At the sight of the moon-white robe, Shui Bing'er and the girls from Skywater Academy were instantly overjoyed.
"It's our benefactor, Tianyu!"
"I knew he'd come back! That peerless aura of his must've scared that Soul Beast away!"
Several girls were so excited they nearly burst into tears. Having just escaped death by a hair's breadth, they now worshipped Xue Tianyu more than ever.
However, when Xue Tianyu came closer, the smiles on their faces suddenly froze.
They could clearly see that a stunningly beautiful young woman was following behind him.
She had a pair of striking jade-green twin tails, skin as fair as snow, and exquisitely delicate features, like a fairy from a painting.
But her cool, haughty bearing made her seem impossibly distant at a glance.
Xue Tianyu stopped in front of them and naturally shifted half a step to the side, gesturing toward Ice Empress behind him as he introduced her.
"Sorry for the wait."
"Let me introduce you. She's family. Just call her Bingbing."
"She'll be joining Skywater Academy with me. It'll be nice to have some company."
Hearing such intimate terms as "family" and "Bingbing," Shui Lanxin and the students quickly exchanged glances. A woman's intuition told them at once that this stunning young woman and Xue Tianyu were far more than ordinary acquaintances.
Shui Bing'er suppressed the inexplicable pang of bitterness in her heart and quickly straightened her slightly rumpled skirt before stepping forward.
She offered a friendly smile and held out her fair right hand.
"Hello, Sister Bing."
"I'm Shui Bing'er from Skywater Academy. It's nice to meet you."
Ice Empress folded her arms across her chest, her cool, haughty eyes sizing Shui Bing'er up.
As one of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North, a being who had lived for nearly four hundred thousand years, how could she fail to see the affection hidden deep in this young girl's eyes?
Ice Empress lifted her delicate chin slightly, her voice cold and condescending.
"You like him?"
"Take my advice and put those thoughts out of your head."
"Tianyu is a man far beyond your reach."
Shui Bing'er's fair cheeks instantly flushed red.
She felt mortified. Had she really been that obvious just now?
Even a girl she'd only just met had seen right through the feelings she'd kept hidden deep inside.
Along with her embarrassment, a hint of defiance quietly rose in Shui Bing'er's heart.
She couldn't help glancing up at the peerlessly beautiful, green-haired girl before her.
What exactly was this girl to their benefactor, Tianyu?
What gave her the right to act like his haughty, rightful partner and scold Shui Bing'er in front of everyone?
Could they really be that close?
Xue Tianyu noticed the tension in the air and raised an eyebrow.
He knew Ice Empress was hot-tempered and unbearably proud.
If he let her carry on, she'd cause trouble they didn't need.
And if she accidentally revealed that she was a Soul Beast, their plans for entering the human world would be thrown into chaos.
While everyone's attention was on Ice Empress, Xue Tianyu quietly moved up behind her.
His broad hand seemed to hang casually at his side, but landed with pinpoint accuracy on her rounded, pert rear.
Smack!
A crisp, springy sound rang out between them.
He'd gauged the force just right.
"You..."
Ice Empress's body jolted, and she stiffened as if struck by lightning.
Her beautiful jade-green eyes went wide. She spun around and glared at Xue Tianyu.
Having been smacked on such a private place in front of everyone, Ice Empress was mortified and furious.
Her pearly white teeth ground together with a crackling sound.
But given where they were, she couldn't actually make a scene.
She could only glare fiercely at Xue Tianyu, her fists clenched as her chest heaved.
Seeing Ice Empress look so adorable, wanting to devour him but unable to do a thing, Xue Tianyu couldn't help finding it amusing.
"Ahem..."
Xue Tianyu cleared his throat and turned to the people from Skywater Academy, his expression unchanged.
"Please bear with her."
"My Bingbing suffered a bit of a shock, and she's never been quite right in the head."
"She always talks and acts in such a muddled way. Don't take it to heart."
As he spoke, he pointed at his own head, looking utterly helpless.
At his explanation, Shui Lanxin and the students looked enlightened.
Their earlier displeasure vanished at once.
They even looked at Ice Empress with a touch of deep pity.
No wonder she was so beautiful. Poor girl had something wrong with her head.
Ice Empress took in their expressions and nearly exploded with rage on the spot.
You're the one with something wrong in the head!
Your whole family's got something wrong in the head!
But when she met Xue Tianyu's warning look, she bit her lip and forced herself to swallow her anger.
She could only stand alone in the wind and snow, stamping her feet and sulking.
With the trouble over, Shui Lanxin hurriedly told everyone to gather their things.
"It's getting late. We have to leave the Far North and return to the academy as soon as possible."
The party set off for home beneath the night sky, pushing through howling winds and blinding snow.
Xue Tianyu walked in the middle of the group, looking entirely at ease.
Not long after they left,
on the peak of a towering mountain of ice in the distance,
a graceful white figure stood motionless amid the blizzard.
Snow Empress's star-bright eyes gazed into the distance, watching Xue Tianyu and the others slowly disappear.
The gale swept up her snow-white skirt, revealing her long, alluring legs.
She thought of the warm kiss she'd left on the young man's forehead before they parted,
and the solemn promise he'd made to take her away.
A faint blush crept across Snow Empress's exquisite face.
"Tianyu, I'll wait for you."
"When you've gained the power to defy the rules, take me with you to see the wonderful world beyond."
She whispered the words silently in her heart, her eyes full of tenderness and deep anticipation.
Time passed.
Several days later, at Skywater Academy in the Heaven Dou Empire,
inside a lavish dean's office,
an elegant, dignified woman sat in a wide leather chair.
Her brows were furrowed, her eyes betraying her anxiety and unease.
She was Shui Xinrou, the current dean of Skywater Academy and an eighty-fifth-level Soul Douluo.
She wore a close-fitting, deep-blue dress that clung to her mature, voluptuous figure, tracing every curve.
Her high, prominent bust stretched the fabric taut, as if it might burst at any moment.
Below the hem, her long legs, encased in black stockings, were crossed.
Delicate crystal high heels adorned her dainty feet, their tips swaying lightly.
That uniquely mature, refined allure, paired with her strikingly seductive figure, could set any man's blood racing.
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