Ye Tiancheng felt that the cold aura originated from a strange place.
In such a location, no matter how cold it got, it would likely be the peculiar chill of deep mountains and old forests. However, this particular coldness gave Ye Tiancheng a different sensation; it felt like the frigid air unique to places of ice and snow.
Ye Tiancheng, accompanied by the little fox and Ye Wuji, slowly proceeded in that direction, moving with caution and vigilance.
It was because Ye Tiancheng possessed cultivation that he could sense the cold air in advance.
However, as the little fox and Ye Wuji gradually approached, their bodies began to feel the cold, and they started to struggle.
Ye Wuji was the most sensitive to the cold.
He was still in his avian form, without clothes, only feathers.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox wore clothes, and since they hadn't arrived from the peak of summer, their attire wasn't excessively thin. It was slightly more resilient than Ye Wuji's feathers.
Yet, even so, the little fox found it quite cold.
Ye Wuji couldn't help but ask Ye Tiancheng, "Big Brother, where are we going? It's getting colder and colder, so cold."
Hearing Ye Wuji's words, the little fox nodded in agreement.
The little fox also said to Ye Tiancheng, "Yes, Big Brother, I feel quite cold too, and it's getting colder. This is too strange."
Ye Tiancheng replied, "A strange place like this should have clues. We definitely have to go there. If it's cold, let's put on our thicker clothes; that will help."
The little fox nodded and began rummaging through his storage space for thicker clothes.
Ye Wuji, at this moment, was somewhat bewildered and flustered.
He quickly asked Ye Tiancheng, "Then what about me? Big Brother, what should I do?"
As a bird, he couldn't wear clothes, nor did he have any suitable for him. Even if he transformed back into his human form, he wouldn't have appropriate attire. The last time he transformed, he had to conjure clothes himself, made from his own feathers.
Therefore, no matter how he transformed, he wouldn't have thick cotton-padded clothes.
At this point, the little fox had already put on thicker pants and a padded jacket. Hearing Ye Wuji's question, he said to Ye Wuji, "Come here, burrow inside my jacket. If I'm not cold, you won't be either."
Upon hearing the little fox's words, Ye Wuji was overjoyed.
He immediately burrowed into the unzipped padded jacket, finding it exceptionally warm inside, causing him to squint his eyes contentedly.
Then, Ye Wuji said to the little fox, "It's indeed warm. Zip it up."
Seeing Ye Wuji like this, the little fox felt a bit speechless.
With a slight twitch of his lips, he said, "Stay put, and don't scratch or burrow around."
Ye Wuji retorted indignantly, "Of course. I'm not some ordinary bird who can't understand human speech."
After the two youngsters bickered for a moment, the little fox zipped up his jacket and looked at Ye Tiancheng.
The little fox immediately asked Ye Tiancheng, "Big Brother, aren't you cold? Put on your jacket too."
Ye Wuji immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, Big Brother, you should wear one too. It's so cold, and who knows how much colder it will get!"
The little fox's expression turned blank. Ye Wuji's fluffy bird head, protruding from his collar, was right under his chin. Gritting his teeth, he said to Ye Wuji, "If you have something to say, say it. Why are you poking out of my collar?"
"Aren't you cold? If you're not cold, then come out and don't stay inside my jacket."
After hearing the little fox's words, Ye Wuji said righteously, "It's not that cold yet. If I just stick my head out, the temperature is just right, isn't it? If I feel cold, I'll definitely burrow back in."
The little fox gnashed his teeth in anger but ultimately said nothing and did nothing.
Listening to their squabbling, Ye Tiancheng finally spoke, "I'm fine for now, and my cultivation protects me. If necessary, I'll add clothes later."
There was no need to be stubborn about this matter, so the little fox and Ye Wuji believed Ye Tiancheng's words and offered no further opinions. The main reason was that if they continued talking, the little fox and Ye Wuji would likely start arguing again.
This was not a good time for arguments.
They continued to walk forward, and later, they gradually understood why they felt increasingly cold.
Ye Tiancheng's earlier sensing had indeed been accurate.
Upon reaching their destination, they saw a world of ice and snow. Thick ice had formed everywhere, and it was even snowing. The edge of the icy world was like two different realms compared to the areas not covered by ice and snow.
The little fox sighed as he looked at the scene.
He said, "No wonder it's so cold. It's like this here. As we walked closer, it's no wonder we felt colder and colder."
Ye Wuji, by this time, was already so cold that he had burrowed into the little fox's jacket and refused to show his head again.
However, sensing that Ye Tiancheng and the little fox had suddenly stopped, and hearing the little fox's remark, Ye Wuji couldn't resist poking his head out from the little fox's collar again.
The little fox gritted his teeth. Seeing that at least it wasn't a cold bird head emerging, and with Ye Tiancheng nearby, he refrained from complaining.
Ye Wuji looked at the scene outside and was clearly astonished.
He exclaimed in surprise, "Why is it like this here? Is it only here that it's snowing, and everywhere else is frozen?"
The little fox's voice came from above his head.
The little fox said, "Obviously, it's like this."
As he spoke, he looked towards Ye Tiancheng.
"However, this scene is indeed very strange. Logically, even if there were snow-capped mountains, the snow should be on the higher peaks. How could there be such an area at the foot of the mountain that is a world of ice and snow?"
Ye Tiancheng replied, "This is not a normal place, so don't try to think about it with common sense."
The little fox said, "That's true."
He then asked Ye Tiancheng, "Are we going in now?"
Ye Tiancheng said, "Of course, we have to go in. This place is so abnormal; it probably has clues. If you can't stand the cold, you can wait for me outside, and I'll go alone... No, let's go in together. Who knows what dangers might suddenly appear here."
"If you really can't bear it, put on more clothes, and I'll transfer some of my cultivation to you to prevent you from freezing."
The little fox also felt that waiting outside was not appropriate.
However, the little fox replied to Ye Tiancheng, "We don't feel like we can't bear it. We can still hold on; the clothes are warm enough."
Ye Wuji, hiding inside the little fox's jacket, had already retracted his bird head under the collar. Therefore, his voice sounded somewhat muffled.
Ye Wuji said, "I can guarantee that it's really warm inside Brother Fox's jacket; it's like a small furnace."
The little fox couldn't help but pat Ye Wuji through his jacket.
Ye Wuji was startled by the pat.
After a moment of stunned silence, Ye Wuji exclaimed loudly, "Hey! What are you doing!"
Seeing the little fox and Ye Wuji like this, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but chuckle.
Ye Wuji's current demeanor indicated that he was slowly getting along with the little fox.
This meant that Ye Wuji was gradually integrating, unlike his initial awkwardness.
Their playful bickering didn't signify a bad relationship.
Therefore, seeing the little fox and Ye Wuji in this state, Ye Tiancheng felt that their current situation was quite good.
After indulging their playful banter for a while longer, Ye Tiancheng finally intervened, "Alright, we can't waste time. Let's focus on the main task. We can talk about other things later."
The little fox cast a somewhat resentful glance at Ye Tiancheng.
The little fox said, "We were clearly arguing, and Big Brother, you're taking sides."
Ye Tiancheng smiled and asked, "Whose side am I on?"
The little fox pondered for a moment and realized that Ye Tiancheng wasn't favoring anyone. If anything, he was more inclined to care for him, so he stopped pressing the issue.
"Hmm... Let's go, let's go investigate quickly and leave this cursed place."
This way, there wouldn't be a bird burrowing into his chest and popping out at any moment.
They entered the icy, snowy area, and after a short while, beneath a mountain wall, they saw a large, listless snake coiled at the base of the mountain. The snake was white and looked very beautiful.
The moment the little fox saw the white snake, he gasped.
The little fox exclaimed, "Wow! Bai Niangzi!"
Ye Tiancheng chuckled beside him, "This isn't at the foot of Mount Qingcheng."
Ye Wuji didn't know who Bai Niangzi was. He was curious and wanted to poke out again to observe from the little fox's collar. However, upon entering the icy, snowy region, the wind and snow were even stronger.
He had only managed to stick out half his head before he was shivering, feeling his feathers stiffen.
Therefore, Ye Wuji gave up on the idea of poking out and stayed obediently inside the little fox's jacket.
However, his movements inside the little fox's jacket were certainly noticeable.
The little fox immediately frowned and said with some helplessness, "Ye Wuji! What are you doing again? We agreed you wouldn't burrow around in my jacket?"
Ye Wuji replied, "I was curious and wanted to come out and see, but it was too cold..."
The little fox pouted, "What's so curious about it?"
Ye Wuji then asked, "What is Bai Niangzi? In such a cold place, is there a woman here? Who is she, so powerful... and why is she in this place?"
Hearing Ye Wuji's words, the little fox raised his eyebrows mischievously.
"Bai Niangzi... she's a very large white python, a snake thicker than Big Brother's waist. I heard that snakes eat birds and mice!"
Ye Wuji shivered upon hearing this, feeling targeted.
Ye Tiancheng, who was innocently implicated, said helplessly, "Little Fox, you can say what you want, but why do you use me as a comparison?"
The little fox smiled ingratiatingly.
"I was just trying to describe how enormous that white snake is!"
Ye Wuji's voice came muffled from inside the little fox's jacket.
Ye Wuji said, "It's all because Big Brother spoils me too much."
Then, Ye Wuji once again received a pat from the little fox through his jacket. Through the thick padded jacket, it didn't hurt, but it made him feel a bit dizzy.
Ye Tiancheng looked at the large white snake and said, "To get the next seed, do we need to help this large white snake? Before, we obtained seeds with the help of those birds and the great white tiger. It makes sense that this time it's with a snake, right?"