Ice Emperor's Kiss, the Maid Gets Jealous

That was a young girl.

She wore a gorgeous emerald-green short dress, its hem adorned with tiny ice crystals that gleamed with a cold, ghostly sheen beneath the dim light of the sky.

Her emerald-green twin ponytails fell over her shoulders, their ends curling slightly, framing an exquisite and radiant face.

Her skin was as white as snow, her lashes long, and her emerald-green eyes brimmed with a moist glimmer.

Eager to take human form, she had not had time to create shoes.

Her snow-white, tender little feet lightly stepped upon the black-ice-covered ground, her toes curling slightly at the touch of the ice.

Ice Emperor...

The monarch who had ruled this land of extreme cold just moments ago had transformed into such an adorable, petite young girl?

She stood there, her emerald-green eyes fixed tightly on the boy before her.

The next second, she involuntarily threw herself lightly into his arms, burying her head against his chest and hugging him tightly.

"Obviously..."

Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying a hint of a sob. Her pretty face was crimson as the sunset, as though she wanted to knead the boy into her very body.

There was none of the bearing of the Extreme North's emperor with four hundred thousand years of cultivation.

Jiang Ziming skillfully drew her into his embrace as well, gently stroking her smooth emerald-green hair with one hand, his fingertips passing through her cool hair ends.

The power of the Heart-Link Lock had far exceeded his expectations.

Ice Emperor had fallen this deeply, but was he any different?

To him, he had also met, fallen in love with, married, and had a daughter with that girl named Su Xiaoxue in that illusion, living out a happy, ordinary half of his life as "Jiang Ziming."

Those feelings had ultimately been real.

Right now, she was curled up in his arms, acting spoiled, just like Su Xiaoxue had when they had first fallen deeply in love.

They were meeting for the first time, yet also reuniting.

Ice Emperor curled up in Jiang Ziming's arms, her emerald-green twin ponytails trembling softly with her faint sobs. Her pale little feet rose slightly onto their toes against the ice.

She buried her face in the boy's chest, greedily absorbing his warmth, as if she wanted to warm those twenty-odd years of illusory dreams back to life in reality.

But to Xiao Wu, who stood nearby, it was a completely different matter.

All she knew was that she had traveled thousands of miles through wind and snow with her master in her arms to reach the Extreme North, only to encounter a terrifyingly powerful soul beast.

Yet within minutes, that soul beast had inexplicably fused with her master, transformed into an unbelievably adorable, soft little girl, and started snuggling up to him right in front of her?

Xiao Wu stood a few steps away, watching the two embrace as the smile on her face gradually stiffened.

Her hands were folded before her, her knuckles turning faintly white from the force.

It felt as if something had clogged her chest. It was heavy, and a sour ache spread from her heart to her throat, leaving her somewhat breathless.

Obviously... I was here first.

The pink-haired girl covered her chest, her pink eyes trembling slightly as her gaze fell upon the green-haired girl nestled in the boy's arms.

It was not as though Xiao Wu had never considered that her master was so outstanding that he would surely attract many beautiful girls in the future.

Countless times, alone in the depths of the night, she had imagined that one day, her status as a "maid" would fade away, and she would no longer be able to remain the person closest to her master's side.

She had thought... she was prepared.

She had simply never expected that day to come so quickly.

Two streams of clear tears unconsciously slid down her cheeks, freezing into tiny ice crystals in the frigid air before silently falling to the ground.

Naturally, Xiao Wu's unusual behavior could not escape Jiang Ziming and Ice Emperor's notice.

Jiang Ziming was gently stroking Ice Emperor's hair when he suddenly sensed the sorrow contained in the gaze behind him.

He raised his head and happened to see Xiao Wu turn her face aside and raise a hand to wipe the corners of her eyes.

Ice Emperor noticed it as well.

She slightly lifted her head from Jiang Ziming's arms and followed his gaze, seeing the maid standing amid the wind and snow, silently shedding tears.

The connection between their souls made Ice Emperor instantly understand that this woman was especially important to Jiang Ziming.

She fell silent for a moment, a complex emotion flashing through her emerald-green eyes.

Then she rose onto her toes and softly pressed a gentle kiss against the boy's cheek with her soft pink lips.

"Go on."

She spoke softly, her voice carrying a trace of reluctance, but even more understanding.

Then her body turned into a streak of light and sank back into the boy's chest, returning to his sea of consciousness.

Jiang Ziming turned around and looked at Xiao Wu.

She had her back to him, her shoulders trembling faintly, one hand still resting near her cheek as though she were wiping something away.

"What's wrong?"

He walked up behind her, a faintly amused note in his voice.

Xiao Wu hurriedly twisted around and wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, her voice slightly muffled.

"Master... I'm fine. It's just that this place... really is a little cold."

This was a lie!

With her cultivation at the peak of Limit Douluo, even if she stood naked in the Extreme North Core Region for three days and three nights, she would not feel the slightest discomfort.

Jiang Ziming sighed helplessly.

In the blink of an eye, he and Xiao Wu had already spent a year together.

Ever since the day school began, when she had appeared on the field in a maid outfit to bring him water.

Their nightly cultivation with their palms pressed together, and their day-to-day life spent together...

Naturally, he knew perfectly well how this maid felt about him.

He did not expose her lie. Instead, he calmly stepped forward, gently wrapped an arm around the girl's slender waist, and turned her slightly to face him.

Xiao Wu froze for a moment. Before she could react, the boy's arms had already firmly encircled her from behind, pulling her fiercely into his embrace.

He skillfully buried his head in her bosom like a little beast that had found a warm nest, sinking deeply into that fragrant softness.

Xiao Wu's heart softened at once.

She lowered her head to look at the boy buried in her embrace, feeling his warm breath as her cheeks involuntarily grew hot.

Even the air around them no longer seemed so cold.

She hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and gently wrapped it around the boy's head, her fingers threading through his soft hair.

Wind and snow fell around them like a hazy curtain of gauze, separating this tiny space from the rest of the world.

Only after quite a while did Jiang Ziming pull his head free from that warmth.

He raised his head, extended a finger, and teasingly tapped the girl's forehead.

"What's there to be jealous about? Have I not held you enough?"

Xiao Wu's face instantly flushed red, all the way to the tips of her ears.

She hurriedly turned her head away, her voice tiny.

"I... I'm only Master's maid..."

Before she could finish, the boy pinched her cheek.

"What's wrong with being a maid?"

Jiang Ziming pinched her soft, tender cheek, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Even if I take a wife someday, you'll still have to obediently serve me for the rest of your life. Do you hear me?"

With her cheek pinched, Xiao Wu could not form a complete sentence and could only make a string of muffled nasal sounds.

"Mm... mhm..."

Yet light rekindled in her pink eyes.

The heavy, sour feeling in her chest vanished without a trace at that moment.

In its place was a warm current that spread from her heart through every limb and bone, making her entire body feel warm and cozy.

She nodded, firmly.

Jiang Ziming released her cheek. Seeing her shy yet delighted expression, he could not help but smile before turning to look into the distance.

"Come on, let's head back."

Xiao Wu hurriedly followed him. Standing at his side, she hesitated briefly before cautiously reaching out and gently taking his hand.

The two of them set off on their journey home through the wind and snow.

As for Snow Emperor.

Xiao Wu carefully sensed the Extreme North Core Region, but she did not detect her presence.

Presumably, she had already begun cultivating anew and taking human form not long ago, and according to the original timeline, had been taken away by some force.

Jiang Ziming decided to respect the original timeline and look for her at that auction in the future.

The wind and snow gradually faded behind them, while a faint glimmer of light had already appeared on the horizon ahead.