Chapter 33: An Ancient Woman Appears in the Deep Mountains

This snake isn't properly hibernating, what is it doing running up to the ground?

Xie Yixuan muttered to himself, but he didn't dare get close to observe, afraid of being struck by lightning, so he could only stand far away.

He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he felt a thin layer of mist rising around him, making the surrounding scenery become hazy.

It was as if an invisible pair of large hands were slowly wiping away everything's existence.

Xie Yixuan looked around, his brows furrowed, "How did the fog suddenly appear?"

The climate on this mountain peak is truly bizarre—first thunder, then fog for no reason; these are weather phenomena that shouldn't appear in winter.

Even the serpents that should be hibernating have come up to the ground and struck this strange pose—could it be that the geology here is special compared to elsewhere?

Fortunately, the fog isn't especially thick now; although it somewhat blocks the view, the impact isn't great.

A rustling sound came from not far away; he thought something was there, so he casually pushed aside the bushes in front of him to look.

Not far away, there actually was a human figure!

Xie Yixuan's expression changed, "How could there still be someone deep in the mountains? Could this be the culprit Team Leader mentioned?"

At once he no longer cared about the snake in the distance, and since that place might have lightning, he originally wouldn't dare approach, but Xie Yixuan hurriedly followed the direction of the figure.

At this moment, the surrounding gray mist seemed to become a bit thicker, and along with it the scenery changed.

Xie Yixuan was still pursuing the person ahead.

The figure was just ahead, keeping a moderate distance; one could see a rough outline but not the concrete appearance.

Xie Yixuan worried about startling the snake, so he followed carefully behind.

The figure's speed hadn't changed at all, just unhurried, walking in the snow, and Xie Yixuan gradually felt an indescribable strangeness.

The figure looked incredibly light, and seemed to be wearing very thin clothing.

As he gradually drew nearer, he finally could see what clothing it was: a white long robe, the upper part tight, long enough to trail the ground, the hem flared like a trumpet, resembling a curved-hem style.

Wearing a matching-colored hat, hair tied up, he looked exactly like a scholar.

Xie Yixuan couldn't believe it—in this icy world, wearing such clothing, not afraid of freezing to death? Even he, a trained man, couldn't withstand the cold.

Moreover, that slender figure before him seemed as if a north wind could blow it away.

Could he be doing cosplay?

You have to know this isn't spring or summer, but a bitterly cold winter, let alone the fact that on this mountain the temperature is low.

Dressed like that, within half an hour his body temperature would likely go awry, even produce hallucinations, ultimately leading to death.

"This person is not right."

Xie Yixuan sized up the person not far away; although it seemed unreasonable, he analyzed that this probably wasn't the killer—with such puny arms and legs, how could they kill two sturdy men in a short time?

Out of concern for safety, Xie Yixuan couldn't help shouting, "Hey, you're not hurt, right? Do you need help?"

He had thought his voice would provoke a reaction from the strange person, but who would have thought he seemed not to have heard, continuing at the same unhurried pace, walking in the snow.

Xie Yixuan's heart grew increasingly uneasy; he unconsciously quickened his steps, seeing that he was about to reach the person's rear.

"He" still noticed nothing.

Xie Yixuan faintly smelled a delicate fragrance, pine resin mixed with the scent of snow lotus, wafting over him, cold yet with a hint of clarity.

But at that moment, the person ahead suddenly stopped his steps and slowly turned his head.

Bright as the sunrise over morning clouds, blazing like a lotus emerging from clear water.

The face that came into view was exquisitely perfect to the utmost degree; at such close range, there was no blemish, not even a pore visible, eyebrows naturally dark, lips naturally red, as if it were heaven's most painstaking masterpiece.

It was actually a woman!

A startling glance, Xie Yixuan couldn't help but stare, to the point that everything he had wanted to say next was forgotten at the back of his mind.

Realizing he was staring rudely, Xie Yixuan felt embarrassed and lowered his head,

"Um, it's dangerous in the mountains, and you're dressed so lightly, and there might still be a murderer on the loose in these mountains—rest assured, I'm a police officer, I mean no harm, I was just following behind you."

Xie Yixuan, head down, spoke incoherently for a while, but discovered the woman made no sound at all.

When he lifted his head again, the vast snowy expanse held no trace of the woman's figure from just before.

Where did such a big person go?!

Xie Yixuan's pupils suddenly contracted; he looked around, seeing not a person, not even a ghostly shadow.

"Miss, are you still here? It's very dangerous, and you're dressed far too lightly."

Xie Yixuan shouted at the top of his lungs there, and all around only his echo could be heard.

Could it be that everything just now was his hallucination?

But he clearly saw the woman's shadow with his own eyes, even followed behind her for a stretch—how could it be an illusion?

Thinking this, Xie Yixuan hurriedly began to search, for someone dressed so lightly was truly in danger.

Xie Yixuan pressed on, found no person; moreover, when he returned to his original position, he discovered that the snake he had vaguely seen in the distance earlier had also mysteriously vanished.

No matter how he dug three feet deep, he couldn't find the person or the snake from just before.

It seemed as if everything were his hallucination.

"Strange, where did it go?"

Just as Xie Yixuan was searching, he ran into Sun Zhenbang and the others; it turned out everyone had gathered, only missing Xie Yixuan.

They had come looking for him out of concern for his safety.

Seeing Xie Yixuan, Sun Zhenbang instantly flared up, "What's wrong with you, kid, running off for so long, forgetting the assembly time? Everyone's worried about you; if you were alone and ran into the culprit, or encountered danger..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Xie Yixuan interrupted, "Team Leader Sun, I just discovered a woman in the mountains!"

Sun Zhenbang first stared, then incredulous, "You must be joking—where would a woman come from in these deep mountains and old forests? You've been single too long, even a tree looks handsome to you, so you're seeing things."

The other police in the team hearing this couldn't help but cover their mouths and snicker.

Xie Yixuan, a bit anxious, "Team Leader Sun, really, I definitely didn't mistake it—I initially thought she was a suspect, so I followed her, but this woman's attire looks like that of an ancient scholar, all very thin."

Seeing Xie Yixuan's expression didn't look like he was lying, Sun Zhenbang's demeanor also turned serious, "You're telling the truth?"

It's absolutely true—it's too dangerous up in the mountains; we need to find her quickly, or else we could end up with casualties.

After all, it concerns life; at this moment Sun Zhenbang also couldn't bother to blame Xie Yixuan for previously leaving the team, "Alright, everyone split into three groups, let's quickly start searching—heavy snow makes it easy to leave traces."

If there's any situation, notify me immediately.

Received!

The murderer can be temporarily set aside; there are still people guarding at Mountain Base, so we don't need to worry about the murderer escaping this mountain forest; the urgent priority is to quickly find the woman mentioned by Xie Yixuan.

(End of chapter)