Brothers! Double the pay!

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing nodded slightly, signaling that he had noted it.

Seeing that he understood, Feng Qingyang waved his hand dismissively, his tone tinged with impatience as he issued an order to leave.

"Alright, get out. Let this old man rest in peace for a few days; do not come to disturb me again unless there is something important."

Before the words had even faded, he flicked his large sleeve violently.

Xue Mingqing's consciousness felt as if it had been snatched up like a chick, forcibly flung out of the sea of consciousness.

The next moment, he was fully awake.

As soon as his consciousness returned, Xue Mingqing felt he was lying on something soft, with a faint, lingering scent of glazed orchid drifting at the tip of his nose.

Wrinkling his nose, Xue Mingqing raised an eyebrow and opened his eyes!

He discovered he was inside a carriage, and the thing his head was resting on...

It was no pillow; it was clearly Ning Yurong's lap!

"Cough, cough, cough...!"

"Miss Ning, what is this...?"

Bolting upright from Ning Yurong's lap, the tips of Xue Mingqing's ears burned. Having been single since birth in both his past and present lives, he had never encountered such a situation.

For a moment, he felt an unbearable discomfort, as if ants were crawling all over his body.

Seeing Xue Mingqing wake up and pull away from her, Ning Yurong maintained her usual detached, ethereal, and stunning expression.

Only the jade-like hand hidden beneath her gold-and-white sleeve tightened slightly, clutching the fabric.

She had changed her clothes by now, washing away the bloodstains; where was the disheveled, wretched appearance from before?

She looked every bit the young lady of a wealthy family.

She coughed twice.

"You have been asleep for nearly half an hour..."

At this, Ning Yurong pursed her lips, the tips of her ears hidden beneath her silver-white hair turning slightly red.

"About what just happened... don't misunderstand. It was the mercenary leader who asked me to look after you, so I just..."

"Ah, haha... I see..."

Laughing awkwardly to cover the tension, Xue Mingqing scratched his head, suddenly at a loss for what to say.

Just then.

"Young Master, are you awake?"

Seeming to have heard the movement inside the carriage, Wang Chao's rough, distinct voice rang out from outside.

"Yeah! I'm awake!"

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing responded as if granted a reprieve, lifting the carriage curtain and jumping out.

He left Ning Yurong alone in the carriage.

Watching Xue Mingqing's fleeing back, Ning Yurong was stunned for a moment, but after realizing what had happened, she couldn't help but smile radiantly.

"Am I really that scary... hehe..."

Outside the carriage.

The world remained a landscape of snow. The cold wind whipped the accumulated snow from the treetops into people's faces, instantly making them feel much more alert.

Xue Mingqing stepped off the carriage, his first sight being Wang Chao's rugged, serious face.

He turned to look around—

Around the carriage, Wang Chao, Ma Han, and the remaining three mercenaries were all present, none of them injured.

Looking at these dutiful mercenaries who had been willing to stay behind and risk death to cover his retreat, a surge of immense pride suddenly welled up in Xue Mingqing's heart.

Suddenly, a classic scene from a film in his past life flashed through his mind, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

With a grand sweep of his sleeve, Xue Mingqing declared heroically.

"Brothers, everyone's pay is doubled! Double it! When we get back to Blizzard City, tell my mother that I said so!"

Hearing this, the mercenaries, including Wang Chao, were stunned for a moment. Once it sank in, they erupted into a burst of wild cheers.

"Is that true, Young Master?!"

"It is true!"

"Woohoo! Yes!"

"They say you don't work for half a year, but when you do, you eat for half a year—Young Master, I love you to death!"

Watching the excited and jubilant mercenaries, Xue Mingqing nodded with satisfaction.

Hey! They had survived a great disaster; what was wrong with letting the brothers have a little fun?

However, what Xue Mingqing did not know was that the Far North was inherently barren.

In other regions, hiring a Spirit King-level mercenary for a trip would cost roughly 200,000 gold soul coins, but in the Far North...

You couldn't even dream of securing a Spirit King-level mercenary for less than 400,000.

With five Spirit Kings present, even if Wang Chao didn't ask for payment, that still amounted to a staggering commission of 2 million gold soul coins.

With this price doubling...

Well... I'm afraid Xue Ningxian of Blizzard City is going to be feeling the pinch for a long time.

Yet, Xue Mingqing, the instigator of all this, remained completely oblivious.

Watching the happy smiles of his mercenary brothers and the proud, heroic expression on Xue Mingqing's face, Wang Chao, standing to the side, opened his mouth to say something, but—

In the end, he couldn't bring himself to speak.

After all, these were benefits for his own brothers...

Rubbing his nose, Wang Chao coughed.

"Young Master, shall we head back to Blizzard City for now, or continue our journey to Shrek?"

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing paused, his brows knitting slightly.

From the moment he left Blizzard City until now, he had encountered an attack by the Four-Eyed Demon Fox and managed a counter-kill.

Although it felt like a lot had happened, by his estimation, he hadn't even been out of Blizzard City for half a day.

If he were to scurry back in a sorry state after only half a day, what would that make him?

He would lose face completely.

Rubbing his chin, Xue Mingqing pondered for a long time.

Finally, he made his decision: he would continue toward Shrek Academy!

There was no such thing as a child crying every day, nor a gambler losing every single time.

Xue Mingqing refused to believe in such bad luck; it wasn't as if disaster followed him everywhere he went.

His martial soul was Snow Wind, not that Conan fellow from next door; how could things be so bizarre!

Having made up his mind, Xue Mingqing spoke up.

"Let's continue toward Shrek, Uncle Wang."

Wang Chao nodded. Just as he was about to reply to Xue Mingqing, Ning Yurong's voice rang out from behind him.

"Excuse me, will you be passing through Sky Soul City?"

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing turned his head.

"We will. Why do you ask?"

Traveling out from the Far North led directly into the territory of the Sky Soul Empire. To reach Shrek Academy, located in the center of the continent, one naturally had to pass through the imperial capital, Sky Soul City.

Seeing this, Ning Yurong pursed her lips and said softly.

"In that case, could you make a detour to Nine Treasures City before heading to Sky Soul City?"

Ning Yurong added, "My home is there."

Hearing Ning Yurong's request, Xue Mingqing raised an eyebrow.

He had previously only suspected that Ning Yurong might be a direct descendant of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.

But now, looking at the facts—

She carried an invincible protective barrier for emergencies, could casually produce top-tier healing pills, and lived in Nine Treasures City.

Combining all these points, even a fool would realize that Ning Yurong's identity was extraordinary.

Thinking of this, Xue Mingqing smiled and nodded: "A detour is no trouble at all; it's on the way regardless."

Seeing Xue Mingqing agree so nonchalantly, a moving smile finally bloomed on Ning Yurong's beautiful face, which usually maintained a calm and indifferent expression.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Ning Yurong looked deeply at Xue Mingqing, her pink lips parting slightly.

"Little Brother Mingqing, may I... speak with you about something...?"

While Xue Mingqing was unconscious earlier, Ning Yurong had learned his age from the mercenaries.

Six years old—three years younger than her. It was only natural for her, at nine, to call Xue Mingqing "Little Brother."

Xue Mingqing didn't mind the address at all; he looked at Ning Yurong.

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

Hearing this, Ning Yurong didn't speak immediately. Instead, she turned her head and scanned the surrounding mercenaries with her beautiful, crimson, gem-like eyes.

Seeing this, before Xue Mingqing could even react to what she meant, the mercenaries who had been swept by her gaze understood instantly!

The following words were not meant for their ears!

Realizing this, Ma Han coughed, walked over to Wang Chao, hooked his arm around his shoulder, and winked.

"Let's go, let's go, Brother Wang! We need to have a good talk about you treating us to drinks."

"Ah, yes, yes! We're going to spend a whole month of Brother Wang's wages!"

"Uh... alright."

Wang Chao and the other five left.

In the spot they had occupied, only Xue Mingqing and Ning Yurong remained.

Seeing this, Xue Mingqing blinked, his expression turning somewhat peculiar.

"Uh... what exactly is it that you wanted to tell me...?"