The Mortal's Method; Snake Women in Attendance

Several women in line ahead of her, each wielding a snake fan, whispered amongst themselves. The scales beneath their thin veils shimmered with iridescent light, yet they couldn't conceal the frost-like tension between their brows.

"Is it him?" Someone covered their lips with a fan. "The one from the Second Young Lady's room? What's he doing here?"

"Shh..." The other snake woman gripped her handkerchief tightly. "What else could they be doing in the Ice Room? They're obviously here to get ice."

"He wants more too? It's all his fault! We don't even have enough ice for ourselves, and he wants more? Besides, this ice is already being given priority to the elders and young ladies every day. There's hardly any left for us. Why is he asking for more...?"

"He's the Second Young Lady's kept beauty in a golden cage. He's come to get ice, how dare you refuse him? Sigh... If anyone's to blame, it's only because none of our snake clan knows how to perform Formation Technique."

You Su ignored him and simply stood at the back of the line obediently.

However, he seemed to have a bad reputation among these little snake women. This outcast in the Daughter Country was prone to criticism no matter what he did. Even his honest queuing was seen as him being pretentious.

Their views on You Su's existence were naturally extremely complex. They felt fear towards this Evil Demon who had shaken the five continents, indignation at him for stealing the Second Young Lady's heart, and helplessness at the clan leader's insistence on protecting him despite opposition.

Therefore, even though the young man had already reached the Feather Transformation Realm, a level usually reserved for snake clan elders, he still couldn't gain their approval. After all, what did it have to do with them?

Even if he and his Lotus Sword Venerable, were incredibly powerful, they weren't there to help the Serpent Clan. On the contrary, they were there to seek the Serpent Clan's protection and cause them trouble. And this trouble wasn't just the trouble of not daring to invite outsiders in to repair the Formation Technique; it was a huge trouble that could lead to the annihilation of the entire clan.

Fortunately, the snake clan has survived through thick and thin and has an innate instinct to protect its people, so they would not spread this secret around.

In reality, due to the nature of the snake race, these little snake girls, who have been protected in their clan since childhood, do not like to leave their clan's territory. In addition, there are no Demon Race who are on good terms with the snake race, so the so-called secret has nowhere to be told.

Compared to Ji Lingruo and Ji Xueruo, these snake women seemed much more naive and inexperienced in the ways of the world. They believed everything they heard, their likes and dislikes were very clear, and their joys and anger were always on their lips.

In short, their rejection of this uninvited guest was obvious to the naked eye.

When the snake women who came to collect ice from behind You Su saw that You Su was at the very end of the line, none of them dared to approach, and instead kept their distance.

You Su even noticed the petite snake woman in front of him, trembling with fear as if a ferocious beast was standing behind her.

The snake sisters watching from the sidelines were all deeply worried for the petite snake girl, muttering under their breath:

"Poor Xiao Ling... She's the most timid person, she must be terrified! Could You Su this on purpose?"

You Su heard everything clearly, and couldn't help but smile wryly. She then took the initiative to start a conversation. "Miss Xiao Ling, are you here to collect ice?"

The girl in front of him suddenly stiffened, as if she had been frozen in place, and remained motionless for a long time before slowly turning around.

She was a beautiful young girl, most striking for her almond-shaped eyes. At first glance, it seemed that only those large eyes could be seen on her small face. However, perhaps because she was too nervous, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, making her look truly pitiful, as if she was about to cry.

"Hmm..." The girl didn't even dare to look up, her eyelashes casting small fan-like shadows beneath her eyes.

You Su stared at her hands, which were gripping the wooden basin tightly, her knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force. He chuckled to himself, realizing for the first time that he could be so frightening.

"What a coincidence, me too. May I ask, Miss Xiao Ling, how does one receive ice here?" You Su tried to speak softly, so as not to appear too intimidating.

"Two days for one piece... according to cultivation level..." Xiao Ling quietly raised her eyes, but was stung by You Su's appearance and quickly lowered her gaze again.

"One block every two days? But in this sweltering heat, your ice block, the size of a wooden basin, will melt by the afternoon. How can it last two days?"

"The Ice Room is broken, broken, a lot of ice has melted..." Xiao Ling stammered, her voice barely audible, as if her small body couldn't muster any more strength to say a few more words.

Finally, one of the snake women, unable to bear seeing the demon continue to bully her snake sisters, stepped forward.

"Young Master You, are you here to collect ice?" She crossed her arms and shielded Xiao Ling behind her. "You are a distinguished guest of the Snake Clan, you can go directly to the front to collect it, there's no need to queue."

Her icy tone made it sound like she was speaking of ice, so Xiao Ling quickly grabbed the snake woman's bright red dress and whispered, "Sister Hong Xiao."

You Su wasn't annoyed and smiled warmly, "I'm not here to get ice, I'm here to help you repair the Ice Room."

"Ice Room?!"

The snake women gasped in surprise, and Hong Xiao's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. But as the initial shock subsided, doubts arose again:

"The Frost Condensation Formation in the Ice Room is broken. Young Master You is Sword Cultivator, could it be that you are also proficient in Formation Technique?"

"I know absolutely nothing about Formation Technique," You Su answered honestly.

As soon as the words were spoken, all the snake women gasped, whispered among themselves, and sneered.

Hong Xiao's eyebrows furrowed, feeling as if You Su was toying with her. She gritted her teeth and said:

"How can you cultivate if you don't understand Formation Technique? Young Master You, please don't joke. If you want to fetch ice, just go and fetch it quickly. Young Master You is a distinguished guest of the Snake Clan, you only need to stay in the Second Young Lady's courtyard! In the future, you don't need to do such trivial things as fetching ice yourself, just give the order to us!"

The snake women around them sneered upon hearing this; they indeed hoped that this 'distinguished guest' would obediently stay in the Second Young Lady's courtyard and not come out.

Upon hearing this, You Su indeed moved, but instead of tucking its tail between its legs and obediently running away, it walked to the wall Ice Room.

He ran his fingertips over the water stains on the stone wall. The snake clan's Ice Room was built against the mountain, with volcanic geothermal heat rising up. Even though the outer layer was covered with runes, it was still difficult to prevent the heat from penetrating. That's why a superior Frost Condensation Formation was needed to store the ice that had been preserved from winter.

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the women, You Su suddenly squatted down and examined the stone wall. Then, she took out a copper coin from her sleeve, pressed it against the stone wall, and gently scraped it—instantly, a thin layer of frost formed on the surface of the coin.

"Do you repair this Frost Condensation Formation often?"

"Occasionally, I guess," Hong Xiao answered him instinctively, though she didn't know why.

"It shouldn't be a one-off thing, I guess..." You Su stood up, "You guys have to do repairs at least once every summer."

Upon hearing this, Hong Xiao was taken aback. "How did you know?"

"The root system of this camphor tree looks different, which is caused by the cold and moisture seeping from the Ice Room. But the fact that it's affected even at this distance means that the Ice Room is frequently damaged, and this has happened over the years."

You Su spoke with such certainty that the women were dumbfounded. They even forgot their aversion to You Su and crowded around to examine the old roots of the camphor tree that were protruding from the ground.

Smelling the rich fragrance around them, You Su smiled and walked up to Hong Xiao and Xiao Ling: "Although Formation Technique are not a one-time solution, they certainly shouldn't be this fragile. Do you two hire the same formation master every year?"

Hong Xiao was also somewhat shocked at this moment, and even wondered if someone had told You Su about this beforehand, so she nodded blankly:

"There's only one female array master in the Feather Transformation Realm nearby, so of course we have to seek her out every year."

Upon hearing this, You Su thought to himself, "As expected. The snake clan consists entirely of women, so naturally they try to interact with women in every aspect of their lives."

"That makes sense. She probably deliberately didn't complete the Frost Condensation Formation. Because your Serpent Clan has volcanoes and uses a lot of ice, the Ice Room is very important. And you can only turn to her, which must be a considerable income for her. I guess she might have also said that the Formation Technique is no longer viable and asked you to ask her to re-carve a Formation Technique?"

"You... how did you know all this!" Hong Xiao was extremely surprised, then clenched her fists in anger. "This Antelope Spirit is so cunning! No wonder she charged so much money to carve a Frost Condensation Formation; she's taking advantage of... taking advantage of—"

"Taking advantage of someone's misfortune..." Xiao Ling poked her head out, trying to save Hong Xiao from her predicament, who was on the verge of saying something.

"That's right, that's right! This is it!" Hong Xiao exclaimed indignantly.

Perhaps it was because of You Su's words that the timid Xiao Ling mustered up her courage and secretly sized up You Su, only to meet the boy's gentle gaze. She quickly hid again, and her face, which had been pale with fright, regained some of its rosy color.

"It's just storing ice, there's no need to ask those arrogant array masters for help." You Su smiled. "We can keep this ice from melting for a long time without using Frost Condensation Formation."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding snake women all turned to look at him in surprise, and their voices of doubt gradually subsided.

"What should we do?" Hong Xiao couldn't help but take a step forward, the silver bells in her hair jingling softly.

"I have some methods that ordinary people might use, which might be of help."

The snake women exchanged bewildered glances, some muttering under their breath, "Mortal methods? Even our snake clan's Technique Method can't achieve that..."

You Su shook his head and sighed softly, finally understanding why the female array master was able to swindle money from the snake clan to cultivate Formation Technique.

The thing that humans fear most about the Demon Race is that demons do not distinguish between immortals and mortals. All demons are born with Demon Core, which means they are Demon Cultivator capable of cultivating immortality.

These snake-woman tribeswomen are the same; born with power, they rarely think about using methods other than Mystic Qi. Using Immortal Method to solve problems is almost an instinctive habit for them and the Demon Race.

While Immortal Method can solve most problems, they can also be excessive in some aspects, lacking the wisdom of everyday life. In fact, they might arrogantly regard this kind of life wisdom that mortals rely on for survival as useless folk remedies for the weak.

You Su, who came from a humble background in the mortal realm, was naturally different from them, so he didn't rush to defend himself, but instead asked:

"I wonder if Miss Hong Xiao could guide me? I'd like to go in and take a look."

Hong Xiao hesitated regarding the mortal method You Su mentioned and did not immediately lead the way. "Did the Second Young Lady tell you all this?"

"She did ask me to help, but other than that, she didn't say anything else."

"But... how does she know you can help us?" Hong Xiao seemed to be making a final confirmation.

"Summers in the Central Yuan Continent are unbearable. I've gone to great lengths to make sure your pampered Second Young Lady doesn't look down on my dilapidated sect. She probably knows best whether mortal methods are effective or not."

You Su laughed heartily, recalling how his junior sister always complained about the stuffy room and couldn't sleep. So he soaked a bamboo mat in well water and hung it under the eaves, intending to surprise her with it when the night dew turned to frost. However, his junior sister, who was planning to sleep naked, mistook him for a pervert and gave him a good beating. At the time, he was genuinely blind, which now seemed a real pity. These summer memories from the Sword Sect courtyard were all brought back to mind, making You Su feel an unparalleled sweetness in his recollections.

When he came to his senses, he had already been led into the Ice Room by Hong Xiao, followed by a group of snake women whose eyes were half expectant and half suspicious.

The two snake women who were cutting and scattering ice were puzzled and looked at Hong Xiao. Hong Xiao shook her head at them, indicating that You Su should do as he pleased.

Inside the Ice Room, humidity and heat collided in mid-air.

You Su looked around, shook his head secretly, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Without the Frost Condensation Formation, your Ice Room is probably even more rudimentary than an ordinary person's Ice Room."

"Even the Ice Room of mortals don't have such a powerful Frost Condensation Formation as ours!" One of the snake women, who was tasked with dispersing the ice, was unaware of what had happened to You Su outside, and naturally felt somewhat Qi Ingestion by You Su's complaints.

"Indeed, but mortals' Ice Room don't need such powerful Frost Condensation Formation as yours."

You Su's tone finally hardened, and he reached out and pressed his hand against the floor, where he could feel a faint warmth.

"An ice cellar would be more effective than Ice Room, but if we dig one here now, the ice will all get dirty. So we'll just have to make do for now and find another shady spot to dig an ice cellar for next year."

"Although it's makeshift, we can't be careless. First, the floor tiles need to be replaced with hollow bricks carved from volcanic rock from Snake Mountain, filled with crushed quartz sand."

"The Frost Mist Grass probably won't survive if you plant it. Just find some vines and plant them along the wall. These things grow quickly, and once they cover the wall, they're actually just as effective as the Frost Mist Grass. It would be best to also put up reflective mica sheets over the skylight to direct the sunlight elsewhere..."

As You Su walked, he talked, listing his suggestions for renovating the Ice Room one after another.

Noticing the lack of response, he turned to look at the women, only to see that the snake women all wore expressions of wary suspicion. Only Xiao Ling stared at him blankly, it was unclear whether she hadn't understood or had grasped the gravity of the situation.

"Do any of you have objections?"

"All the methods you've suggested are time-consuming and laborious," the snake woman who had previously questioned the ice-splitting technique stepped forward. "We cultivators can certainly..."

"Why not spend a huge sum of money to repair a Frost Condensation Formation that can never be fixed? The so-called time-consuming and laborious process can actually be completed in just a few days, and it won't cost much at all. Isn't this much easier than the Serpent Clan groveling to ask an array master for help?"

Hearing this, Hong Xiao pursed her lips. She naturally understood that even if a male array master were to come, it would probably be the same. No demon would give up such an easy and profitable business.

You Su's gaze swept over the women, and he said in a deep voice, "I'm not worried about being exposed; I don't want the Snake Clan to be looked down upon by other Demon Race anymore. Your clan leader is leading the Snake Clan to a promising revival. Do you really want other Demon Race counting the Snake Clan's money while laughing at how easy it is to make money? So everyone should understand that it's better to rely on yourself than to rely on others."

All the women were moved by his words. Every snake clan woman knew of the glory of their ancestors, so they all had a sense of pride in their hearts. Now that their clan leader was capable, they were proud of him and of course did not want to bring shame to the snake clan. That was why Hong Xiao had cursed the female array master earlier.

However, You Su's methods, which relied on ordinary people, were too unfamiliar to them; who would dare to easily believe them?

You Su noticed their concerns, so he walked over to Xiao Ling, who was hiding in a corner and peeking at him, and spoke in a very soft voice:

"Xiao Ling, when you carry ice home every day, do you always choose the shady path and walk quickly?"

The girl was puzzled as to why the boy had approached her again. She twisted the hem of her skirt with her fingertips and finally managed a soft "hmm" after a long while.

"Did a lot of the ice melt before we even got home?"

Xiao Ling gave a soft "hmm" again.

"Walking fast creates the wind, but it actually accelerates the melting of the ice. Xiao Ling, please remember to walk slower next time." You Su smiled gently. "Could you do me a favor, Xiao Ling?"

"W-What kind of help?"

"Please go home and fetch a winter quilt, Miss Xiao Ling. If you help me with this, you'll get two blocks of ice today, no matter what."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling's almond-shaped eyes finally widened with excitement. She wanted to look directly at the boy, but was too shy to do so, and could only ask with her ears turning red:

"You... you're not lying to me?"

"If I'm lying to you, you can go and complain to the Second Young Lady; she won't forgive me."

"... good."

The girl clenched her fist and ran out amidst the puzzled gazes of the other girls.

You Su, however, stood with his hands behind his back, quietly waiting for the girl to return. His calm and composed demeanor prevented the snake women, who were full of doubts, from asking him any questions. However, they all waited with him, as if to see what tricks he was going to play.

When Xiao Ling returned carrying a quilt bigger than herself, there were already two wooden basins on the ground, each containing two square blocks of ice of the same size.

"Gentlemen, if I cover one block of ice with this quilt, and leave the other uncovered, and then leave both outside, which one will melt first?"

"Naturally, it's the area where you don't cover yourself with a blanket."

"You don't mean the part covered by the blanket, do you? Wrapping ice in a blanket is like adding fuel to the fire!"

Doubts and criticisms abound.

You Su smiled and said, "Noon is the hottest time, so let's set this as the limit. If the ice on the blankets has melted little, Miss Hong Xiao, please give the ice that Second Young Lady had in her room today to Miss Xiao Ling; if the ice on the blankets has melted a lot, You Su will stay obediently in the courtyard from now on and will not disturb your peace."

Hong Xiao was slightly taken aback, wondering where You Su's confidence came from. Although they didn't want to see You Su appear in the Snake Clan, no one dared to restrain the Second Young Lady's dao companion. Why would he willingly use this as a gamble?

The women around them whispered amongst themselves, but no one suggested they back out of the bet, because they wouldn't lose anything from it.

"Okay," Hong Xiao agreed.

As the sun's shadow shifted, waves of heat rose from the stone slabs Ice Room.

Xiao Ling squatted beside the quilt, beads of sweat glistening on her nose. The women fanned themselves incessantly, watching as the block of ice, exposed to the sun, had completely melted into a pool of clear water. They felt even more strongly that You Su was just toying with them.

Just then, Xiao Ling suddenly exclaimed, "The blanket... the blanket is frosted over!"

The women instantly perked up. Hong Xiao strode forward and lifted the quilt, revealing that only a thin layer of ice had melted inside, a stark contrast to the wooden basin beside it.

"This..." Hong Xiao's fingertips brushed against the cool quilt, her pupils contracting slightly. "How can a cotton quilt trap cold?"

The snake women around them also crowded around, their previous sneers and impatience turning into amazement.

"The principle is actually simple--" You Su smiled wryly to himself. Humans always said that the snake race was ignorant, but now it seems that it can't all be taken as a stereotype. "The cotton quilt doesn't produce cold, it insulates against heat. If the heat can't get in, the ice will melt more slowly. It's like wearing a cotton-padded coat in winter; it's not that the coat makes you warm, it's that it blocks the cold."

He then walked to the Ice Room and said, "If volcanic rock were used as bricks and quartz sand filled in the gaps, the entire Ice Room would be like this cotton quilt, preventing geothermal heat from rising and cold air from falling."

"Really?!" the snake women asked in disbelief.

"It's fake." You Su watched the snake women's expressions change from surprise to disappointment in an instant, and laughed, "Because it's more powerful than a cotton quilt; even without this so-called Frost Condensation Formation, it can preserve ice for a hundred days."

As soon as he finished speaking, the women around him gasped in surprise, finally no longer having to helplessly watch these precious blocks of ice gradually melt away.

You Su was also infected by the joy, and raised her arms and said, "Storing ice is only one aspect, but if you want all the snake sisters to be able to use ice whenever they want without using Technique Method, I also have a way to make ice inexhaustible!"

"Inexhaustible?! What method is that?!"

The snake women, no longer caring about their composure, suddenly swarmed around them.

A warm, fragrant breeze enveloped You Su. Xiao Ling squeezed through the crowd, clutching a quilt to cover the unmelted piece of ice, and stammered:

"Young Master You... please take this piece of ice with you to cool off..."

Her ear tips were so red they seemed to be dripping blood, yet she stubbornly tilted her head back.

A chorus of giggles erupted around them, and seven or eight slender wrists adorned with bells reached out simultaneously—one offering chilled plums, another Shark Silk handkerchief.

The previous animosity seemed to evaporate into mist under the blazing sun; the future of "using ice whenever you want" was too tempting. The women felt that this unique individual in the sisters' garden had become a great treasure that could bring them coolness.

Faced with these suddenly enthusiastic and naive snake women, You Su retreated repeatedly, fearing that his junior sister or Miss Xue Ruo might be hiding somewhere and witnessing this scene.

Hong Xiao pulled the restless sisters apart, then suddenly curtsied, her tone much gentler than before:

"Young Master You, could you please discuss these methods with the clan chief?"

You Su secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "Of course. It's just that I'm new here and don't know how to pay my respects to the clan leader."

Hong Xiao chuckled, "I'll take you there."