Wang Yongzhu sat by the fire, occasionally throwing in some wood, lest the bonfire goes out.

You should know, on such a cold night, if the bonfire goes out, the people in this cave would probably fall ill from the cold.

Wang Yongzhu continued to poke at the fire, unable to sleep, she simply tried to summon Chen Xing in her mind.

Perhaps the frequent summoning had an effect, after a while, a crackling static noise appeared in her mind, mixed intermittently with Chen Xing’s voice: "...zzzz... waiting... signal... zzzz... discovered..."

After that, there was no more signal, and silence filled her mind.

Wang Yongzhu pondered over those intermittent words for half a day, only able to guess that something was obstructing the signal, perhaps Chen Xing was asking her to wait patiently? Had the Alliance already noticed something was amiss?

But since she could already contact Chen Xing, he would naturally find a way, so she didn’t need to worry, as she couldn’t help much anyway.

Thinking this, Wang Yongzhu completely relaxed.

It was already midnight, the mountain wind howled outside, and the faint sound of wolf howls could be heard.

Hearing this, Wang Yongzhu remembered her previous encounters with wolves and couldn’t help but frown. She approached the cave entrance, although the view was blocked by a rock, she could hear more clearly.

The wolf howls came one after another; it sounded like a considerable pack. Wang Yongzhu worriedly inspected the stone wall blocking the entrance. It was over a person’s height, with a gap that allowed a person to climb in and out.

They had considered these things when choosing the cave, opting for one situated high, with an entrance that was a slope. Generally, wild animals wouldn’t easily climb over this stone wall.

However, they couldn’t become complacent.

Wang Yongzhu listened at the cave entrance for a while longer, sensing the wolf pack’s howls seemed to be further away, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Wolves at this time were desperately hungry, better not to provoke them.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she started feeling cold and chill, leaving the fire, the stone at the entrance could block some wind, but slits between the stones allowed drafts in, soon the heat from her body was blown away. If she stayed longer, she’d likely become a popsicle.

Wang Yongzhu rubbed her hands and stepped back a few paces, noticing that some of the guards had opened their eyes. Seeing Wang Yongzhu’s actions, they quickly got up, "Madam, is there anything amiss?"

Someone had heard the wolf howls outside and immediately rushed to the cave entrance to listen.

Wang Yongzhu returned to the fire, where the awakened guards had already added more wood to increase the blaze, poured some hot water from a pot nearby, and presented it to Wang Yongzhu.

Wang Yongzhu took it, warming her hands, then said, "It’s nothing, I’ve listened; the wolf pack is still far away, probably on the opposite mountain top. Even if they want to come over, it would be daylight by then."

Wolves rarely appear in the daytime, making it much safer than at night.

The guard by the entrance returned, sat by the fire warming his hands, and said, "Madam is right, the wolf pack is still far; judging by the noise, they might have encountered a strong enemy! We should stay alert at night, these beasts have been hungry all winter and are best not provoked!"

He also urged Wang Yongzhu to rest inside, as tomorrow they needed to trek mountains, and without proper rest, they’d be too exhausted to travel.

Wang Yongzhu, warmed by the fire, felt drowsy. She didn’t refuse, wrapped herself in a cloak, and returned to her prepared resting place, leaned against a rock, and closed her eyes to rest.

Perhaps truly fatigued, or maybe due to fewer snoring guards, Wang Yongzhu drifted into sleep.

When she awoke, daylight had fully arrived.

The guards were already up, quietly tidying up the cave and preparing breakfast.

Breakfast was simple. They had feasted on rabbit and fallow deer meat last night; this morning, it was mushroom and salted meat soup, with dry flatbread, which was already quite good.

Everyone was very cautious, afraid their footsteps would awaken the still-sleeping Wang Yongzhu.

Seeing her awake, the guards quickly said, "Madam, breakfast is ready," while bringing over the hot water already prepared.

In the wild, they weren’t particular about such things; Wang Yongzhu washed up simply, everyone had breakfast, pushed open the stone wall at the entrance. Cold wind mixed with fresh air hit them, everyone shivered, and any lingering sleepiness was instantly cleared.

After packing up their belongings, they set out again.

Once they crossed this mountain, they would follow along the riverbank.

The Yunzhong River had long been covered with a thick layer of ice, appearing like a jade belt hanging in the mountains.

They trudged along the river, occasionally alarming small animals, which darted away from a distance upon hearing them.

These riverways lay deep within the mountains, rarely visited by humans.

The snow showed no signs of melting. Stepping on it meant sinking knee-deep, making travel difficult.

Wang Yongzhu had never traversed such a mountain path; it was very strenuous.

However, the guard leading the way said the snow had melted considerably; in December, it would reach the thighs, making travel even more challenging.

Due to such difficulties, they could only cover short distances each day. Fortunately, they were not far from the valley.

As the leading guard pointed ahead saying, "Follow the river for another day, then cross a mountain, and we’ll arrive—", Wang Yongzhu felt her legs go weak, nearly tumbling into the snow.

In short, she felt her decision to embark on this journey was rash!

But since they were already here, turning back would be equally difficult. What else could she do? She could only grit her teeth and persevere.

Fortunately, after this segment, the snow became thinner, and the river ice appeared more translucent.

Seeing these signs, everyone sensed something was amiss. Without needing Wang Yongzhu’s reminder, they quickened their pace.

Finally, they climbed over the mountain peak, and what they saw left them all stunned.

Deep within these mountains, it should have been a snowy, frozen expanse, yet now, except for the snow above the mid-mountains, the snow below was melting, revealing large patches of mottled gray-black rock.

The river’s ice was still there but was precariously thin, with occasional small chunks collapsing, revealing rippling water beneath.

Moreover, many animals, sensing the warmth compared to other places, lingered by the river.

Along the riverbank, traces of blood and signs of battle indicated a recent skirmish among the animals.

Everyone was speechless for a while.

After a considerable pause, a guard finally said, in a dreamlike tone, "Am I seeing things? How is this possible?"

You must understand, most of them were locals, and they knew how this Northwest mountain should look at this time of year.

Earlier on the outskirts, snow-capped mountains were the norm, with knee-deep snow. Isn’t this typical?

What was happening in this valley? Was this the reason Madam had rushed here?

Not just one guard had this thought; none were foolish and all looked at Wang Yongzhu.

Taking a deep breath, Wang Yongzhu had also only heard the messages, and though she knew her informant wouldn’t deceive her, deep down, she hadn’t fully believed it. Now seeing the valley’s outskirts in such a state, what about within the valley?