Snow Maiden, Save Me

The guard handed the item to Xu Lanqing and then retreated.

Looking at the object in his hand, Xu Lanqing nodded with satisfaction.

It was a storage ring.

The band was snow-white, engraved with exquisite and delicate snowflakes, and on the inner wall of the ring, the character "Snow" was inscribed.

The most eye-catching feature was the Starlight Sapphire embedded in the ring, which emitted a soft blue halo, dreamlike and ethereal.

Under the illumination of the soul-guiding lights, the snow-white band and the blue halo blended perfectly, shining brilliantly.

Xu Lanqing handed it to the Ice Empress, his eyes filled with a smile, his tone incomparably gentle:

"The Starlight Sapphire contains the most stable space, making it the perfect material for a storage ring.

In the north there is a beauty, peerless and independent.

One glance could topple a city, a second could topple a nation.

Your eyes are beautiful; gazing into them makes one want to fall into them forever. Don't you think it matches your eyes perfectly?"

The Ice Empress stared blankly at the ring, the sound of Xu Lanqing's pleasant voice echoing directly into her soul.

Her thoughts stalled, and her heart began to thump wildly.

She was intoxicated and mesmerized.

Her sky-blue eyes and the Starlight Sapphire reflected each other, looking like the most precious treasure in the world.

Her eyes, clear as the blue sky, gradually grew hazy, veiled in mist, radiating a trace of tenderness that was soul-stirring.

The curve of her lips was as perfect as a crescent moon, and her face was filled with a faint, warm glow.

Like spring snow melting, all things were coming back to life.

If she had originally possessed the graceful and peerless charm of an immortal, she now looked like a fairy who had accidentally fallen into the mortal world, stained with a touch of worldly connection.

Xu Lanqing felt that the soul-guiding lights were incredibly bright, without a single flaw.

"Let me put it on for you."

Without giving her a chance to react, Xu Lanqing took the Ice Empress's slender, soft right hand.

Her fingers, white as scallion shoots and delicate as jade, felt warm and smooth, yet carried a cool, refreshing texture that was incredibly comfortable to hold.

It made him want to take a few bites.

The Ice Empress seemed to have not yet regained her senses, letting Xu Lanqing do as he pleased.

The Starlight Sapphire slowly slid onto her middle finger, the ring and her finger becoming one, adding a touch of nobility and elegance to the Ice Empress.

"There." Xu Lanqing let go of her hand, feeling reluctant.

"I like it very much. I will treasure it well."

The Ice Empress rubbed the ring with her left hand, tracing the Starlight Sapphire, her voice soft and filled with tenderness, making one's heart itch.

An invisible atmosphere swirled around them, as if they were isolated from the rest of the world, leaving only the two of them.

Nearby, the Ice Emperor watched this scene, feeling it was incredibly eyesore.

She lowered her head, only to see her emerald-green hair and long dress emitting a faint green glow under the lights, which seemed even more eyesore.

Her heart felt lost and hollow, as if she had lost something important.

It was just a storage ring, why was she thinking so much about it?

But a sense of stifling frustration clogged her chest, making her feel suffocated and uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but ask:

"What about mine?"

The atmosphere was shattered.

Xu Lanqing turned his head to meet the Ice Emperor's gaze. Looking into her amber eyes, he opened his right hand, and a pitch-black ring appeared.

"Here, for you."

Looking at the pitch-black ring in Xu Lanqing's hand, the Ice Emperor felt it was even more of an eyesore.

Her chest heaved violently, her breathing grew rapid, her delicate face flushed red, and her eyes glared fixedly at the boy before her. Her fair, tender fists clenched until they creaked, and a terrifying aura gathered around her.

"Xu Lanqing!!!"

Even as she shouted in anger, her voice remained crisp and melodious.

The sound pierced the dome, and the majestic palace trembled slightly.

Feeling that terrifying pressure, the guards outside the hall gripped their spears tightly, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not enter.

Watching the Ice Emperor draw closer, her slender, beautiful figure filled with oppressive force.

Xu Lanqing swallowed hard and said with a sheepish smile: "Um, if you don't like it, I'll make you a better one next time, how about that?"

"Heh, don't you like watching me smile?"

A sun-like smile appeared on the Ice Emperor's face, but this smile had no warmth, only a bone-chilling coldness.

"I don't like it—pfft, I like it, you look the best when you smile."

"It seems the training you received last time wasn't enough. With so many people wanting you dead, I have no choice but to intensify it for your own safety."

"No, there's no need..."

"Sister Snow Maiden, save me!"

Xu Lanqing hugged the Snow Maiden's thigh directly, his face full of pitiful desperation.

"It doesn't matter who comes today; even the Snow Maiden can't protect you. I said so!"

"Ah..."

The Ice Empress smiled lazily, tucking a strand of snow-white hair behind her ear with a faint smirk on her lips, her fingers once again rubbing the Starlight Sapphire.

She said nothing, nor did she intervene, simply watching the scene unfold in silence.

"Your... Your Highness, the Third Prince has arrived."

The guard walked into the hall cautiously, letting out a sigh of relief only after seeing that the interior was calm.

"Mm, I understand. Let them in."

Xu Lanqing nodded, his handsome face composed and his expression calm, as if nothing had happened at all.

"Yes."

The guard retreated.

The previously composed Xu Lanqing immediately winced and bared his teeth; he felt as if his entire body was falling apart.

Perhaps out of consideration for the fact that he had guests coming, they hadn't hit his face this time, but the rest of his body had suffered the consequences.

However, as the Ice Empress landed blow after blow, he felt a warm current circulating throughout his body, bringing a hint of warmth and accelerating the fusion of the Golden Dragon King God Core.

It was painful yet pleasurable.

There was also a warmth in his heart; it seemed the Ice Empress wasn't just beating him for the sake of it.

Heh, what a woman who says one thing but means another. He would make it up to her with a ring next time.

No, wait—how could he be so easily satisfied just because she gave him a little sweetness? He had to stand his ground!

However, after glancing at the Ice Empress, who looked much more relaxed now, he didn't dare to make another sound.

He wasn't a masochist; he didn't get addicted to being beaten.

"Fourth Brother, I heard you were assassinated and rushed over immediately. How are you? Are you hurt? These assassins are truly bold, daring to strike within the Imperial Palace time and time again. They clearly have no respect for the Imperial Family."

A clear yet slightly weak voice drifted in from outside the hall, though it made no mention of the fact that the assassins were his own subordinates.

Shortly after, Xu Tianran appeared before Xu Lanqing in his wheelchair. While not as handsome as Xu Lanqing, he was still good-looking, though his sickly, pale complexion was tinged with a feminine gloom.

Following behind him was only an elderly man in black, looking frail with age.

It had to be said that the Imperial Family's genetics were quite excellent; almost everyone Xu Lanqing saw was a handsome man or a beautiful woman.

Xu Tianran swept his gaze across the hall, looking slightly surprised at the sight of the unfamiliar faces like the Ice Empress, but he said nothing.

As for the corpse of the Pangolin on the floor, he didn't even glance at it.

Xu Lanqing looked at the smiling Xu Tianran, who actually gave him the feeling of a gentle spring breeze.

He wore a smile of his own, though he said with great pain:

"Lanqing greets Third Brother. It's just that I have been wounded by assassins and cannot rise to greet you. I hope Third Brother will forgive me."

"What? You're hurt? Is it serious? Should I call the imperial physician?" Xu Tianran put on a look of concern, offering his solicitous care.

"Does Third Brother wish for me to call the imperial physician?" Xu Lanqing said with a smile.

"Naturally, I wish for you to recover. As for the physician, if you wish, I shall send someone to notify them immediately," Xu Tianran replied with a faint smile.

"There's no need for a physician. I can endure this minor injury. It is just a pity for you, Third Brother; you will never be able to stand again, nor even be a man," Xu Lanqing glanced at his lower body and said with a grin.

"Heh."

Xu Tianran's mouth twitched, his smile not reaching his eyes, and his fingers gripped the armrest tightly as a flicker of gloom flashed in his eyes.

"I won't trouble you with my concerns. May I ask what business you have calling me here, Fourth Brother?"

As his voice fell, without any warning, the aura of the old man behind him surged violently, pressing down on Xu Lanqing like a crashing wave.

"Presumptuous!" The Ice Empress's eyes flashed with cold light as she let out an angry shout.

Endless chill erupted from her body like a volcanic explosion, completely blocking the pressure from the old man in black.

"Sss-sss~~"

Two invisible forces of pressure filled the space, the air seemingly squeezed dry, making it impossible to breathe and causing a suffocating tightness in the chest.

It was like the tip of a needle against the point of an awl.