The whole family was brutally murdered? The ruthless heiress's eldest daughter went berserk aft

"Don't move!" Zhang Jing's voice suddenly rang out. "Madam, slowly shift your weight to your right foot!"

Murong Xuewei held her breath, carefully adjusting her posture. The snow beneath her feet crackled softly; every movement could trigger disaster.

"Grab it!" Lan'er drew her longsword and offered the hilt to Murong Xuewei. Just as Murong Xuewei was about to grasp the hilt, the snow beneath her feet suddenly collapsed entirely.

At the critical moment, Zhang Jing leaped forward, grabbed Murong Xuewei's wrist, and pulled her up. The two landed heavily on the solid rock, panting heavily.

"Thank you, Dr. Zhang." Murong Xuewei forced herself to stand up and looked at Gu Ye, who was coughing. "We need to hurry."

"Wait!" Zhang Jing suddenly focused his gaze on the distance. "Something's not right..."

The distant rumbling suddenly intensified, not only because the snow above was collapsing, but the entire mountain seemed to be shaking.

"It's a chain reaction!" Zhang Jing's expression changed drastically. "Quickly, get into the cave! Everyone, go in immediately!"

Everyone raced against time to retreat deeper into the cave. The last guard had barely stepped inside when a massive wave of snow crashed down, instantly sealing the entrance.

The cave was pitch black, with only the sound of panting coming from all directions. Fortunately, everyone was prepared and quickly lit torches.

"Dr. Zhang, Gu Ye, he..." Murong Xuewei asked anxiously.

Zhang Jing was already checking on Gu Ye's condition: "The violent movement just now accelerated the spread of the toxin, so we must give him a sedative as soon as possible." As he spoke, he took out a small porcelain bottle from his medicine pouch.

"This cave...is there no other way out?" Lan'er asked, holding a torch and looking around. "We're trapped here."

While feeding Gu Ye his medicine, Zhang Jing said, "Being temporarily trapped is actually a good thing. This avalanche is no ordinary event; it has likely altered the entire mountain's terrain. Going out now would be even more dangerous."

Murong Xuewei held Gu Ye's cold hand and said softly, "Let's find a way out after the blizzard has completely stopped and the snow has settled."

"Madam... I'm sorry..." Gu Ye said weakly, "I've dragged everyone down..."

"Don't talk nonsense," Murong Xuewei interrupted him, her voice slightly choked. "You focus on recovering; leave the rest to me."

Zhang Jing inspected the snow sealing the cave entrance: "It's stable for now, there won't be a collapse. But the temperature will keep dropping, we need to find a way to keep warm."

“I’ll clear out an area,” Lan’er suggested, “where we can start a fire to keep warm.”

Just then, a strange wind blew from the depths of the cave, seemingly carrying with it a faint fragrance...

“This smell…” Zhang Jing suddenly stood up, his expression grave as he gazed into the depths of the cave. “Could it be…”

"Silence." Zhang Jing suddenly lowered his voice. "Put out all the torches."

Although the group didn't understand why, they quickly followed the instructions. In the darkness, the faint fragrance became more pronounced, mixed with a unique animalistic scent.

"There's something there," Lan'er said softly. "Ahead..."

By the faint light seeping in from the cave entrance, the group could vaguely make out a huge white figure huddled up in front of them. The figure rose and fell slightly with each breath, each exhale bringing out a warm stream of air.

“A snow bear,” Zhang Jing said solemnly, “and a giant snow bear of an extremely rare size.”

Murong Xuewei's heart raced. She had heard legends of the Arctic snow bear. These creatures possessed immense strength, said to be able to shatter thick layers of ice with a single swipe. And the one before her was clearly hibernating.

"What do we do?" Lan'er asked softly. "We're trapped here."

Zhang Jing observed carefully for a while, then suddenly his eyes lit up: "Wait...look next to it."

Following his gaze, everyone saw several plants emitting a faint glow growing on the rock face beside the snow bear. The leaves of these plants were a pale silvery-white, shimmering like stars in the darkness.

"Snow Lotus!" Murong Xuewei almost exclaimed in surprise, "It really is a snow lotus!"

“No wonder there are such large snow bears here,” Zhang Jing explained in a low voice. “The spiritual energy of the snow lotus attracts powerful spiritual beasts to inhabit this place. These snow bears are probably guarding these snow lotuses.”

"But..." Murong Xuewei looked at the sleeping snow bear, then at the snow lotus so close by, and was caught in a dilemma.

“I have a way.” Zhang Jing took a small cloth bag from his medicine pouch. “This contains spices that can lull wild beasts to sleep. As long as we proceed with caution, we should be able to…”

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Ye suddenly began to cough violently. The sound was particularly jarring in the silent cave.

The snow bear's ears twitched.

Everyone held their breath.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

The snow bear slowly opened its eyes.

Two eerie eyes gleamed, appearing particularly terrifying in the darkness. It slowly raised its head, its gaze meeting Murong Xuewei's terrified eyes.

"Roar--!"

A deafening roar instantly filled the entire cave. The snow bear suddenly stood up, its body almost touching the cave ceiling, its massive shadow enveloping everyone.

"Back off!" Zhang Jing shouted, simultaneously scattering a packet of powder at the snow bear. But the enraged beast merely sneezed and pounced on them even more ferociously...

"Spread out!" Murong Xuewei ordered decisively. "Lan'er, protect Gu Ye!"

The snow bear slammed its paw against the nearest rock wall, shaking the entire cave and sending rocks raining down. Its massive body stood in front of the snow lotus, its icy blue eyes flashing with furious light.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Zhang Jing shouted, scattering a packet of powder at the snow bear. But the enraged beast merely sneezed and charged at them even more ferociously.

The snow piled up at the cave entrance collapsed with a roar from the snow bear, and a biting wind, mixed with snowflakes, howled in. The snow bear swung its massive paws, swatting away the two guards who were blocking its way.

"Retreat to the cave entrance!" Murong Xuewei shouted as she retreated. But the snow bear's attacks were too fierce, and the group fought and retreated, soon being forced to the edge of the cliff.

"Your Majesty, here..." Lan'er looked down into the abyss in terror, with a howling wind whipping up snowflakes below.

"There's no way out." Zhang Jing gripped his sword tightly, his expression grave.

Just then, Gu Ye suddenly coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Stimulated by the smell of blood, the snow bear became even more ferocious and pounced on them.

"Watch out!" Murong Xuewei instinctively lunged at Gu Ye, trying to protect him.

But the snow bear's strength was too great; its pounce shattered the entire rock ledge. With a chilling cracking sound, the ground beneath their feet collapsed.

"lady!"

“My Queen!”

The shouts were drowned out by the howling wind and snow. Murong Xuewei felt herself suddenly lifted into the air, the whole world spinning. She instinctively hugged Gu Ye tightly, feeling Zhang Jing and Lan'er trying to grab them as well.

As she fell, she vaguely saw a snow bear standing on the edge of the cliff, letting out a mournful cry. The snow lotuses, emitting a faint glow, seemed so unattainable at that moment.

"Hold on tight!" Zhang Jing's voice rang out in the wind. "There's a snow slope ahead!"

Murong Xuewei felt a strong hand pull her back, followed by a series of tumbling motions. The thick snow slowed her descent, but the violent impact still left her almost unconscious.

After an unknown amount of time, everything finally came to a stop.

Murong Xuewei barely opened her eyes and found herself trapped in deep snow. She struggled to sit up and saw Lan'er and Zhang Jing not far away, while Gu Ye lay unconscious in her arms.

"Are they... still alive?" Zhang Jing's voice rang out hoarsely.