Chapter 47: Snow Melt

In the middle of the second lunar month, a heavy rain fell in the mountains.

It came suddenly, pouring from afternoon into night and from night into dawn. The streams swelled into torrents, carrying branches and dead leaves as they roared down the slopes.

Bai Heng crouched at the entrance of her rock cave, staring out at the curtain of rain.

Water streamed down the rock face, forming a thick sheet across the cave mouth. The distant mountains were hidden in mist, completely invisible.

After this rain, the snow should finally be gone.

She thought this quietly, then withdrew her gaze and lay down on the dry leaves.

The rain was loud, a constant roar that seemed as if it would never stop.

In the middle of the night, the downpour eased slightly.

Bai Heng was half-asleep when she suddenly heard an odd sound outside the cave.

It was not the rain.

It was the sound of footsteps splashing through mud—hurried, frantic.

She opened her eyes and quietly extended her divine sense.

A person was running toward the rock cave, stumbling and slipping, falling, then scrambling back up to keep running.

It was Qin Yun.

Bai Heng’s heart tightened. She stood up and leaped out of the cave.

The rain was still falling, lighter now but steady. Qin Yun was soaked through, hair plastered to his face, breathing hard. When he saw Bai Heng, his eyes lit up.

“Miss White!”

He ran over and stopped in front of her, bending over to catch his breath.

Bai Heng looked at him and waited.

Once he had steadied his breathing, Qin Yun raised his head. His face was pale.

“Qin Yu… Qin Yu is missing.”

Bai Heng’s ears shot straight up.

Qin Yun spoke in a rush, words tumbling out.

“This afternoon… she was still at home. Then my mother was cooking and noticed she was gone. We thought she’d gone to a neighbor’s to play and didn’t think much of it, but when it got dark she still wasn’t back…”

“I searched the whole village. Nothing. Then I checked all the places she usually goes. Still nothing.”

“It’s raining so hard… where could she have gone…”

His voice was shaking.

Bai Heng listened quietly, her mind racing.

Qin Yu was missing.

In this weather, where could she possibly be?

She suddenly remembered something the girl had once said: When it gets warmer and the flowers in the mountains bloom, I’ll take you to see them.

See the flowers.

At this time of year, the wildflowers in the mountains were indeed beginning to bloom. Some early varieties had already opened.

Had the little girl gone to look at the flowers?

She expanded her divine sense and sensed that Qin Shi, his wife, and some villagers were also out in the rain, shouting as they searched the woods.

Bai Heng looked at Qin Yun.

“Where have you searched?”

Qin Yun blinked.

Bai Heng spoke, her voice calm. “Have you checked all the places she usually goes?”

Qin Yun nodded quickly.

“I have. The woods behind the mountain, the grassy patch by the stream, the spots where she gathers wild vegetables—everywhere.”

He paused, his voice trembling harder.

“Could it be… could it be those people…”

Bai Heng knew exactly who he meant by “those people.”

The cultivators in the village.

But their target was Yun Zhuo, not Qin Yu. They had no reason to touch a little girl.

Unless…

She remembered what Granny Jiang had said.

The situation was growing more chaotic. Anyone could show up.

Could some uncontrolled rogue cultivator have taken advantage of the disorder?

Bai Heng had no time to think further.

She looked at Qin Yun.

“Wait here.”

With that, she turned and vanished into the rain.

She spread her divine sense to its limit, sweeping the mountain forest inch by inch.

The rain interfered with her perception, making the search difficult. Bai Heng slowed down and carefully examined every possible spot.

By the stream—nothing.

On the hillside where the wildflowers grew thickest—nothing.

All the places Qin Yu usually visited—nothing.

Bai Heng pushed deeper into the mountains.

The rain grew heavier again. She was soaked through, the red jacket clinging heavily to her body.

She ignored it.

Where was that girl?

Suddenly, her divine sense caught a faint anomaly.

Not far ahead, beneath a cliff, there was a weak fluctuation.

It was not spiritual energy—it was the faint pulse of life.

Barely there.

Bai Heng quickened her pace and headed toward it.

The cliff was not high. Below it lay a tangle of bushes. The rain had turned the ground into slippery mud.

Bai Heng leaped down and searched through the undergrowth.

She found her quickly.

A small figure was curled deep among the bushes, completely still.

It was Qin Yu.

Bai Heng rushed over and examined her.

The little girl’s face was deathly pale, lips purple, body soaked. She was unconscious. Her right leg was twisted at an unnatural angle—clearly broken.

Bai Heng carefully checked with her divine sense.

She was still breathing—weak, but there.

There was no time to waste.

Bai Heng took several jade vials from her sea of consciousness, opened them with telekinesis, and carefully dripped the medicinal liquids into Qin Yu’s mouth.

Medicine to protect the heart, medicine to nourish blood and qi, and a trace of gentle life force.

Then she set to work on the broken leg.

The bone was fractured and displaced. She needed to realign it first. Using telekinesis, Bai Heng lifted the leg, sensed the exact position of the bones, and gave a gentle push.

There was a soft crack as the bone slipped back into place.

Qin Yu frowned in her unconscious state and let out a faint groan.

Bai Heng applied a healing, hemostatic medicine to the wound, then tore a clean piece of cloth into strips with her telekinesis and carefully bandaged it.

Once she was finished, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

She lifted Qin Yu gently with telekinesis and placed her on her own back. Then she removed the red jacket, spread it with telekinesis, and draped it over the girl.

Even though it was wet, it would at least block some of the wind.

After that, she carried Qin Yu on her back and began making her way down the mountain, step by careful step.

The path was treacherous.

It was muddy and slippery, and she had to be sure Qin Yu did not slip off her back. Bai Heng moved slowly, but each step was steady.

Rain lashed against her face, blurring her vision.

The girl on her back felt as light as a leaf.

Yet that weight pressed heavily on her heart.

She could not stop.

She quickened her pace slightly, moving forward one step at a time.

She did not know how long she walked before she suddenly heard voices ahead.

It was Qin Yun’s voice.

“Miss White!”

He ran toward her. When he saw Qin Yu on Bai Heng’s back, his eyes turned red.

“Qin Yu!”

Bai Heng stopped and gently lowered the girl to the ground.

Qin Yun rushed forward, picked up his sister, and fumbled to check her.

“What happened to her? She…”

Bai Heng spoke, her voice slightly hoarse.

“She fell. Her leg is broken. I’ve treated it.”

She paused.

“Take her back quickly. She needs a warm place.”

Qin Yun nodded rapidly. He lifted Qin Yu and started to run.

After two steps he suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Bai Heng.

She stood in the rain, soaked to the bone. The red jacket had been taken off at some point and was now covering Qin Yu. Her fur was plastered to her body, making her look thin and bedraggled.

Qin Yun opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

Bai Heng gently swished her tail.

“Go.”

Qin Yun nodded hard, clutched Qin Yu tightly, and ran down the mountain as fast as he could.

Bai Heng remained where she was, watching his figure disappear into the rain.

The rain continued to fall.

She lowered her head and looked at herself.

The red jacket was gone. She had only her own fur.

She slowly walked back to the rock cave.

That night, Qin Yu developed a high fever.

Qin Shi and his wife were frantic. They called the village doctor from a nearby settlement. After examining her, the doctor said she had caught a chill and suffered a fright. She would need careful nursing.

Qin Yun stayed by her bedside the entire night without sleeping.

By morning, the fever had eased slightly. When Qin Yu opened her eyes and saw her brother, she burst into tears.

“Brother… I had a dream… I dreamed White Fox Immortal came to save me…”

Qin Yun held her hand and said softly, “It wasn’t a dream. She really did save you.”

Qin Yu stared at him for a moment, then cried even harder.

“I knew it… I knew she was good to me…”

Qin Yun said nothing. He simply patted her hand gently.

When the sky had fully brightened and the rain had stopped, Bai Heng crouched at the cave entrance, looking down at the village.

Sunlight broke through the clouds, shining on the wet mountain forest until everything sparkled.

The girl should be alright by now.

As she was thinking this, a figure appeared on the mountain path.

It was Qin Yun.

He carried a bundle on his back and trudged up the muddy trail step by step.

When he drew near, he set the bundle down and took something out.

It was the red jacket.

It had been washed and dried, folded neatly.

“Miss White.”

He placed the jacket on the ground and stepped back.

“Thank you.”

His voice was hoarse.

Bai Heng looked at him without moving.

Qin Yun continued.

“Qin Yu is alright now. My mother said if it weren’t for you, she…”

He could not finish.

Bai Heng gently swished her tail.

Qin Yun took a deep breath and took another item from the bundle.

It was a new garment.

Moon-white, trimmed with silver-gray, lighter than the red one—clearly a spring jacket.

“My mother altered one of the spring jackets she had originally made for Qin Yu. She said saving Qin Yu’s life can’t be repaid with a single piece of clothing, but our Qin family will remember this kindness forever.”

He placed the spring jacket beside the red one.

Bai Heng looked at the two garments, then at Qin Yun.

The youth stood there with red-rimmed eyes and clear exhaustion on his face, but his gaze was filled with sincerity.

After a moment of silence, she leaped down from the rock.

She walked up to Qin Yun and stopped.

Then she reached out with her front paw and gently touched his hand.

Qin Yun froze.

Bai Heng lifted her head and looked at him.

Her gaze clearly carried meaning.

It’s alright.

Qin Yun stared at her for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

The smile looked a little strained, his eyes still red, but it was genuine.

“Miss White.”

He said softly.

“You really are good.”

Bai Heng did not reply.

She simply turned around, picked up the two garments in her mouth, and walked slowly back into the rock cave.

At the entrance she paused and glanced back.

Qin Yun was still standing there, watching her.

Sunlight fell on him, outlining his figure in a faint golden edge.

Bai Heng withdrew her gaze and slipped into the cave.

Behind her, Qin Yun’s voice drifted over.

“Miss White, I’ll come again in a few days.”

She gently swished her tail.