Ice Palace Daily Life

Xue Lingyun settled into an Ice Palace. The palace had no door—not because they had forgotten to install one, but because there was simply no need for one.

All the Soul Beasts of the Extreme North Land knew who lived in this palace built of Ice Crystal. Anyone who dared take a step inside had already been turned into a figurine.

Xue Lingyun was placed on an Ice Platform covered in thick Snow Fox Fur. The fur was long and soft, finally blocking most of the bone-piercing chill of the platform.

He lay sprawled on his back, his tiny arms and legs kicking wildly like a little turtle that had just been flipped over, unable to prop himself up no matter how hard he tried.

He could clearly see the interior of the Ice Palace.

The walls were made of blue-glowing Ice Crystal, naturally covered in frost flowers. Their patterns looked alive, swaying faintly with the shifting light.

The dome was lofty, and the light streaming through it refracted into a misty sky-blue haze, casting a cold gleam over everything.

The Snow Empress sat on the Ice Crystal Chair beside the Ice Platform. Her back was straight, her bearing noble and imposing, her hands folded atop her knees.

Her sky-blue eyes remained fixed on him, as though she were examining a piece of Top-grade Ice Jade freshly cut from an Ice Vein, still carrying a few impurities.

"Mother, are you really keeping this little fellow?"

Xiao Bai's booming voice exploded from nearby, making the Ice Platform hum and tremble.

The big white fellow lay sprawled on the ground, his massive head resting on his forepaws. White vapor puffed from his nostrils, coating the edge of the Ice Platform with a thin layer of frost.

His dark-blue eyes were opened wide, fixed on Xue Lingyun as if he were some dangerous species.

The Snow Empress did not even raise her eyelids. Her voice was calm, yet carried a soothing warmth. "Mm."

"But he's human!" Like a husky, Xiao Bai anxiously scraped his paws across the icy floor, sending ice chips flying.

"Humans are all awful! Last time, one wearing a bamboo hat even tried to capture me and turn me into a Soul Ring!"

At last, the Snow Empress looked at him. The scrutiny in her sky-blue eyes vanished, replaced by a trace of helpless indulgence, though her tone remained certain. "He carries Extreme Ice. He shares the same origin as the Extreme North."

Xiao Bai was instantly speechless. His large nose twitched, and he reluctantly turned his head away.

But before long, he could not resist sneaking another look back. His eyes rolled as he studied Xue Lingyun, his expression complicated, as though he were looking at a neighbor's brat who had stolen his toy.

Xue Lingyun blinked and continued looking around. The air was saturated with ice elemental energy, so dense it seemed ready to solidify. When he inhaled, it felt cool and refreshing, yet the warm current inside his body became even more active, like a starving child gulping down milk.

So this was an Extreme Ice environment?

As he was mulling it over, his cheek suddenly turned cold.

The Snow Empress's finger poked him. Her movement was gentle, as if afraid of breaking him, and she slowly traced the contour of his cheek.

"His body temperature has stabilized." She withdrew her hand, her tone unreadable. "It's half a degree higher than when I first found him."

Xiao Bai immediately leaned in, his pink nose nearly pressed against Xue Lingyun's face. "Really? Let me feel!"

A chilly breath blasted across his face, and Xue Lingyun could not hold it in any longer.

"Achoo!"

The loud sneeze sprayed Xiao Bai's face with saliva.

Xiao Bai froze, blinking his large dark-blue eyes with a completely baffled expression.

The Snow Empress paused as well. A flicker of surprise passed through her sky-blue eyes, and her lips tightened almost imperceptibly.

The palace fell silent for two seconds.

"Mom!" Xiao Bai suddenly wailed, even louder than before. "He sneezed on me! He did it on purpose!"

The Snow Empress said nothing. She merely raised a hand and gently wiped Xue Lingyun's little nose with her sleeve. Her movements were still somewhat awkward, but much more natural than when she had first carried him back.

She lowered her gaze to his reddened nose. Her voice remained calm, though it carried a faint, imperceptible indulgence. "He's still little."

"I saw him smirking!" Xiao Bai was terribly aggrieved, his enormous claws scratching two shallow grooves into the ground.

Xue Lingyun had not actually smiled. His nose had merely itched from the chilly breath, and the corner of his mouth had twitched beyond his control.

He knew Xiao Bai had misunderstood, but an infant's throat could not produce a single word capable of explaining the matter. Defending himself was nothing more than wishful thinking.

More importantly, sleepiness came crashing over him, fierce and heavy. An infant's body could not endure even the slightest strain.

That sneeze seemed to have drained all his strength. His eyelids suddenly became too heavy to lift, his mind grew muddled, and even his thoughts slowed.

Never mind how Xiao Bai howled or what the Snow Empress thought. Wrapped in this instinctive infantile drowsiness, he could not care about anything. He only wanted to plunge into sleep.

When he woke again, the Snow Empress was no longer beside the Ice Platform.

Only Xiao Bai remained, lying there with his head bobbing as though he were about to fall asleep. Sunlight shone through the Ice Dome, casting mottled patches of warm light across the floor.

Xue Lingyun moved, wanting to turn over, but his arms went limp. With a soft thud, he rolled halfway around and buried his face directly in the Snow Fox Fur.

He struggled to stretch his little arms. Just as he tried to push himself up and shift into a more comfortable position, a milky fragrance drifted over.

He turned his head and saw that the Snow Empress had returned at some point. She held a stone bowl filled with a milky-white paste. It smelled somewhat like diluted milk, with a faint herbal fragrance.

The Snow Empress walked to the Ice Platform, turned him onto his back, then picked up a stone spoon from the side, scooped up some paste, and brought it to his mouth.

Xue Lingyun instinctively pursed his lips and sucked in the paste bit by bit.

The paste melted as soon as it entered his mouth. A warm, gentle energy slid down his throat, instantly dispelling the lingering drowsiness.

Xue Lingyun smacked his lips and even pushed his little head forward, looking as though he wanted more.

"Eat slowly." The Snow Empress softened her voice slightly and scooped up another spoonful for him.

The following days passed in an unhurried fashion.

Xue Lingyun spent most of his time sleeping. Whenever he woke, he ate the milky-white Ice Nectar. Occasionally, Xiao Bai would paw at him with a fluffy claw, which counted as his only entertainment.

Whenever he was bored out of his mind, he would think about his past life.

For example, when he had been young, he had become obsessed with martial arts comics and always thought skills like flying over eaves and walls were incredibly cool.

Later, he had actually found some so-called "complete editions" of martial arts manuals to read. Though he had treated them as stories at the time, he clearly remembered terms such as "Absorbing Qi" and "circulating through the heavenly cycle."

"Hey, little fellow, do you know who I am?" Xiao Bai brought his huge head close, his hot breath blowing all over Xue Lingyun's face.

"I'm Ice Bear King Little White! One of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North! Stick with me, and no one will dare bully you in the future!"

The moment his words fell, deep within the Icy Plains thousands of miles away—

A certain Titan Snow Demon was curled up inside an Ice Cave, dozing. Without warning, it let out a loud sneeze.

The force shook icicles loose from above. Dazed, it shook its head, randomly rubbed its nose with a claw, then flopped back down and continued sleeping.

Xue Lingyun cooperatively babbled twice.

Xiao Bai immediately became smug, his tail—though hidden beneath his fur and impossible to see—nearly rising into the sky. "At least you know what's good for you! Once you grow up, I'll take you to raid Ice Silkworm nests. Those things are amazing roasted!"

Xue Lingyun: "..."

This guy really was a glutton.

Half a month later, Xue Lingyun could finally barely turn over.

After exhausting every ounce of his strength, he flipped from his back onto his stomach, his little face buried in the Snow Fox Fur as he panted heavily.

Xiao Bai watched from the side and clapped his paws excitedly, the huge commotion shaking ice chips all over the ground. "Mom! Mom! He can move! He looks like a little bug!"

The Snow Empress walked over and bent down to look at him.

Xue Lingyun raised his head and met her sky-blue eyes. For some reason, he suddenly wanted to smile. His little mouth split open, revealing his toothless gums.

The Snow Empress paused. After a moment of silence, she reached out and gently patted his back. Her palm was cool, but it carried a strange, soothing power.

As though she were patting a fragile treasure.