Chapter 723: A Thousand Miles of Ice, Ten Thousand Miles of Snowfall (Part 2)

She didn’t know how long she would have to walk, only that this journey was to prove her ability.

Only after venturing across this snowfield would she be recognized by the wind and snow as one of their children, qualifying to leave the tribe to hunt outside.

She had been looking forward to this journey for a long time. Food was scarce in the land of ice and snow, and she seldom felt the happiness of having a full stomach; but at least she wouldn’t go hungry. Ever since her father’s foot was bitten off by a snow wolf, she and her mother often went hungry.

She wanted to do something for this family, but almost only men, and boys who were about to become men, could go out to hunt.

Men were strong and robust, only they could protect their lives in the snowstorm; while women were supposed to stay in the ice houses, tending the fire while waiting for their husbands to return with food.

She felt that it shouldn’t be this way, so through perseverance, she finally persuaded the Clan Leader at the age of thirteen to send her into the barren snowfield.

She would prove to her mother and the clan that girls could survive in the snowstorm too.

“If we walk this far, will we forget the way home?” After all, she was just a little girl, and there was still some apprehension in her heart.

“Those who survive won’t.” The Clan Leader shook his head.

“Those who die will?” The girl couldn’t react right away.

“It’s because they forgot that they died, not because they died that they forgot.” The elder patiently explained to the girl, yet his voice was as chilling as the snow.

The girl was stunned for a moment, then quietly turned her head to look back, but she could only see the endless white snow. Unknowingly, she had already walked so far that even the tribe couldn’t be seen.

She felt brave but couldn’t hide her fear, so she hurriedly recalled the path she came from in her mind, afraid she would muddleheadedly forget.

Just like that, she walked for a long time before suddenly discovering a problem.

“Clan Leader, aren’t we there yet?” the girl asked, “Why are you still accompanying me? Isn’t it necessary for me to catch prey by myself to count?”

The elder’s pace didn’t stop, yet it was exceptionally steady despite trembling.

“We’ll be there soon. After that, you’ll walk the rest of the way alone.”

“Oh…”

The girl nodded; the end of the snowfield hid unknown adventures and challenges. She imagined herself returning laden with game in the snowstorm, a modicum of courage swelled within her. Her slender fingers clasped tightly inside the thick coat, as if this could bring her a touch of security.

Right then, the elder suddenly halted.

The girl who had been mentally cheering herself on accidentally bumped into the elder’s back.

She peeked out from behind the elder’s back, surprised.

She saw a deer.

She had never seen such a big snow deer; its size surpassed even the largest snow bear she had seen. Elegant and robust, its fur was covered in a thick layer of white fluff, akin to a luxurious winter coat, gleaming faintly. The most striking feature was its antlers, wide and graceful like two enormous leaves stretching toward the sky. The surface of the antlers was coated with delicate snowflakes, shimmering with light.

If she could bring this deer back home, it could feed her and her parents for a long time.

Excitedly, she rubbed her hands together. Despite never hunting outside, she was quite familiar with the skills of those men in the tribe.

She took out the longbow her father used from behind her and quietly drew the bowstring.

“Dear deer, even though you share my name, I can only take you home…” The girl apologized to the snow deer in her heart.

But she did not shoot an arrow because she was shocked to find that the deer had no intention to run away.

Yet it clearly noticed her, and even those eyes glowing with a faint blue gaze met hers.

Why didn’t it run?

While she hesitated, the elder pressed down on her bow.

The girl was puzzled, but she didn’t retract the longbow:

“Clan Leader, why isn’t it afraid of us?”

“Perhaps it’s us who should fear it.” The elder muttered mystically.

The girl frowned, feeling it was somewhat odd.

The elder suddenly raised his head, his aged eyes looking towards the distant snow mountain.

The mountain was beautiful, its body undulating, like a reclining, sacred Divine Maiden.

“Dear Deer, do you see that mountain?” The elder called out the girl’s name.

The girl’s vision was far better than a dying elder’s; she nodded vigorously: “I see it.”

“The road ahead you must walk alone, and your destination is that mountain. If you bring back the snow mulberry grass from the summit, you’ll be allowed to independently come and go from the snowfield.” The elder spoke to himself.

Dear Deer nodded dazedly, but the Clan Leader seemed a bit off; she clearly remembered him teaching her as a child that speaking required looking at the other person to be polite.

Yet those words were meant for her, so why didn’t he look at her once?

“Clan Leader, you should go back, I’ll bring back the snow mulberry grass. If I’m lucky, I might even bring back a Xue Tu; then, you’ll have to come to my house for soup.”

Dear Deer waved and was already walking away. It’s hard to imagine that such a small girl dared to enter the pale snowfield alone.

But she had to do it. The strong urge to get into the snowfield wasn’t because she was sure she could walk back, but because even if she didn’t, it would be a good thing for her parents.

Just a few steps in, Dear Deer suddenly heard the elder’s call.

She turned back bewildered, only to see the Clan Leader coming after her for some reason, his face twisted with a bitter look that made Dear Deer’s heart tremble.

“Dear Deer, let’s go back…” The elder’s voice unexpectedly had a touch of pleading.

Dear Deer was slightly stunned but suddenly smiled: “Clan Leader, it’s okay. Some who enter the snowfield die, some survive, it’s normal.”

The girl wasn’t flawlessly beautiful; for instance, there were two red-brown frostbitten patches on her cheeks. Yet this rough, ruddy face gave her a beauty like a flower growing out of the snowy ground.

The elder’s mouth trembled; the girl had asked so many questions along the way, showing she had already discovered something was amiss.

But the girl didn’t expose it, pretending to be naive and willing to be deceived. The final impossible promise of an invitation broke the elder entirely.

“It’s not normal! A deity lives on that mountain; you can exchange offerings for food… Once you go, there’s no return!”

The elder as if recalled previously delivering sacrifices here to exchange for food, regardless if he wished it or not, the guilt of pushing his tribe members into the abyss gnawed at him every night.

“I overheard, Mother is pregnant again, the oracle said it’s a boy. I thought that as long as I died, Mother wouldn’t go hungry, but now dying will also let Mother eat her fill. Then I must go!”

The girl forced a smile, choosing to accept her fate. Looking at the robust snow deer beside her, she finally understood why it wouldn’t escape: because it was the trophy she exchanged for herself from the deity.

The elder seemed to lose all strength, fell to his knees.

If it hadn’t been for Dear Deer’s parents’ silent consent, how else could he bring a thirteen-year-old child here? They didn’t believe a thirteen-year-old girl could return alive from the snowfield; if destined to die, it would be better to die with value.

Yet Dear Deer was so sensible to a heart-breaking degree. He could watch a dazed person accidentally fall from the summit but couldn’t witness a conscious person hurl themselves into the abyss.

“Clan Leader, take Dear Deer home!”

Dear Deer patted the gentle snow deer, smiling as she waved to the Clan Leader, not replying no matter how many times the Clan Leader shouted her name.

She looked at the snow mountain, feeling increasingly at peace.

Suddenly, her pupils constricted like beans!

She saw large amounts of snow cascading down the summit like an egg shedding its shell!

The tremor beneath her feet grew stronger, snow dust swept across like a raging tide!

“Avalanche! Dear Deer, come back!”

The elder staggered forward, wanting to take the girl frightened stiff back home.

But Dear Deer just shook her head, gazing at the shattered shadow atop the snowy peak, muttering:

“No… it’s not an avalanche, our deity has died…”