Afterward, Yin Yi and Yin Er circled the tent several times but found nothing.
"Yin Er, there's nothing around but snow. Are you sure you didn't dream it?" Yin Yi asked, full of doubt.
"Yin Yi, something really threw snowballs at me. Look, there are still a few intact snowballs where I was sitting," Yin Er said anxiously.
Hearing Yin Er's words, Yin Yi glanced at the snowballs on Yin Er's cushion, which immediately made him frown.
"Let's not report this to the Prince and Princess yet. We'll report it after we've figured out what that thing causing trouble in the dark is. I'll stay with you outside for the latter half of the night," Yin Yi said.
Upon hearing this, Yin Er nodded in agreement.
Then, Yin Er took out his blanket from his tent, and they sat back-to-back until dawn. During the latter half of the night, the hidden entity in the dark did not throw any more snowballs at Yin Er.
The next morning, everyone woke up early. Leng Ruoli heated milk and bread from her system space for everyone as breakfast.
After everyone finished eating, they packed up their tents and continued their climb. The higher Leng Ruoli and her group climbed, the deeper the snow, the steeper the slope, the colder the temperature, and the stronger the wind became.
"Everyone, stay close and avoid getting separated!" Leng Ruoli reminded them as they walked.
Despite this, everyone kept falling, especially Chu Mingxuan, who fell the most, stumbling almost every two steps. Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan fell the least.
As they climbed, no one noticed a furry thing following them from behind.
Ten days later, in the afternoon, Leng Ruoli and her group finally reached the mountainside of Tianyun Mountain. It had been an arduous journey.
That night, Leng Ruoli personally cooked a pot of hot beef and egg noodles for everyone. Everyone ate heartily, except for Yin Yi, who ate with a furrowed brow as his stomach rumbled continuously, "Grumble, grumble..." This immediately caught the attention of Leng Ruoli, Jun Mohan, and the others. They all stared intently at Yin Yi.
"Yin Yi, is your stomach not feeling well?" Leng Ruoli asked caringly.
"No, no, it's nothing, Princess Consort," Yin Yi stammered.
He was too embarrassed to say that he had caught a chill while on guard duty at night, causing him stomach discomfort.
"Yin Yi, if you feel unwell in any way, you must tell me, understand?" Leng Ruoli asked caringly.
"Princess Consort, I'm really fine. My stomach is just a bit bloated from eating too much. I'm going to find a secluded spot to relieve myself, and I'll be fine when I get back," Yin Yi said, blushing and awkwardly scratching his head, smiling at Leng Ruoli.
"Then go quickly and come back. Remember to bring your flashlight, and be careful on the way," Leng Ruoli instructed in a gentle tone.
Leng Ruoli's words deeply touched Yin Yi.
"Thank you for your reminder, Princess Consort. This subordinate will be careful," Yin Yi replied respectfully to Leng Ruoli.
He then turned and left their camp.
After Yin Yi left, Leng Ruoli and the others continued to eat their beef and egg noodles.
However, later, when Leng Ruoli, Jun Mohan, and the other five had finished eating, they realized Yin Yi had not returned. Everyone's hearts were filled with worry.
So, Leng Ruoli asked Yin Chen and Yin Er to go and see where Yin Yi had gone. As a result, out of the three of them, only Yin Er ran back.
"Prince, Princess Consort, Yin Yi is missing. Commander Yin Chen fell into a deep snow pit. I can't pull him out by myself," Yin Er said, scrambling back, his face full of anxiety.
"Yin Er, don't worry. Lead us there first," Leng Ruoli said calmly.
Yin Er nodded and immediately led Leng Ruoli, Jun Mohan, and Chu Mingxuan to a snow pit. Shortly after, the three followed Yin Er to the top of a snow pit.
"Prince, Princess Consort, Commander Yin Chen fell into this deep snow pit."
Yin Er pointed at the deep snow pit in front of him with his flashlight.
"Yin Chen, Yin Chen, are you in there?" Leng Ruoli called out Yin Chen's name repeatedly while standing on top of the snow pit.
"Princess Consort, I am below you in this snow pit," Yin Yi replied loudly from the bottom of the snow pit.
"Okay, I understand. Are you injured? I'll throw a rope down to you. Grab it tightly, and we'll pull you up," Leng Ruoli said.
Then, she estimated the depth of the snow pit and immediately took out a safety rope nearly twenty-five meters long from her system space. She tied a knot at one end and threw it into the snow pit, while Leng Ruoli and the other three held onto the other end together.
"Yin Chen, if you've grabbed the rope, give me a sound."
Leng Ruoli said this to Yin Chen at the bottom of the deep snow pit.
"Princess Consort, this subordinate has grabbed the rope."
"Alright, hold on tight, and we'll all pull you up together."
Then, Leng Ruoli shouted, "One, two, three, lift..."
The Prince and Princess Consort, Chu Mingxuan, and Yin Er all strained, slowly pulling Yin Chen up from the deep pit.
Fortunately, Jun Mohan and the other two were martial artists with great strength; otherwise, it would have been difficult to pull Yin Chen up.
Because they were all standing on the slippery snow, they couldn't find anything to brace themselves against, and Yin Chen, being over ten meters deep in the snow pit, couldn't use his Qinggong to fly up.
If he moved even slightly at the bottom of the snow pit, the surrounding snow would collapse, potentially burying him alive. Even when Leng Ruoli and the others were pulling Yin Chen up with the rope, the four of them kept a safe distance from the edge of the snow pit, worried that it might collapse suddenly.
After a few minutes, Leng Ruoli and the other three finally managed to pull Yin Chen out of the snow pit.
Upon coming out, Yin Chen immediately cupped his fists and bowed to Leng Ruoli, Jun Mohan, and the other four to express his gratitude.
"Alright, Yin Chen, it's good that you're alright. Have you found any trace of Yin Yi?" Leng Ruoli asked with some unease.
"Princess Consort, this subordinate also did not see Yin Yi before falling into this deep snow pit," Yin Chen said sheepishly.
"It's okay, we'll look for him together," Leng Ruoli comforted him.
Then, she shone her flashlight all around the snowy mountain. This area was characterized by sheer snow peaks, making the terrain extremely dangerous, where even a slight disturbance could trigger an avalanche.
Yin Yi had likely encountered an avalanche and been buried by snow.
"Jun Mohan, can your nose detect Yin Yi's scent?" Leng Ruoli asked, looking at Jun Mohan.
"The temperature here is too low, and the wind is strong. Even if his scent were here, I wouldn't be able to detect it accurately," Jun Mohan said, frowning slightly.
"Then let's hurry and find Yin Yi. Yin Yi might have been buried in the snow by an avalanche," Leng Ruoli said with a serious expression.