Snow Empress Sister, Save Me

The guard handed the item to Xu Lanqing and withdrew.

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

It was a Storage Ring.

The band was snow-white, engraved with exquisite snowflakes. The character "Snow" was also carved into its inner surface.

What drew the eye most was the Starlight Sapphire set into the ring, which gave off a soft blue glow, dreamlike and beautiful.

Beneath the Soul Guidance Lamp, the snow-white band and blue glow blended perfectly, shining brilliantly.

Xu Lanqing held it out to Snow Empress, a smile in his eyes and unmatched gentleness in his voice.

"The Starlight Sapphire contains the most stable space, making it ideal for a Storage Ring.

There's a beauty in the north, unmatched in the world, standing alone.

With one glance, she could topple a city; with a second, she could bring down a nation.

Your eyes are beautiful. When someone gazes into them, they can't help wanting to lose themselves in them forever. Don't you think the ring suits your eyes?"

Snow Empress gazed at the ring, Xu Lanqing's lovely voice echoing directly in her heart.

Her thoughts ground to a halt, and her heart pounded.

She was utterly captivated.

Her sky-blue eyes and the Starlight Sapphire shone together, like the most precious treasures in the world.

Her clear, sky-blue eyes grew hazy, veiled in mist, a tender warmth rippling through them, bewitching and captivating.

The curve of her lips was as perfect as a crescent moon, and a faint warmth spread across her face.

The spring snow melted, and all things came back to life.

If she had once been an otherworldly beauty, dazzling enough to captivate an entire nation, now she seemed like a celestial maiden who had accidentally fallen to earth and acquired a touch of mortal feeling.

Xu Lanqing felt that the light from the Soul Guidance Lamp was dazzlingly bright, without a single flaw.

"Let me put it on for you."

Without waiting for her response, Xu Lanqing took Snow Empress's slender, soft right hand.

Her delicate, pale fingers were as warm and smooth as jade, yet cool to the touch. Holding them felt wonderful.

He couldn't help wanting to nibble on them.

Snow Empress seemed not to have come back to herself yet, and let Xu Lanqing do as he pleased.

The Starlight Sapphire slid slowly onto her middle finger. The ring fit as though it were part of her hand, adding a touch of nobility and elegance.

"There," Xu Lanqing said, reluctantly letting go.

"I really like it. I'll take good care of it."

Snow Empress ran her left hand over the band, tracing the Starlight Sapphire. Her voice was soft and tender, making his heart itch.

An invisible warmth enveloped them, as though they were cut off from the rest of the world, with only the two of them left.

Watching them, Ice Empress found the sight painfully grating.

She lowered her head, only to see that beneath the lamplight, her emerald hair and long dress gave off a faint green glow. Somehow, they seemed even more glaring.

A hollow sadness filled her, leaving her feeling as if she had lost something important.

It was just a Storage Ring. Why was she thinking so much about it?

But a bitter feeling lodged in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She couldn't help asking:

"Where's mine?"

The mood was shattered.

Xu Lanqing turned to meet Ice Empress's gaze. Looking into her amber eyes, he opened his right hand, and a black, dingy ring appeared in his palm.

"Here, take it."

Looking at the black, dingy ring in Xu Lanqing's hand, Ice Empress found it even more grating.

Her chest heaved, and her breathing quickened. Her pretty face flushed crimson as she glared at the boy before her, her pale fists clenching with a creak. A terrifying aura gathered around her.

"Xu Lanqing!!!"

Even her furious shout was crisp and melodious.

Her voice pierced the palace roof, and the solemn hall trembled.

Feeling that terrifying pressure, the guards outside gripped their spears. They hesitated, torn for a moment, but ultimately didn't go in.

Ice Empress drew closer, her tall, slender figure radiating an oppressive force.

Xu Lanqing swallowed and gave an awkward smile. "Um, if you don't like it, I'll make you a better one next time. How about that?"

"Heh. Didn't you say you liked seeing me smile?"

Ice Empress smiled like sunshine, but there was no warmth in it—only a chill that seeped into the bones.

"I didn't like it—no, I do like it. You look prettiest when you smile."

"Seems like my training wasn't enough last time. So many people want to kill you. For your safety, I'll have to step it up."

"N-no need..."

"Snow Empress Sister, save me!"

Xu Lanqing clung to Snow Empress's leg, looking pitiful.

"Today, no one can save you—not even Snow Empress. That's final!"

"Ah..."

Snow Empress gave a languid smile and gathered her snowy-white hair. A faint smile played on her lips as she ran her fingers over the Starlight Sapphire again.

But she said nothing and made no move to stop them, simply watching.

"Y-Your Highness, the Third Prince is here."

The guard carefully entered the hall. Only after seeing everything was peaceful did he breathe a sigh of relief and speak.

"Mm, I know. Let them in."

Xu Lanqing nodded. His handsome face remained unchanged, and his expression was calm, as though nothing had happened.

"Yes."

The guard withdrew.

Xu Lanqing, who had been calm a moment earlier, immediately grimaced. He felt like his whole body was about to fall apart.

Perhaps Ice Empress had remembered he was about to meet someone, because she didn't hit him in the face this time. But she'd made sure the rest of him suffered.

Still, as Ice Empress's fists landed on him, he felt a warm current coursing through his body, bringing a faint warmth and speeding up the fusion of the Golden Dragon King's God Core.

It hurt, but it felt good.

A warmth stirred in his heart, too. It seemed Ice Empress wasn't just beating him up.

Heh, what a woman—her words said one thing, but her actions said another. He'd make her a new ring next time.

No, why was he so easily satisfied with a little sweetness from her? He needed to stand his ground!

But when his gaze fell on Ice Empress, who seemed much more relaxed, he didn't dare say another word.

He wasn't a masochist. Getting beaten wasn't something he wanted to start enjoying.

"Fourth Brother, as soon as I heard you'd been attacked, I came straight over. How are you? Are you hurt? These assassins are truly audacious, daring to attack in the palace again and again. They're blatantly defying the imperial family."

His clear yet weak voice came from outside the hall, and he carefully avoided mentioning that the assassin had been his own subordinate.

Then Xu Tianran appeared before Xu Lanqing, slowly rolling in on a wheelchair. He wasn't as handsome as Xu Lanqing, but he was still good-looking. Only the sickly pallor of his face, tinged with a hint of androgyny, marred his appearance.

The only person behind him was a black-robed elder, old and frail-looking.

There was no denying the imperial family had good genes. Nearly everyone Xu Lanqing had met had been handsome or beautiful.

Xu Tianran swept his gaze over the hall. He was a little surprised to see the unfamiliar faces of Snow Empress and the others, but said nothing.

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

Xu Lanqing looked at Xu Tianran's smiling face and found himself feeling as if a spring breeze were washing over him.

He smiled too, but then spoke with apparent difficulty:

"Lanqing greets Third Brother. I was injured by the assassin and can't get up, so I hope you'll forgive me."

"What? You're hurt? Is it serious? Should I call a physician?" Xu Tianran asked with apparent concern, fussing over him.

"Would Third Brother like me to call a physician?" Xu Lanqing asked with a smile.

"Of course I want you to recover. As for the physician, if you want one, I can send someone to fetch one right now." Xu Tianran smiled faintly.

"There's no need for a physician. I can endure an injury like this. It's just a shame about you, Third Brother—you'll never be able to stand again, or even be a man." Xu Lanqing glanced at his lower body and spoke with a grin.

"Heh."

Xu Tianran's mouth twitched. He wore a forced smile and gripped the armrest tightly, a shadow passing through his eyes.

"Don't trouble yourself over me. Why did you ask me here, Fourth Brother?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the aura of the elder behind him surged without warning, crashing down on Xu Lanqing like a landslide.

"Impudent!" Snow Empress's eyes flashed with a cold light as she shouted.

Endless cold surged from her, erupting like a volcano and completely blocking the black-robed elder's pressure.

"Shhh—"

Two invisible pressures filled the space. The air seemed to be squeezed away, leaving them unable to breathe, their chests tight with suffocation.

It was like the clash of two opposing forces.