The Red String of Fate and the Looming Avalanche

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Under the care of Xia Yi and the potent spiritual medicine, Bing Yingying no longer drifted in and out of consciousness.

Though her body remained unhealed and immobile, the profound, deathlike apathy that had once consumed her had vanished.

Instead, a comforting warmth now suffused her heart, a place that had long been devoid of any emotion.

Especially when she watched the man bustling around for her, a smile would involuntarily curve her lips.

She wasn’t sure how she looked in these moments, but she presumed it must be pleasing.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so visibly taken aback.

****

Today marked the third day.

Xia Yi meticulously examined the recovery of Bing Yingying’s two flawless, jade-like legs.

First and foremost, he was not a foot fetishist.

While Bing Yingying’s slender, jade-like legs were indeed beautiful, and her delicate feet resembled crystalline works of art.

However!

Compared to Bing Yingying’s perfectly sculpted, maidenly legs, Xia Yi still preferred the plump, mature style of Fei Miaoyun and Pei Yunxiang!

Primarily because it felt more… substantial when ahem… patting them.

Secondly, he was not a leg fetishist.

Even the most beautiful feet of a fairy would have a certain scent!

One should never attempt to taste unwashed ice cream!

Not even if they were stained a vibrant strawberry red.

It would surely lead to illness.

Even Xia Yi had to concede that Bing Yingying’s small, exquisite feet were the most beautiful he had ever seen.

He dared not imagine how alluring they would be if encased in white silk… cough, cough.

Ultimately, he was truly just checking if Bing Yingying’s legs had returned to normal!

Releasing Bing Yingying’s feet, he exhaled a relaxed breath.

“They’ve recovered remarkably well; the meridians in your legs are completely intact.”

“Mmm… Mmm…”

Bing Yingying drew back her beautiful feet, rubbing them together, recalling the moment Xia Yi had ‘played’ with her legs.

She had actually felt an urge to shove her foot into that man’s mouth.

She couldn’t explain why, but she believed it would bring her immense pleasure.

She could even envision what she would become if she truly acted on that impulse.

‘Pleasure, madness, treading, begging for mercy… This was truly captivating!’

The fairy curled into a ball, her jade-like legs intertwining and rubbing together like two slick jade serpents, her breathing growing heavy, her face flushed crimson.

Xia Yi, on the other hand, assumed his recent examination had caused the Ice Fairy discomfort and embarrassment.

Moreover, the sensations transmitted through the red string echoed these emotions.

“Um, if you’re uncomfortable, you can tell me.

I’ll be more careful next time…”

“No… it’s not that.

I’m not unwilling… it’s just my first time being touched like this, and I’m a little unaccustomed.”

“Oh, I see.”

Indeed, Xia Yi had overlooked the fact that this was an ancient cultivation world, where societal views were not as liberal.

This realization made Xia Yi, who had always interacted with Fei Miaoyun and Pei Yunxiang with the same casualness as before his transmigration, feel inexplicably awkward.

No wonder they always called him a pervert.

“Um… the medicine seems ready…”

“Oh… oh!”

The rich medicinal aroma wafting into the cave broke the awkward silence between them.

Watching Xia Yi hastily turn to retrieve the medicine, Bing Yingying couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

‘If she could form a good bond with him, it seemed like a rather excellent choice.’

Bing Yingying was then startled by this sudden thought.

‘When had she begun to experience such a rich tapestry of emotions?’

‘Was it when he rescued her from drowning? Or when she waited for him outside the shelter? Or perhaps when he kept her warm?…’

‘It felt like all of them, and none of them at the same time.’

‘So this was how wonderful it felt to possess emotions.’

‘If given the choice, she never wanted to return to that former world, filled only with dead silence and monochrome existence.’

“Shall I feed you?”

Her thoughts were interrupted by Xia Yi, who held the medicine; his cautious inquiry drew a beautiful smile from the Ice Fairy.

This was followed by an ethereal reply, tinged with a hint of feigned annoyance.

“Of course you must~”

After Bing Yingying’s reply, the red string tied between their hands fully transformed into a vibrant red, becoming a true ‘red string of fate’ (TL Note: The ‘red string of fate’ is a Chinese legend that states two people connected by the red string are destined lovers).

****

The third day thus passed.

The following two days unfolded similarly, the time passing peacefully and warmly.

By the fifth day, an avalanche occurred once more, though it posed no threat to their mountain cave.

Xia Yi continued to assist Bing Yingying with her rehabilitation exercises.

On the morning of the seventh day, another avalanche struck.

The escalating frequency of avalanches stirred a sense of alarm within Xia Yi.

In the early hours of the eighth day, an avalanche jolted Xia Yi awake, along with two snow wolves and a largely recovered Bing Yingying.

“No, we must reach the mountaintop tomorrow.”

Xia Yi directed his words to the two snow wolves.

The two snow wolves, understanding Xia Yi’s concerns and intentions, simultaneously turned their four glowing green eyes towards Bing Yingying on the bed.

Bing Yingying felt a slight unease under the snow wolves’ gaze.

Only after confirming Bing Yingying’s condition was satisfactory did the two snow wolves nod towards Xia Yi.

With the snow wolves’ agreement, Xia Yi felt a measure of relief.

At dawn on the ninth day, Xia Yi and Bing Yingying departed the cave with the two snow wolves, setting off towards the mountain peak!

After walking for a while, Xia Yi realized that their temporary cave was not far from where they had first encountered the avalanche.

This meant they still needed at least two more days to reach the summit!

Given the recent frequency of avalanches, they were almost certain to face another one before reaching the mountaintop!

“Awoo!!”

As if sensing Xia Yi’s thoughts, the two snow wolves howled in unison, simultaneously slowing their pace to walk alongside the pair.

“Thank you!”

With time of the essence, Xia Yi didn’t hesitate, gesturing for Bing Yingying to mount one of the wolves with him.

Once certain they were both secure, the two snow wolves once again accelerated to their maximum speed.

In just a single day, the two people and two wolves could already glimpse the mountaintop!

The summons within Bing Yingying’s heart grew increasingly potent, and the sky itself was dyed crimson by the red light emanating from the snow-capped peak.

Just as Xia Yi and his companions were about to reach the summit, a strange ripple spread from the mountaintop, causing the snow beneath their feet to rapidly collapse!

This was the undeniable sign of an impending avalanche!

“Hold on tight!”

In this dire situation, Xia Yi unleashed the full force of his Vast Righteous Sword Intent from the wolf’s back, shattering all incoming ice and snow to clear a path for the two wolves.

The two snow wolves, being remarkably intelligent, instinctively formed a front-and-back formation upon hearing Xia Yi’s cry.

“Bang!”

After crushing a massive chunk of ice, Xia Yi’s brow furrowed deeply.

Even though they were at the forefront of the avalanche, breaking free from its expanding reach on the constantly sinking snow was incredibly difficult.

If his cultivation could recover, it would be manageable, but his current cultivation at only the second layer of Qi Condensation was simply insufficient.

Just as Xia Yi’s spiritual energy was on the verge of failing to sustain his Vast Righteous Sword Intent, Bing Yingying, riding the other ice wolf, surged ahead of him.

“Let me take over!”

No sooner had Bing Yingying’s ethereal voice faded than a pillar of ice rose, helping them evade the sinking snow.

“Good.”

Xia Yi did not try to be strong; he knew the most crucial task now was to quickly recover his spiritual energy.

Even at its leading edge, the avalanche’s power remained terrifying; the might of a natural disaster was something two minor cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage could not defy.

In merely the time it took to smoke a stick of incense, Bing Yingying began to struggle.

She had to contend with both the collapsing ground and the ice chunks smashing down from all directions.

Furthermore, without a weapon, her efforts to break through and deflect the impact of the ice chunks evidently consumed more spiritual energy than Xia Yi’s.

Soon, Bing Yingying, unable to manage both directions, allowed a sharp ice spike to breach her defenses, hurtling directly towards her face!

“Pfft!”

“Xia Yi!”

The sound of flesh being pierced and Bing Yingying’s startled cry erupted almost simultaneously.

In that critical moment, Xia Yi appeared before her, shielding her from the ice spike that could have disfigured her.

“I’m fine… wait, oh no!”

“Rumble… rumble…”

“Awooo!”

Yet, despite their desperate efforts, the two of them ultimately could not escape the fate of being swallowed by the avalanche.

As the ground vanished beneath the wolves’ feet, Xia Yi and Bing Yingying were inevitably engulfed by the merciless white abyss.