Flying Snow City was near the Northern Domain, so winter arrived a bit earlier than in most places.

Fang Shuwen and his companions had noticed this as well.

The farther north they traveled, the colder it became, and everyone inevitably had to change into warmer clothes.

The night before they reached Flying Snow City was particularly interesting.

During the day, a fine, dense rain had been falling. But after nightfall, the temperature dropped suddenly, and the drizzle transformed into tiny pellets of hail.

Fortunately, the pellets were too small to cause any real harm, delivering only a dense pattern of tiny stings.

Lu Guiyan told Fang Shuwen that winters in the Northern Domain were much, much colder than in the Eastern Domain, because the Northern Domain was adjacent to the Great Ice Glacier.

And that Great Ice Glacier was like a natural barrier, cutting off all attempts to explore beyond it.

Even those whose Martial Arts had reached the absolute pinnacle found it difficult to cross.

Over the years, many masters had attempted to explore it, but most never returned. The few who did make it back grew pale at the mere mention of the glacier, proclaiming it a place no living person could tread.

However, it was rumored that beneath the Great Ice Glacier lay a mysterious Snow Country.

Legend said it held the world’s most magnificent landscapes, most precious treasures, most terrifying Martial Arts, and most ethereally pure women.

For years, far more people had set out to find this mysterious Snow Country than had tried to explore the Great Ice Glacier.

But they, too, mostly returned empty-handed.

Even the few who managed to stumble upon the Snow Country by some fluke could never find the correct path back again.

Over time, it became one of the Jianghu’s most mysterious legends.

Fang Shuwen committed these words to memory. ’Maybe I’ll take a trip to the Northern Domain myself one day,’ he thought.

In the past, with his foundation damaged and no hope of mastering his Martial Arts, he wouldn’t have dared to dream of reaching the pinnacle of the Jianghu.

But things were completely different now. Ascending to the summit was no longer just a dream.

Naturally, Fang Shuwen was no longer content to stay in one corner of the world. There were so many beautiful sights to see, and he intended to see them all.

But as he looked at Flying Snow City, now so close at hand, Fang Shuwen was more curious about something else. ’What kind of reward will I get this time?’

Compared to major cities like Guangning City and Julu City, Flying Snow City was undoubtedly a small town.

But despite its size, it had everything it needed.

Thick city walls, towering gates... Just as they were taking it all in, a tremendous BOOM echoed out.

Accompanied by a few muffled groans, Fang Shuwen saw several figures sent flying backward.

A voice bellowed:

"I’ve tried reasoning, and I’ve tried threatening! What is this, Flying Snow City? Some kind of forbidden zone?

"I am getting inside today, one way or another!!"

As the words fell, another dull THUD rang out.

Only then did Lu Guiyan speak, stunned.

"Is someone attacking... the gates of Flying Snow City?"

Fang Shuwen nodded, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes.

But Lu Guiyan looked on in astonishment.

"Flying Snow City has been passed down for three generations over a hundred years. Aside from the second-generation City Lord, Wu Changzai, whose Martial Arts were mediocre and brought a lot of trouble to the city,

"ever since Wu Lingxiao inherited the title of City Lord, no one has dared to do something like this for over a decade.

"Who is this person? The sheer audacity!"

"It’s not just audacity..."

Fang Shuwen said with a smile.

"I’m afraid this person is also extremely well-informed."

Hearing this, Lu Guiyan looked at Fang Shuwen. Their eyes met, and Lu Guiyan slowly nodded.

’He realized Fang Shuwen suspected this person knew about Wu Lingxiao’s severe injuries. Otherwise, how would he dare to act so recklessly?’

And while they stood watching the spectacle from a distance, two more figures appeared on the road, one from either side.

The two approached from opposite directions.

One was a burly Ascetic Monk carrying a Convenient Shovel on his back, a long string of Prayer Beads hanging around his neck.

He bounded forward with great strides, each leap covering ten feet. In just a few moments, he had arrived before them.

The other was a young man riding a donkey. He wasn’t old, but his face was etched with such deep-seated bitterness it was as if everyone under the heavens—in front, behind, left, right, and in all directions—was his mortal enemy. He seemed to find fault with everyone he looked at.

But what caught Fang Shuwen’s attention was the donkey.

It was a small, grey-and-white donkey. With every step, it strained its head forward, trying to eat the carrot dangling just out of reach.

In a fit of desperation, it would break into a frantic gallop, but the carrot would just gallop along with it, swinging left and right.

The little donkey would sway along with it, finally ending up spinning in circles trying to bite the carrot.

The young man on its back was bounced and jostled one moment, then spun in place the next until he was dizzy.

His already sour expression grew even fouler.

Fang Shuwen mused to himself; he thought he finally understood why the young man looked at everyone with such deep-seated resentment.

He was watching with great amusement and was about to laugh out loud when he suddenly glanced behind him.

At the far end of the road, another figure was approaching at a leisurely pace.

The others couldn’t yet make out the person’s features, but Fang Shuwen saw them clearly.

It was a scholar.

He wore a coarse cloth scholar’s robe and a scholar’s cap, with a water canteen hanging from his waist. His left hand was clasped behind his back, while his right held a book.

As he traveled, he didn’t watch the road, only his book.

Because of this, he often failed to notice obstacles in his path. When a large boulder blocked the way, he didn’t even look up, simply walking straight into it. The boulder instantly shattered into dust, the fragments filling the air.

He didn’t spare it a glance, his eyes remaining fixed on the words in his book.

It was as if the world within the book was a hundred times more fascinating than reality.

Fang Shuwen narrowed his eyes. ’This man is a master.’ 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

And just as Fang Shuwen was observing him, the scholar seemed to sense it and looked up at Fang Shuwen.

The scholar’s pace seemed slow but was deceptively fast. When Fang Shuwen first noticed him, he was still far in the distance, but now he was less than thirty feet away from the group.

He squinted at Fang Shuwen and suddenly said something astonishing:

"City Lord Wu?"

Fang Shuwen froze. Lu Guiyan and the others quickly looked around, but there was no one nearby besides their own group and the few people gathered at the gates of Flying Snow City in the distance.

Where was City Lord Wu?

The scholar took two more steps forward, then had a sudden realization.

"My apologies. I mistook you for someone else."

With that, he lowered his head back to his book and continued on his way toward Flying Snow City, reading as he walked.

"..."

Lu Guiyan stared blankly. ’Is this guy crazy?’

He didn’t dare voice the thought aloud, however.

Fang Shuwen watched the man’s retreating back and had a sudden flash of insight.

’This fellow... he couldn’t be nearsighted, could he?’

But he was puzzled. Potent Inner Strength usually sharpened one’s senses, making one’s hearing and sight exceptionally keen. This scholar was clearly no ordinary person; his Martial Arts were, at the very least, a cultivation of both internal and external skills. How could he have ended up nearsighted?

As he thought this, he glanced over at Chen Qi.

Ever since the scholar had appeared, Chen Qi had kept one hand resting quietly on the hilt of his sword.

His breathing and his body had been in an extremely tense state. Only after the man had passed them did Chen Qi finally relax.

Sensing Fang Shuwen’s gaze, Chen Qi instinctively looked over.

Fang Shuwen spoke softly:

"You know him?"

Chen Qi thought for a moment.

"He is... Murong Qingchen."

’Murong Qingchen...’ Fang Shuwen mulled over the name. It sounded vaguely familiar.

Lu Guiyan, however, suddenly drew a sharp breath.

"The Book Immortal, Murong Qingchen!?"