บท 46: Forty-six, eldest apprentice brother

After returning to Changli Mountain, Sangmo once again immersed himself in the martial arts tournament.

That day, Changli Mountain saw its first snow, which coincidentally fell on the day of the tournament. Disciples responsible for various tasks from each peak were asked to clean the snow.

Dressed in a thick cotton cloth and draped in a snowy white fox fur coat, Sangmo joined the effort.

Dozens of people swept all morning until they had cleared all the snow, by which time their hands were nearly frozen.

Song Ziheng, the eldest disciple of the main peak, was in charge of inspecting the work while the others went off to eat.

Bai Mucheng dragged Sangmo toward a frozen slope. When Sangmo refused, she playfully threw snow at her.

"Come on, just one slide, just one," she said.

Sangmo felt it was childish and was about to speak when Bai Mucheng suddenly pushed her down the slope unawares.

The ice was very slippery, and Sangmo slid all the way to the bottom, lying flat on her back.