I Owe No Favors

Upon hearing Xue Mingqing's words, Zhang Lexuan's delicate body stiffened, and the tips of her ears instinctively flushed a rosy red. She turned her head—

Only to be met with the handsome profile of the young man...

Ice flowers bloomed and vanished across the sky, their icy blue radiance reflecting repeatedly upon his face.

It made his already handsome features appear all the more ethereal, dreamlike, and unreal.

Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan's small face suddenly grew hot, burning until it was red enough to drip blood, and she abruptly lowered her head.

She merely coughed, unable to find the words to say.

Unaware of just how lethal his own appearance was to the opposite sex, Xue Mingqing blinked instinctively, his face filled with confusion.

He had no idea that in these few short breaths, a tempest had already been stirred within the young girl's heart.

Hmm... it was for him, and only for him...

Scratching his head, unable to fathom the reason for Zhang Lexuan's odd behavior, Xue Mingqing simply chose not to dwell on it.

Quietly raising his head, he chose to admire the annual Blizzard City Fireworks Festival, acting as if he hadn't noticed Zhang Lexuan's abnormality at all.

Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan pursed her lips, as if suppressing some thought in her heart, and stopped speaking as well. She just sat there quietly with Xue Mingqing, admiring the fireworks filling the sky over Blizzard City...

Time flowed by, the icy blue fireworks gradually faded, and the cold night once again shrouded the rooftop.

The two sat in silence until the moon hung high in the center of the sky, and the lingering echoes of the final fireworks dissipated.

The chill grew deeper.

They leaped down from the roof one after the other.

Zhang Lexuan remained silent, though the crimson on her earlobes refused to fade. Gently lifting her gaze, she glanced at the young man under the moonlight.

A gentle, tranquil smile curled the corners of her lips: "Well then... I shall be going now."

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing nodded with a smile.

He didn't offer to escort Zhang Lexuan back to her residence or anything of the sort.

It wasn't out of coldness, but rather, he was a two-ring Spirit Master—was he really going to escort Zhang Lexuan, a five-ring, nearly six-ring Spirit Emperor, back to her room?

Was he serious?

Not to mention whether they would encounter danger within the City Lord's Mansion, even if they did, it wasn't certain who would be protecting whom.

With a light chuckle, he saw Zhang Lexuan out of his small courtyard and stood quietly at his gate, watching her figure recede into the night.

Not until Zhang Lexuan's silhouette had completely vanished into the darkness did Xue Mingqing close the door and turn around.

Upon turning, however, Xue Mingqing instinctively froze.

Because—

Aunt Lu had appeared in the courtyard at some point, her plump, graceful, and alluring body currently seated on a stone stool.

Raising an eyebrow, Xue Mingqing spoke playfully: "Why didn't you show yourself earlier when Sister Lexuan was here, Aunt Lu?"

"Coming out now, you've missed the fireworks."

Aunt Lu rolled her eyes in silence.

As for the fireworks, she had seen them long ago. The only reason she hadn't come out earlier was that she didn't want to disturb the "flirtation" between this kid Xue Mingqing and Zhang Lexuan.

After all, Zhang Lexuan was Mu En's disciple and could be considered one of Shrek's own; Aunt Lu was quite at ease with her interacting with Xue Mingqing.

Casually pushing the spirit tea used to assist cultivation on the stone table toward Xue Mingqing, Aunt Lu changed the subject.

"Drink it. In the days to come, you should return to your cultivation."

"I know, I have my own sense of timing."

Xue Mingqing nodded and sat down, picking up the spirit tea and downing it in one gulp.

Feeling the medicinal power nourishing his soul circulating within his body, Xue Mingqing closed his eyes and began to actively circulate his spirit power to cultivate.

Over the next few days, everything returned to the daily grind.

Cultivation, scheduled medicinal baths, and the occasional stroll through the city with Zhang Lexuan; life returned to a calm, two-point-one-line routine.

Aunt Lu remained by his side, reminding him every night to drink his tea and cultivate.

Given Xue Mingqing's current physical constitution, the previous medicinal baths had become minimally effective.

To have Xue Mingqing take those baths now wouldn't be called cultivation; it would be called a waste of resources.

Therefore, considering this, Aunt Lu stopped the medicinal baths and instead began feeding him rare treasures that nourished the soul.

Time passed in simple, unadorned fashion.

In a blink, another half-month went by.

The day of parting arrived quietly.

That morning, Xue Mingqing packed the items he needed to bring—such as Zhang Lexuan, Aunt Lu, and his old friends, the Wang Chao six-man group—and prepared to officially return to Shrek.

"Let's go, it's time for us to set off."

Looking toward Zhang Lexuan, Xue Mingqing said calmly.

His youthful frame had grown significantly during this period of cultivation, shedding his childish air for a newfound sense of composure.

Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan merely nodded faintly in agreement.

However, just as the group was about to step out of the City Lord's Mansion and depart in a grand procession, a familiar, ethereal voice sounded from behind him.

"Mingqing, wait a moment."

Hearing the call, Xue Mingqing turned his head.

Xue Ningxian was walking toward him slowly, still dressed in her luxurious gown, her brows and eyes maintaining that same indifferent, cold expression.

Only now, there was a hint of solemnity and reluctance in her gaze.

She walked straight up to Xue Mingqing and raised her hand to press a storage soul tool into his palm.

Lifting her hand, Xue Ningxian patted his shoulder; she did not speak aloud, but communicated with him through mental transmission.

"Inside is a forty-thousand-year-old gemstone-type skull soul bone. Take it and give it to that girl, Yurong, whom you mentioned."

Xue Mingqing was startled. Well-versed in the ways of the world, he understood instantly.

Ye Pi'an had previously gifted him a soul bone—a forty-thousand-year-old Evil Eye Tyrant skull soul bone.

It had since been refined into the Wind Snow Evil Pupil between his brows.

Although that had been a token of gratitude from Ye Pi'an, one still had to understand the principle of reciprocity.

Others might feel that if he didn't return the favor, no one would find fault with him.

But by returning the gesture, such a relationship could endure for the long term.

Therefore, gifting a soul bone back to Ning Yurong was only reasonable.

As for whether this would impact Xue Ningxian's private treasury, that was hardly the case.

After all, while gemstone-type soul bones were rare, they were only suitable for support-type or mental-type soul masters to absorb.

To other soul masters, they were like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard.

Taking out such a soul bone could repay the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's favor without causing Xue Ningxian any significant loss.

Why not do it?

Having realized this, Xue Mingqing nodded.

"Very well, I will deliver this return gift to her."

Xue Ningxian bowed her head, patted Xue Mingqing's shoulder once more, and chuckled softly.

"Go on then. Remember, we do not owe favors to anyone..."

This time, Xue Mingqing did not reply. After nodding to show he understood, he lingered no longer. He turned and walked toward Zhang Lexuan and the mercenary team waiting outside.

Seeing him approach, a faint smile appeared in Zhang Lexuan's eyes: "Is everything ready?"

"It is," Xue Mingqing smiled slightly, his gaze gentle. "We are returning to Shrek."

With that, the group mounted their horses. This time, although there was still a carriage, it was Lu Xiaoxiao and Zhang Lexuan who sat inside.

As for Xue Mingqing, he had personally requested to travel on horseback.

Horse hooves crunched through the thin morning snow as they slowly departed from Blizzard City.

Xue Mingqing took one last look back in the direction of the City Lord's Mansion, then reined his horse around, riding shoulder-to-shoulder with Wang Chao and the others toward the distant horizon.