After receiving Shen Hanyu's permission, You Mengchu took the stamen of the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal Product. Although much of its efficacy had been lost, the fragrance remained quite strong, so it didn't affect its usability much.
However, after removing the stamen, this Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal Product was completely ruined. If taken out now, at best, it would only attract some low-year soul beasts to fight over it. Against slightly stronger soul beasts, it would probably be completely useless.
After taking the needed immortal herb and some other medicinal plants, You Mengchu went to Dugu Bo's original cave to refine the medicine. Before leaving, she repeatedly urged everyone not to disturb her.
Shen Hanyu and the others naturally understood the importance of this. While they didn't have much personal affection for You Mengchu, they at least felt she had decent character. If treated as a friend, she was worth associating with.
Of course, the one who had been beaten, Dugu Bo, did not think the same way.
During their free time, Shen Hanyu told the Snow Empress about his past experiences here as if they were jokes.
The Snow Empress listened very attentively, giving Shen Hanyu the strange feeling of a good child seriously attending class.
Dugu Bo couldn't stand the mix of shame from being thoroughly beaten and the sour stench of dog food, so he casually found an excuse and slipped away early. In the end, only Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress remained.
Time spent with a lover was always filled with joy and happiness. Shen Hanyu enjoyed telling the Snow Empress about his various "great achievements" from the past. Boys seemed to have this kind of hobby. The Snow Empress simply leaned quietly in his arms, listening, enjoying the warmth and emotional coverage she had lacked for tens of thousands of years.
Shen Hanyu gently patted her back, not because he particularly wanted to, but because both in his previous life and this one, he was, to some extent, emotionally inept. This was the only way of comforting him he could think of.
"Shen Hanyu…"
The Snow Empress called softly.
Shen Hanyu was a little surprised that she would directly call his full name, but he still answered gently:
"I'm here."
"Promise me… don't leave me… forever… forever…"
The Snow Empress's voice was ethereal, carrying a deep sense of dependence, almost like a plea.
Shen Hanyu didn't reply. He simply held her even tighter…
…
Three days later.
Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress woke up on the somewhat messy large bed. The sun was already high in the sky. A rough estimate suggested they had missed lunchtime entirely. After a simple cleanup, the two slowly made their way to the hotel restaurant for a late lunch.
Afterward, as usual, they went to the Soul Arena to watch matches and pass the time. This so-called exhibition match was probably just a front. In reality, it seemed more like the Heaven Dou Empire showing off the strength of its younger generation—who knew how many scouts from the Star Luo Empire or Spirit Hall were hidden among the crowd.
At the waiting area for the Heavenly Water Academy team, Shui Ningbing was leaning against the cold wall in a daze. The girls were sprawled casually on the ground; some even had obvious wounds, including Shui Bing'er.
"You're here."
Shui Ningbing noticed the two and greeted them.
"Mm, Aunt Shui, what happened?"
Shen Hanyu asked curiously.
Shui Ningbing said somewhat irritably:
"Don't ask. Just now, the girls fought against the Imperial Fighting Team. Dugu Yan, Poison Douluo's granddaughter, is also at the Soul Elder level. Bing'er couldn't fully suppress her poison. Yu Tianheng seized the opportunity and eliminated both Qingbo and Xuewu. Liu Yu was heavily restricted by the two Black Tortoise soul masters. If Dugu Yan hadn't exhausted her soul power using her soul skills at the end, the match might have been lost…"
"Qingbo's physical condition isn't strong, so she suffered some minor injuries. A-Yu is fine. Bing'er accidentally got poisoned and also took a direct claw from Yu Tianheng, suffering slight internal injuries."
Shen Hanyu's gaze followed. Shui Bing'er was leaning in Shui Yue'er's arms, sitting collapsed on the ground. In front of them stood a blue-haired girl in black clothes, holding a delicate and tender pink begonia flower. Two yellow soul rings flickered at her feet. White petal-like light continuously poured into the injured people's bodies, healing their wounds at an astonishing speed.
"Ye Lingling…"
Shen Hanyu said softly.
Shui Ningbing was a little surprised. She glanced at the Snow Empress's expression before saying:
"You know her?"
Shen Hanyu nodded and said:
"I passed through Haagen-Dazs City during my previous training trip and saw her once. At that time, I used mental power to disguise my appearance and was in a hurry, so I only roughly confirmed who she was."
Shui Ningbing nodded and sighed softly:
"This girl has a very cold personality, but her nature is kind and resilient. She's excellent seedling material. If she hadn't already joined the Imperial Fighting Team, I would have made an exception and recruited her into the academy…"
"But she's also quite pitiful. Her family has been heavily suppressed by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. It's said that her grandfather, the number one divine doctor on the continent, Ye Renxin, travels the continent year-round partly because of this."
Shen Hanyu nodded noncommittally. In his previous life, when watching the anime, he had actually grown quite accustomed to this character, especially the moment when her teammates' morale was low, and she stood up to encourage them.
"We'll see how things go. The situation in Heaven Dou City has been unstable lately. Better to be cautious."
Shen Hanyu said softly.
Shui Ningbing nodded in agreement.
On the other side.
Ye Lingling's treatment was almost finished. As her soul rings and martial soul slowly withdrew, she let out a light breath. The emptiness in her soul's power made her feel momentarily dazed.
Shen Liuyu directly supported her arm beside her. The other girls also gathered around, looking at Ye Lingling with concern.
Although they had been injured, there were no eyes on the battlefield, swords and sabers had no mercy, but they didn't resent the Imperial Fighting Team. Not only had the opponents been very careful with their strength, but after the match, they even proactively sent their healing-type soul master to help treat their injuries. In every sense, they were qualified opponents.
Ye Lingling slowly and somewhat unnaturally pulled her arm out of Shen Liuyu's embrace. Facing the girls' concerned expressions, she said somewhat awkwardly:
"The treatment is done. I'm leaving."
Before she could move, Shui Bing'er stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
Ye Lingling stiffened slightly and turned back, looking expressionlessly at Shui Bing'er.
Shui Bing'er paused, then said softly:
"Thank you."
Ye Lingling gave a light nod, then turned and left.
As she passed by Shui Ningbing, she gave a slight bow as a greeting. Her peripheral vision lingered for a few seconds when it caught Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress, pausing longest on Shen Hanyu, about two seconds.
Then she quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.
Shen Hanyu felt a bit curious. The fleeting expression that had flashed through Ye Lingling's eyes just now always felt somewhat strange to him.
Shui Bing'er and the other girls gathered around. Shen Liuyu said bluntly:
"Sigh, what a pity for such a beautiful little beauty. Her martial soul's healing ability is so strong, yet she has to stay surrounded by a bunch of men every day…"
Shui Bing'er also nodded and sighed:
"As opponents, they were qualified. If they were teammates… I think she would definitely be the most qualified one."
The Snow Empress slightly raised her eyes and glanced in the direction Ye Lingling had left, then looked at the seemingly normal Shen Hanyu. But her sixth sense always told her something felt off.
…
Scene shift — Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
As soon as Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress entered, they saw You Mengchu busily gathering herbs everywhere.
Seeing the two of them, she gave an embarrassed little shrug and said:
"Rest assured, I'm only picking some medicinal herbs for refining. I have no intention of touching the immortal herbs…"
Shen Hanyu swept the area with his spiritual power. After confirming there was no issue, he nodded lightly.
"Has your poison been brought under control?"
You Mengchu nodded gently and said:
"Whatever immortal herb can counter one deadly poison must be countered by another immortal herb. I condensed all those toxins together, then used a special method to dilute them and absorb them as extremely pure soul power. My soul power also increased by a large amount."
Shen Hanyu shrugged and said:
"You really don't suffer any losses at all. You even managed to think of a way to raise your soul power like this. Well then, I wish you good luck…"
You Mengchu nodded and said:
"Come on, let me show you around and introduce these immortal herbs to you. Don't say later that I didn't keep my promise."
Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress exchanged a glance and agreed.
…
Evening.
Shui Bing'er and the other girls stared dumbfounded as You Mengchu held her bowl and devoured rice like crazy. Even Shui Ningbing put down her chopsticks, hesitated for a moment, then said softly:
"Little Meng, um… are you still not full after eating so much?"
You Mengchu put down her bowl and chopsticks a little embarrassedly and smiled:
"Sister Shui, almost…"
Shui Ningbing covered her mouth and smiled lightly, then went to get more rice.
Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress ate quietly. In this regard, the two of them were very in sync; they rarely spoke while eating.
After finishing the last big bowl of rice, You Mengchu put down her bowl and chopsticks and said with satisfaction:
"It's been a very long time since I ate my fill. The food here actually tastes a little better than ours…"
The girls laughed lightly. Shui Ningbing spoke again:
"If you like it, stay on the continent a bit longer. You're welcome to visit our academy anytime."
You Mengchu tilted her head in thought for a moment, then smiled and said:
"Sure, I was actually planning to stay on the continent for a while longer to properly learn about the knowledge here. As long as Sister Shui doesn't find me annoying."
Shui Ningbing smiled gently, suddenly exuding an air of charm and grace.
"Don't worry. Heavenly Water Academy can certainly afford to keep you."
Although she said this casually, inside Shui Ningbing's mind, the abacus was already clicking furiously. Once she entered Heavenly Water Academy, how could she possibly be allowed to leave? After living there long enough and developing feelings for the girls, she wouldn't bear to part with them. Then, Heavenly Water Academy would gain another Titled Douluo. Hehehehe…
Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress exchanged a glance, then tacitly continued eating. Many things were understood by everyone, but they just pretended not to know.
Just like in the game of romance.
…
Night.
Shen Hanyu received a rough map made from soul beast hide from You Mengchu. Several locations were crudely marked on it, along with various messy but detailed annotations that described almost everything.
The Snow Empress leaned against Shen Hanyu's shoulder and said softly:
"The Qilin is an auspicious beast, and at the same time, a super soul beast comparable to top true dragons. But as the years pass, they are gradually disappearing from history. A ten-thousand-year-level Qilin, in terms of strength, is in no way inferior to ordinary ferocious beasts—and can even be said to be rarer than ferocious beasts."
Shen Hanyu gave a soft hum and said:
"Judging from this island's position, it should be on some island between the continent and the outer seas. When the time comes, you and I will go. The journey is too far; bringing the girls or anyone else would only slow us down and affect progress. Don't forget, in less than half a year, I still have to fight you."
The Snow Empress buried her head in Shen Hanyu's chest and said in a muffled voice:
"No rush. Wait until you're strong enough. I'm afraid of hurting you…"
Shen Hanyu said somewhat amusedly:
"Are you able to change time or something?"
The Snow Empress gave a deep hum.
Shen Hanyu: "......"
"Accompanying the divine examination, in other words, has far fewer restrictions in many places. At least mine does. Whether it's the Ice God or me, we probably both just hope you become stronger sooner…"
The Snow Empress said softly, gently rubbing against Shen Hanyu. Those originally cold and aloof beautiful eyes were now filled with attachment, reluctance to part, and tenderness.
"That's good then. If the Ice God were still alive, she must have been a very open-minded deity."
Shen Hanyu said with a smile.
As his words fell, the bead in his spiritual sea trembled slightly, as if responding to what he had just said.
Shen Hanyu's smile stiffened for a moment before he continued:
"What do you think of You Mengchu?"
The Snow Empress was silent for a moment, then said:
"Her character is not bad. Worth befriending."
Shen Hanyu nodded. The Snow Empress's impression was similar to his own.
"Shen Hanyu…"
The Snow Empress called softly.
Shen Hanyu lowered his head slightly, waiting for her to continue.
"Shen Hanyu… I can feel that your heart… doesn't seem to belong entirely to me…"
The Snow Empress looked into Shen Hanyu's eyes and said softly.
Shen Hanyu was stunned for a second, then smiled and said:
"Why do you say that?"
The Snow Empress fiercely pinched the soft flesh at Shen Hanyu's waist and said:
"You have very good luck with women, and you… are a greedy and selfish person."
Shen Hanyu hugged the Snow Empress and said softly:
"Is that why you've been in low spirits lately?"
The Snow Empress gave a deep nod, not hiding it.
Under the dim yellow lamplight, Shen Hanyu said softly:
"You said it yourself. I admit I'm a selfish and greedy person. To me, right and wrong don't make much difference. No matter what I become, you can only stay by my side, become a god together with me, and accompany each other through endless years. Snow Empress… do you understand…"
The Snow Empress gave a low laugh, then softly cursed:
"You're such a bastard!"
Then she turned over and lay on the other side by herself. Her white hair spilled casually across the bed.
Shen Hanyu hugged her from behind, smelling the fresh fragrance on the Snow Empress, feeling an unparalleled sense of security and fulfillment.
The Snow Empress slowly turned around, buried herself in Shen Hanyu's arms, opened her mouth, and bit hard into his chest, only releasing after tasting blood.
Shen Hanyu let her vent until the Snow Empress's icy lips took the initiative to press against his…
The night was very long.
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