Stranger Danger

Fifteen kilometers to the west of Mirror Lake City, there existed a mountain that was over hundreds of meters tall. Its cliffs were as sheer as blades, and its peak was covered in snow all year long.

At the peak of the mountain was a lake. The lake water was pure blue like the sky and as clear as a mirror, which was why the lake was named the Mirror Lake, and the mountain was named the Mirror Lake Peak.

The magical thing about Mirror Lake was its immutability. Its water did not ice over even during the coldest winter, nor did it dry during the hottest summer.

Even stranger, those who drank just one mouthful from Mirror Lake would become healthy and immune to all diseases. It was why Mirror Lake came to be worshiped by some herdsmen and civilians as a sacred lake. They all claimed that the lake was inhabited by a god.

Every year, many herdsmen and civilians would travel to Mirror Lake Peak to make an offering no matter the distance. They would scale its peak, drink from the lake, and pray to the god of Mirror Lake for protection, health, and fortune.

Besides that, there were plenty of natural treasures at the Mirror Lake Peak such as Snow Lotuses, Snow Ginsengs and more. All the more reason to visit it.

That said, Mirror Lake Peak was extremely steep and constantly covered in ice and snow. Even a skillful warrior might lose their step and fall to their deaths—not that the risk of death was good enough to stop the greedy and needy, of course. The flood of moths who flocked to the flames were constant and neverending.

Right now, one such group was enduring the wind and snow and scaling the Mirror Lake Peak.

They were a group of five men and one woman. Or more accurately, five adult men and one little girl.

The five men were tall, muscular, and wrapped in thick sheepskin. The little girl was only eleven or twelve and clad in thin, tattered clothing. As a result, her hair and eyebrows were completely covered in ice, her complexion was pale white, her lips were blue, her fingers were cracked, and her knees wobbled beneath her like unwieldy stools. She looked like she might be blown away by the wind and snow at any moment.

And yet, for whatever reason, the little girl did not falter. She trailed at the end of the group, but she never fell behind.

The man in front of her looked back. The little girl’s fingers were bright red from how cold it was, and she looked like she was barely clinging to consciousness. Despite this, she stubbornly clung to the ice and rock and pushed against the snowstorm. He couldn’t help but say, “Li'l Ah Man, this trip is far too dangerous for you. You should go back.”

The little girl replied through chattering teeth, “I can’t. Mama is sick, and only the water of the sacred lake can save her. I must get to the top and bring the water back for mama.”

Her voice was weak, but also pure and stubborn.

“Our harvest spot is right ahead of us, and we won’t be continuing any further. There is no way you can make it alone.”

The man shook his head and tried to persuade her, “You should head back, Li’l Ah Man.”

The group of men were ginseng harvesters. As they frequented Mirror Lake Peak all year long to harvest Snow Ginsengs, they were extremely familiar with the terrain. That was why they knew better than anyone just how dangerous and scary Mirror Lake Peak was.

The closer one got to the peak, the greater the dangers became. Forget the snowstorm or occasional avalanches that could crush hills and bury rivers, the sheer, impossibly smooth cliffs alone were usually enough to stop most people dead in their tracks.

Take them, veteran ginseng harvesters who frequented Mirror Lake Peak all long, for example. Despite their skill and experience, they had never climbed up to the peak before. They knew they wouldn’t make it.

The reason they came today was like any other day they visited Mirror Lake Peak: to harvest Snow Ginsengs. They had run into Li’l Ah Man at the foot of the mountain.

They pitied the girl and were unwilling to depress her further than she already was. So, they allowed her to follow behind them. In their minds, the little girl would surely realize that there was no way she was making up to the peak and retreat.

But not only did the little girl somehow hang on, she had not cried out in pain or exhaustion even once. Despite being exhausted and covered in wounds, she never complained or even shed a single tear. She just gritted her teeth and pushed on with everything she got.

However, a human could only push themselves so much. Anyone who wasn’t blind could tell that the little girl had reached her limits be it in terms of body or spirit. If she continued further, she would die.

There were rules ginseng harvesters obeyed in order to stay alive in a harsh environment like this. One of them was ignoring the predicament of any stranger they ran into on their journey. Here, all a bleeding heart would earn you was death.

However, every single one of them was touched by this innocent, kind, and tenacious little girl. Try as they might, they just could not see her walk to her death without doing anything.

Li’l Ah Man shook her head stubbornly. “Li’l Ah Man will be fine. Li’l Ah Man must climb to the top and bring the sacred lake’s water back to mama.”

“You stubborn girl!” A man uttered in frustration. “Don’t you know that you’re going to die at this rate? Aren’t you afraid of death?”

Li’l Ah Man fell silent when she heard this. Realizing that his tone was a little too harsh, the man was about to apologize when Li’l Ah Man looked up with a smile on her face. “Uncle Ah Yi, I know you’re just worried for Li’l Ah Man, but Li’l Ah Man isn’t scared of the snow or death. Li’l Ah Man is only scared that she will never see mama again. That is why Li’l Ah Man must make it to the top. It is the only way.”

Li’l Ah Man took a few steps forward so she could face the group of five. Then, she gave them a bow and said, “Thank you for taking care of me for the past few days, Uncle Ah Yi, Uncle Hong, Uncle Shi, Uncle Mu, Uncle Zhao. Li’l Ah Man is most grateful. Li’l Ah Man will never forget you all.”

“Sigh… do as you wish.”

They all felt horrible seeing Li’l Ah Man’s pure, innocent, and sincere smile. They knew that she would not be coming back from this journey. However, they could not stop her, much less lend her a hand.

They knew that the little girl was pitiful, and they all wanted to help her. However, they would have to risk their lives to do so, and that was the one thing they couldn’t give up on. The little girl risked her life scaling the Mirror Lake Peak to save her mama, but they were in the same boat. Why did they brave the dangers of Mirror Lake Peak again and again? It was for their father, their mother, their wife and their children, of course. Their lives belonged not just to themselves, but their family.

No matter how much they pitied the little girl, no matter how much they desired to help her, they could not risk losing their family, and their family could not risk losing them.

It wasn’t because they didn’t want to help her. They simply couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Losing sight of what was important because of a moment’s passion would only result in tragedy for everyone, not to mention they weren’t sure if they could make it to the peak to begin with.

Finally, they were strangers. They had neither the right nor the power to stop the little girl. Just as it was their decision to abandon the little to her fate, it was the little girl’s decision to scale the mountains even if it would most likely result in her death.

“In that case, we won’t try to change your mind anymore. We have faith that you will make it to the peak and retrieve the sacred lake’s water, Li’l Ah Man.”

If they could neither help nor stop her, then they could only pray for her success.

“Mm! Li’l Ah Man will retrieve the sacred lake’s water!” Li’l Ah Man nodded strongly.

One man smiled. “May your journey be smooth, Li’l Ah Man.”

“You too, uncles.”

Li’l Ah Man returned a grin that was pure and warm.

Li’l Ah Man and the five men were just about to bid each other goodbye when suddenly, the Mirror Lake Peak shook once. Then, a thunderous rumble came from the peak, loud and fierce.

Just when the six people were wondering what was going on, the snow covering the peak suddenly disappeared to reveal a mighty beast.

The strange beast had a tiger’s head and a horse’s body. A silver horn was growing out of its forehead. Its entire body was covered in flawless azure scales, and its hoofs looked as white as snow. Streams of water were circulating around its body, giving it a mighty and imposing appearance.

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