Chapter 1799 — Snow Valley, Part One
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"This man... is he from Snow Valley?" Hearing his words, Gu Mengyao could more or less confirm his identity, and she breathed a sigh of relief, rolling down the car window...
But the instant the window opened, a biting wind struck them full in the face, and both Gu Mengyao and Tang Zhi could not help but shiver, while Xiao Shu seemed utterly at ease—no doubt because she was clutching Wei Zhao, that veritable furnace of warmth.
"No, roll it up. I'll get out and talk to him!" Seeing Gu Mengyao trembling with cold, Tang Zhi said.
They had brought autumn clothes along in the car, but none of them had expected Snow Valley to be this cold. Mo Kongwu and Old Man Wei had overlooked the matter too, so that Gu Mengyao had been complaining bitterly ever since they arrived.
"You go... will that be all right?" Gu Mengyao asked, a little worried.
"It's fine. I'm cold too, but I weather it better than the rest of you." With that, Tang Zhi opened the door and stepped out, addressing the valley patrol with respect: "Hello. We're on our way to Snow Valley. Might we trouble you to guide us?"
"On your way to Snow Valley?" The patrolman was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Tang Zhi but saw nothing remarkable about her. Snow Valley, as an ancient sect, of course had dealings with other sects from time to time, but look as he might, Tang Zhi did not resemble a practitioner—let alone a disciple of some other sect.
"We'd like to buy some rare natural treasures!" Seeing the patrolman's puzzlement, Tang Zhi stated their purpose bluntly.
"So you've come to buy natural treasures..." The patrolman understood at once. Every ancient sect had its own way of making money: the Ice Palace ran trials, the Mystic Elixir Sect sold pills, and Snow Valley—Snow Valley made its money by selling rare natural treasures.
Owing to Snow Valley's peculiar geography, different spots nearby could produce different climates and temperatures in the same month of the year, and under such conditions a great many spiritual herbs could be cultivated. Even the Mystic Elixir Sect was one of Snow Valley's customers.
So once Tang Zhi had stated her business, the patrolman's suspicions vanished. After all, those who found their way here to buy natural treasures were generally recommended by other sects or by families of comparable standing.
"Wait here and do not move. I must return to the sect and report to the elder on duty," the patrolman said.
"Very well, thank you!" Tang Zhi said gratefully. She had not expected things to go so smoothly. After all, when Wei Zhao had described the road to the Ice Palace, it had been fraught with difficulty, with trials to be entered besides—yet here at Snow Valley, buying natural treasures seemed to be taken as a matter of course.
Having spoken, the patrolman tossed something casually, slapping a tag onto the car beside Tang Zhi, then turned and vanished into the vast white snow... In the blink of an eye, not a trace of him remained.
Tang Zhi glanced curiously at the tag on the car, and on it she saw the characters "Valley Patrol 15, Awaiting Report," along with a mark resembling a snow mountain that she could not decipher.
But having seen those words, Tang Zhi could more or less guess their meaning: apart from the man just now, there must be other patrolmen, and upon seeing such a tag, they would surely ask no further questions.
With that thought, Tang Zhi returned to the car and waited patiently for news...
Before long, a Snow Valley patrolman dressed exactly like the first indeed appeared beside the car. But after seeing the tag on the vehicle, he said not a word and quietly withdrew—evidently this was a rule of long standing.