Aftermath

"Ahh, that felt good."

Bai Ye forcefully tossed the Wine Jar beside him and let out a shout.

That drink had been truly satisfying. The Cold energy stirred up within him by the fierce battle gradually calmed under the effects of the strong liquor.

"Don't tell me you filled up your entire Mustard Seed Bracelet just to store this stuff."

Su Ling'er frowned as she looked at Bai Ye, who had collapsed onto the ground the moment he came out, her tone displeased.

What girl would want to keep filthy corpses inside her Mustard Seed Bracelet?

"This is good stuff. Want some?"

Bai Ye took out another exquisite Jade Bottle and held it toward her.

Su Ling'er shook her head and waved him off in rejection.

She hated the stuff most of all. She had no idea why boys liked it so much.

Bai Ye rolled his eyes. This was top-grade Spirit Wine, something he had specifically selected from Ying Longcheng's Wine Cellar before leaving. He would not even be willing to share it with most people.

However, unlike Hong Lingyue, Su Ling'er had stayed here despite the risks solely because of the friendship they had built over the past few days. Though Bai Ye found that behavior a little foolish, it was nice. This silly girl was worth being friends with.

"Can I buy some Ape Fur from the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's corpse?"

At that moment, Hong Lingyue spoke from the side. "Set whatever price you want, as long as it isn't more than double the market price."

She really liked that platinum-white fur. If it were woven into clothing, it would also be beneficial in battle.

A Heaven-Rank Spirit Beast was valuable from head to toe.

"I'll give you the corpse."

"No."

Hong Lingyue's eyes curved into crescents. "That's not how favors are repaid. Your promise isn't that cheap either, is it?"

Bai Ye scratched his head helplessly. "Fine, then we'll put it on the tab for now."

Though he had a feeling Hong Lingyue's favor would be troublesome, so be it. Since he had already said it, he would leave it at that.

There was still a long future ahead.

Besides, judging by how bedraggled the two of them looked—

Quite a few people had probably come while he was inside the valley. It had been worth it.

"Um..."

As the two spoke, Su Ling'er suddenly seemed to realize something and turned away.

Bai Ye looked at her in confusion.

"What is it?"

"Can you put on some clothes first?"

Uh...

Bai Ye looked down at his exposed body. His clothes had all been destroyed in the battle.

Now, he was covered in blood and grime, his garments tattered.

At some point, Hong Lingyue had turned back around. She pointed in a certain direction.

"There seems to be a Hot Spring over there. You can wash up there."

Well, this place really had everything.

Bai Ye rose to his feet helplessly. Was that really necessary? With a body like his, even fairies would think they had gotten the worse end of the deal after seeing him.

Yet these two actually found him offensive.

Women.

Using the bit of Spiritual energy he had recovered, Bai Ye flew in that direction.

This had once been the Hong Gang's base. Bai Ye quickly found the Hot Spring Hong Lingyue had mentioned.

Amid this icy wilderness, this area was surprisingly warm.

The moment he landed, Bai Ye's knees went weak, and he nearly fell to the ground.

His previously calm expression immediately darkened.

He had ultimately suffered serious injuries in that battle. He took out the City Lord's Mansion's Healing Pills from his Mustard Seed Bracelet.

These pills originated from the Endless Fire Territory, one of the Great Thousand World's superpowers, and their quality was guaranteed. Otherwise, Ying Xue'er and he could not have recovered so completely in such a short time before.

In the Northern Domain, practically every top force was a customer of the Endless Fire Territory.

He gently poured out a pill from the porcelain bottle into his palm, then swallowed it in one gulp.

At the same time, he removed his tattered outer clothes, sat cross-legged in the Hot Spring, and circulated the Spiritual energy within him to activate the medicine's effects.

The medicinal effects soon spread out. A warm aura enveloped his body, slowly repairing the injuries within him.

Second by second, time passed.

Outside, Su Ling'er sat on a rock with a bored expression, looking toward where Bai Ye was.

"He's a grown man. Why is he taking so long just to change clothes? He's taking longer to wash up than I do."

Hong Lingyue sat beside her, swinging her long legs. "Who told him to be so pretty?"

She knew what Bai Ye was doing. That was precisely why she had let him go toward the Hot Spring alone.

Some dignity was always fiercely guarded.

Of course, it was also possible that Bai Ye did not trust the two of them and therefore did not want them to see him in such a weakened state.

As she was thinking that, rustling footsteps sounded from behind them.

This was earlier than Hong Lingyue had expected. Was he done so soon?

"You, why are you so..."

Su Ling'er turned around, and her words came to an abrupt stop.

Hong Lingyue was a little puzzled. That Spiritual energy fluctuation belonged to Bai Ye. Had something happened?

With that thought in mind, she turned around as well.

Then, when she saw the sight before her, the words she had been about to say caught in her throat as well.

The bright moonlight draped a veil over the already pure white snow. His snow-white hair cascaded loosely over his shoulders, his pale Gilded Gold eyes glimmered softly, and a faint smile rested on his handsome face. He simply stood there, yet he seemed impossibly distant from them, carrying an otherworldly air as though he did not belong in this mortal realm.

The two girls stared at him and unconsciously froze for a moment.

"What are you looking at?"

Bai Ye curiously waved a hand before them. Ever since he had come out, the two of them had seemed petrified, staring blankly at him.

Was there something on his face?

No, that could not be right. He should have cleaned everything up before coming out.

"We weren't looking at you."

That was the first thing Su Ling'er said when she came back to her senses, making Hong Lingyue cover her forehead beside her. Silly girl, she had given herself away immediately.

"Looking at me? What's so good about looking at me? Hmm, no, everything about me looks good."

"Shameless."

Bai Ye took out a hair tie, gathered his loose hair, and casually tied it behind his back.

"Then why were you staring so intently?"

"I-I wanted to."

Su Ling'er bared her little canine teeth and fiercely snapped at Bai Ye, trying to hide her embarrassment.

It was not as if this was the first time she had seen Bai Ye. Why had she gotten so lost staring at him this time? How humiliating.

Bai Ye pursed his lips and did not explain. Yet that very refusal to explain made Su Ling'er feel even more stifled. He could at least argue back a little so she could use the chance to change the subject.

Hong Lingyue watched the exchange between them from the side, becoming even more certain of her earlier judgment.

This guy definitely had an awful personality. Seeing Su Ling'er's pretty face flushed red, Hong Lingyue sighed softly to herself. Only a simple-minded little girl like Su Ling'er would get hung up on such things. Still, teasing her like this was indeed rather fun.

"Let's go. According to reports from those below, it seems all the Heaven Merging Realm students have already arrived at Northern Azure Hall."

Although she had dismissed all the Hong Gang members, she could still receive plenty of information thanks to the prestige she had built before.

Northern Azure Hall?

Bai Ye paused slightly. That was true. From entering Frozen Ice Valley until now, he had spent nearly a full day there, watching the sky grow dark, then light, then dark again.

Given so much time, those people had likely gathered Marks of a certain level again with their strength.

Meeting up at Northern Azure Hall now was only natural.

"Then let's go."

Bai Ye stretched lazily.

"An eighth-level Mark is really unpleasant to look at."

The highest level for a Mark was level nine. If he could not reach that perfect stage, he would always feel a little uncomfortable.

A compulsive habit.

Hearing that, Hong Lingyue secretly shook her head.

She wondered which unlucky person would become this fellow's target.

The three rested for a while, then transformed into three streaks of Flowing Light and shot into the sky, heading toward Northern Azure Hall at the very center.