It Was Pretty Impressive, Actually

The three days passed in the blink of an eye.

As dawn broke, a faint fragrance wafted through Ji Lingruo's courtyard.

You Su stood in front of the mirror, Ji Lingruo adjusted his clothes.

Looking at his impeccably dressed reflection in the mirror, You Su thought he was indeed quite attractive. Then, looking at his junior sister in the mirror, the worry between her brows had vanished, and her once youthful face now showed signs of maturity. He couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"My junior sister and I are truly a perfect match, a match made in heaven."

Ji Lingruo rolled her eyes playfully. "Shameless! If you weren't so good-looking, I wouldn't have joined your lousy sect."

You Su loosened his overly formal collar and laughed, "If it weren't for my junior sister claiming to be the Number One Beauty Under Heaven, I wouldn't have accepted her into my sect."

Upon Ji Lingruo kicked You Su's shin in anger. The morning light shone through the carved window lattice, and in a daze, she felt that this was the kind of day she liked best.

"You really won't let me go?" she asked softly, a hint of resentment in her voice. "I'll just stand there, not saying a word."

You Su turned around and saw her puffed-out cheeks. A smile involuntarily appeared on her lips, "If you don't speak, you definitely can't go. You're the Second Young Lady of the snake clan. If you just stand there, how will those elders dare to breathe loudly?"

"Isn't that perfect? That's exactly the effect I wanted. If some elders really want to make things difficult for you, they won't dare to do anything because of me." Ji Lingruo slapped You Su's hand that was trying to pinch her cheek, looking unusually serious.

After all, You Su was in her home; how could she possibly allow You Su to be bullied in her own home?

You Su smiled and shook his head, "Junior Sister's loyalty is so strong, Senior Brother is quite pleased."

"Who's siding with outsiders?!" Ji Lingruo and annoyed. "It's only because I know you won't harm the snake clan, otherwise I wouldn't care about your frilly tassels, I would have kicked you out long ago."

You Su found his junior sister incredibly cute, straightened his clothes, and sighed:

"I know my junior sister wants to help me, but this opportunity is of great significance to me. If she were to step in to support me, it would change the whole thing."

After he had completely straightened his clothes, he placed his hands on the girl's shoulders:

"My primary motivation for renovating the Ice Room is to live up to your sister's trust and prove to her that I have the ability to help her. Secondly, I also want to prove to the Snake Clan that I, You Su, am not only a troublemaker but can also bring them benefits, proving that I am a useful son-in-law. Finally, I simply want to do something for the Snake Clan so that you and your sisters can have a cool summer. That's why I haven't asked you to help with the Ice Room even once in the past three days—this first dowry must be prepared by myself."

Ji Lingruo looked up at the determined-looking young man and suddenly laughed, "What kind of son-in-law needs to prepare a dowry?"

You Su suddenly curled her lips into a smirk, "Even if he's a live-in son-in-law, we can't let people look down on him too much, right? When people say, 'Second Young Lady is really capable, she actually snatched a rich husband for the snake clan,' how much face will my junior sister have?"

Ji Lingruo chuckled, "A golden bachelor, huh? I'm more afraid I'm inviting a wolf into the house."

"It's too late for junior sister to mend things now."

Upon Ji Lingruo's beautiful eyes widened, and she immediately gave You Su a slap. "You actually have ideas?! I'm warning you, you're not allowed to seduce the other sisters!"

You Su chuckled wryly twice and placed a kiss on the girl's forehead:

"What are you thinking, junior sister? I'm not the kind of person who actively seduces others. Once the snake clan accepts me, I'll naturally hide in this room every day and cultivate diligently with you."

Upon Ji Lingruo blushed with embarrassment. The thought of keeping You Su locked in the room for so long would surely lead to her being gossiped about by her sisters in the clan, and she couldn't bear that kind of torment.

"If you just stay in this room, what will happen to my sister?"

You Su thought to himself, "Isn't this simple?" However, he certainly didn't have the courage to voice the plan right now.

"Alright, alright, let's go quickly. If we're late, the elders might give us the cold shoulder." Ji Lingruo pushed the boy's back and shoved him out of the room. "If you get bullied, just have Xiao Ling come find me quietly. Don't act like you're so tough."

You Su waved helplessly, but in his heart he felt that his junior sister was becoming more and more like a virtuous wife and loving mother:

I'll bring you some ice cream when I get back!

You Su walked through the corridor with a smile, but his face froze as the courtyard gate creaked open.

As the morning light climbed onto the Hong Xiao led twelve beautiful snake women to stand on the bluestone path. They had changed out of the light fabrics they had worn these past few days and into more formal plain gauze dresses.

Sunlight fell on their shoulders, making the faint scales beneath their skin appear like shattered diamonds, while his image was reflected in their eyes, brighter than starlight.

"You... have been waiting for me?"

Hong Xiao took half a step forward, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly, "We... we want to go with you."

Xiao Ling, hiding behind Hong Xiao, hurriedly handed over the pastries she was holding when she saw him looking over:

"Breakfast."

You Su smiled and accepted it, saying gently, "Thank you, Xiao Ling."

He glanced at each of the tense yet determined pretty faces, and said softly again:

"Then let's go together. I'm an outsider and not good with words, so please help me out if I encounter any difficulties later."

Hong Xiao smiled gently, the silver bells on her body jingling softly. "Young Master You are too kind. These past three days you have taught us how to carve bricks, draw water, build vines, and even make everyone laugh. Every word you spoke was crystal clear."

The snake women behind her agreed wholeheartedly. Hong Xiao suddenly became serious, her fingertips tracing the silver snake-scale ornament on her chest. "If we succeed today, the snake race will have another path where they don't have to depend on others; if we fail..."

"No way," You Su interrupted her, taking the first step. "Let's go."

Amidst the chirping of cicadas, a group of snake women followed behind him.

Ji Lingruo quietly withdrew her peeking head, her pretty eyebrows furrowing. For some reason, she increasingly felt that she was inviting a wolf into her house.

You Su led the twelve snake women around the blue brick path, a number of snake women who had gathered to watch the spectacle had already gathered on the blue stone slabs.

They leaned against the vermilion pillars in twos and threes, their thin gauze skirts fluttering in the hot wind, the silver bells on their wrists jingling softly as they whispered among themselves, their gazes piercing You Su and her group like needles.

"See that? This is the man who's caused us to go three days without ice. We're practically getting heat rash." On the left side of the corridor, a snake woman with golden scales behind her ears covered her lips with a fan, her eyes glancing at You Su out of the corner of her eye. "Sister Hong Xiao is so foolish. She actually believed in the Evil Dao of humans. Does she really think that piling up a few broken bricks can freeze the heat of a volcano?"

"Shh—" Her companion tugged at her sleeve, but couldn't stop the words from pouring hot oil into boiling water. "I heard the elders slammed their fists on the table in the council hall last night, saying the clan leader was tolerating outsiders' misbehavior. If the Ice Room is destroyed, Hong Xiao and the others will probably have to kneel in the scorching sun for three days."

Hong Xiao paused, her fingertips unconsciously tightening around the silver tassel at her waist.

For the past three days, similar discussions had followed her like a shadow, from the Ice Room construction site to the clan market, each word like a thorny vine, repeatedly carving into her already taut nerves. Xiao Ling clutched the hem of her clothes, her almond-shaped eyes glistening with tears, when she suddenly heard Hong Xiao chuckle softly, her voice like shattered ice striking jade:

"I believe in Young Master You, and I believe in myself."

The golden-scaled snake woman who had spoken earlier sighed softly upon hearing this, then suddenly leaned close to Hong Xiao and whispered in her ear, "Sister Hong Xiao, please stop being so stubborn. Everyone just dislikes this outsider, but they all feel sorry for you and don't want to see you punished. Why don't you just ignore this outsider? You know what everyone says about him..."

Hong Xiao frowned upon hearing this, but couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh. The snake sisters shared weal and woe, and although there were occasional frictions among them, their feelings for each other were extremely deep. Hong Xiao naturally knew that their initial intentions were for her own good, but she would never do as they suggested.

"Xiao Jin, I know what I'm doing. Young Master You is a truly capable person. You'll see for yourself if you come along."

Xiao Jin glared angrily at You Su's retreating figure. "Sister Hong Xiao, are you perhaps bewitched by that boy's good looks? Our snake clan's centuries-old Frost Condensation Formation is useless against him, yet he's just a callow youth—"

"Enough! He is a distinguished guest of the snake clan. Xiao Jin must not be rude!" Hong Xiao scolded Xiao Jin patiently, then ignored her and hurriedly followed You Su.

The group of snake women who had come to watch the spectacle were left looking at each other in bewilderment, truly wondering how these sisters had been so bewitched.

The group forced their way through amidst their chatter, which You Su heard clearly, but she ignored it completely and didn't take it to heart.

These snake women weren't inherently evil, so it was only natural that they rejected him, an outsider with the title of "Evil Demon." Furthermore, because of the three-day Ice Room renovation, the entire snake tribe was without ice for three days. With the weather so unbearably hot, they were suffering from the heat and naturally needed an outlet to vent their frustrations. As the 'culprit,' he naturally became the target of their attacks.

That's why he didn't want his junior sister to come along. He didn't want to silence these snake women because they were using their power to intimidate others, but rather because he wanted to change their minds through his own efforts.

As you turn through the last moon gate, the green-tiled roof of the Ice Room comes into view.

Ji Xueruo, dressed in black wide sleeves, stood under the camphor tree in front of the Ice Room. Although she was young, her noble temperament made her stand out among the group of beautiful snake women at a glance, as if the flowers in the garden were just an accompaniment to her.

Standing beside her were naturally several elders of the snake clan. The snake clan had a total of 108 snake women, including seven elders, and they had all gathered here because of a mere Ice Room.

These seven elders were taller and more voluptuous than the younger snake women, each exuding mature charm and possessing a unique beauty. While the younger snake women were also beautiful in their own way, these elders were more like jars of fine wine, their flavors aged to perfection, their beauty dazzling.

Their gazes as they scrutinized You Su were intriguing. The elder in the pink dress had a hint of amazement in her eyes, and her lips slightly upturned, as if she were moved by the young man's clear and bright features; the elder with crimson lips had a shifty look in her eyes, but she only coldly examined him, as if she wanted to see what abilities he had; the other elders had their brows furrowed, their eyes filled with aloofness, and their serpentine pupils were taut, as if they were on guard against some danger.

You Su could feel the weight of those gazes, yet she walked steadily, a faint smile always playing on her lips.

"You Su greets the clan chief." He obediently returned the greeting.

Ji Xueruo pursed her lips slightly, but still maintained the dignity of a clan leader. "Young Master You, as an honored guest, has offered suggestions for the renovation of our Snake Clan's Ice Room, and even put them into practice. Thank you for your hard work."

Seeing that the clan leader was being so polite to him, the elders all wore cold expressions.

"As a guest in someone else's household, I should do my part. Clan chief, you flatter me." You Su still smiled.

"The Ice Room is of great importance to the Serpent Clan. If Young Master You can truly repair it, such a feat would be more than just a token of gratitude. However, the three-day period has come to an end. Young Master You, are you confident that you can allow us to have a look?"

Ji Xueruo concealed the slight hesitation in her eyes well. If You Su lacked confidence, she was prepared to withstand the pressure and buy him a few more days.

Over the past three days, she had sent people to secretly check on things, but they could only see the renovations Ice Room. She didn't know if the Ice Room had actually been restored.

Because You Su had ordered that no one except workers could enter the Ice Room, and he had kept it strictly guarded, not letting a word slip by, she dared not let anyone in rashly for fear of ruining You Su's plans. This rule even angered an elder who wanted to check on the progress, but she eventually persuaded him to stay away in private.

So ultimately, she didn't really have any confidence.

But one thing she was certain of was that You Su had definitely put in the effort in this matter. Because in the past three days, she had not felt any stimulation from the Connected Divine Sense, You Su had not come to find her once, whether openly or secretly.

This is why she was willing to give You Su a few more days as long as You Su responded to her hints.

After all, she was well aware of You Su's predicament. Since he had worked so hard, she naturally couldn't bear to see his efforts go unfulfilled.

"Of course we have confidence. We trouble the clan chief and elders to examine it."

You Su clasped his hands and stood up. His firm gaze met Ji Xueruo he pressed his palm against the door knocker of the Ice Room, its bronze surface covered with a thin layer of frost.

Seeing this, Hong Xiao and the others held their breath and retreated. Xiao Ling gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms.

Among the snake women watching the spectacle, some were curious, some were suspicious, and some were secretly grumbling. Several elders also frowned, each with their own thoughts.

The moment the wooden door was flung open, everyone gasped as a bone-chilling cold swept over them.

The younger snake girl couldn't help but tremble her eyelashes slightly—before her eyes came the neatly stacked ice blocks, each three feet square, reaching half a person's height. The white frost on the surface gleamed with a cold, fluorescent light in the dim light, even more translucent than when the Frost Condensation Formation was at its peak.

The twelve ice walls are like glass, each hollow volcanic rock brick fitting together perfectly. The quartz sand filling the gaps gleams and condenses into tiny ice crystals in the humid air.

"This... this cold air..." one of the snake women exclaimed softly. Even the snake women who hadn't squeezed in from outside the door shivered from the cold wind that blew out.

Hong Xiao seemed quite satisfied with everyone's reaction. With a smile, she suddenly stepped forward and unfolded a Jade Slip in her hand. "Reporting to the clan leader, three days ago, there were 151 pieces of ice stored in the Ice Room. On the first day of the renovation, eight pieces were melted down, and on the second day, five pieces were melted down..."

"Wait!" An elder draped in silver gauze interrupted Hong Xiao's report, frowning as he looked at the silent You Su. He said coldly, "Eight pieces melted in a single day! That's even worse than the broken Frost Condensation Formation. Do you know how hard-won each piece of ice was?"

You Su remained silent with a smile. Hong Xiao's gaze swept over the elders whose expressions had slightly changed, then she stepped forward and answered neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"Sixth Elder, after you finish speaking, I can tell you that the Ice Room was not completely sealed for the first two days, and the heat seeped in, which caused the ice to melt too much. But after the walls were sealed at dawn on the third day, the ice stopped melting."

"No further reduction?" The Sixth Elder, dressed in silver gauze, looked around the Ice Room again, still disbelieving. "Did you really use mortal methods? Or is this Frost Condensation Formation actually not broken at all?"

"No!" Xiao Ling suddenly stepped out from behind Hong Xiao, her almond-shaped eyes glistening with tension, yet she stubbornly clenched her sleeves. "The Frost Condensation Formation is truly failing. Even one of the array beads is missing. The Sixth Elder can examine it himself."

She then turned to the bewildered snake women behind her and explained, "Young Master You taught us to carve hollow bricks from volcanic rock and fill them with quartz sand, just like... just like putting a cotton-padded coat on Ice Room! Heat can't get in, cold can't dissipate, and the ice naturally melts slowly."

"And there are also vines transplanted from outside that block the sunlight, and mica sheets slanted across the roof that refract the morning light elsewhere. There are so many other ways to keep the walls of the Ice Room from getting hot, making it even more effective than the Frost Condensation Formation!"

Snake Woman Xiao Jin, who had been observing coldly with her arms crossed, couldn't resist approaching the ice block. The moment her fingertips touched the frost, she recoiled as if electrocuted—the chill seeped into her fingertips, even more penetrating than the ice produced by the Frost Condensation Formation in previous years. She exclaimed in surprise, "It really is more powerful than the Frost Condensation Formation!"

Upon hearing this, the women all tried it out. Although they didn't understand everything Xiao Ling said, they all felt a great deal of affection for Xiao Ling.

The fact that Xiao Ling mustered the courage to come out and explain shows that You Su is truly accomplished, and not just a fraud.

At this moment, as they looked at the smiling, silent figure of the young man, the women's expressions subtly shifted.

Ji Xueruo walked up to Hong Xiao at some point, took the list from her hand, and her pupils contracted slightly as she looked at the records on the list. Even she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity:

"Why is it that on the third day, the ice blocks not only didn't continue to decrease, but instead increased?"

The elders were the first to realize that none of them supported the outsider-led renovation of the Ice Room, so they couldn't possibly use Technique Method to condense ice and send it to the Ice Room. But without their ice source, how could the Ice Room's storage capacity have increased?

With one hand behind his back, You Su finally answered the snake women's questions himself. As he walked to the wall, the women noticed that even the wall had changed material, and tiny frost flowers were condensing on the mirror-like surface.

You Su tapped the ice wall with his knuckles and explained, "The snake tribe has many warm springs because of the sulfur springs on Snake Mountain. I draw the hot air from the springs into copper pipes, where it is then condensed by the cold air in the Ice Room —just like steam in a boiler meeting a cold lid, naturally forming water droplets. However, here the hot air is forced into the Ice Room, where it turns into ice upon contact with the cold."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

"So..." The Sixth Elder's voice finally softened by a third, "You're using the volcanic heat as a catalyst, doing the opposite of what you intended?"

You Su nodded. "The scorching sun turns water into steam, and it condenses when it encounters cold. Snake Mountain is a volcano, and its heat is inexhaustible. As long as we maintain a certain amount of ice in the Ice Room and control the amount of heat entering, the ice in the Ice Room can keep growing."

Seeing the Sixth Elder speechless with surprise, You Su smiled and said to her, "Elders, you all work so hard every day, and it's truly not easy for you to find the time to condense ice for the Serpent Clan. But with this method, we will no longer need to trouble anyone with the ice in the future."

Hong Xiao suddenly curtsied, her silver bells ringing clearly in the cold air. "Elders, Young Master You was afraid we wouldn't understand, so yesterday he specially demonstrated it three times using a teapot and cold dishes."

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Xiao Jin and saw him staring blankly at the copper pipe behind the ice wall. A smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. "He said that mortal techniques and Immortal Method are no different; they both borrow the power of heaven and earth—except that Immortal Method borrow Mystic Qi, while he borrows bricks and stones."

Inside the Ice Room, a chill permeated the air, and the women's breaths seemed to freeze in its coldness. The idea that mortal methods were unworthy of high art gradually melted away in this real chill, like thin snow under the sun.

The elders' expressions subtly changed; their indifference was gradually replaced by surprise. They began to observe the changes in the Ice Room more carefully, and even a hint of approval appeared in their eyes. Recalling the boy's considerate words to them earlier, they felt that this outsider was actually more sensible than these little snakes who were just reaping the benefits.

Hong Xiao looked at everyone's reactions, feeling smug. She exchanged glances with Xiao Ling and the other twelve snake women, all of whom were proud of You Su, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

Ji Xueruo stood to one side, quietly exchanging glances with the spirited young man.

Looking at the neatly stacked ice blocks behind the boy and at the reactions of the other women, she was filled with mixed emotions.

Looking at You Su's expression, which seemed to be begging for praise, she couldn't help but lower her head and chuckle softly.

That's pretty impressive...