The Mistress's Voice

Beyond the secret realm.

The Archimedes Venerable pinched his fingers together, a smirk playing on his lips, and muttered to himself:

"It seems the problem is solved."

He sensed that You Su had torn up the Communication Talisman, and he also sensed the dissipation of the secret realm.

The Archimedes Venerable stood tall and imposing, his right hand raised slightly as if bearing a thousand pounds of weight, yet seemingly with effortless ease. In his palm, a wheel composed of countless intricate and mysterious lines slowly emerged, its surface shimmering with a faint light, like the trajectory of stars, revealing an indescribable power.

The wheel spun gently, each turn accompanied by a deep, long hum, like real gears turning. And silently, a hole was carved into the snow-covered valley and iceberg before them, its edges as smooth as a mirror, without the slightest flaw.

The city lord and the owner of Snow Village Residence were dumbfounded; the Archimedes Venerable's precise control over power was awe-inspiring.

In this breathtaking scene, You Su slowly emerged from the cave entrance. Half of his face remained hidden beneath his slightly oversized collar, his eyes lowered, calm and composed, as if he had just returned from a leisurely stroll, completely oblivious to the astonishment and surprise around him. His steps were light, each one firmly planted on the snow, exuding an air of nonchalance.

The city lord and the owner of Snow Village Residence, who were outside the cave, witnessed this scene, their faces filled with disbelief and shock. Their gazes darted back and forth between You Su and the Archimedes Venerable, their hearts churning with turbulent emotions.

The You Su was able to emerge alive from that perilous snow valley and icy mountain not only exceeded their expectations but also gave them a deeper understanding and awe of the powerful strength of the Archimedes Venerable.

Did he plan all of this out in advance...?

City Lord Qi Tai and Snow Village Residence owner Li Ming stared with a mixture of astonishment and awe at You Su, who emerged unscathed from the secret realm, and the Archimedes Venerable beside him, whose lips curled into a half-smile. Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, illuminating the two men and adding an unusual brilliance to the tense atmosphere.

They hurried forward to greet him, their flattery as gentle as a spring drizzle.

"Oh my, truly a great teacher produces a great student! Your Excellency, your disciple is simply a god descended from heaven, easily escaping from that perilous secret realm. He is truly admirable!" Qi Tai said, bowing respectfully with his hands clasped. His smile was almost overflowing, and his eyes gleamed with a thirst for power and a fear of the Archimedes Venerable.

Not to be outdone, Li Ming followed closely, her voice trembling with excitement. "Yes, yes! The Venerable One's disciple will surely become a great figure, renowned throughout the five continents and awe-inspiring in all directions, just like the Venerable One!"

Upon hearing this, the Archimedes Venerable's smile deepened, but he remained noncommittal. His gaze lingered on You Su for a moment, his eyes filled with both satisfaction and helplessness. Then, he slowly turned to Qi Tai and Li Ming, his smile seemingly concealing a hidden meaning and calculation.

Qi Tai mustered his courage and tentatively said, "Your Excellency, it is truly an honor for us to have you come to Shuo City to audit the accounts. Now that the evil spirits have been eliminated, and you have gladly accepted our 'small token of appreciation,' we believe you will be able to deliver a satisfactory report to the Divine Mountain. As for the cooperation we discussed earlier..." He deliberately dragged out his words, his eyes fixed on the face of the Archimedes Venerable, trying to catch a glimpse of satisfaction.

However, the Archimedes Venerable's face suddenly darkened, and his tone became full of sarcasm:

"Oh? The evil spirits have been exorcised? A greeting gift? Cooperation? City Lord Qi, what you're saying is completely baffling to me."

Qi Tai's heart tightened, a sense of foreboding washing over him. He forced himself to remain calm and tried to explain, "Your Excellency is being disingenuous... You sent your disciple to slay the evil spirit, isn't that tantamount to accepting a gift from my master? Once we accept the gift, of course we're on the same side... Rest assured, Your Excellency, such gifts will only increase in the future."

"Are you implying that my disciple deserved to die in this trap you set? If he defeats the evil spirit himself, it means he'll accept your bribe? Does that mean that if my disciple comes out, we have to leave that evil spirit alive for you? Whether it's a greeting gift or a show of force isn't up to you to decide."

The Archimedes Venerable sneered, his voice like a sharp blade in the cold wind:

"As for this so-called cooperation? That's just your wishful thinking. I act with integrity and honesty; why would I associate with petty thieves like you?"

Qi Tai's face turned deathly pale instantly. He never expected the Archimedes Venerable to be so direct. He tried to salvage the situation, his voice trembling slightly:

"Your Excellency, what do you mean by this? My master is sincere... Besides, it's only five years' worth of taxes... My master promised that if you let us off this time, five years—just give us another five years— Shuo City will pay the taxes for the past twenty years!"

But the Archimedes Venerable had clearly lost patience. He coldly interrupted Qi Tai: "That's just five years' worth of taxes! Do you know how many people have frozen or starved to death in the snow with your casual remark? Do you think I'm really here for your money? Your Shuo City is thriving, but why is the number of deaths in the surrounding villages and tribes, and even within Shuo City, rising day by day?! You can pay the money, but can you repay their lives?!"

"Venerable One...they are just mortals...like snow grass, planted every few years, they will always grow back. We in the bitterly cold land of the Northern Ao Continent have survived all these years. A few more or a few less, they will never die out..." Li Ming earnestly advised from the side, speaking from the bottom of his heart.

But as soon as Zhenxin finished speaking, the figure of the Archimedes Venerable suddenly blurred, as if merging into the air. The next instant, he appeared behind Li Ming, and with a gentle wave of his hand, a powerful force erupted, shattering Li Ming's head. Blood splattered like blooming red flowers on the white snow, and Li Ming's body collapsed limply, lifeless.

It all happened so suddenly that no one even had time to gasp. By the time they came to their senses, the Archimedes Venerable had already withdrawn his hand, his face now cold and expressionless, as if he had become a completely different person.

"Please thank your husband for his 'gift,' this is my return gift." The Archimedes Venerable's voice was as cold as ice.

The "gift" wasn't really a gift; it was a show of force.

Qi Tai stared at Li Ming's corpse on the ground, his heart filled with unprecedented fear and despair. He knew that there was probably no way to salvage the situation between the Archimedes Venerable and his own teacher. And he, this insignificant Squad Commander, was destined to be inevitably caught up in it, unable to control his own destiny.

The Archimedes Venerable did not stop there. He slowly walked towards Qi Tai, each step seeming to tread on Qi Tai's heartstrings, making him feel increasingly oppressed and heavy.

"Your Excellency... Shuo City has not evaded any taxes. You cannot take arbitrary punishment..."

The trembling city lord attempted to rouse the Archimedes Venerable's sanity; even the strongest cultivator could not arbitrarily kill local officials, as this was one of the ironclad rules of the Divine Mountain Laws.

"Lord Qi," Archimedes Venerable regained his warm smile, giving people a sense of harmlessness, which made Qi Tai feel slightly relieved.

"Your Snow Village Tea comes from this secret realm, but this secret realm was built by Evil Demons. You are a cultivator at the Feather Transformation Realm, born from the Divine Mountain, and should know the inspection and reporting procedures after discovering a secret realm. But you did nothing, clearly knowing but not reporting. As the city lord, you led the way in seeking evil fruits from the evil lair and selling them to the common people. I have ample reason to suspect that you are colluding with evil spirits. From this moment on, your position as city lord is invalid until the Divine Mountain sends someone to verify. I will temporarily assume your position as city lord." Archimedes Venerable smiled and patted Qi Tai on the shoulder.

Qi Tai trembled all over, his lips quivering, "Your Excellency is exaggerating... How would I know if this secret realm is an evil lair... At most, I only wanted to embezzle the secret realm—that's a minor offense... There are quite a few people like that, aren't there? Heh, Your Excellency, please don't frighten me."

Now that the evil spirits have been exorcised and the secret realm no longer exists, it is impossible to prove whether it was Evil Tide or not. This is also the basis for Qi Tai's sophistry.

"Da Bang, take out the talisman and let him die knowing why," Archimedes Venerable casually ordered.

You Su stepped forward and unfolded the Communication Talisman that the Archimedes Venerable had given him earlier.

Qi Tai then realized in despair that this was not Communication Talisman at all, but a precious ink-retaining talisman.

On the talisman, there was a pool of wriggling black blood, irrefutable evidence left by the black jellyfish in the cave.

That night, at the City Lord's Mansion.

You Su sat in the room where she had been sitting before, while Bai Ze lay on the tea table, rolling around boredly.

Unlike before, You Su opened the window today and looked at the bright stars and moon outside.

"Why are you opening the window? Aren't you cold?" Bai Ze, being the Spirit of the Snow Mountain, was naturally unafraid of the snow and cold, so it didn't care whether the window was open or not; it was just curious.

"You've been cooped up in your room all day, and the room is filled with your pungent smell. I need to get some fresh air out." You Su even pretended to pinch her nose.

Bai Ze grimaced in anger, "Don't talk nonsense! I don't smell at all!"

You Su found it amusing. Although Bai Ze could speak human language, it seemed to lack a swear word module. As a result, every time it seemed angry, its rebuttals lacked power, which was quite interesting.

However, the little Divine Beast's next words made You Su almost lose her composure.

"You're the one who smells bad! You're not gamey, but you're fishy! The blanket you slept in smells like sea fish!" Bai Ze looked You Su suspiciously, then suddenly pointed at You Su with his cat paw and said, "Did you hide fish behind my back?! No wonder your pants were bulging this morning!"

You Su's face darkened, but he coughed a few times, feigning composure. "Haven't I given you all the good stuff I have? Do you think I didn't know you hid half a goose egg the other day? Besides, that's not a fishy smell, that's the smell of sweat. When I cultivate, I expel impurities from my body, so naturally there's a certain odor. I'll have someone change the sheets later and prepare some hot water for a bath. If you don't like it, then get out of bed and go sleep in the corner."

You Su was in a good mood today and couldn't be bothered to argue with this clueless little Divine Beast.

He has always had a constitution full of yang energy. With the help of his junior sisters and senior sisters in the Central Yuan Continent, not only did his cultivation advance by leaps and bounds, but his physical condition was also able to remain in a stable state.

Now that there are no means to deplete yang energy, the icy and snowy Northern Ao Continent can still suppress it, so it is still manageable. However, even if one does not actively consume yang energy, the body will spontaneously expel it from time to time when it is full, which is something that cannot be helped.

In short, living conditions are better now, and it's much easier to change inner linings and wash clothes frequently.

"You closed the window not because you were cold, but because you were afraid of others seeing. Am I right?" Bai Ze jumped onto the windowsill and gazed at the breathtaking scene of stars, moon, and snow falling in the courtyard.

You Su raised an eyebrow. "You do have some humanity."

"Pah." Bai Ze scoffed at You Su's praise. "So you're not opening the window because you're afraid of the heat, you're just not afraid of being seen, right?"

You Su smiled. "The fact that the city lord is colluding with evil spirits is already a done deal. That Flower Daoist has taken over the Shuo City Lord's Mansion. Under the guise of investigating evil spirits, Flower Daoist can investigate more things he wants, and no one has a reason to refuse. Now that Flower Daoist is the boss in this city, we can be bolder by following him."

"Really?!" Bai Ze turned around excitedly, his cat-like eyes sparkling. "Then can I go out and play too?"

"If I find out that you, a cat, have secretly slipped out, I will never want you again and will leave you to fend for yourself," You Su threatened.

You Su's words sounded like a threat, but they were also a way of telling Bai Ze that if he obeyed and followed him, properly disguising himself as a white cat, then going out for a stroll in the current situation wouldn't be a problem.

Bai Ze licked his paws, revealing his not-so-sharp claws. "I! Am! Not! A! Cat!"

"Whoever meows while sleeping is a cat," You Su shattered the little white cat's insistence.

Bai Ze gritted his teeth in hatred and retorted, "What? You're so reluctant to part with this Divine Beast? Do you insist that I travel with you?"

"I think you're too stupid and weak. If you try to do something stupid, you'll most likely get caught. Regardless of whether I want to save you or not, it would probably be a huge hassle, and I don't like doing troublesome things." You Su took a sip of cold tea and closed the window again.

"One day, don't expect this Divine Beast to save you!"

Bai Ze looked at himself being locked up again and suddenly felt inexplicably wronged.

"I beg you, don't save him." You Su had already stood up, preparing to meditate for a while, but his answer remained indifferent.

But... Bai Ze looked at the large piece of dried venison that had appeared beside his paws without him noticing, and his slight grievance was immediately washed away by happiness.

It was locked in the room all day and naturally had no food. It thought it would go hungry until tomorrow, but unexpectedly, You Su still remembered to bring back its favorite food.

This feeling is as if it were a small animal nestled in its den, while You Su was the leader... ugh! The servant!

You Su closed his eyes to rest, watching the black jellyfish that appeared under the Dream Master Type the Golden Paper Dream Master in his mind, somewhat anticipating what new abilities it would bring him.

But before his Sea of Consciousness had even connected with the Golden Hydriform for long, You Su suddenly sensed that something was amiss.

A faint sound seemed to be coming from beside my ear.

It was a gentle, soothing female voice, carrying a melancholy like falling petals.

"Su'er..."