Chapter 75: Chapter 75

The storm hit two hours after sunset with the casual violence of nature utterly unconcerned with mortal preparation.

Wind howled through the waystation like a hungry spirit beast searching for weakness. Snow fell so thick visibility dropped to arm’s length. Temperature plummeted to levels where exposed skin burned with cold. The kind of weather that killed quietly, efficiently, without any dramatic flair.

For Core Formation cultivators and above, winter storms were inconvenience rather than threat. Their cultivation allowed internal heat generation, making external cold completely irrelevant. They could fly above weather or use movement techniques like cloud stride to traverse conditions that would kill weaker cultivators. But for Foundation Realm and below, storms were genuine danger requiring proper shelter and common sense.

Hunter stood in the main hall watching forty-eight people huddle around fires. The construction was solid, walls thick enough to withstand most disasters, but even stone groaned under wind determined to find every weakness in their hastily repaired fortress.

"Fires stable?" Hunter asked Han.

"For now. Rotation schedule established. Four-hour watch shifts." Han’s military efficiency showed through exhaustion. "Standard storm protocol. Nobody freezes unless they actively try."

Qiu appeared with his ever-present ledger, somehow managing to look put-together despite apocalyptic weather. "Firewood burn rate acceptable. At current consumption rate, supply lasts two months minimum. We’re stable. Remarkably, impressively stable considering we nearly starved three weeks ago."

"How long until the storm passes?"

"Five to seven days based on pressure patterns and seasonal analysis. We’re only hours into this nightmare. Assume minimum five days before conditions improve enough for travel."

Five days trapped inside with forty-eight people. Hunter could work with five days. Probably. Maybe. If nobody went crazy from cabin fever.

[LUNA] STORM AT PEAK INTENSITY (◕‿◕✿)

[LUNA] PERFECT TIME FOR MANDATORY MISSION

[LUNA] ACTIVATING NOW ♥

Oh no. That tone meant nothing good. Luna’s cheerful announcements usually preceded disasters.

[MANDATORY MISSION ACTIVATED]

[MISSION: WINTER’S MERCY]

[OBJECTIVE: Rescue stranded refugee group caught in storm]

[LOCATION: 2 miles northeast]

[TIME LIMIT: 4 hours before exposure kills them]

[REWARD: Foundation Stabilization Pill (Rare Grade)]

[PENALTY FOR FAILURE: Permanent 20% reduction in cultivation potential]

[PENALTY FOR REFUSAL: Immediate foundation collapse]

[GOOD LUCK! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧]

Hunter’s blood went cold in ways that had nothing to do with the storm outside. Refugees. Two miles northeast. In a killing storm. Four hours until death by exposure. Mission mandatory with foundation collapse as the refusal penalty.

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Because going out into a blizzard with a partially rebuilt foundation and sealed physique wasn’t suicide at all. Two miles in zero visibility. Time limit requiring speed he absolutely didn’t possess. What could possibly go wrong?

"Hunter?" Han noticed his expression shifting from exhausted to horrified. "What’s wrong?"

"There are people out there. Refugees caught in the storm. Two miles northeast. They’ll die in four hours if nobody helps them."

"How do you know?" Qiu looked up sharply, merchant skepticism engaging at full power.

"My mysterious master told me." The lie came easily now, well-practiced after weeks of Luna-induced chaos. "He says I need to rescue them. Now. Another test of character through impossible circumstances. You know, the usual life-threatening nonsense disguised as education."

Silence fell across the hall. Their leader was about to walk into a killing storm with crippled cultivation. This was fine. Everything was fine.

"That’s suicide," Han said bluntly, no sugar coating for terrible ideas. "Two miles in this weather with your foundation state? You’ll suffer qi deviation before you find them. Possibly before you leave the courtyard."

"I don’t have a choice. Refuse and my foundation collapses immediately. Fail and I lose twenty percent cultivation potential permanently. Success is literally the only option that doesn’t end in disaster."

Hunter grabbed cold weather robes hanging near the fire. Multiple layers. Thick outer cloak. Not nearly enough for extended exposure to apocalyptic weather, but better than going out in his regular robes like a complete idiot.

Shadow Step crossed his mind briefly. Two uses still available. Could cover distance faster, maybe shave an hour off the rescue time. But his damaged foundation protested at just the thought. Even sealed and limited, the technique might tear freshly healing meridians. Using it would risk everything Liu Mei had warned about. The walking was safer, if agonizingly slower.

Better slow and functional than fast and permanently crippled. That was just basic math.

"I’m coming," Mingzhu said suddenly. The widow’s pragmatism overrode her very reasonable fear of dying horribly. "You need help carrying injured refugees back. Can’t do it alone. Basic logistics."

"Your foundation is rebuilding too."

"My damage is less severe. One month timeline versus your three. I’m Foundation Realm. I can survive this." She was already preparing, grabbing her own cold weather gear with determined efficiency. "We go together or you waste time arguing while people freeze."

She was right. Hunter hated it, but she was absolutely right.

"Fine. But we follow my lead completely. I say retreat, we retreat immediately. No heroic last stands."

They stepped outside into hell made of ice and wind.

Doors slammed shut behind them with the finality of a coffin lid closing. The sound swallowed instantly by screaming wind.

Visibility was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Complete whiteout where the world ended three feet from his face. Wind screamed like dying spirits. Cold bit through multiple layers of clothing within seconds, finding every gap, every weakness. Hunter’s qi automatically circulated, maintaining body heat against the impossible cold trying to stop his heart.

His partially rebuilt meridians protested immediately. Violently. The strain of temperature regulation while moving through the storm was too much, too fast. His qi flow stuttered like a dying engine.

"Northeast," Hunter shouted over wind that tried to steal his words. "Straight line. Don’t lose sight of me."

They moved forward into the storm. Each step fighting wind determined to push them back, snow trying to bury them, cold attempting to freeze them solid. Hunter’s spiritual sense extended outward desperately, searching for any sign of human life.

His meridians ached with every step, protesting the strain. The seal on his Void Shadow Physique made everything ten times harder. What should have been an easy Foundation Realm journey became a desperate struggle against weather and his own failing body.

One mile covered. Hunter’s meridians felt like they were actively tearing from overuse. His qi flow became erratic, stuttering between functional and disaster.

"How much farther?" Mingzhu shouted, voice nearly lost in wind.

"One more mile. Can you continue?"

"Yes. Meridians holding. Barely."

They pushed forward through conditions that should have killed them already. Pure stubborn determination versus natural disaster. Then finally, his spiritual sense found something.

Human signatures. Weak. Fading fast. Huddled together trying to share rapidly depleting body heat.

"There!" Hunter changed direction, angling northeast.

Seven people emerged from the whiteout like ghosts. Adults and children collapsed in snow, barely moving. Hypothermia well advanced. They had minutes, not hours. Luna’s four-hour estimate had been optimistic at best.

"We need to warm them now," Hunter said, kneeling beside the first refugee. "Channel qi into their bodies. Raise core temperature enough to function."

"That’ll damage our meridians significantly," Mingzhu said, understanding the cost immediately.

"They die otherwise. I’m not explaining to Liu Mei why I let refugees freeze after walking two miles through hell."

They worked quickly despite exhaustion and cold trying to kill them. Hunter channeling qi into unconscious refugees, using his Foundation Realm cultivation to generate warmth. It was crude, inefficient, incredibly dangerous to partially rebuilt meridians. But it worked.

His meridians screamed in protest. Forcing that much qi outward through damaged channels caused immediate internal injury. He felt something tear. A small meridian rupturing from excessive strain, unable to handle the pressure. Hot pain lanced through his chest, sharp and immediate.

The refugees stirred. Consciousness returning slowly to frost-covered faces.

"Can you walk?" Hunter asked the first man who opened his eyes.

"Barely. Who are you?"

"Shadow Rest waystation. We’re taking you to shelter. Stay close. Fall behind and you die. No heroics, no stopping, no exceptions."

Seven refugees. Two cultivators with failing bodies. Two miles back through killing storm. Hunter’s meridians already torn from qi expenditure. The math remained hostile.

They started back. Hunter and Mingzhu supporting the weakest refugees who could barely stand.

Hunter’s internal injuries worsened with each agonizing step. The torn meridian leaked qi with every circulation cycle. His dantian struggled to maintain proper pressure. Foundation cracks that had been slowly healing began spreading like frost on glass.

His qi circulation became increasingly chaotic. Damaged meridians couldn’t direct flow properly anymore. He was approaching qi deviation, the walking death where chaotic qi destroyed cultivation from the inside out. The thing that turned cultivators into vegetables or corpses depending on severity.

One mile back. Hunter’s vision blurred dangerously. Blood qi leaked into his lungs, making each breath a struggle. He was freezing from the inside out despite qi circulation. Wrong. Everything felt wrong.

"Hunter, your qi pressure is fluctuating wildly," Mingzhu shouted, genuine fear in her voice. "You’re entering qi deviation state. Active deviation."

"I know. Keep moving. Almost there."

Half mile remaining. Hunter stumbled, nearly taking down the refugee he was supporting. His dantian felt like it was cracking apart. Spiritual energy leaked from torn meridians like water through shattered pottery. His entire cultivation base was actively collapsing.

Call for help, Liu Mei’s voice echoed in memory. Intelligence beats heroism every time.

Pride said keep going, finish the mission alone like a proper protagonist. Intelligence said he was approximately three minutes from being permanently crippled or dead. Possibly both.

Hunter made the intelligent choice for once in his chaotic life.

He pulled out the communication jade slip Liu Mei had forced on him. Pressed failing qi into it with shaking focus. Nearly couldn’t activate it. Managed barely enough spiritual energy.

"Liu Mei. Emergency. Northeast, quarter mile from waystation. Seven refugees. I’m suffering active qi deviation. Immediate assistance required. Please don’t let me die stupidly."

Silence. Wind howling. Storm screaming. Official source ıs novel·fıre·net

Then her voice, cold and professional and immediate. "Understood. Thirty seconds."

Twenty seconds later, Liu Mei appeared from the storm like winter given terrifying human form. Peak Core Formation cultivation made apocalyptic weather completely irrelevant. She could use movement techniques like cloud stride to cover three miles in seconds. She assessed the situation instantly with sharp eyes.

"You’re suffering acute qi deviation," she stated. Voice tight with controlled anger barely hiding genuine concern. "Multiple torn meridians. Foundation cracks spreading actively. Dantian pressure failing. This is idiotic even by your standards."

"Had to save them. Mandatory mission. Foundation collapses if I refuse."

"I know. Your mysterious master remains a calculated sadist." She took the weight of refugees Hunter was supporting. Her cultivation made carrying them completely effortless. "I’ll transport them. You focus on containing qi deviation before it becomes permanent and ruins you completely. Can you walk?"

"Barely. Mostly. Questionably."

"Then walk. Stop circulating qi immediately. Any more circulation and your foundation shatters completely. Just survive the next five minutes."

They reached the waystation. Doors opened. Blessed warmth spilled out like salvation.

Seven refugees collapsed near fires. Wei Suyin directing immediate cold exposure treatment with practiced efficiency.

Hunter collapsed against the wall like a puppet with cut strings. His meridians were torn beyond anything foundation reconstruction had caused. Multiple channels ruptured and leaking. Qi circulation completely chaotic. Foundation cracks spreading through his dantian like spiderweb fractures in glass. He was minutes from permanent qi deviation that would cripple him for life.

This was fine. Everything was totally fine. Just another day in the disaster that was his cultivation journey.

[OBJECTIVE ACHIEVED: 7/7 refugees rescued]

[REWARD GRANTED: Foundation Stabilization Pill (Rare Grade)]

[CONGRATULATIONS! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧]

[LUNA] SEE? I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! ♥

[LUNA] BARELY DYING COUNTS AS SUCCESS!

A pill materialized in his inner robe pocket through Luna’s usual impossible delivery method that made it look like he’d been carrying it all along. Hunter pulled it out with hands shaking so badly he nearly dropped it. The small jade bottle felt impossibly heavy for something so tiny.

Liu Mei saw it. Her eyes widened in immediate recognition. "Where did you acquire a Foundation Stabilization Pill? That’s Rare Grade treasure worth five hundred spirit stones minimum. Your mysterious master provided this conveniently?"

"Reward for completing the test," Hunter managed through gritted teeth. Voice strained with pain and exhaustion. "He said I’d need it. Turns out he was extremely correct."

"Your mysterious master is a calculated sadist with impeccable timing," Liu Mei said flatly. Voice carrying a sharp edge. "Testing you to qi deviation then conveniently providing the exact remedy required. I’m beginning to hate his training methodology with genuine passion."

She knelt beside him with surprising gentleness. Hand pressing to his back, spiritual sense flowing through his failing cultivation. "Consume the pill now. You have three torn meridians, foundation cracks spreading actively, and chaotic qi approaching permanent deviation. Without immediate intervention, you’ll be crippled within five minutes. Possibly three."

Hunter consumed the pill before his hands could shake it into oblivion. It dissolved instantly on his tongue. Pure stabilizing energy flooded his system, completely different from normal qi. Refined. Concentrated. Purpose-built specifically for repairing catastrophic cultivation damage.

The pill was beyond standard Rare Grade quality. This was peak Rare approaching Legendary Grade refinement. The kind of medicinal treasure that shouldn’t exist in a backwater region, the kind sect elders hoarded jealously. The medicinal power flowed through his meridians like liquid light, finding tears, sealing ruptures with impossible precision. It settled his chaotic qi like oil calming turbulent water, bringing order to chaos.

The pain stopped. Not gradually over minutes or hours. Immediately. His meridians went from tearing apart to stable in seconds. The torn channels weren’t fully healed, but they were sealed and functional. His foundation stabilized. Cracks remained but stopped spreading, frozen in place.

Liu Mei’s spiritual sense tracked the healing with professional focus. Her expression shifted from deep concern to clinical assessment to something that almost resembled relief. "The pill worked perfectly. Your torn meridians are sealed completely. Foundation cracks stabilized and contained. Qi deviation averted. You’ll need extended rest and careful cultivation, but you’re no longer in mortal danger."

"Good." Hunter’s voice was completely exhausted. "Because I literally cannot move. Everything hurts."

"That’s shock from near-complete cultivation collapse combined with extreme physical exhaustion." She stood gracefully. "The refugees will survive. Standard cold exposure treatment applies. They’re fortunate you’re insane enough to walk through killing storms."

She turned back toward him. Voice dropping lower, almost private despite the crowded hall. "You called for help. Intelligent decision. First genuinely intelligent decision I’ve witnessed from you during crisis."

"You said intelligence beats heroism."

"I did say that. Surprised you actually listened for once." Something in her eyes suggested genuine relief beneath the professional mask. "Rest now. When you can move without collapsing, we’ll discuss why your mysterious master’s training methodology involves nearly killing you through qi deviation during winter storms. I have questions. Many questions."

She walked away toward the refugees, leaving Hunter slumped against the wall.

Hunter closed his eyes. The pill’s medicinal power still working through his system with gentle efficiency. Sealed meridians slowly healing. Foundation stabilizing degree by degree.

He’d survived. Saved seven refugees from freezing. Avoided permanent crippling through actually calling for help like a functional human being.

Storm still raged outside, wind howling like vengeful spirits. But they were inside. Warm. Safe. Alive.

Crisis survived through combination of desperation, stupidity, and one moment of actual intelligence.

Just with slightly better decision-making this time.

Progress, he supposed. Tiny, inadequate progress, but progress nonetheless.