Chapter 400: A pretty good mood (1/2)
Chapter 400: A pretty good mood
Fishery Island was a miraculous place. The entire island was shaped like a circle, and beyond the outer ring of beaches was a perimeter of forests that surrounded its most mystical point, the Illusory Sea Lake. Baili Mingxiang led the way while swaddled up in her thick fox fur cloak. She had done research into the lake before, and even came here a few times on her own. Naturally, she knew where to find fisheyes.
Han Yunxi and Long Feiye were right behind her, where the latter had somehow grasped her hand again. This seemed to have turned into a habit for him. General Baili brought up the rear with a team of fishermen and attendants, and the entire group made their way through the forest.
“It really is mysterious. Although it’s the middle of winter, the plants here are flourishing. If that’s the case, why would the lake up ahead be frozen in ice?” Han Yunxi asked.
This island was located near the north as well, so it was perfectly normal to have a frozen lake in winter. But the flourishing green forest was another matter. Han Yunxi discovered that she couldn’t make sense of the situation at all with her common knowledge. Baili Mingxiang was about to explain when Long Feiye beat her to it. “This entire island works outside of logic.”
Fine, something like that could explain away all irregularities.
“That doesn’t answer the question at all,” Han Yunxi whispered to herself. Still, she slowly found it an acceptable explanation. There were plenty of inexplicable phenomenon that existed in nature to begin with, after all. After walking for a bit, Han Yunxi adjusted her cloak, feeling a bit cold. Aside from the wind, the temperatures hadn’t felt much different until now.
Her movement attracted Long Feiye’s attention, who lowered his voice to ask, “Cold?”
“I’m alright,” Han Yunxi’s fox fur cloak was still enough to keep out the chill, and her palms were still warm. Long Feiye didn’t reply, but pulled her into his embrace until she was standing by his side. Now she truly wasn’t cold. This fellow has a cold personality, but his body’s quite warm. So comfy.
“How cold is this Illusory Sea Lake?” Han Yunxi asked with interest.
“The entire lake starts freezing over near the second half of the year. The ice is about three feet thick, and any water scattered on its surface immediately freezes up. That’s why any fish we catch can be frozen instantly and kept fresh for up to half a year.” Once again, it was Long Feiye who replied.
All of the subordinates under Long Feiye’s command knew that the taciturn Duke of Qin was quite talkative when it came to esteemed wangfei.
“That’s so convenient. No wonder you’d come here to find food!” Fishery Island wasn’t very far from the disaster regions either, so if they delivered the fish while the weather was still cold, it’d definitely arrive fresh. Fish meat could be eaten right then and there or preserved for future use. It could also be cooked with various vegetables and plants, as well as the limited supplies of grain, to make a meal, thus saving grain overall. For the disaster victims, this would definitely be a boon.
The more Han Yunxi thought about this, the more expectations she held. If possible, she’d take back a giant boat of fish right now to make the people happier. At the same time, it’d stifled Emperor Tianhui’s spirits. As the wind rose again, cold blasts of air from the frozen lake blew painfully against their faces.
“Can you bear it?” Long Feiye asked.
The woman in his arms wasn’t a spoiled sort to start with; moreover, with him shielding her, what was a little chill like this?
“It’s fine,” Even Han Yunxi’s heart was warm! Meanwhile, Baili Mingxiang kept at the head, her hands clutching her cloak as she bowed her head and listened to the conversation behind her. Despite her silence, an uncontrollable sense of misery rose up in her heart. She was the one who was truly cold! Her body was weak to begin with, so it couldn’t stand cold temperatures. Despite standing right in front of His Highness Duke of Qin, the man had no eyes for her at all.
General Baili’s estate and all its residents were all willing to sell their lives for His Highness Duke of Qin’s sake, so none of them had ever spared her an extra glance. Now she was doing the same, but he still couldn’t see her. He would be the same regardless of whether or not she existed. That’s why she didn’t compete for his attention. She knew all the well that it wouldn’t make any differences, so she always kept silent. That kind of vain struggle would only leave a person hopeless.
As they drew closer to the lake, the winds grew stronger. Baili Mingxiang huddled up into a ball until suddenly, warmth settled over her shoulders. She unconsciously looked back and discovered that Han Yunxi had already reached her side and covered her in a large, fine down cloak.
“I figured your fox fur cloak wouldn’t be enough,” Han Yunxi said as she covered Baili Mingxiang’s chilly ears with her hands, warming them up in her palms before putting up a warm fur hood.
“Originally, I wanted you to stay in the cold a bit until you got used to the temperature. This way, it won’t be too much of a shock when you go to the Illusory Sea Lake later. But as things stand, I think it’s better to bundle up first.”