Return to Dragon City

Several days later, the massive, icy outline of Dragon City appeared on the horizon once more.

With the Ice Empress accompanying him, the return journey went exceptionally smoothly. No Soul Beast foolish enough dared disturb the steps of a Northern Extreme Heavenly King.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Jiang Zhen did not fly directly into the city. Instead, he landed in the familiar snowy forest on its outskirts.

"So this is what a human city looks like? Nothing but a prison built from piles of cold stones."

The Ice Empress surveyed the towering walls in the distance, her tone as arrogantly critical as ever. Yet deep within those Emerald eyes lay a trace of curiosity that was difficult to detect.

"For living beings who need shelter, a prison built of stone is a warm home."

Jiang Zhen replied casually as he adjusted his robes. "Come on. Follow me."

He led the Ice Empress through the city gates and into Dragon City with practiced ease.

The guards at the gate only felt a bone-piercing chill sweep past them, making them shudder as they looked up.

Yet they saw only the backs of a Blue-Haired Youth and a lightly dressed Green-Dress Little Girl. Assuming it was simply too cold, they gave it no further thought.

The closer they drew to the small courtyard he had rented, the more Jiang Zhen's emotions stirred.

The moment he pushed open the courtyard's wooden gate, a pale-blue figure pounced toward him like a fledgling swallow returning to its nest, brimming with joy as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Brother A Zhen! You're back!"

Ah Yin tilted up her little face, her azure eyes filled with pure delight and dependence.

She seemed to possess an innate sensitivity to Jiang Zhen's aura that surpassed ordinary people.

The icy severity on Jiang Zhen's face instantly melted away, softening.

He stroked Ah Yin's soft Blue-gold Long Hair and said gently, "Mm, I'm back."

"Brother A Zhen, I've been cultivating hard! I'm already Level 26!" Ah Yin nodded vigorously, reporting it as though presenting a treasured gift.

Only then did she notice that behind Jiang Zhen stood an unfamiliar older sister, dressed in a beautiful green dress and looking a few years older than herself.

That older sister was looking at her with an extremely strange expression—there was scrutiny, surprise, and a hint of... something she could not understand.

A little frightened, Ah Yin shrank behind Jiang Zhen, clutching the hem of his robes tightly in her little hand as she peeked out to secretly observe the Ice Empress.

Sensing Ah Yin's unease, Jiang Zhen gently patted her back and introduced her to the Ice Empress.

"Ice Empress, this is the companion I told you about. Her name is Ah Yin."

Then, he softly told Ah Yin, "Ah Yin, don't be afraid. This is Sister Ice Empress. She is... she is Brother's friend."

"Sister Ice Empress...?"

Ah Yin repeated it quietly. The fear in her eyes lessened somewhat, but her curiosity grew even stronger.

She could sense that this green-dressed sister carried a cool aura that made her feel comfortable and close, yet instinctively, she also felt that the other party was incredibly, incredibly powerful.

The Ice Empress ignored Jiang Zhen's clumsy introduction of her as a "friend." From the moment she entered, her gaze had been firmly fixed on Ah Yin.

A deep flash of doubt and disbelief passed through her emerald pupils.

With cultivation nearing four hundred thousand years, she could tell at a glance that this little girl was absolutely not human!

That pure and vast life Origin aura was clearly characteristic of a top-tier plant-type Soul Beast!

But the strange part was this:

First, her Age was wrong. The Soul Beast aura on this little girl was pitifully weak—at most, only several hundred or perhaps a thousand years? How could she possibly take human form?!

And her condition was wrong as well. Her transformation was flawless, her energy contained to an extreme degree. There was none of the unstable energy or leaking Soul Beast aura that ordinary Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts displayed in the early stages of transformation.

If not for the Ice Empress's heaven-defying cultivation and microscopic perception of energy, even she would have nearly been fooled!

This completely violated the iron laws of Douluo Continent!

The Ice Empress frowned slightly and stepped closer.

Ah Yin was so frightened that she immediately pulled her head fully behind Jiang Zhen.

"You..."

The Ice Empress looked at Jiang Zhen, her voice full of inquiry. "What heaven-defying thing did you give her? How did you let a Soul Beast with less than ten thousand years of cultivation transform perfectly ahead of time? This is simply..."

She seemed unable to find suitable words to describe such a defiance of heaven.

She suspected that Jiang Zhen had given this little girl one of the Immortal Herbs from the so-called Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye he had mentioned before.

Jiang Zhen's heart tightened. As expected, he could not hide it from someone at the Ice Empress's level.

But his expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Is her situation that unusual? Then from your perspective, if she encountered a Titled Douluo among humans in her current state, would they be able to see through her true nature?"

Hearing this, the Ice Empress gave a proud snort. "Hmph. What kind of vision does This Empress possess? How could ordinary Titled Douluo be mentioned in the same breath as This Empress?"

Though arrogant, she still gave an objective assessment. "However... her transformed state truly is strange. It is absurdly perfect."

"If This Empress had not personally examined her, then if it were those human Titled Douluo below Level 95, they would most likely fail to see through her unless they pressed right up against her and carefully examined her with their power."

"But if she encounters beings of a higher level, or those with exceptionally powerful Spiritual Power, then it is hard to say."

Hearing that, Jiang Zhen immediately felt reassured.

The Form Transformation Pill's effects were even better than he had anticipated, providing Ah Yin's safety with an enormous safeguard.

"So that was it. Thank you for clearing that up."

Jiang Zhen nodded and said no more.

Seeing that he seemed unwilling to discuss the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures further, the Ice Empress did not press the matter. She merely glanced at Ah Yin a few more times.

She grew even more eager for the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye Jiang Zhen had mentioned—if it could produce treasures that allowed low-level Soul Beasts to take human form, it surely held even more good things!

"Brother A Zhen, I'm hungry."

Ah Yin tugged lightly at Jiang Zhen's sleeve, breaking the brief silence.

After nearly a month apart, she had become even more dependent on Jiang Zhen.

"Alright, I'll take you to eat something good."

Jiang Zhen smiled and took her little hand, then looked at the Ice Empress. "Ice Empress, would you like to come along? Dragon City may not compare to the Core Circle, but it has some unique flavors of its own."

The Ice Empress had intended to refuse, but upon hearing "unique flavors," she recalled the candied hawthorn Jiang Zhen had mentioned on the way.

She swallowed the words that had reached her lips and merely nodded with reserved dignity. "Very well. This king shall see what food you humans have."

It was already night. Dragon City was especially cold after dark, and most streets had few pedestrians. Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, faint yellow lights shining through them, making the city seem quiet and desolate.

Yet in one area at the city's center, the scene was entirely different.

Before they even approached, they could already hear the clamor of voices and see the warm glow of light.

A long street blazed with lights, lined on both sides with all manner of stalls. Steam rose in thick waves, and enticing aromas filled the air.

This was Dragon City's liveliest place at night—Warm Stove Market. Most people simply called it the night market.

The moment she stepped into the market, the Ice Empress frowned slightly, seemingly unaccustomed to such noise and dense crowds.

But before long, her gaze was drawn to the dazzling array of goods and food on either side.

Ah Yin's eyes widened excitedly. Her little head turned this way and that, finding everything new and fascinating.

Jiang Zhen first led them to a stall specializing in northern stews and ordered a large pot of steaming Braised Snow Mutton with rich broth, along with fragrant, crisp Wheat Cakes.

At first, the Ice Empress was skeptical of such "crude" food. She took a small taste, and her eyes immediately brightened slightly. Though she said nothing, her chopsticks moved noticeably faster.

Ah Yin ate until her little face turned red and sweat appeared at her temples, repeatedly declaring it delicious.

After the main meal came snack time.

Jiang Zhen quickly found what he was looking for—a vendor carrying a straw rack filled with strings of crystal-clear, brilliantly red candied hawthorn.

"Boss, three skewers."

When the candied hawthorn—red hawthorn berries coated in a glittering sugar shell—was handed to the Ice Empress, she looked at the "ice shell" reflecting the lamplight and finally revealed the curiosity fitting her apparent age.

She accepted it and carefully stuck out her tongue to give it a lick.

The cold sweetness instantly melted across her taste buds.

Then she gently bit off a small piece.

"Crack..." The crisp sugar shell shattered, followed by the slightly tart taste of the hawthorn inside.

The Ice Empress's eyes narrowed slightly. Although her face still wore that indifferent expression, the hand holding the candied hawthorn remained steady as she ate it bite after bite.

Ah Yin ate even more happily, getting sugar crumbs all around her mouth.

Jiang Zhen watched the two "little girls" standing side by side—one cold and exquisitely beautiful, the other innocent and naive, both seriously nibbling on candied hawthorn—and the sight carried a strangely harmonious warmth.

Afterward, Jiang Zhen took them around the stalls selling various trinkets and bought Ah Yin a spinning Snowflake Pinwheel.

Though the Ice Empress called it "childish," her gaze lingered for quite some time on an exquisite hairpin carved from Ice Marrow Jade.

As the night deepened, the crowds in the market began to thin.

Jiang Zhen then returned to the small courtyard with a fully satisfied Ah Yin and the Ice Empress, whose aura had clearly softened considerably despite her saying nothing.

He gave the largest bedroom to the Ice Empress, while he took Ah Yin to rest in another room.

Late at night, the Ice Empress lay awake on a bed far too large for her frame.

She listened to the faint sound of wind outside the window and felt the "human presence" that was completely different from the Northern Extreme Core.

Then she recalled the taste of that strange sweet treat called candied hawthorn.

"The human world... doesn't seem entirely boring."

She murmured softly, turned over, and slowly closed her emerald eyes in the darkness.

(Thanks to book friends 20250811151220450, Jason286, I Am a Songstress, North Wind Sitting Forgotten Dao, Wind Book Friend 20230708295_Dd, Can Wind Get Tired, and ??? for their recommendation votes~~)

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