Traveling is usually boring, but with Qin Ruqing around, who’s quite the goofball, she turns this boring journey into a sightseeing tour.

Qing: “Wow, it seems like there are fewer trees the further we go. The Nanling Mountains are just too dense with trees, annoying.”

Lu Wei, gently: “The tree species here seem different from Nanling. It’s only been two days since we flew.”

Qi Rong, amazed: “Why does it feel like it’s getting hotter? Or is it just me?”

These three homebodies, who rarely venture out, always make a fuss over the smallest things.

Even the usually calm Lu Wei is no exception.

Tang Zifeng stays silent.

He wonders why they’re making a big deal out of just a tree.

Even if it’s a different type, it’s still just a tree, right?

“Tang Zifeng, where are we heading next? When will it start getting hot?” A chirpy voice, always with a slightly raised tail, Tang Zifeng knows without looking who it is.

He remains expressionless, “Next stop, Broken Pulse Mountain.”

During these days, Qin Ruqing hasn’t shown any signs of discomfort from being away from home. In fact, she’s been ecstatic.

Apart from when she’s steering the airship, she either leans on her older sister or snatches snacks from Qi Rong’s bag, never idle.

During rare quiet moments, she sits alone at the stern, sometimes frowning, sometimes stroking her chin.

Tang Zifeng knows her mind is always busy plotting something.

Perhaps unable to stand her cheerfulness, Tang Zifeng adds, “After Broken Pulse Mountain, we’ll reach the Western Ridge territory. Not far beyond that is Flame Mountain, one of the hottest places in the Western Ridge. Then you’ll really feel the heat.”

Tang Zifeng’s emphasis is on the last sentence, implying her joy won’t last long.

Qin Ruqing’s attention, however, is clearly on what’s ahead.

She suddenly sits up, “Flame Mountain?!”

Tang Zifeng can’t help but glance at her.

She’s brimming with excitement and anticipation, “…Is there a problem?”

Qing: “Haha! Flame Mountain! No problem at all…” If she didn’t cover her mouth and giggle, it would have been more convincing.

Qirong, who’s been following her wavelength, is slightly lost this time, “Sister, what’s so funny about Flame Mountain?”

“Cough… Nothing funny, just feels like our group of four is perfectly suited for Flame Mountain. Are we destined to conquer the Flame Mountain dungeon together? Haha…”

She laughs uncontrollably on her own, leaving the others puzzled.

What exactly about Flame Mountain tickles her strange sense of humor?

Qin Ruqing is genuinely amused.

I mean, who doesn’t know about the Journey to the West team from their past lives?

Plus, Qin Ruqing sneaks a glance at Tang Zifeng. With Elder Tang in their team, it’s perfect, hahaha.

Finally, the four reach near Broken Pulse Mountain.

When Qin Ruqing first heard the name Broken Pulse Mountain, she thought it meant “severed,” since this range separates the Western Ridge from the North and South Ridges.

Upon arrival, she realizes it’s a descriptive term.

This Broken Pulse Mountain really looks like someone took a big knife and cut through a whole mountain…

cut in half, revealing a steep cross-section.

At this moment, Qing, Lu Wei, and Qi Rong stood at the foot of Broken Pulse Mountain, looking up.

“Wow, it’s so high!”

“So steep!”

“It looks like it was split in half by a giant knife!”

Tang Zigeng: “…Let’s move forward. It’s too high here to fly over. We need to descend and cross through the mountain.”

Honestly, crossing through Broken Pulse Mountain wasn’t easy.

The mountain was too high, too steep for flying or riding flying artifacts.

Only powerful cultivators at the Golden Core stage could leap over such steep cliffs.

Qin Ruqing and her friends relied on jumping or short glides to shuttle through the dense forest.

They couldn’t go straight through because it would take them through the core of Broken Pulse Mountain, where who knows what ancient monsters might live.

They had to circle around the outskirts, which took a lot more effort.

Besides the physical exertion, the forest was teeming with beasts.

They had to stay vigilant the entire time, even during breaks.

After a few days, they all looked weary.

Finally, they reached a steep wind-piercing cliff.

On the opposite side, the sky brightened.

Even though they couldn’t see clearly, they knew the view would be expansive.

The four of them were finally a bit uplifted.

Tang Zifeng quickened his pace and said, “Once we cross this cliff, we’ll have passed Broken Pulse Mountain and entered the Western Ridge territory.”

Finally, as their view cleared, waves of heat rolled in. Without a word, the temperature told them they had reached the Western Ridge.

The distinct temperature made Qirong rub his arms in surprise, “It’s really hot. Why is there such a big temperature difference just across a mountain range?”

Qin Ruqing was still thinking about Flame Mountain, “Are we almost at Flame Mountain?”

Tang Zifeng nodded and took out another flying artifact, not the ugly airship they used before, but a sand skiff.

He explained that it’s faster and more efficient on the desert sands.

So, the four of them boarded the skiff and continued forward.

These three who lived in the lush jungle oasis had never seen such vast desert landscapes.

The sky was high and wide, a gentle, warm yellow as far as the eye could see.

The skiff sailed over the dunes, riding the slopes with a feeling akin to navigating through an ocean.

Just as Qin Ruqing and the others were mesmerized, a graceful figure suddenly appeared on the opposite sand dune, barely visible through the heat waves.

As they approached, they saw a coolly dressed female cultivator riding a hoverboard on the sand.

She wore a red outfit, with only a tight top covering her chest, revealing healthy wheat-colored skin on her shoulders and slim waist.

Her lower garment was minimal, a sheer skirt split open nearly to her thighs, showcasing her long, toned muscles.

With one hand controlling the reins, she soared high from the tallest dune, sand swirling around her.

Spotting them, she shouted, “Clear the way for me!”

The three were completely taken aback.

Luwei’s eyes widened in shock: “Western Ridge cultivators are so bold!”

Qirong, shielding his eyes from the sight of the scantily clad woman, couldn’t help peeking through his fingers.

Qing: “This…”

Haha, that sister is so hot, I love her!

Meanwhile, Tang Zifeng calmly adjusted the sand skiff’s direction to make way for the fiery cultivator.

With a whoosh, she passed through, leaving behind a gust of fragrant wind and dust, then swiftly disappeared into the distance.

Qin Ruqing’s gaze followed the cultivator until her graceful figure completely vanished, then she regretfully withdrew her gaze.

After a while, she got excited again, “Tang Zifeng, are all the female cultivators in the Western Ridge this sexy?”

Tang Zifeng didn’t find anything sexy about it.

He said expressionlessly, “They do tend to wear very little clothing.”

Qin Ruqing, excitedly: “That’s great!”

She shook Luwei’s arm, “Sister, that outfit looks amazing! When we get to the main city of the Western Ridge, let’s buy similar clothes to wear. So hot!”

Luwei hesitated, “But… the fabric seems a bit scanty…”

Qin Ruqing: “It’s so hot here, it makes sense to wear less. It looks great, let’s wear it! Sister~”

Luwei: “Hmm, okay, let’s wear it!”

After chatting about the fiery cultivator for a while longer, Qin Ruqing noticed the temperature around them rising.

My, the air seems to be burning, and the surrounding rocks appear to be glowing red.

Tang Zifeng pressed something on the sand skiff, and a spiritual barrier emerged, enveloping the skiff.

This reduced the temperature somewhat.

He glanced over at Qin Ruqing, who seemed completely unaffected, not even sweating.

Huh? Isn’t she bothered by the heat?

Qin Ruqing was busy giving water to Luwei, while Qi Rong, despite being strong, was sweating profusely from the heat.

Luwei seemed to be struggling and was on the verge of fainting from the heat.

Qin Ruqing pondered for a moment.

This wouldn’t do; she needed to do something…

And why wasn’t she feeling the heat?

She seemed to have a sense that the pendant she took out from her collar was having an effect.

Ah, the pendant combining Cold Profound Ice and Jade Essence.

Was it really working like a portable air conditioner now?

She had always treated it as a piece of jewelry, but now it seemed quite useful.

She took out a block of ice from her storage bag, azure blue.

As soon as the ice came out, a refreshing chill spread within the spiritual barrier.

Lu Wei’s complexion visibly improved.

Tang Zifeng’s gaze fixed on the ice block, lips pursed. Thousand Years Frigid Ice?

She actually had it! And using such a treasure to cool down…

Only Qin Ruqing could come up with such a thing.

Qin Ruqing watched Luwei recover and patted the ice block with satisfaction, “Not bad at all. This Thousand Years Frigid Ice, even under such scorching weather, hasn’t melted at all.” Really impressive.

“Qirong, Sister, didn’t I give you both a small piece of Frigid Ice earlier? When we arrive, we’ll cut a piece and put it on, then we won’t fear the temperature of the Western Ridge!”

Qirong and Luwei nodded vigorously.

Qin Ruqing then turned her gaze to Tang Zifeng.

He sat upright, still steering the sand skiff, with sweat glistening on his forehead, but he looked much better than before, probably accustomed to living in such conditions.

After some thought, Qin Ruqing moved next to him and extended her palm, which held a small blue piece emitting the same aura as the Hundred Thousand Years Frigid Ice inside the sand skiff.

“Tang Zifeng, this is for you.”

Tang Zifeng turned his head away. “No, it’s too precious. I don’t want it.”

Qin Ruqing wasn’t in the mood to argue.

She shoved the ice chunk into his hand, interrupting his control gestures, and pushed him aside.

“Just take it. You’ve been steering for long enough. Let me handle it now.”

And she did take control of the skiff.

Unlike Tang Zifeng’s steady and fast driving style, Qin Ruqing’s was all about flooring the gas pedal.

Sure enough, the skiff lurched forward and then zoomed ahead, the sudden acceleration kicking up a spray of sand as the skiff weaved erratically.

Tang Zifeng, gripping the cold ice in one hand, watched with a mix of concern and disbelief as Qin Ruqing recklessly drove the skiff forward.

This was exactly why he tried to keep her away from any vehicle – be it an airship or a sand skiff, anything Qin Ruqing drove felt like a cannonball aimed at Mars.

With a silent sigh, Tang Zifeng secured the Cold Frigid Ice and secretly formed a stabilizing seal to steady the skiff’s rear.

Finally, the skiff stopped swaying wildly and moved forward smoothly.

Qin Ruqing up front exclaimed, “I think I’m getting the hang of this~”

Tang Zifeng: “Mm.”

At last, they passed through Flame Mountain and arrived at the Western Ridge city.

True to her word, the first thing Qin Ruqing did upon arriving was drag her sister to buy the fiery Western outfits.

Half an hour later, the streets of Western Ridge city saw four young, vibrant individuals who perfectly blended into the local style.