Chapter 127

But as she drew closer, she began to notice something amiss... The person on the back of that icy behemoth didn't seem to be the Warmother of the Icefield Children Tribe?

That is...

A petite figure...?

Ul ran slower and slower until she came to a complete stop—she saw it; the figure was holding a bow.

A strange longbow, deep blue in color, seemingly made of ice crystals.

That is...

Ashe.

"Ashe!" Ul was so excited that he forgot to use honorifics—even though Ashe usually didn't allow her people to treat her with the utmost respect.

"Oh, Ul!" The figure on the back of the ice behemoth waved, followed by a familiar and melodious voice. "Are you all alright? Is anyone injured?"

"We're alright!" Ul excitedly rushed forward, and the other tribesmen followed suit.

Ashe landed lightly surrounded by her tribesmen, and then gently scolded them for their overly respectful attitude—unlike the Warmother of other tribes, she never treated her tribesmen as slaves, but sincerely accepted them as family.

The crowd then turned to this kind and respectable Warmother and asked her a series of questions with concern.

It wasn't until the sharp-eyed Ul noticed that there was another person on the back of the ice giant—a "thin" young man.

"That is...?"

Now everyone noticed Chen Ce.

Thin, young, fair-skinned, male, good-looking... this fits the bill perfectly!

It's... that one! Almost every tribal Warmother has a few of them!

"Wow, you've reached this age too... Well, that makes sense, after all, you are the great Warmother of our Avarosan Tribe." Ul winked at Ashe.

The latter was initially confused, but then suddenly realized what was happening.

Before she could explain, several other burly female warriors joined in the joke, "Looks like our great Warmother isn't just going to rob supplies, she's going to rob people too... Is she one of the Icefield Children Tribe's Warmother? A blood alliance wouldn't be ideal, but playing around with her would be perfect."

Several female warriors, even stronger Darius, openly wiped the drool from the corners of their mouths.

In the matriarchal society of Freljord, fair-skinned men are equivalent to "beautiful women" in other countries.

Of course, Chen Ce couldn't really be considered "fair-skinned" at all—his skin and muscles were of a very standard, lean and muscular build; he was just considered thin and fair-skinned in this extremely cold place.

"Muscular, well-defined, and petite... Our great Warmother has such good taste!" The female warriors burst into laughter.

A somewhat tongue-tied Ashe was momentarily at a loss for words to explain herself.

She could only blush slightly and whisper, feeling both ashamed and a little shy:

"Actually... it was Chen Ce who dealt with the Icefield Children and saved me..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd fell silent.

But what followed was...

An even louder laugh.

"Our great Warmother has started talking nonsense to flatter her little man!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and the camp was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Only Chen Ce smiled helplessly...

It took Ashe a lot of effort to get Chen Ce away from the laughing crowd—of course, some things can't be explained in a short time; facts have to do the talking.

Well, actually, it's mainly because she really doesn't know how to explain herself—she's too shy for her age, and if people make even the slightest suggestive joke, she'll instantly blush and become speechless.

No rush, there will be plenty of opportunities for Chen Ce to prove himself in the future—to prove this seemingly absurd thing.

A skinny man could easily take down those ridiculously strong women? That sounds completely unrealistic.

Hmm... even Ashe herself is still a little dazed.

Looking at the handsome young man before her, she couldn't understand how such a strong power could be hidden beneath his rather frail body.

However... now is probably not the time to think about these things.

"Just take off your wet clothes and put them here later, I'll take care of them for you. These are clean..."

Ashe handed the other person a large stack of sweaters, her eyes never daring to look directly at their body—the allure of their semi-transparent, wet skin made her feel like she was committing a crime.

"I'll wait for you outside... Call me when you're ready..."

"Oh, okay." As soon as Chen Ce took the clothes, the other person rushed out of the room as if fleeing.

This actually made him quite amused.

He even inexplicably imagined a very interesting scene: if he deliberately gave Ashe some physical contact, this "innocent little tentacles" would probably panic just like an innocent little tentacles being teased by a little devil.

Little devil... I never thought I'd be associated with this strange word.

"Hmm... maybe I can try it on when I change clothes later..."

PS:

I tested positive, and despite being sick, I went to work all day. I'm dizzy and lightheaded, and I really can't write anymore. I want to rest early today...

Today's chapter is a bit short, but I'll make up for it later. Sorry...

Chapter Fifteen: Mocking Bad Women, Understanding Bad Women, Becoming a Bad Woman

Ashe has become the butt of jokes again.

She stood in front of the tent, with the curtains tightly closed behind her. Chen Ce was changing clothes inside... Passing people looked at her with strange eyes, some even trying not to laugh.

Some even went so far as to shout, "What's wrong? Why isn't our great Warmother helping the little boy change his clothes herself?"

Before Ashe could say anything, someone else would immediately retort, "What kind of talk is that? Our Warmother is a dignified woman, how can she change a little boy's clothes? Can't he do such a small thing himself?"

Ashe felt that silence was the best solution.

As a result, she heard, but was not limited to, the following statements:

"Although our Warmother won't change the little boys' clothes herself, those clothes are all chosen by the Warmother herself!"

"Guess what kind of clothes those will be? Will they be revealing or not?"

"That won't do. That little boy definitely won't be able to keep out the cold. I bet he's wearing one of those thick, cute clothes, right?"

"Actually, I still prefer men who are a bit more muscular... but this style is pretty good too, it's nice to treat myself to something nice at night. I guess Warmother really knows how to have fun."

"After all, our Warmother looks rather small, so this style suits it perfectly."

"Tsk tsk tsk, just thinking about it makes my mouth water..."

Ashe could only remain silent, using her Frost Crystal Longbow to cover her slightly blushing face—she was an innocent little tentacles, how could she possibly tolerate such suggestive jokes?

Finally, after a period of agonizing waiting that felt long but was actually very short, Chen Ce's voice came from behind:

"I've changed."

Upon hearing this, Ashe immediately fled into the tent to avoid the constant harassment of those dirty jokes to her sensitive ears—although she herself had entered the tent amidst a burst of laughter.

Inside the tent, Chen Ce had already changed into a clean, dry fur coat, which was thick and warm.

Although his superhuman physical abilities meant he could withstand the Freljord's cold without much trouble, there was no need to torture himself if he could be comfortable—not getting frostbite didn't mean he wouldn't feel the biting cold.

As long as it's not during combat and doesn't interfere with normal movements, it's fine to wrap yourself up in a thick sweater like a blanket.

"Are all your clothes here...? I'll take them to dry them for you later..." Ashe still didn't dare to look the other person in the eye, and her movements as she gathered the wet clothes seemed stiff and awkward.

"Okay, thank you for your help." Chen Ce smiled, then reached out to stop the girl's hurried movements as she packed her clothes. "No rush, rest for a while—I can tell you're very tired."

"Oh... well... okay..." Ashe sat down stiffly again, her unease evident from head to toe.

From her perspective, she was sharing a room with a "beautiful woman who had just gotten wet and changed her clothes," a strange experience she had never had before.

In Freljord, it's rare to see a young boy with such a beautiful appearance—most are quite rough and lack any real strength.

She didn't even know what to say... how could she appear elegant and poised?

Should I give him some money...? But I'm out of money... no gold coins... food...? What should I treat this young man, who clearly takes good care of himself, to without him looking down on me...?

Or perhaps some jewelry...? Clothes... and a few extra sets as spares... or something like that...

No, no, no... I still think eating is better...

Clothes are actually also...

Food...

Clothing...

"Um..." Ashe hesitated before speaking, her hands fidgeting awkwardly—she was practically burning out.

Fortunately, she broke the awkward silence with a question that simultaneously expressed her two different thoughts:

"Um... do you like the clothes I gave you...?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a sense of relief.

Then, amidst endless terror and bewilderment, their eyes widened.

What kind of question is this...!

"Uh..." Chen Ce was momentarily stumped by the question, "It's... alright? Although I don't really like eating clothes, it looks like it should taste pretty good..."

"..." Ashe wished she could disappear into a duck hole.

A full half minute later, she continued, looking embarrassed, "This outfit suits you very well... it looks great on you..."

As she spoke, she looked away again—she still didn't dare to stare at others for too long.

This would make her seem... sleazy.

"Thank you." Chen Ce responded with a generous smile, even casually adjusting the collar of his sweater.

Ashe's peripheral vision seemed to be biased towards some exposed areas... which made her even more embarrassed.

Then, she suddenly got up and left the tent.

A moment later, she returned carrying a large platter of meat—spoils of war that her people had plundered from the warehouses of the Icefield Children Tribe.

"Um... I think you must be hungry too... You must be hungry... Here, have some..."

"Oh, thank you." Chen Ce did not refuse, and immediately skewered a large piece of meat with an iron skewer and put it in his mouth to chew—he had indeed been hungry for several days.

Seeing this, Ashe finally felt a little relieved—it seems even refined young men have a taste for meat, which makes things much easier...

But at the same time, she also noticed another thing—the other person ate very elegantly.

She was far more elegant than anyone else she had ever met.

The people of Freljord eat meat by grabbing it with their hands and stuffing it into their mouths with little chewing; their style is all about speed and ruthlessness. But their opponents...

They even skewered it with metal sticks... and they even chewed it carefully...

"Why aren't you eating?" Chen Ce suddenly noticed that the silver-haired girl in front of him was not only not eating, but was also looking at him with a strange gaze.

"I... I'm not hungry... haha..." Ashe awkwardly twirled the end of her hair. "You eat..."

Of course she wasn't not hungry.

She has been starving for almost half a month—surviving on the bare minimum of food each day.

She really wanted to eat, really wanted to feast, but...

She was really embarrassed...

My own rude eating habits, compared to the other person's elegance, made me look like a caveman...

"Oh, I see..." Chen Ce nodded thoughtfully.

Then, he put down the skewer he had used and picked up a large piece of meat with his bare hands.

Then, he directly put the meat to the girl's mouth.

"Let's eat together, I can't finish it all by myself."