We Don't Owe Anyone a Favor

Hearing Xue Mingqing's words, Zhang Lexuan's delicate body stiffened. The tips of her ears instinctively flushed pink as she turned her head—

Yet all she saw was the young man's handsome profile...

Ice flowers bloomed and vanished across the sky, while bursts of icy-blue radiance reflected upon his face.

Making his already handsome features seem even more beautiful, dreamlike, and unreal.

At the sight, Zhang Lexuan's little face suddenly grew hot, blazing red as though it might drip blood. She abruptly lowered her head.

She merely coughed, but said nothing.

Xue Mingqing, still unaware of just how devastating his looks were to women, instinctively blinked, his face full of confusion.

He had no idea that, in those brief few breaths, a young girl's heart had already been thrown into turmoil.

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

Scratching his head, Xue Mingqing could not figure out what Zhang Lexuan's unusual behavior meant, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

Quietly raising his head, he chose to admire Blizzard City's annual Fireworks Festival, pretending not to notice Zhang Lexuan's oddness.

Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan pursed her lips as though suppressing some thought in her heart. She said nothing more, simply sitting quietly beside Xue Mingqing as they admired the fireworks filling Blizzard City's skies...

Time passed, and the icy-blue fireworks gradually faded, leaving the rooftop once more shrouded in the cold night.

The two sat quietly until the moon hung high overhead, until the lingering echoes of the final fireworks dispersed.

The chill deepened.

They jumped down from the rooftop one after the other.

Zhang Lexuan remained silent, yet the blush on the tips of her ears had not faded for a long while. Lifting her eyes slightly, she looked at the young man beneath the moon.

A gentle, serene smile curved her lips. "Then... I should be going now."

At that, Xue Mingqing nodded with a smile.

He did not offer to escort Zhang Lexuan back to her residence.

It was not because he was indifferent. Rather, he was a two-ring Soul Master—was he supposed to escort Zhang Lexuan, a five-ring Soul Emperor nearly at the sixth ring, back to her residence?

Seriously?

Not to mention whether they would encounter danger in the City Lord's Mansion, even if they did, it was hard to say who would be protecting whom.

With a soft laugh, he escorted Zhang Lexuan out of his little courtyard, then stood quietly at its gate, watching her retreating figure disappear into the night.

Only after Zhang Lexuan's figure had completely vanished into the darkness did Xue Mingqing close the door and turn around.

But the moment he turned, Xue Mingqing instinctively froze.

Because—

Lu Xiaoxiao had appeared in the courtyard at some unknown time. Her plump, alluring figure was currently seated on a stone stool.

Raising a brow, Xue Mingqing teasingly said, "Why didn't you show yourself while Sister Lexuan was here, Aunt Lu?"

"Coming out only now, you missed the fireworks."

Lu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes speechlessly.

She had seen the fireworks long ago. The reason she had not appeared earlier was simply that she did not want to disturb Xue Mingqing and Zhang Lexuan's 'romance.'

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

Casually pushing the spirit tea on the stone table, which was meant to aid cultivation, toward Xue Mingqing, Lu Xiaoxiao changed the subject.

"Drink it. In the days ahead, it's time for you to return to cultivation."

"I know. I have it under control."

Xue Mingqing nodded and sat down. He casually picked up the spirit tea and swallowed it in one gulp.

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

Over the next few days, everything returned to normal.

Cultivating, taking medicinal baths on schedule, and occasionally taking a walk through the city with Zhang Lexuan—his days returned to their peaceful routine.

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

Given Xue Mingqing's current physical condition, the medicinal baths from before had already become largely ineffective.

Making Xue Mingqing take medicinal baths now would not be cultivation—it would be a waste of resources.

Thus, taking that into account, Lu Xiaoxiao no longer had Xue Mingqing take medicinal baths. Instead, she began feeding him rare treasures that nourished the soul.

Time passed in simple, unadorned fashion.

In the blink of an eye, another half month had passed.

The day of departure quietly arrived.

That morning, Xue Mingqing packed up everything he needed to bring—such as Zhang Lexuan, Lu Xiaoxiao, and his old friends, Wang Chao's group of six—then prepared to officially return to Shrek.

"Let's go. It's time for us to set out."

Xue Mingqing spoke calmly as he looked at Zhang Lexuan.

By now, his youthful frame had grown considerably taller through this period of cultivation. Much of his childishness had faded, replaced by a measure of steadiness.

Zhang Lexuan merely nodded faintly in agreement.

However, just as the group was about to walk out through the gates of the City Lord's Mansion and depart in grand fashion—

Xue Ningxian's familiar, ethereal voice sounded behind him.

"Mingqing, wait."

Hearing her, Xue Mingqing turned around.

Xue Ningxian was walking toward him at an unhurried pace. She still wore a luxurious long dress, and her brows and eyes still held that calm, frosty demeanor.

Only now, there was a touch more solemnity and reluctance...

She walked straight up to Xue Mingqing and placed a storage Soul Tool into his hand.

Raising her hand, Xue Ningxian patted his shoulder. Rather than speaking aloud, she communicated with him through her spiritual power.

"Inside is a forty-thousand-year gemstone-type head Soul Bone. Take it and give it to that girl Yu Rong you mentioned."

Xue Mingqing froze. Familiar with the ways of the world, he understood immediately.

Ye Pi'an had previously given him a Soul Bone as well—the forty-thousand-year Evil Eye Tyrant head Soul Bone.

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

Although it had been Ye Pi'an's gift of thanks to him, one still had to understand the principle of reciprocating kindness.

Others might have been expected to give gifts, and no one would find fault with Xue Mingqing if he did not return one.

But only by returning the gesture could such a relationship last.

Therefore, giving a Soul Bone back to Ning Yu Rong was perfectly reasonable.

As for whether this would affect Xue Ningxian's private reserves—

Not at all.

After all, while gemstone-type Soul Bones were rare, they were only suitable for auxiliary and spiritual-type Soul Masters to absorb.

To other Soul Masters, they were like a tasteless morsel—too bland to enjoy, yet too precious to throw away.

Taking out such a Soul Bone would both repay the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's favor and prevent Xue Ningxian from suffering too great a loss.

Why not?

Having understood this, Xue Mingqing nodded.

"Alright. I will give this return gift to her."

Xue Ningxian nodded. She patted Xue Mingqing's shoulder again and said with a soft smile.

"Alright, go on. Just remember, we don't owe anyone a favor..."

This time, Xue Mingqing did not reply. After merely nodding to show that he understood—

He did not linger. Turning around, he walked toward Zhang Lexuan and the mercenary party that had long been waiting outside.

As he approached, a faint smile appeared in Zhang Lexuan's eyes. "Is everything ready?"

"Ready." Xue Mingqing smiled faintly, his gaze gentle. "We're going back to Shrek."

With that, the group mounted their horses. This time, although they still had a carriage, Lu Xiaoxiao and Zhang Lexuan were the ones seated inside it.

As for Xue Mingqing, he had taken the initiative to request traveling on horseback.

Horse hooves crushed the thin morning snow as they slowly left Blizzard City.

Xue Mingqing looked back one last time in the direction of the City Lord's Mansion. Then he turned his horse and rode side by side with Wang Chao and the others, heading toward the distant horizon...