Chapter 103: Communication Channels

No one dared to compete with Yun Qimu and Mo Xie for the horses, so naturally, the third remaining horse became the object of a fierce struggle among Pei Yu and his two companions.

But a horse isn’t something you can just ride because you want to—it has a temper of its own. Watching the three of them tug and pull at each other, all trying to scramble onto its back and even yanking out several tufts of its hair, the horse was thoroughly provoked. With a loud snort, it lashed out at them with its hoof.

""Ow, ow, ow—!""

The three, too busy grabbing at each other's clothes and hair to notice the horse's irritation, got kicked squarely on their behinds.

Thud, thud, thud—three consecutive kicks sent them flying, and they landed face-first in the snow, eating a mouthful of it as they sprawled out in a most undignified heap.

The villagers watching nearby burst into laughter at the sight.

""Ptui, ptui, ptui—""

Spitting out snow, the three of them got up, looking thoroughly deflated. After one more wary glance at the irritable horse, they immediately straightened up and lined up obediently, not daring to mess around anymore.

Yun Qimu raised an eyebrow with a smile and offered a reminder, “A horse can carry two people without affecting its flying speed, but the lighter the load, the better.”

Pei Yu’s eyes lit up instantly. He raised his hand excitedly, “I’m skinny! I’ll ride with Yuan Xiaopang, and Yun He can go with my cousin.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he grabbed Yuan An and scrambled to climb onto the horse’s back. This time, with Yun Qimu controlling the horse, although it still looked disgruntled and stomped its hooves restlessly—making it a bit tricky for them to get on—it at least refrained from kicking them again.

Delighted, the two seized the opportunity and quickly climbed up.

Left behind, Yun He rubbed his hands together, his handsome face showing a hint of shyness as he looked at Mo Xie sitting on the horse. He mumbled, not daring to speak up.

Mo Xie glanced down at him from above, his expression still cold and stern. His deep voice sounded even colder as he said, “Get on.”

“Okay!” Yun He responded loudly, scampering over and, with Mo Xie’s help, swung himself up onto the horse in one smooth motion.

Once mounted, he didn’t dare touch his intimidating little uncle, so he scooted back a bit and grabbed onto the horse’s mane to steady himself.

But the horse wasn’t pleased with that either.

“Neigh, neigh—”

It pawed the ground, clearly agitated.

Mo Xie frowned. “Hold onto my clothes.”

“Oh, right!” Yun He panicked, hurriedly letting go of the horse’s mane. He lost his balance and nearly fell off, but managed to clamp his legs around the horse’s body just in time.

He let out a breath of relief and, like a well-behaved daughter-in-law, grabbed onto Mo Xie’s cloak, still looking a bit nervous.

Mo Xie raised an eyebrow. Was he really that scary?

“Hold on tight. We’re about to take off.”

“Okay!”

As the horse took flight, the biting wind whipped past them like knives, and icy snow slapped mercilessly against Yun He’s face. In an instant, all his nervousness and excitement vanished.

He, Yun He—a bona fide handsome guy—was reduced in the blink of an eye to a disheveled, stiff-faced fool by the wind.

Yun He: ...

But the ride was smoother than he’d expected. He rubbed his face, and once he’d warmed up a bit, he looked down and was captivated by the vast, snowy landscape below.

The snow covering the mountains poured down like a mighty Yellow River, and the road from the mountains to the village was now a sea of white. Though the snow atop the peaks had thinned, the mountain walls were still hidden beneath a layer of icy white. The steep, towering cliffs inspired awe in anyone who saw them.

“Mr. Mo, do you remember where Wu Xingyu disappeared? Even just a rough location would help.”

Soaring above the snowy expanse, Yun Qimu guided her white horse over to fly alongside Mo Xie and Yun He, the two flying steeds neck and neck.

Mo Xie squinted his long, narrow eyes, trying to make out the terrain below. “I only know the general area,” he said.

He’d only realized his nephew was missing after running for a while, so the stretch between where he started and where he noticed the absence was roughly where Wu Xingyu had vanished.

“Because of the magnetic field on Exile Star, the signal is terrible—sometimes it even cuts out completely. And with the defensive barrier around Earth Village, we can’t use communicators inside at all. Village Chief Yun, when can Earth Village get something like a chat channel or communication tools? That way, at least we could keep in touch and know if someone’s dead or alive!”

Pei Yu, riding his white horse through the freezing wind, was still brimming with enthusiasm as he started pitching ideas to Yun Qimu.

Yun Qimu actually found herself tempted by the suggestion. Indeed, when Earth Village was small, communication was easy, but after this incident, she realized how important it was to have a proper chat channel.

“Give me a few days. I’ll see if I can find a way to set up some kind of communication channel.”

“Haha, I’ll be waiting! The sooner the better. That way, when Wu Xingyu and I go out on trade runs, I can keep in touch with my dear buddy Amos—uh, and of course, my cousin too. How could I forget my cousin?”

Noticing Mo Xie’s icy gaze, Pei Yu hastily added the last part, looking all fawning and eager to please.

Mo Xie’s gaze slid away from him and back to the snowy expanse below. “Village Chief Yun, do you have any tools for tracking people?”

“No such tool has shown up yet,” Yun Qimu said, rubbing her nose. Then she reassured him, “But there’s no need to worry too much, Mr. Mo. I can confirm that Wu Xingyu is still alive.”

“Oh? How do you know that, Village Chief Yun?” Yuan An asked excitedly.

“I can see the total population of the village. Since the number hasn’t changed, it means he’s still alive.”

“Oh, I see! That’s a relief.”

Mo Xie’s expression softened a little. “Village Chief Yun, it’s that stretch of road. Let’s fly lower and search more carefully.”

“Alright.”

So, the three flying white horses angled their wings and swooped swiftly downward.

“There’s a dark hole by that steep slope over there.”

“It really does look like it! I said he might’ve fallen into an ice cave.” Pei Yu looked over, his face lighting up with excitement as he patted his horse’s neck and dove down.

“That’s definitely the most suspicious spot. Let’s check it out.”

“Mm.” Yun Qimu and Mo Xie agreed, guiding their horses to descend.

The dark cave was much larger than they’d expected.

For safety, they went down one at a time instead of side by side.

From behind, Yun Qimu could only hear Pei Yu, who had entered the cave first, shouting and hollering, his voice echoing through the enclosed space."