Hearing this, Xue Mingqing nodded gently to signal that he had noted it.
Seeing that he understood, Feng Qingyang waved a hand casually, his tone carrying a trace of impatience as he directly issued an order to see the guest out.
"Alright, get out. Let me rest in peace for a few days, and don't come to disturb me again if there's nothing the matter."
Before his voice finished falling, he violently swung his large sleeve.
Xue Mingqing's consciousness instantly felt like a picked-up chick, being rudely flung out of the Spirit Sea.
The next moment, he woke up completely.
As soon as his consciousness recovered, Xue Mingqing felt as though he were lying on some soft pillow, and all around him, a faint, lingering glazed orchid fragrance drifted against the tip of his nose.
Wrinkling his nose, Xue Mingqing raised a brow, opened his eyes, and looked!
Only to discover that he was inside a carriage, and the thing his entire head was resting on...
Far from being any pillow, it was clearly Ning Yurong's lap pillow!
"Cough, cough, cough...!"
"Miss Ning, what is this...?"
Rushing up from Ning Yurong's embrace to a sitting position, Xue Mingqing's ear tips grew slightly warm. A virgin from both past and present lives, where had he ever encountered such a situation.
For a moment, he felt as uncomfortable all over as if ants were crawling across him.
Seeing Xue Mingqing wake up and detach himself from her embrace, Ning Yurong's detached and ethereal, peerless demeanor remained unchanged.
Only her jade hand, hidden beneath her gold-and-white long sleeves, lightly pinched the fabric of her sleeve.
By this time, she had already changed into a new set of clothes and washed away the blood and filth on her body. How could she still look like the wretched mess she had been before?
She cut the exact figure of a wealthy young lady.
She gave a light cough.
"You've been asleep for about half an hour..."
Saying this, Ning Yurong bit her lip, the ear tips hidden beneath her silver-white long hair growing slightly red.
"Just now... don't misunderstand. The big brother mercenary asked me to take care of you, so I..."
"Ah, haha... Is that so..."
Awkwardly letting out a ha-ha, Xue Mingqing scratched his head, for a moment truly not knowing what to say in his embarrassment.
Right at that moment.
"Young Master, are you awake?"
Seeming to hear the commotion inside the carriage, Wang Chao's rough and recognizable voice rang out from outside.
"Eh! I'm awake!"
Hearing the voice, Xue Mingqing responded as if granted a pardon, lifted the carriage curtain, and jumped right out.
Leaving Ning Yurong behind, alone in the carriage.
Watching Xue Mingqing's fleeing-like back, Ning Yurong was slightly stunned. After reacting, she could not help but smile brightly.
"Am I really that scary... Hehe..."
Outside the carriage.
Outside was still that snow-covered world, the cold wind whipping the accumulated snow on the forest tree branches against people's faces, instantly snapping one much more awake.
Xue Mingqing got out of the carriage, and his first sight was Wang Chao's fierce yet somewhat solemn face.
He turned around to look at the surroundings—
Around the carriage, Wang Chao, Ma Han, and the remaining three mercenaries—not one was missing, not one was injured.
Looking at these dutiful mercenaries who had willingly stayed behind to cover his rear and march toward death, Xue Mingqing's heart somehow suddenly swelled with boundless heroism.
Abruptly, classic clips from the television dramas of his past life flashed through his mind, and the corners of his mouth hooked upward slightly.
With a sweep of his large sleeve, Xue Mingqing boldly declared,
"Brothers, all of your wages are doubled! Go ahead and double them for me! When we get back to Blizzard City, tell them I said so!"
Hearing this, the mercenaries, including Wang Chao, were stunned for a moment. After reacting, they suddenly burst into a fierce cheer.
"Young Master, is that for real?!"
"For real!"
"Woohoo! Awesome!"
"One job every half year, live off that job for half a year—Young Master, I love you to death!"
Watching the excited and thrilled expressions of these mercenaries, Xue Mingqing nodded in satisfaction.
Phew! They had narrowly cheated death after all; what was wrong with letting the brothers have a little fun?
Only, what Xue Mingqing did not know was that the Far North was naturally barren.
In other places, hiring Soul King-tier mercenaries for a trip probably only cost 200,000 Gold Soul Coins. As for the Far North...
You could forget about securing a Soul King-tier mercenary without 400,000.
With five Soul Kings present, even if Wang Chao didn't want money, that was still a massive commission of 2,000,000 Gold Soul Coins.
With this doubling...
Well... Xue Ningxian of Blizzard City would likely have a heartache for a very long time.
Yet Xue Mingqing, the instigator of all this, was completely unaware of it.
Looking at the merry smiles of his mercenary brothers and Xue Mingqing's proud, heroically towering appearance, Wang Chao, standing off to the side, opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but—
In the end, he still couldn't bring himself to say it.
After all, it was a benefit for his own brothers...
Rubbing his nose, Wang Chao coughed.
"Young Master, for now, are we retreating back to Blizzard City first, or continuing on toward Shrek?"
Hearing this, Xue Mingqing paused, his brow furrowing slightly.
From his departure from Blizzard City until now, he had encountered the Four-Eyed Demon Fox's attack and a series of retaliatory kills.
Although it seemed like a lot had happened, reckoned by time, it had not even been half a day since he left Blizzard City.
If he were to miserably flee back a mere half day after leaving Blizzard City, what would that even count as?
Wouldn't he lose face to an immense degree?
Rubbing his chin, Xue Mingqing pondered for a long time.
In the end, he made his decision: he would continue heading toward Shrek Academy!
There was no child who cried every single day, nor any gambler who lost every single time.
He, Xue Mingqing, refused to believe in this hex; it couldn't be that everywhere he went, trouble was bound to follow!
His martial soul was Snow Wind, not next door Conan, how could it be that bizarre!
Having made up his mind internally, Xue Mingqing spoke up.
"Let's continue pushing forward toward Shrek, Uncle Wang."
Wang Chao nodded. Just as he wanted to reply to Xue Mingqing, Ning Yurong's voice rang out from behind Xue Mingqing.
"Excuse me, will you be passing through Sky Soul City?"
Hearing this, Xue Mingqing turned his head.
"We will. Why, is something the matter?"
Walking outward from the Far North brought one into the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire. To travel to Shrek Academy, located in the center of the continent, naturally required passing through the imperial capital of Sky Soul City.
Seeing this, Ning Yurong bit her lip and said softly,
"In that case, could you make a detour to Nine Treasures City before going to Sky Soul City?"
Ning Yurong added, "My home is there."
Hearing Ning Yurong's request, Xue Mingqing raised a brow.
Originally, he had only suspected that Ning Yurong might be a direct descendant of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.
But looking at it now—
Leaving the house with an Invincible Shield to save her life, casually producing healing pills with exceptional effects, and also living in Nine Treasures City.
Combining all of the above, even a fool would realize that Ning Yurong's identity was extraordinary.
Thinking of this, Xue Mingqing smiled and nodded. "A trip there wouldn't hurt; it's on the way either way."
Seeing Xue Mingqing agree to her so casually and with unconcern, Ning Yurong's pretty, peerless face, which always maintained a detached expression, could not help but raise a charming smile slightly at this moment.
Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Ning Yurong took a deep look at Xue Mingqing, her pink lips parting slightly.
"Mingqing younger brother, can I... say something to you...?"
Earlier, while Xue Mingqing was still unconscious, Ning Yurong had already learned his age from the mercenaries.
Six years old, three whole years younger than herself. It was only natural for nine-year-old her to call Xue Mingqing younger brother.
As for Ning Yurong's form of address, Xue Mingqing didn't mind it at all. He gazed at Ning Yurong.
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
Hearing this, Ning Yurong did not speak directly. Instead, she first turned her head and swept her gaze across the surrounding mercenaries with those crimson, gem-like beautiful eyes of hers.
Seeing this scene, before Xue Mingqing had even reacted to what Ning Yurong meant, the mercenaries who had been swept by Ning Yurong's gaze reacted all at once!
What came next was probably inconvenient for them to overhear!
Realizing this, Ma Han coughed, walked over to Wang Chao, hooked his arm around Wang Chao's shoulder, and made exaggerated, winking expressions.
"Let's go, let's go, Brother Wang. Let's go properly discuss that matter of you treating us to drinks."
"Ah, right, right, right. Blow a whole month's wages of Brother Wang's on it."
"Uhm... Alright."
The six men of Wang Chao departed.
In place, the only ones remaining were Xue Mingqing and Ning Yurong.
Seeing this, Xue Mingqing blinked, his expression turning somewhat peculiar.
"Uhm... What on earth do you... want to tell me...?"
Before you continue