Chapter 727 - 346: Snow Poppy (Part 2)

You Su was quite surprised upon hearing this. He clearly remembered feeling extremely fatigued and falling asleep unknowingly. What connection did it have with the incense pill? Wasn’t it just the Celestial Spirit causing trouble?

But then he thought of how, since coming ashore, he had trudged through the snow and tried to rest with his eyes closed, but even though he was exhausted to the point of collapse, he could never fall asleep. Even if he did, he would wake up quickly, feeling even more tired. This feeling of fragmentation had tormented him for some time, which was why he had to kill a demon to vent his frustrations.

"Great Spirit, don’t be afraid... we all rely on this to sleep here."

Little Deer cautiously observed You Su’s expression. The young man had grown a bit of a beard, which added a firmness to his handsome face.

This traveler is really good-looking... the girl silently mused in her heart.

"You all light this to sleep?"

Noticing the confused look from You Su, Little Deer did not dare to meet his gaze and continued explaining:

"Yes, yes. Without lighting the snow poppy incense pill, it’s impossible to sleep for so long."

"Why?"

"The clan leader says the days here are too long; it’s almost always bright or always dark. Sometimes the body feels tired, but the mind doesn’t want to sleep; sometimes the body isn’t tired, but the mind wants to rest. Sometimes, a gust of cold wind sneaks in, making one immediately awake, so no one can sleep soundly.

If this continues, such people won’t live long. Our ancestors discovered that snow poppy can calm the mind and help with sleep, so we use snow poppy incense pills to aid sleep. Only then can we sleep longer and deeper, and wake up with the energy to work."

After listening carefully, You Su realized that in this extreme northern land, even a good night’s sleep was a luxury. Even he was tormented by the greatly differing day and night times.

"When did you light it?"

"When we were preparing to slaughter the snow deer we had brought back, and it kept making noises. We were afraid it would disturb the Great Spirit’s rest but didn’t dare come in, so the clan leader had me secretly place the incense burner at the door."

This explained why the incense burner was placed beside the curtain.

You Su touched the tip of his nose and began to breathe again. The scent of the snow poppy was faint but lingered richly in his nasal cavity.

When You Su first woke up, the dizziness almost disappeared. It seemed the snow poppy had little effect on someone who wasn’t sleepy, only lulling someone already tired into a deep sleep. So, Little Deer staying in the same room with him had no effect at all.

"Did the Great Spirit have a dream?" Little Deer suddenly asked, with the corners of her mouth curving up in interest, as if curious that even an immortal would dream.

"Did the Great Spirit wake from fright? That’s normal! Using snow poppy for sleep aid is like that, makes you dream a lot. Sometimes good dreams, sometimes nightmares, just go back to sleep after waking," Little Deer casually explained, as if used to it.

Was it really a dream...

You Su did not continue to inquire but instead found his sunglasses and put them back on.

"Great Spirit, what’s that thing you’re wearing on your eyes?"

"Sunglasses."

"Sunglasses? What are they for?"

The girl found everything about this immortal intriguing, but she was most interested in him as a person.

"I can’t bear the overly bright world. Watching it for too long makes me uncomfortable, so I made this magical artifact to block the view."

"I know! It’s called snow blindness!" The girl was proud of her knowledge.

"Little Deer," You Su suddenly called, so earnestly that it made Little Deer nervous for no reason.

"Why were you and the clan leader there?"

Little Deer hesitated, head slightly bowed, without replying.

"Were you worshiping an evil god?" You Su asked directly.

Knowing she couldn’t deceive the young man, Little Deer nodded slightly.

"Do you have a grandfather?"

Little Deer looked up in surprise, not understanding why the Great Spirit changed the topic so quickly and unpredictably.

"Yes, of course. Why is the Great Spirit asking this?"

You Su nodded knowingly, leaving Little Deer puzzled, as if wondering how anyone could not have a grandfather.

"Have you seen your grandfather?" You Su continued to ask.

Little Deer obediently shook her head, "Grandfather froze to death before I was born."

"Then it seems you haven’t seen your grandmother either, nor your maternal grandparents."

What should have been a sorrowful subject, You Su dismissed lightly.

Little Deer felt the Great Spirit was somewhat cold-hearted but was even more shocked:

"Great Spirit, are you really an immortal? How could you know these things?!"

You Su laughed it off and said, "Let’s go out and take a look."

Stepping outside, one was still awestruck by the pure, flawless world.

The cold wind was biting, like a blade slicing across the skin.

The term "silver-clad" was fully embodied here, and even in Beiao Continent, such a world completely sealed by snow was rare.

But fortunately, it finally stopped snowing, with a brilliant golden sun hanging high, as if the heavenly god gave these struggling people a brief respite.

"Immortal Master, you’re up." The clan leader greeted in a hoarse voice.

You Su noticed that in the clearing, many members of the Xuesang Tribe had come out of their ice houses, gathering around a bonfire in the center. A big pot was set on the fire, with fragrant steam rising from it, making one’s mouth water.

"Great Spirit! This is the snow deer we brought back, go and try it!" Little Deer eagerly urged You Su.

These tribespeople wore thick fur coats, the fur surrounding their faces, even covering their eyes.

You Su slowly approached, only to find that none of the snow deer meat in the large pot had been touched.

"Why aren’t you eating?" You Su curiously asked.

"This snow deer was brought back by Little Deer; she is willing to share with everyone, but we must let the Immortal Master eat first, as promised," the clan leader explained.

Upon hearing this, Little Deer cautiously observed You Su’s expression. She wasn’t trying to curry favor, just to repay a debt. This snow deer was meant to be traded for her life, and because of the young man’s mercy, she was spared the cost, so naturally, gratitude should first go to him.

You Su showed no special expression, as if his face was frozen stiff.

You Su sat down in a place on his own, while the others didn’t dare to sit.

He stirred the boiling broth with the meats, without too many seasoning, further enhancing the original meaty aroma. Yet his words were colder than the ice underfoot:

"You wanted to kill me, why did you stop?"

Little Deer’s eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what she heard from the young man.

She had deceived the young man; the snow poppy was indeed used for aiding sleep, but she wasn’t the one who put the incense burner in; it was the clan leader himself.

Yesterday, when she found the tribespeople gathered with knives and bows outside the tent, she sensed something was wrong. She yelled to wake You Su, but the clan leader covered her throat. Yet later, for some reason, the clan leader sighed and dismissed the crowd.

She thought this lie could smooth over this unpleasant episode, yet why did the Great Spirit still know?

The people around stiffened upon hearing You Su’s words, not daring to move.

"Immortal, forgive us!" The clan leader fell to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling.

The crowd followed suit, kneeling in succession, except for Little Deer, who was still standing in dazed confusion.

"No need to call me Immortal, we’re fellow travelers," You Su said coldly.

Little Deer became more and more puzzled, but the clan leader’s old eyes shone brightly as if rejuvenated:

"As mere mortals, we should address you as Immortal!"

You Su turned to meet his gaze. Despite the old man’s words, there was no reverence in his eyes, only deep yearning.

You Su sneered, understanding clearly that these people didn’t kill him only because they felt his value might exceed that of the demon.

You Su’s difficulty sleeping due to the lengthy white nights was because he was accustomed to the balanced day-night cycle.

But if these people had lived here for generations, they should have long adapted to this day-night cycle, so why would they need snow poppy to fall asleep, which could even enrapture immortals?

If they weren’t indigenous, who would venture into such a barren land?

So there were only two possibilities: they were either exiled here or had come fleeing for their lives!