HBWnovel Chapter 141 Entering Beixiao City
Chapter 141 Entering Beixiao City
After seven days of wandering, Ning Xiaoxi finally saw the former largest city in the northern border - Beixiao City in the distance.
On the vast, boundless ice plains of this far north, Beixiao City stands silently, like a giant guarding the ends of the earth.
To the west of the city rises a towering, continuous mountain range, resembling a sleeping dragon, its massive body stretching endlessly. The mountaintops are perpetually covered in snow and ice, gleaming with a cool, serene light under the sun. The steep peaks pierce the clouds, shrouded in mist, giving them a sacred and majestic feel.
The mountain is dotted with jagged rocks and sheer cliffs. Waterfalls, frozen in the frigid cold, have formed enormous icicles, like works of art sculpted by nature. As the weather warms, the surfaces of the icicles show signs of melting, revealing hollows and perforations, carving them into ice palaces. Sunlight shines upon them, creating rising mists and refracting light that creates a dreamlike, beautiful spectacle in mid-air.
To the east of the city, a thick city wall, hundreds of meters high, stretches as far as the eye can see. It is said that the East China Sea coast lies thirty miles away, its ice-free waters teeming with strange fish and beasts. Perhaps one could visit and see for oneself what this sea of demons is like.
As the reindeer approached, a gradual flow of people began to appear.
Ning Xiaoxi chose a secluded spot, patted the reindeer that had followed her all the way, said her final goodbye, and then let it go home.
Clear paths began to appear in the snow and ice. People dressed in thick fur clothing, wearing hats that covered their heads and faces, and covering their mouths and noses with cotton cloths, were becoming increasingly numerous—gray, black, and white humanoid bear figures. In contrast, Xiang Ning Xiaoxi, dressed only in a single, fairly thick set of cotton-padded clothes—looking like she was dressed for two seasons compared to the other pedestrians—did stand out.
Ning Xiaoxi didn't care what others thought of her and started walking towards the south gate of Beixiao City with the flow of people.
Beixiao City, once the largest border city, truly possessed the grandeur and magnificence of a classic icefield city. Looking at the city walls drawing ever closer, Ning Xiaoxi couldn't help but sigh in admiration!
The city wall, constructed of massive, thick rocks, rises hundreds of meters high. The neatly cut gray stones are arranged so precisely that even upon close inspection, only a faint crack is visible; from a distance, the entire wall appears as a single, solid rock. Watchtowers atop the wall pierce the sky, overlooking the surrounding landscape.
The city gate is even more magnificent, with ancient runes and defensive patterns carved on the huge blue stone panels, as if telling the story of the city's long history.
On the city walls, the guards stood tall and their gazes were unwavering. Clad in heavy leather armor and wielding sharp spears, they remained steadfast in their resolve to protect the city, despite the biting wind that stung their faces. Their figures appeared exceptionally heroic against the icy landscape, each one like an insurmountable fortress.
This is no longer the border, yet these soldiers are still so dedicated to their posts, each one looking so heroic. It seems that the King of Youzhou has a very strong ability to govern!
When queuing to enter the city, the guards only checked whether anyone was carrying a weapon, and then the resident Taoist priests tested their aura. They could pass through very quickly.
Ning Xiaoxi's gaze fell on the resident Celestial Master, who was clearly dressed in the robes of a Celestial Official. The test was simple: he inscribed a tracking talisman on the stone slab in front of him. If there was demonic or evil energy, it would turn red or black; otherwise, there would be no color change.
However, in her opinion, this measure could only deter minor demons and monsters; mid-level and higher-ranking demons and monsters wouldn't be able to enter the city through the gates. Besides, sensing the almost non-existent spiritual energy in the cold air, she couldn't absorb much spiritual power herself, let alone those minor demons and monsters.
As she passed the official, Ning Xiaoxi didn't waste any time and handed him the jade token belonging to the Heavenly Secrets official. When the official opened his eyes wide and was about to greet her, Ning Xiaoxi told him to just register; she was just passing through and going into the city for a visit.
After retrieving the jade token, she stepped through the city gate under the warm gaze of her subordinates. The gate was a full hundred meters deep, similar to the gates of other royal cities she had seen. It seemed that only the special nature of this place allowed for the construction of such a large gate; otherwise, a single violation would have cost the city lord his head.
The buildings in the city are arranged in a staggered pattern, mostly constructed of heavy stone. The gray stone houses look sturdy and warm. Wooden houses with pointed roofs stand in a row, and the snow on the roofs, reflected in the sunlight, resembles blooming white lotus flowers. Smoke rises from the chimneys of each house, creating a unique landscape in this icy land.
The city of Beixiao, covered in ice and snow, was bustling with activity.
The city's streets crisscross, lined with shops. Each shop's entrance displays unique and lifelike ice sculptures, which serve as distinctive shop signs.
In front of the fur shop, there is an ice sculpture of a majestic snow bear. Its limbs are thick and strong, its fur seems to be flowing in the wind, and its sharp claws and teeth are clearly visible. It seems to be about to pounce on its prey at any moment, which makes people think of the high-quality fur products in the shop at a glance.
The ice sculpture at the entrance of the spice shop is a merchant ship setting sail. The ship is exquisitely carved, and the sails seem to flutter gently in the breeze. Small ice-carved boxes are piled on the ship, seemingly filled with precious spices from all over the world. The ice sculpture emits a faint, cold light, as if telling the extraordinary journey of the spices across mountains and rivers to reach this place.
In front of a seafood shop stands a giant ice sculpture of a whale, its mouth wide open as if it were breathing and spouting water at the surface of the sea. The crystal-clear ice body reveals every texture on the whale's body, and it is surrounded by various ice sculptures of small fish and shrimp, which are so lifelike that people can't help but stop and admire them, and also look forward to the fresh seafood in the shop.
This was the first time Ning Xiaoxi had ever seen a seafood shop. Looking at the lifelike whale carvings, she couldn't help but enter the shop.
The shop has five storefronts, and unlike other shops that have curtains to cover the entrance, this one is open. Shelves are placed along the walls on both sides, and the shelves are first covered with a layer of hard ice. The ice is crystal clear and almost free of impurities. Piles of various kinds of fish are neatly arranged on the ice, and you can even see the shadows cast inside the ice, which looks novel and unique.
Along the wall facing the entrance, there are four stacked ice tanks, with live fish swimming inside.
Ning Xiaoxi couldn't help but approach a small ice tank in the middle. This ice tank was very peculiar, as transparent as crystal, allowing her to clearly see the fish in the water.
Then, a pair of adorable fish eyes met Ning Xiaoxi's.
Then, Ning Xiaoxi heard a delicate cry: "Help!"