The Leading Stars

"Dаmn! Wе'rе gоing to get struсk bу lightning!!" Рulаn аlso shouted.

Ваyunyе suddenly undеrstооd. Lооking аround, she rеalized she was the onlу оne whо had tаkеn оff hеr hat, whiсh wаs whу Diао Zhuo hаd noticed sоmеthing unusual.

Нearing this, evеryonе wanted tо thrоw аwау nоt just thеir ice ахes but еvеrуthing theу had. Тhе Tangshаn Sistеrs, while frаntically rеmoving their icе сlаws, yеlled, "What elsе соnducts еlесtriсitу?! Whаt elsе?!"

"Тhrow аwaу anything with mеtal! Тurn оff уour рhоnеs!" Diаo Zhuo shoutеd again as a remindеr.

The morе paniсked thеу werе, the harder it became to remove the ice claws. Some, in their haste to rip them off, scratched the backs of their hands, leaving bloody gashes. Others accidentally tore their pants. For a moment, the scene was utter chaos. Bayunye turned off her phone and immediately looked over at Fu Yingtao. She saw Jiang Aohang focused on removing his own ice claws and taking off his watch, while Fu Xingyue was trying to remove the chain from her neck. No one had time to help him. He hadn't paid much attention during the training sessions, so he wasn't skilled at putting on or taking off the ice claws. Now, he was yanking and pulling desperately, his face flushed with frustration, and his fingers reddened from the straps.

"What else conducts electricity?!" The Tangshan Sisters remained panicked, having thrown away almost everything on them, even the beef jerky and chocolate from their pockets.

The open tundra offered no shelter. Fortunately, the group had already descended from the glacier. Otherwise, with over a dozen people standing at the highest point, they would have been like human lightning rods.

Seeing that everyone had mostly discarded their conductive items, Lu Jianyi calmed down. "Cover your heads! Crouch down!" Everyone quickly followed his instructions.

"Someone help me!!" Fu Yingtao shouted desperately.

Jiang Aohang and Fu Xingyue, who were closer to him, finally had a moment to crouch down and assist. But the couple was flustered, and their coordination was a mess. With both of them tugging and pulling haphazardly, they not only failed to remove the ice claws but also hurt Fu Yingtao, who nearly cursed them out in anger.

Bayunye couldn't stand watching any longer. She hurried over and quickly removed the ice claws. Fu Yingtao was so eager to throw them away that as soon as his feet were free, he grabbed the ice claws and tried to fling them far away. Bayunye's hand didn't retract in time and was struck hard by the ice claws. At that moment, she felt a numbness in the joint at the base of her right index finger but didn't pay it much mind. She then urged Jiang Aohang and Fu Xingyue to quickly find and discard any items like watches or keys on him.

"What else?!" Fu Xingyue yelled.

"My phone! My phone!" Fu Yingtao had never experienced anything like this in his over fifty years of life. He felt like he was racing against death, bouncing anxiously even while sitting on the ground. "It's in my pocket!"

The couple frantically searched for his phone, their hands trembling with panic. Fu Yingtao's windbreaker happened to have many pockets, and it took them a while to find it. In their haste, the phone fell to the ground, immediately drawing Fu Yingtao's complaint. "Useless! Hurry up and turn it off!"

"Okay, okay..." Fu Xingyue stammered nervously, quickly stuffing the phone back.

Seeing that the three of them had dealt with all potentially conductive items on their persons, Bayunye breathed a slight sigh of relief. Only then did she notice a faint black mark on the outer side of the joint at the base of her index finger. She guessed it was from the hard impact of the ice claws earlier, causing internal bleeding and bruising. She moved her index finger, and a needle-like pain shot through the joint. Finding no fracture, she dismissed the minor injury as unimportant.

The situation was worse than they had imagined. Lightning flashes and rumbling thunder arrived one after another, and judging by their position, they were very close."Which venerable one is undergoing a heavenly tribulation... Could you wait until we're back before you start..." Hippo still had the mood to joke at this moment, clutching his head and muttering.

Bayunye didn't even have time to retort before a bolt of lightning struck down, seeming to explode right before their eyes. Everyone's vision turned blindingly white, hearing only a sharp "crack" followed by a burst of sparks, so bright it stung the eyes—whether it was an illusion or not, no one could tell. Instinctively, they all hugged their heads tightly and huddled together. The thunderclap followed immediately, as if a bomb had detonated right above their heads, shaking the entire Glacier with its force.

Diao Zhuo moved over and wrapped his arms around Bayunye, pressing his chin firmly against the top of her head like a mother hen protecting her chicks. Bayunye was reminded of the time in Qiangtang when he had instinctively shielded her from shotgun pellets with his body. A warm current flowed through her heart—a sense of loyalty, camaraderie, and the life-and-death bond she hadn't experienced since leaving the military years ago.

Yet, her mouth still couldn't produce anything decent—"What crime have I committed that makes you so certain I'll be struck by lightning?"

"Do you think I can block lightning for you like this?"

"Fair point. Men love swearing oaths to the heavens, so if lightning strikes, it'll strike you."

"Lightning knows good from bad. It'll only strike those who spout nonsense."

"Strike me then, what's the big deal. Why are you holding me so tight?" Bayunye teased, her eyes darting playfully. "Could it be that you, a grown man—are actually afraid of thunder?!"

Diao Zhuo gritted his teeth and hissed, "If I die, I'm taking you with me."

"That's not very brotherly of you..."

"True brothers may not be born on the same day, but they..."

"I never swore brotherhood with you, so I don't want to die on the same day as you!" No sooner had Bayunye spoken than another bolt of lightning struck, fortunately far from them, leaving only a bright crack in the distant sky.

"Looks like a sci-fi blockbuster... It's making me hungry," Bayunye squinted.

Hippo, who was covering his head with both hands, glared at her. "You heartless creature!"

"I have a brother willing to live and die with me..." She raised a thumb, pointing at Diao Zhuo, who was holding her tightly from behind. "We fear nothing, not even the King of Hell—we'd dare to fight him if he showed up."

"Now's not the time for jokes!" Hippo closed his eyes in exasperation.

Another flash of lightning split the sky, causing the Tangshan Sisters and Fu Xingyue to let out short, sharp screams, clearly agitated. Perhaps relying psychologically on their climbing guides, without seeing who led the way, they scrambled toward Lu Jianyi and Pulan, huddling close to them. Lu Jianyi shouted to remind everyone, "The wind is strong here, the clouds are moving fast, and lightning won't keep striking the same spot! Stay calm! Don't stand up or run around!"

Bayunye sighed. "When will this wretched weather stop..."

A low male voice came from behind her—"I think you could use a good shock."

She elbowed him. "Did you invest in Master Yang's internet addiction rehab school?"

After a few more thunderclaps overhead, heavy snow suddenly began to fall. As the thunder and lightning followed the rolling clouds into the distance, the risk of being struck diminished, and the crisis passed. Unlike the large, drifting snowflakes common in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the snow here was dense and urgent. In no time, the surroundings were blanketed in white.Under Lu Jianyi's orders, Huzi began searching nearby for the personal items everyone had haphazardly tossed aside earlier. One by one, people stood up and returned their belongings to their pockets.

Bayunye felt a dull pain on the outer side of the base of her right index finger. Just as she removed her glove, Fu Xingyue approached her. "Master Ba, my dad asked me to come over and say—thank you for earlier."

Bayunye had already grown accustomed to Fu Yingtao's prideful nature and waved it off, indicating it was just a small favor. Suddenly, Fu Xingyue grabbed her right hand and let out a small gasp. "Your hand is swollen!"

Bayunye glanced down. The painful area wasn't just bruised—it was swollen, with a dark purple outer ring and a bright red inner circle. "It's fine, just a bump."

"How can you say it's fine when it looks like this!" Fu Xingyue scolded her. "It looks serious!"

Bayunye laughed heartily. "A little injury like this is nothing. As long as a knife hasn't been stabbed into my gut, it doesn't count as an injury."

"You're really too..." Fu Xingyue struggled for words, unable to finish her sentence.

"Rough around the edges?"

"Um..." She nodded sheepishly.

"It'll be fine in a few days." Bayunye remained unconcerned.

"I think you..." Fu Xingyue's gaze held a hint of something else, but she hesitated to speak.

Bayunye casually brushed the snowflakes off her head. "Want to praise me? Go ahead, quickly. I can handle even the most lofty compliments."

"You really are a very strong person." Already awkward with words, even with Bayunye's encouragement, Fu Xingyue couldn't muster any flowery praise.

"From something this small, you can tell I'm strong?" Bayunye curled the corner of her lips, thinking that although this girl was older than her, her mindset seemed quite young. If she ever faced real storms, she might crumble. So, with a hint of implication, Bayunye said, "Whether something matters depends on whether the person has experienced something similar before. Back when I was in the military, after training, my body would be covered in bruises—knees, ankles, wrists, countless spots. Minor injuries didn't even count. Asking for leave because of them? Not a chance. The next day, you had to fall if they told you to fall, fight if they told you to fight. Who goes through life without facing trouble? When things are calm, take precautions; when trouble comes, don't hide from it."

"You seem like someone who isn't afraid of anything..." Fu Xingyue smiled shyly. "I really wonder if there's anything you care about or if you ever meet people who bully you?"

"Of course there are."

"What do you do then?"

"Beat them up."

"Easier said than done..." A trace of sadness flickered in Fu Xingyue's eyes. "Sometimes, because of pride or something else, you feel wronged but don't dare to react immediately."

"If they've already made me feel wronged and unhappy, what? I'm supposed to care about their feelings and pride? They wish." Bayunye snorted. "If I hold back and don't react, it's never because I don't dare—it's because I can't at that moment."

"Sometimes you need to plan carefully..."

"If you don't show the person bullying you a little color right away, do you expect them to slowly learn through love and education later?" Bayunye shook her index finger.

Fu Xingyue seemed to feel they weren't on the same wavelength and pressed her lips together.

Bayunye took a step forward. "That... last time I saw—"

"What are you two talking about? So lively." Jiang Aohang leaned in."Oh, her hand is injured." Fu Xingyue rummaged through her backpack, pulled out a bottle of medicine, and handed it to Bayunye, telling her to apply it herself when she got back.

Bayunye swallowed the second half of her sentence and thanked her stiffly.

"Ah! My phone wasn't turned off!" Before one issue was resolved, another arose. Fu Yingtao gripped his phone tightly, his eyes wide, raising his voice as he said, "My phone was still on during the thunderstorm! You didn't turn it off for me!"

"Not turned off? How is that possible!" Jiang Aohang looked utterly bewildered and hurried over.

Fu Xingyue stood there dazed, walked over to take a look, and said, "This..."

"Which one of you turned it off for me just now?" Fu Yingtao's face darkened immediately, pressing them again, "It wasn't turned off at all! Who? Who didn't turn it off?"

"I..." Fu Xingyue stammered, clearly intimidated by his aggressive questioning, "I also forgot... Aohang and I both... both turned it off!"

"Didn't you turn Dad's phone off?" Jiang Aohang asked.

"It wasn't me!" Fu Xingyue grew anxious, "Wasn't it you who turned it off?"

"You turned it off!"

Jiang Aohang opened his mouth as if to say something but swallowed his words. Faced with Fu Yingtao's anger, either he or Fu Xingyue was bound to take the blame.

"I forgot whether I turned Dad's phone off or not..." Fu Xingyue quickly said.

"Me too..."

"You two! Are you doing this on purpose? I told you to turn off the phones, and you didn't even turn mine off! What if a lightning bolt had struck me just now because my phone was still on? How could you be so careless? Ask the others, whose phone was left on like mine? It's so dangerous!"

Seeing the tense atmosphere between them, the Tangshan Sisters hurried over to mediate. "Everyone was in a rush just now, scrambling around. Who had time to check everything carefully? Mistakes happen in the chaos! Look, the thunderstorm has passed, and we're all fine. Don't dwell on this as a family. Who would do it on purpose?"

Diao Zhuo observed coldly for a while, then fixed his gaze on Jiang Aohang and Fu Xingyue. After a moment, he said, "Now isn't the time to blame each other. Gather your personal belongings, and we'll discuss it back at the campsite."

Bayunye glanced at Jiang Aohang, thinking back. Her hand had been throbbing with pain at the time, and she hadn't imagined anyone would tamper with things in such a situation. But she vaguely remembered that the last person to handle Fu Yingtao's phone wasn't Jiang Aohang. Recalling Fu Xingyue's complaints from last night and her hesitant responses just now, she suddenly realized that the dynamics within this family were far more complicated than she had thought.