Chapter 3: The Third Young Lady of the Qin Family

On his left side, three human soldiers in ancient armor were huddled together, their bodies rigid, hair and faces encrusted with ice and snow. The black metal armor they wore made Lin Zhan feel the icy chill even more acutely. Glancing to the right, he saw two more soldiers in the same state. It seemed they had clung together for warmth in their final moments.

The realization dawned on him belatedly: he was lying next to corpses! At this thought, his blood seemed to circulate faster, allowing him to struggle upright.

Only then did he notice that the school uniform and shoes he’d been wearing in his dormitory had vanished, most likely disappearing during his journey here. Naked, he had no room to worry about decency; debating propriety with corpses would be sheer madness.

There was also a strange mark on his palm, but now was not the time to examine it closely. The most pressing matter was to get moving—at these subzero temperatures, in a broken, drafty ice shelter, carelessness meant certain death.

As he tried to stand, Lin Zhan grimaced in pain: a patch of his right leg’s skin had frozen to a soldier’s metal armor. With a yank, a piece of flesh remained stuck to the black breastplate.

He sucked in a breath, hunched over, and, bracing himself on the frozen earth, performed a distorted set of military calisthenics to get his blood flowing. Blowing on his hands, he sized up the bodies—he had to find clothes that fit, or he’d freeze to death before even stepping outside.

After much effort, he managed to strip two soldiers and layer their clothing onto himself: two inner garments, two sets of leather armor, and finally a suit of metal armor. Apart from his mismatched buzz cut, he now looked like an ancient soldier himself. Though moving was awkward, at least it kept him barely warm.

He finally found a helmet of some unknown material. Tapping it with the back of a knife produced a dull thud—it was impossible to tell how protective it was. He tore a strip from another soldier’s clothing and stuffed it inside the helmet for comfort, then fashioned makeshift gloves and socks from sleeves and tried on a pair of boots. Now, at last, he was armored from head to toe.

Surveying the small ice cave, Lin Zhan felt a pang of guilt. These soldiers had likely dug this shelter to escape a blizzard—a refuge that might have saved them. But his abrupt arrival had breached the roof, sealing their fate.

“I’m truly sorry, I didn’t mean to. I don’t even know why I ended up here. Please, don’t haunt me in the afterlife!” He gathered their bodies together, hoping they might find warmth in another world.

While moving them, he also collected their weapons.

Five broadswords, three long spears, and two sets of bows and crossbows. Besides weapons, there were various bottles and jars containing black pellets, over a dozen translucent black stones, and other mysterious items.

The soldiers’ attire and equipment stirred a storm of disbelief in Lin Zhan’s heart. This had to be another world.

He climbed through the breach in the ice dome and poked his head outside. A recent blizzard had blanketed everything in white. In the distance, a colossal city wall loomed—so grand it seemed to split heaven and earth, with no end in sight, neither at its peak nor along its flanks.

“A giant wall!” he exclaimed. Such a structure belonged only in fantasy novels or movies; the sight dazzled him. The wall bore terrifying claw marks and ruins of collapse—if not caused by enormous beasts, what else could explain such destruction?

“How strange—this seems familiar!” Uncertain of his whereabouts, the endless white wall struck a chord within him. “Is this Snow City? Have I entered that miniature world? I…”

“Hey, you! Get out here—now!” A crisp female voice snapped from above. Lin Zhan looked up, startled, to find an unusual weapon pointed at his head.

Its owner was a striking young woman in military attire, her blade glowing with a faint red light. She was the first living person Lin Zhan had seen in this world—an immense relief. Even if she’d been ugly, she’d have been preferable to some monster, let alone someone with the looks of a campus beauty.

She seemed momentarily astonished by the red glow on her blade, her face lighting with brief delight before she barked, “What are you gawking at, fool? I mean you—move! The snow’s stopped, the Qin Army is to assemble immediately. Disobey and you’ll be executed!”

Startled, Lin Zhan lost his footing and tumbled back into the ice cave. He quickly shouted, “I’m coming out, right away!”

He grabbed a discarded garment, bundled all the items he’d scavenged into it, tied it securely on his back, stuck a broadsword at his left hip, slung the newest crossbow at his right, and strapped the quiver to his thigh. On second thought, he also picked up a spear before climbing out through the breach, presenting himself before the young woman.

He now saw other surviving soldiers emerging from various hiding places, all in equally wretched condition.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—suddenly a series of piercing whistles split the air, like skyrockets. Lin Zhan stared in amazement at the impossible sight above him: figures, their robes billowing, were flying through the air from every direction, soaring overhead toward a common destination. Some were men, some women—some with gentle, scholarly faces, others fierce and menacing, still others astride terrifying beasts.

Unbelievable—people flying in the sky! There were even celestial maidens! Too wild! Lin Zhan wanted to jump up and shout in excitement.

“Hey, kid, what are you gawking at? Get over here and fall in!” the young woman snapped.

“Uh…” Lin Zhan realized he was the only one staring dumbly at the sky, while everyone else seemed to find the flying people perfectly normal. “Damn, this is my first time seeing such a spectacle, can’t I admire it for a moment? Why all the yelling? I don’t even think I’m really part of your Qin Army anyway.”

Grumbling inwardly, he knew better than to resist in these circumstances—staying alive was all that mattered.

“Brother, over here!” A sturdy-looking youth in the ranks waved him over, signaling for him to join.

Once Lin Zhan was beside him, the youth whispered, “No need to envy those who can fly. When we reach Blazing Ice Mountain, the sects might pick us out, and we could become cultivators like them.”

Lin Zhan nodded, thinking, “Who knows if I’ll be that lucky.” In a strange world, he knew better than to trust anyone easily.

At the front of the formation, the young woman stood silently, tears glimmering in her eyes. Beside her, a frail scholar with a square scarf on his head coughed a few times before stepping forward.

“Brave warriors of the Qin family, General Meng has fallen honorably. Now only the Third Young Lady remains. While the Qin Lord still lived, we swore to protect her with our lives. Now that he and General Meng are gone, do you still remember your blood oath?”

“We remember!” the others roared in unison, making Lin Zhan jump and shudder. Yet, somehow, he felt a little warmer.