-spoken Ning Shiliu pulling her toward the mountain with unexpected strength.

“Little Pomegranate, slow down!”

Hua Xiangrong let herself be dragged along, her face a mask of confusion.

…

Inside the alchemy room, a somber woman dressed in black robes sat before an ancient Brass Alchemy Furnace.

The alchemical fire blazed beneath the furnace as she sat cross-legged, her hands constantly shifting through various hand seals while she chanted under her breath.

‘Hmm, this batch of Foundation Stabilizing Spirit Accumulating Pills… should be almost finished.’

Ji Ling focused intently on the alchemy furnace, silently calculating the time as her hand seals became even swifter.

“Elder Ji! Elder Ji! Help! You have to save Rongrong!”

An urgent cry accompanied by the sound of panicked footsteps rang out.

Immediately after, a small figure with long ears burst in, dragging another figure in pink.

Ji Ling’s concentration wavered, and the hand seal she was forming trembled—

Boom!

The alchemy furnace suddenly exploded!

She waved her sleeve, instantly deploying a Spiritual Energy Barrier that just managed to block the splashing shockwave and dregs.

“What… exactly are you doing?”

Ji Ling stood up with a dark expression and walked over to the two terrified girls.

Her naturally gloomy face looked even colder and more intimidating than usual.

“Th-that… Elder Ji… I’m sorry!”

Ning Shiliu’s long ears immediately drooped.

She bowed and apologized while trembling, then quickly looked up with tears pooling in her eyes.

“Waaaah… Elder Ji, I’m sorry… but, but Rongrong… waaaah… please save Rongrong!”

Ji Ling finally turned her gaze toward Hua Xiangrong, who was also standing there in a daze.

Save her?

She stepped forward quickly and placed her hand on Hua Xiangrong’s pulse.

A moment later, Ji Ling’s expression became peculiar.

“Save what? She’s perfectly fine!” she snapped irritably.

“Waaaah… but… Rongrong is bleeding a lot from down there…”

Ning Shiliu was still sobbing. Hua Xiangrong was even more confused.

Bleeding? Since when?

Having played too hard, she only now noticed a sticky sensation.

She reached back to check, and her fingertips came away with a trace of dark red.

“Whoa! I really am bleeding! Elder Ji, save me!”

Looking at yet another panicked little girl, Ji Ling felt both annoyed and amused.

“What do you mean, save you? That’s Guishui!”