Chapter 138: Lodging for the Night

The wind and snow gradually ceased, the stars in the night sky became clearly visible, guiding their journey.

Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong clung tightly to the black goat's back, feeling the jolts from its run, yet they felt utterly at ease.

Li Qingxuan turned to Huang Rong and said, "Rong sister, we'll follow them, first rely on them to find people, then slowly figure out a plan."

Huang Rong's face lit up with a delighted smile, she leaned close to Li Qingxuan and said, "Good, let's go quickly."

After following the icefield demon wolf for a long time, a stone house appeared ahead; the stone house looked somewhat lonely in the night, surrounded by thick snow, with only faint yellow light seeping through the window cracks.

Li Qingxuan ordered them to stop, letting the black goat and wolf pack go hunt freely and look for signs of the valley, to regroup here tomorrow.

After seeing them leave, Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong cautiously approached the stone house, and Li Qingxuan lightly knocked on the door.

"Who?" came a wary voice from inside the house, followed by the sound of rustling.

"Hello, we are survivors, lost on the snow plain, and we'd like to borrow lodging for the night here—do you think that's possible?" Li Qingxuan asked tentatively.

After a moment, the window opened a crack; seeing only two people outside, the door creaked open, and a sturdy, honest-looking middle-aged man appeared at the doorway, wearing a heavy fur coat and holding a large knife, his eyes showing vigilance and guard.

The middle-aged man, upon seeing Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong, blinked in surprise, then asked, "Who are you? How did you get lost on this icefield?"

Li Qingxuan stepped forward and quickly said, "Hello, we were being hunted by weird creatures on the icefield, so we got lost; after great difficulty we found this place, and we hope to stay the night here."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes flickered with hesitation; he looked at Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong, showing reluctance, fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded and said, "Alright, you may come in, but you can only stay until tomorrow morning, bring your own food, and you must also provide some supplies as lodging fee."

After hearing this, Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong nodded, indicating no problem, thanked the middle-aged man again, and followed him into the stone house.

Though the stone house was crude, it was quite warm; animal pelts hung on the walls, there were some bloodstains on the floor, and a fire basin in the center burned with roaring flames.

The middle-aged man poured them two cups of hot tea and said, "First, have some hot tea to warm up; nights on this icefield can be extremely cold."

Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong took the tea cups, gratefully took a sip, and immediately felt warm all over.

The middle-aged man sat by the fire basin and asked, "What are your names? Where are you from?"

Li Qingxuan briefly gave their names and explained how they got lost, without going into detail.

After hearing that, the middle-aged man's eyes flashed with surprise, and he said, "You're really not ordinary—actually managing to escape from the icefield demon bear."

Li Qingxuan humbly replied, "You flatter us; we were just lucky."

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "No matter what, the fact that you're alive and made it here means you have great fortune; rest easy here tonight."

Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong thanked the old man again, their hearts full of gratitude; they entered the side room, ate a simple meal, Huang Rong tidied her clothes, then lay down on the bed.

Night deepened, the wind and snow outside the stone house gradually subsided; Li Qingxuan sat at the head of the bed, watching Huang Rong beside him slowly fall asleep, then opened the control panel and told Li Feifei about today's ordeal.

Upon hearing that the two were lost and temporarily unable to return to the fortress, Li Feifei felt a bit anxious.

She hurriedly urged over the control panel, "Brother, you must be careful over there; although that middle-aged man looks honest, taking in strangers on this icefield out of the blue still warrants extra caution."

Li Qingxuan lightly nodded and replied, "Don't worry, Feifei, I've got it under control. Huang Rong has already fallen asleep; I'm on night watch, waiting to meet up with the wolf pack tomorrow to see if we can quickly find the way back."

After chatting a few more words with Li Feifei and making sure her side was all right, Li Qingxuan then turned off the control panel.

He looked at Huang Rong's peaceful sleeping face, and his heart also felt somewhat relieved.

The next morning, Huang Rong woke early, saw Li Qingxuan still sitting at the head of the bed, and said wistfully, "Wasn't the plan for you to call me in the second half of the night? Why didn't you call me?"

Li Qingxuan reached over and rubbed Huang Rong's head, speaking softly, "Seeing you sleep so soundly, I couldn't bring myself to wake you; besides, I can go two or three days without sleep and be fine."

After saying that, Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong tidied up simply, left some food for the middle-aged man, bade him farewell, and headed toward the agreed meeting spot with the wolf pack.

When they arrived, the wolf pack and black goat were already waiting there; the wolf king saw them and let out a low growl, as if urging them to move on quickly.

Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong mounted the black goat again and continued forward on the icefield, following the wolf pack.

As time passed, the outline of a valley gradually appeared ahead; Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong felt a surge of joy, knowing they were getting closer to home.

The two sped up the black goat, the icefield demon wolf closely following behind; Li Qingxuan relied on remembered directions to keep accelerating, and after just a few hours, the low hill came into view, and a massive fog bank also appeared in their sight.

Seeing the fog bank, Li Qingxuan embraced Huang Rong tightly and exclaimed excitedly, "Rong sister, we've arrived, haha!"

Huang Rong also showed a delighted smile, she tightly returned Li Qingxuan's embrace, and said, "Great, we're finally almost home."

Li Qingxuan patted Huang Rong's back, then urged the black goat beneath them to speed up, and issued several commands to the wolf king; the wolf king raised its head and let out a howl, seemingly responding to Li Qingxuan, after which the wolf pack's speed increased a bit more.

Soon they reached the edge of the fog bank; Li Qingxuan commanded the black goat to stop, turned to the wolf king and said, "Enter the fog."

The wolf king approached, rubbed its head against Li Qingxuan's arm, and let out a low whimper, as if showing understanding.

Afterwards, Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong exchanged a glance, likewise urging the black goat forward into the fog; the wolf king also stepped into the fog, and the wolf pack behind followed without hesitation.

In the fog, visibility was obstructed, but with Li Qingxuan and the wolf king leading ahead, the wolf pack encountered no problems.

As they went deeper, the surrounding scenery gradually became clear, and familiar terrain and building outlines appeared before their eyes.

At this moment, the wolf king stopped, turned its head to look at Li Qingxuan, its eyes seeming to ask a question.

Li Qingxuan understood its meaning, gently patted its head and said, "You will stand guard outside the city wall; if you want to eat, just go out hunting on your own."

The wolf king let out a low growl, as if responding, then turned slowly with the wolf pack and vanished into the fog.

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