Chapter 289

Chapter 289: Wen Zhi Lao Ren

The animal hide surprisingly depicted a map of the Great Snowfield, with extraordinarily detailed records. Not only were the positions and arrangements of each mountain shown, but even the names of the people secluded in every mountain were noted.

Leng Cangqiong and Xue Lao San’s names were clearly listed there. However, behind both their names, a small bracket was added, with the words “departed” written inside.

This left Lou Yun utterly astonished. He wondered who had drawn this map and how they could know every detail about the identities, traces, and movements of those hiding in the Great Snowfield.

His big brother Ling Cangqiong’s identity was obvious of course—anyone who saw his appearance could basically guess who he was. But what about others?

If people chose to hide in a place like the Great Snowfield, they usually didn’t want anyone to know their identity or origins, much less allow others to track their movements. Even if someone knew others were hidden on nearby mountains, they generally wouldn’t chat or reminisce. That was why Lou Yun was so puzzled—how could the mapmaker have such uncannily vast capabilities?

Lou Yun roughly counted the names marked on the hide; there were at least fifty, meaning that many people were secluded in the Great Snowfield.

Though Lou Yun felt puzzled, he didn’t dwell on it. His main goal in coming was to find Wen Zhi Lao Ren, so he swiftly searched the map—and sure enough, the name of Wen Zhi Lao Ren was also there.

Lou Yun didn’t know his current mountain’s position or name, so he used Xue Lao San’s former mountain as a reference point. He found that the mountain where Wen Zhi Lao Ren hid wasn’t far away. Likely, he had even seen it during his earlier flight overhead but hadn’t noticed.

This map was a treasure. Owning it meant knowing all the locations and general movements of everyone hiding in the Great Snowfield. It must have been drawn recently, as Leng Cangqiong hadn’t been gone long. With it, finding someone here would be much easier.

Besides Wen Zhi Lao Ren and Leng Cangqiong, Lou Yun also spotted several names famous across Spirit Weapon Star. These individuals had long been considered missing on Spirit Weapon Star, only to turn up hidden in the Great Snowfield.

Lou Yun naturally didn’t return the map to the mute boy. He treated it as compensation for the frame-up. He put the map directly into his bosom.

Lifting his head, he saw that the mute boy was now holding up another piece of paper stretched toward him, wearing that same earnest and urgent expression.

Confused, Lou Yun took the paper. It was densely covered in words, clearly written by the boy while he examined the map.

Though the characters were written hastily, they were extremely neat. This raised Lou Yun’s opinion of the boy again—only a well-off family could teach their children to write like this; the poor couldn’t afford it.

Lou Yun carefully read the writing on the paper. After finishing, he finally understood. Flicking the paper, he said to the boy, “Is all this written here true?”

The mute boy nodded repeatedly and thumped his chest while stomping his feet—obviously swearing it was entirely true.

Lou Yun stared at the mute boy for a moment before saying, “All right. Since you gave me this map, I’ll trust you one more time. Pack your things. I’ll take you out of here!”

The boy bounced with excitement, jabbering incoherently before rushing off to pack.

Watching the boy, Lou Yun sighed inwardly. If the boy was telling the truth, his suffering was simply heartbreaking.

The paper explained the boy’s origins and experiences.

The mute boy was named Duan Wentian, from a somewhat notable family. Born mute, he’d been abducted from home by the middle-aged man—the one Lou Yun had burned to death—at age six and taken straight here.

The man started to teach him cultivation. Under the man’s harsh discipline, Duan Wentian learned to trick others as he had just tricked Lou Yun.

Since Duan Wentian had gentle looks, weak cultivation, and a scholarly calmness, he always won people’s goodwill. Deceiving others was a sure thing; he never failed.

Today, the man spotted Lou Yun circling the sky. With outsiders rare in the Great Snowfield, he couldn’t pass up Lou Yun as fresh prey.

After watching Lou Yun land on Xue Lao San’s mountain, the man sent Duan Wentian to the foot while returning to hide and feigning a cultivation backlash, waiting for the boy to lure Lou Yun over.

The rest was history. By killing the man, Lou Yun freed Duan Wentian. But with his current skills, Duan Wentian couldn’t survive alone in the Great Snowfield or escape it. So he begged Lou Yun to save his life by taking him away.

Though Lou Yun still had doubts, he chose to believe him and take him along.

Duan Wentian packed almost nothing and soon stood before Lou Yun. Lou Yun pointed to the distant steps and said, “Let’s head out. You go first!”

Duan Wentian nodded firmly, his face bright with excitement, and walked toward the steps.

They left the underground as before—one after the other—reemerging onto the snowy ground.

Breathing the cold, fresh air, Lou Yun felt like he was reborn. He reflected that luckily he was the one tricked today. Anyone else had almost no chance of escaping that man’s poison unscathed.

Duan Wentian stood nearby, utterly still. Lou Yun eyed him and shook his head inwardly. Honestly, even now, he wasn’t sure if the boy was lying.

Duan Wentian was under sixteen, mute, and his expressions shifted unnaturally seamless. Lou Yun couldn’t tell if the handwritten story was real.

Someone else might distrust him, but Lou Yun couldn’t. He couldn’t bear abandoning a near-powerless child in the Great Snowfield—that was no different from killing him, just quicker or slower death.

“I’m going to find an elder now. Stay with me until I finish my business. When I leave the Great Snowfield, I’ll arrange to send you home,” Lou Yun told Duan Wentian.

Duan Wentian nodded hard with a small smile.

After a moment, Lou Yun added, “While you follow me, don’t play any sneaky tricks. If you do, I won’t hold back this time!”

“Aah! Aah!” Duan Wentian nodded again.

So Lou Yun summoned the Dream Emperor Sword. He and Duan Wentian hopped onto it, flying toward the mountain where Wen Zhi Lao Ren resided.

Though it looked close on the map, they flew a full half hour to get there. Lou Yun landed directly on the mountaintop, then released his spirit sense to locate Wen Zhi Lao Ren.

Duan Wentian stood beside Lou Yun, scanned the area with widening eyes, and suddenly tugged Lou Yun’s arm. When Lou Yun turned, the boy squatted and wrote three characters in the snow: “Grandpa Wen!”

Lou Yun reasoned that to Duan Wentian, Wen Zhi Lao Ren must indeed be a grandfather figure. Having lived here nearly a decade, he knew the place well. So “Grandpa Wen” surely referred to Wen Zhi Lao Ren. Lou Yun nodded and asked, “Right—that’s who I’m seeking. Do you know where he is?”

Duan Wentian gave a wide grin, slapped his chest firmly, and pulled a little bamboo whistle from his bosom. He brought it to his mouth and blew—wuu wuu.

Though mute, the boy had remarkable skill with the whistle. The sounds flowed melodiously, clear and soaring, echoing all over the mountain.

At first, Lou Yun frowned at his actions. But as the whistling filled the air, his expression eased. Whatever Duan Wentian’s motives, the tune from that little whistle was truly beautiful.

After whistling for half a quarter-hour, Duan Wentian stopped, tilted his head with a smile as if listening.

Within minutes, a bright laugh boomed beneath the snowy mountain: “Xiao Tian! You’ve come to visit this lonely old man again!”

Hearing the voice, Lou Yun froze. Could this be Wen Zhi Lao Ren?

No sooner did the voice sound than a white-bearded old man with ruddy cheeks flashed before Lou Yun.

The old man had been smiling, but seeing Lou Yun stunned him. The smile vanished, replaced by wary confusion.

Lou Yun had never seen Wen Zhi Lao Ren and didn’t recognize him. He was about to greet and ask respectfully when Duan Wentian beside him “aah-aah”-ed and frantically gestured at the old man.

The old man examined the gestures intently. Only after Duan Wentian finished did he nod and say to Lou Yun, “Xiao Tian says you killed old ghost Song and rescued him, and you happen to need to find me. Is that why you’re here?”