Xue Lao Er was indeed a beauty. No matter how Niu You Dao painted her, she would always be beautiful.
While Hai Bing was with Xue Lao Er, she occasionally glanced towards the forest and nodded to Niu You Dao. Then, she found an excuse and left.
Returning to the forest, she asked Niu You Dao:
"How was it?"
Niu You Dao nodded:
"Seeing her, I understood what kind of scenery would suit her. The portrait will surely please the lady. Now we need to choose the landscape.
"Good!" Hai Bing was delighted to hear this.
They returned together. Hai Bing found the handmaiden Xiao Run and said:
"You follow him. Other than the central area, lead him wherever you wish."
"Yes, madam!" Xiao Run replied, and Hai Bing nodded before leaving.
When they were alone, Xiao Run asked:
"Sir, where shall we go?"
Niu You Dao: "There's no specific place. Let's walk everywhere. Wherever there's a suitable spot, mark it. I'll consider everything again this evening."
"Alright!" Xiao Run gestured for them to follow.
They began to wander through the Ice and Snow Palace, observing the various landscapes.
Niu You Dao waved his hand: "Mark this spot."
They walked and occasionally stopped for Yuan Gang to make notes.
Aside from the central area, they could go anywhere. Niu You Dao pointed to the rear of the Ice and Snow Palace, at a towering mountain:
"We haven't looked there yet."
"That..." Xiao Run hesitated, then said:
"Perhaps it's better not to go there."
Niu You Dao: "Why?"
Xiao Run: "The Red Yang Fruit grows on that mountain, and it is guarded there. One cannot simply enter. That mountain is also the lair of Snow Demons. Without permission, they will not let people pass."
Snow Demons. Even before reaching the Ice and Snow Palace, one could hear about them. They inhabit snowy regions. They are enormous monsters with tough hides and powerful muscles. Fangs protrude from their mouths, and they possess sharp claws. They are incredibly fast and devour anything that moves. An ordinary person would not be able to approach their domain at all unless accompanied by a high-level cultivator.
And if one were to encounter a pack, even a cultivator would struggle to deal with them.
Thinking of this, Niu You Dao wondered, "How did Monkey get to the canyon?"
Niu You Dao had originally planned to obtain the Red Yang Fruit, which was why he wanted to see this place.
If he hadn't resolved the situation in Qingzhou, he could have claimed he failed to acquire the fruit. But after Shao Ping Bo exposed him, Niu You Dao needed to resort to extraordinary methods to obtain this fruit. Otherwise, Shao Ping Bo might reach him and kill him.
Especially now that Niu You Dao had come here himself. He was personally curious to see this fruit.
He had only agreed to paint in order to survey everything here.
Niu You Dao thought for a moment, then said:
"What a pity, what a pity. That snowy mountain seems to hold the most beautiful scenery. Truly the best. It's a shame it won't be captured in art."
Xiao Run pondered for a bit and then said:
"Perhaps gentlemen, you could wait a moment while I go and ask the Chief Manager for permission."
Niu You Dao smiled. Girls cannot resist beauty.
Smiling, he nodded:
"Very well. We will wait for you here."
Xiao Run departed.
Glancing around to confirm there were no outsiders nearby, Niu You Dao turned his head to Yuan Gang and asked:
"Have you seen Snow Demons?"
Yuan Gang nodded: "I saw quite a few while making my way here."
"So how did you get through?"
"I made skis and rode them."
"That's not what I'm asking. Did they attack you?"
"Yes and no."
Niu You Dao was surprised: "How so?"
"Before I arrived, Wei Duo warned me about them. So I prepared a spear to fight them. And when we went onto the snowy slopes, they indeed rushed to attack me. But as soon as they got close, they seemed to get scared and wouldn't come any closer. It seemed like they were afraid of my scent."
"Afraid of you?" Niu You Dao was surprised. "Your Qi?"
"That's what I thought. I noticed that wherever the wind blew from my direction, they didn't dare to approach me at all."
"What did you douse yourself with to scare them so much?" Niu You Dao knew that Yuan Gang had undergone special training in his past life and could coat himself with something specific to repel animals.
"Nothing. I don't know Snow Demons well enough to scare them with anything."
"Then why were they scared?"
Yuan Gang shook his head: "I don't know either. Wei Duo was also surprised. You'll see when we encounter Snow Demons later."
Niu You Dao approached him and sniffed him.
Yuan Gang, furrowing his brows, said:
"My armpits don't stink!"
After confirming that no peculiar scent emanated from Yuan Gang, Niu You Dao couldn't understand what was going on.
Soon, Xiao Run returned. She held a tablet in her hands and, smiling, said:
"Gentlemen, you've waited long. The Chief Manager has agreed. We shall go."
Several people headed towards the snowy mountain. Niu You Dao assisted Yuan Gang.
They hadn't even reached the base of the mountain when a Snow Demon emerged from under the snow. It suddenly lunged to attack them.
This monster had snow-colored fur. Its body was like a bear's, its figure like a gorilla's, with a wolf's head, sharp claws, and fangs. Any person would be terrified by its attack, for it struck with lightning speed. This monster could leap two to three zhang high. Its white eyes instantly flashed with a red glow, which looked eerie.
Thanks to its fur, it could launch surprise attacks in the snowy landscape.
"Jing-jing." Xiao Run pulled a small bell from a jade box and jingled it.
As soon as the clear ringing sound echoed, all the Snow Demons recoiled as if startled by something, retreating.
Guards occasionally flickered into view from the caves. Seeing the bell in Xiao Run's hands, they did not block their path, yet they did not lose sight of them either.
Several people began to ascend the mountain, and the Snow Demons yielded their path, which seemed quite strange.
Niu You Dao noticed that wherever the wind blew from Yuan Gang's direction, the Snow Demons would part, as if afraid of something.
How utterly bizarre! Niu You Dao looked at Yuan Gang with interest, as if wanting to study something.
Yuan Gang shrugged, indicating that he, too, understood nothing.
Thus, they reached the summit, where one could see the snow-covered ground and black rocks.
On the summit, there was also a depression, surrounded by caves from which a strong wind blew. And in the center of the depression grew a plant as tall as a human. It had dark red stems, the plant was gnarled like an old man, and its leaves were white like jade.
Nine fruits hung on this plant, both small and large. The small fruits were the size of a quail egg, while the large ones were the size of a chicken egg. The larger the fruits, the redder they became. The largest fruit, accordingly, was the reddest, and hidden within it were red rays, which looked wondrous.
Around this plant, there seemed to be a completely different atmosphere. There was complete silence, and the wind did not blow at all. Groups of Snow Demons lay everywhere near the plant. Their number reached over a hundred.
Upon hearing the sound of the bells, silence fell. And wherever Yuan Gang passed, the monsters retreated on their own.
"Is this the Red Yang Fruit?" Niu You Dao asked curiously.
"Yes!" Xiao Run replied.
Having learned this, Niu You Dao asked nothing more. He admired the beautiful view.
Reaching the back side of the palace, Niu You Dao happily called out:
"Xiao Run, come and see! What do you think? There's a magnificent celestial palace, there's a canyon, there's a river. What a beautiful sight!"
Xiao Run came over, looked, and nodding, said:
"Indeed, a superb view."
"Write it down. This place absolutely must be used." Niu You Dao winked at Yuan Gang.
The two cultivators accompanying them exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding what was happening.
Making a circuit around the summit, Niu You Dao constantly shook his head in dissatisfaction. After which, they began to descend.
As they descended, Niu You Dao asked, pointing to the Red Yang Fruit:
"I noticed there's no guard up there. Aren't you afraid it might be stolen?"
Xiao Run replied with a smile:
"The mountain has a difficult climate and terrain. It's hard for an ordinary person to reach it. Moreover, unless under special circumstances, this fruit is of no use to an ordinary person. Why would they expose themselves to danger? Plus, there are countless Snow Demons there. Should anyone approach, the Snow Demons will raise an alarm, and the cultivators below will instantly know. Even if one were to fly in on a bird, they still wouldn't be able to take the fruit. The Snow Demons won't allow it. What's more, the Ice and Snow Palace also has birds that can pursue and kill. Unless a Yuan Ying level cultivator comes, no one can steal the fruit."
"That's also true!" Niu You Dao nodded. He had considered whether Yuan Gang might be able to steal it, but it seemed that wouldn't be possible for him. It was too dangerous and almost unrealistic. There were cultivators below, and Yuan Gang wouldn't be able to confront them.
The most important thing that plagued Niu You Dao was Shao Ping Bo's setup. He couldn't stop thinking about it, and the thought weighed heavily on him. There was no choice but to find another method to obtain this fruit.
They couldn't immediately return to the inn to avoid arousing suspicion. So they had to make another round around the palace. They didn't enter the Ice and Snow Palace with Xiao Run and only returned to the inn in the evening.
As soon as they entered the room, Hei Mudan and the others immediately came in, wanting to inquire about the situation. But Yuan Gang waved his hand:
"Leave."
Hei Mudan had just brought hot tea and looked at Niu You Dao. Niu You Dao understood that Yuan Gang had something to discuss, so he nodded to Hei Mudan and the others.
As soon as Hei Mudan and the others left, Yuan Gang approached Niu You Dao and whispered:
"Lord Dao, if you truly need that fruit, I have a way to get it."