The room was filled with a warm atmosphere, forming a stark contrast to the eternal chill outside in the Extreme North.
The ice crystals in the fireplace slowly burned atop a specially made Soul Tool, giving off a gentle warmth and casting fragmented reflections across the ice walls.
This Soul Tool had been specially crafted by Gu Linyuan.
Gu Linyuan leaned against the edge of the bed while the Ice Empress lay languidly at his side, curled softly beside him like a cat that had been thoroughly stroked.
Her breathing was still slightly hurried, and the flush on her cheeks had yet to fully fade. Her emerald eyes were half-lidded, carrying the lazy, dewy gleam of satisfaction.
He gently placed her foot on his knee.
The Ice Empress's foot was small, nearly the same length as his palm. Its instep was fair and slender, as though carved from the finest mutton-fat jade, glowing softly beneath the warm light.
Her toes were round and full, each one like a carefully polished pearl, lined up neatly. Their tips bore a faint pink hue, like the color left after being chilled by the cold of the Extreme North and then thoroughly warmed again.
Her ankle was slender enough to be held in one hand, its bone protruding slightly beneath the thin skin, carrying the supple delicacy unique to a girl.
The sole of her foot was slightly hollowed, paler than the instep and tinged with an almost translucent pink. Fine veins could vaguely be seen beneath the skin.
Gu Linyuan's fingertips lightly brushed over her instep, following its slender curve down to her ankle, circling and stroking the bone there.
His hand then moved along that smooth curve to her sole. He gently pressed it with his fingertips, feeling the soft flesh sink