He was too embarrassed to move again and could only squeeze in next to Yi Wusheng with a funereal expression.

Duan Bi glanced left and right, then also squeezed in next to Ning Huaishan.

It wasn't that he didn't dare to sit opposite them, but squeezing next to Ning Huaishan made it convenient to transmit his voice.

He pressed a finger against Ning Huaishan and transmitted his voice in a way only they could hear: "Did you notice? The City Lord hasn't moved from the start and has been holding that hand warmer the whole time."

Wu Xingxue's Qi was extremely cold, even colder than the Endless Sea, which was sealed in snow for a hundred thousand li. The swords he held would often be covered in a layer of mist. If he pinched your chin, the frost could freeze a path from his fingers all the way to your face.

Others feared him; he had never feared the cold.

How could such a person hold onto a hand warmer without letting go?

Ning Huaishan thought for a moment and transmitted back in the same way, "I was so angry just now, I didn't realize. Thinking about it now... back then, after I escaped the Jiaming Wilderness with my life, the first person I saw upon returning to the Immovable City was the City Lord. He watched my sword wound fester and heal, then fester and heal again."

It's possible he wouldn't remember something from over thirty years ago. But to see the sword wound and have no impression at all was a bit strange.

After getting on the carriage, the two of them became even more certain of their previous thoughts.

***

The carriage didn't stop, traveling for three days and bypassing more than twenty Immortal Sect restrictions, until finally, the shadow of Great Sorrow Valley could be seen in the distance.

Wu Xingxue lifted the window flap for a look and saw a huge, deep valley lying quietly behind the snowy mist. Before the valley entrance was a high cliff like a natural chasm, with a long, narrow suspension bridge hanging from it, leading to the entrance of Great Sorrow Valley.

The chains of the bridge were overgrown with vines, which hung down in varying lengths. At first glance, it seemed that no one had come here for a very, very long time.

But strangely, less than a li from the valley entrance, there was actually an inn.

No, calling it an inn was a bit of an overstatement. At most, it was two large thatched sheds. The front shed was open on all four sides, with only a roof. There were tables and chairs set up inside, which could only block rain falling straight down, not the slanting wind.

The shed behind it, however, looked like a place one could stay for a couple of days.

Right now, there were actually people in that shed.

***

The carriage stopped in front of the thatched shed.

"We're the most familiar with this area of Great Sorrow Valley. We two will go scout the surroundings first and clear out any miscellaneous obstacles, so as not to delay the City Lord's entry into the valley." Ning Huaishan and Duan Bi announced their intentions and went off elsewhere.

Wu Xingxue and the others got out of the carriage and walked toward the shed.

Yi Wusheng, afraid of arousing suspicion, grabbed a long scarf from the carriage used for warmth and wrapped it several times around his neck to hide the black cloth over his mouth and nose. He asked the people sitting in the shed, "Great Sorrow Valley has been sealed for a long time. Why are you all here?"

The people in the shed included three who looked like disciples from an Immortal Sect, though they didn't wear any family crests.

They were very young, their robes fluttering, and they didn't seem to fear the cold in the dead of winter. They stared at the approaching carriage with wary expressions.

The remaining four people looked more like common folk, two men and two women, middle-aged, and dressed in coarse robes and short jackets.

Perhaps for fear of the wind, their hands and feet were tightly bound, thick cotton scarves were wrapped around their necks, their faces were deeply wrinkled, and they even had sores. On the table in front of them were swords and several bowls of hot soupy tea, from which white steam was rising.

One of the women had red eyes, as if she had been crying. Her eyes darted around, sweeping over Yi Wusheng before landing on Wu Xingxue.

Perhaps it was because she saw Yi Wusheng wrapped in a large scarf, much like them. Wu Xingxue, on the other hand, had no weapons on him at all, only a hand warmer, posing no threat.

The woman hesitated for a moment before answering, "We have no choice. We've come to find someone."

"Find someone?" Wu Xingxue asked doubtfully.

"Mhm." The woman nodded and was about to continue, "My two daughters—"

The Immortal Sect disciple beside her coughed and reminded her, "Don't talk too much."

The Great Sorrow Valley area was very sinister. Especially after it was sealed, very few living people came, and the air of death was extremely heavy. The entire deep valley was shrouded in a sorrowful and miserable fog.

"We said it before we came: the people you see here aren't necessarily people," the Immortal Sect disciple emphasized softly.

Wu Xingxue had excellent hearing and heard this clearly. He raised an eyebrow.

He thought to himself, 'There's nothing wrong with that statement. Among us, we have a remnant soul, a reanimated corpse, and an evil demon. None of us are really human.'

He pretended not to hear and walked over to ask, "Since you are all looking for someone, why are you sitting here?"

The Immortal Sect disciple frowned and, after a moment, said, "You've never been to Great Sorrow Valley before?"

Since Ning Huaishan and the others weren't around anyway, Wu Xingxue said, "I have not."

The Immortal Sect disciple said, "No wonder."

"Great Sorrow Valley has been sealed for a long time. Many people haven't been here since and don't know the rules." The Immortal Sect disciple pointed at the bridge and said, "This valley can only be entered at night. After the sun sets, a lamp at the Immortal Temple by the valley entrance will light up. Only when the lamp is lit can you cross the bridge. Otherwise, to step on the bridge is to die."

"What do you mean?" Wu Xingxue glanced toward the bridge.

The woman said softly, "There are things densely packed and lying in wait under that bridge."

"Since it's so dangerous and there are Immortal Sect restrictions along the way, how could anyone stray into it by mistake, requiring a search?" Yi Wusheng asked.

"Because they didn't stray in by mistake." The woman glanced at the Immortal Temple by the valley entrance and then said to Yi Wusheng, "They were Summoned here."

Wu Xingxue heard the sound of a sword moving beside him.

He turned his head and saw Xiao Fuxuan frowning.

"What's wrong?" Wu Xingxue asked.

"Summoned," Xiao Fuxuan repeated in a deep voice. "In the past, there was only one situation where 'Summoned' was used."

"What situation?"

"To receive a Heaven-Bestowed Word and be Summoned to become an Immortal."

Most Immortals achieved their status through cultivation and ascension. There were only a few rare exceptions—those who became Immortals directly at a very young age, without having cultivated.

In the Immortal Capital, this was called a "Heavenly Edict." Those who were Summoned to become Immortals by a "Heavenly Edict" would be given a Heaven-Bestowed Word and would not fall under the jurisdiction of the Twelve Immortals of Lingtai.

From beginning to end, there had only ever been two such people in the Immortal Capital. One of them was Xiao Fuxuan.

So... why would "Summoned," a term belonging to Heaven, appear in Great Sorrow Valley?