Threatening with the lives of family members was a despicable tactic, and one that Ning Beichen despised the most. He hadn't expected the Badge Disciples to be so shameless.
However, they were likely intimidated by Ning Beichen's prowess. So far, Ning Beichen had killed half of the Badge Disciples and two blood relatives.
Thus, they probably realized their chances of obtaining the Blood Key from Ning Beichen were slim. They then shifted their focus to James's family, intending to coerce James with them.
This way, James would have no choice but to seek Ning Beichen's help.
From this perspective, it was an indirect method.
Unless Ning Beichen was heartless enough to disregard the lives of James and his family.
This was a test of humanity, and often the most effective strategy.
Ning Beichen looked at the note. The address provided was in Siberia, which bewildered him. He couldn't understand why they had chosen such a distant location.
James, however, provided the answer: that might be the location where the Blood Key could open the ancient blood relative treasury.
Regardless, the trip to Siberia was unavoidable.
Before leaving, Ning Beichen contacted the Vanquishers and instructed them to rescue James's family.
Ning Beichen was willing to go, but if they thought they could threaten him using James's family, they were mistaken.
Soon, Ning Beichen and James booked tickets to Siberia and boarded their flight that same day.
Two days later, Ning Beichen and James appeared in a small, cold town in Siberia.
This was not the final destination. They would need to rent a small aircraft to proceed, as the journey would otherwise be too long.
Furthermore, this place was extremely cold, and the destination was on a snow-capped mountain. Even aircraft couldn't get close. They could only land about a hundred kilometers away from the mountain, which was the furthest they could be taken.
Snowflakes fell on their bodies. James, already bundled up like a polar bear, shivered uncontrollably as soon as he disembarked.
Ning Beichen, while able to withstand the cold, didn't want to appear like a monster. So, he also donned a thermal jacket, though not as excessively as James.
"Gentlemen, the snow and wind are too severe here for the plane to remain. This is a satellite phone. Call me when you're ready to return, and I'll pick you up."
After speaking to Ning Beichen and James, the pilot started the plane and departed.
In his heart, he thought these two rich fools going to the snow mountain in such harsh weather had no chance of survival. His words were merely polite formalities.
If they ever returned alive, he, York, would publicly perform a handstand while flying a plane.
After the plane left, they were surrounded by a desolate, empty landscape of pristine white snow and continuously falling snowflakes.
"James, can you still manage?" Ning Beichen shouted. As he spoke, he inhaled a mouthful of bone-chilling wind and snow.
"I can," James replied loudly.
The wind howled, making it impossible to hear otherwise.
It was already frigid here, over a hundred kilometers from the snow mountain. The situation would undoubtedly be worse on the mountain.
But they had no other choice. Although Ning Beichen had tasked the Vanquishers with the rescue, there was no news yet. Therefore, for the safety of James's family, they had to go to the snow mountain.
"Then let's go. We don't have much time. Let's try to reach the foot of the snow mountain before dark," Ning Beichen said loudly.
He then took out two pairs of skis from his luggage. Without them, they would be unable to reach the base of the snow mountain by nightfall on foot.
Fortunately, both of them were proficient skiers; otherwise, the situation would have been dire.
Ning Beichen wasn't too concerned, but he worried about James enduring the frigid night.
Soon, the two figures, like small black dots, glided through the wind and snow, their forms disappearing into the icy expanse. All around them was nothing but snow and wind; not a soul, not even an animal, was in sight.
Even though the snow mountain was only a hundred kilometers away, in this environment, those kilometers felt vast and endless, especially as James's stamina began to wane.
During the latter half of the journey, Ning Beichen was practically dragging James along with a rope. At this pace, he doubted they would reach the base of the snow mountain before dark.
Even so, the hundred-kilometer trek took Ning Beichen and James several hours, and they barely managed to reach the foot of the snow mountain before dusk.
The sky was already darkening. Without any rest, Ning Beichen immediately began digging a snow cave for shelter.
In this environment, temperatures would plummet to tens of degrees below zero at night. Without the protection of a snow cave, James would certainly freeze to death.
Even Ning Beichen's abilities wouldn't allow him to endure the conditions for an extended period, let alone James.
Fortunately, digging a snow cave was simple for Ning Beichen.
Using a small entrenching tool, he dug with all his might. In less than ten minutes, he had excavated a cave capable of accommodating two people at the foot of the snow mountain, serving as their shelter for the night.
Before complete darkness descended, both of them had taken refuge inside the cave.
With Ning Beichen's help, they further expanded the cave's interior and used a portable gas stove to prepare food.
A campfire was out of the question in these conditions.
Not only was there no dry firewood around, but even if there were, a bonfire inside the snow cave would melt the ice and snow, effectively digging their own graves.
The stove Ning Beichen brought was only for brief cooking and wouldn't generate excessive heat, thus posing no risk of melting the ice.
It wasn't until James took his first bite of hot food that he seemed to regain a semblance of his senses.
Despite being dragged by Ning Beichen for the latter half of the journey, it had been an arduous experience. The ice and snow had nearly turned him into a popsicle, and for most of that segment, he had been in a daze.
However, after recovering some strength, James's worries about his wife and children resurfaced, and tears began to fall as he ate.
Ning Beichen spent a considerable amount of time comforting him before he finally stopped crying.
The Badge Disciples or the blood relatives wouldn't bring James's family to their deaths here. They had hidden them somewhere unknown. Only by opening the ancient blood relative treasury could James ensure his family's safety.