Xiao Xiao Is Good at Playing the Flute, Doesn't Like Yogurt

The ten-day holiday passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Ziming rarely got to enjoy such a leisurely stretch of time.

Every morning, he meditated and cultivated in the courtyard, stabilizing the soul power that had surged within him.

After fusing with the Ice Emperor, his foundation was solid, but necessary consolidation remained indispensable.

He exercised moderately in the mornings, while most afternoons were spent with Xiao Xiao.

The two drank tea and chatted in the rear courtyard's gazebo. Xiao Xiao would occasionally pester him to exchange a few moves, calling it "sparring practice," though in truth, she kept finding excuses to press herself against the young man.

Xiao Zhentian had originally intended to stay for only three days, but he could not withstand his daughter's persistent coaxing. Moreover, he himself wanted her to grow closer to Jiang Ziming, so he relented and stayed a few more days.

During those days, Xiao Xiao spent nearly every day with Jiang Ziming.

They went to the market together to eat snacks. With the experience of "watching movies" last time, Xiao Xiao had become increasingly familiar with the routine.

After all, "private cinemas" offered excellent privacy. No one knew whether they were watching movies inside or watching something else.

Under Jiang Ziming's "guidance," the girl became increasingly adept at using the Nine Phoenix Court Flute, and her flute-playing skills grew better and better.

However, after doing it too many times, whenever Xiao Xiao came out of the cinema and saw the yogurt shop next door, she could not help wanting to cover her mouth. After returning home, she could barely eat anything.

Meanwhile, Xiao Wu gradually became familiar with every matter, large and small, within the Jiang Residence.

Steward Sun had worked at the Jiang Residence for over twenty years and knew every blade of grass and tree in the estate like the back of his hand.

At first, he had thought that the maid the young master had brought back was so charming and beautiful that she might be nothing more than a pretty face.

Yet unexpectedly, Xiao Wu learned extremely quickly.

Accounts, personnel matters, etiquette, rules... she understood almost everything at the slightest instruction.

After only a few days, Xiao Wu was already managing the estate's affairs in perfect order.

When Steward Sun privately reported to Jiang Yi, he used only eight words to describe her.

"Meticulous in thought, unfathomable in depth."

Jiang Yi merely smiled when he heard it and said nothing more.

He was a dignified Soul Sage, yet he could not see through this young woman in the slightest. How could she possibly be ordinary?

Happy times were always short.

On the evening of the seventh day, Xiao Xiao received a message from Xiao Zhentian saying that there were matters at home requiring attention, and that they had to set out for the Douling Empire.

Before leaving, Xiao Xiao stood at the entrance of the Jiang Residence, holding the jade flute Jiang Ziming had given her.

Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but though countless words filled her heart, she ultimately only smiled and said, "See you when school starts."

Jiang Ziming nodded and watched her carriage disappear around the street corner.

A few more days passed, and the holiday was about to end.

Jiang Ziming packed his luggage and prepared to return to school.

"Master, let's go."

Xiao Wu stood beside him and spoke softly.

Jiang Ziming glanced at her, then naturally held out his hand.

Xiao Wu smiled faintly, bent down, and picked him up with gentle, practiced movements.

The young man's body rested against her warm embrace, his head pillowed against her soft chest, while a faint fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose.

He had gradually grown accustomed to this feeling.

Compared to a jolting carriage, Xiao Wu's embrace was undoubtedly far more comfortable.

Steady, warm, and filled with a reassuring presence.

Xiao Wu lowered her head and glanced at the young man in her arms. Seeing that his eyes were closed and that there was still a faint smile at the corner of his lips, she could not help pursing her lips in a smile. Then she leaped into the air.

The wind howled past their ears as the mountains and rivers below rapidly receded.

At the same time, in the Extreme North.

Wind and snow howled as the world stretched out bleak and vast.

A thin, small figure struggled to crawl through snow that reached his knees.

He was draped in a vast white cast-off shell and wore only a thin cotton jacket. His lips were cracked, and his hair was covered in frost.

Yet an unyielding light burned in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

He had nearly forgotten how long he had been walking. After the holiday began, he had immediately set out for the Extreme North Core Region according to Heavenly Dream Iceworm's instructions.

How dangerous was the Extreme North?

Fortunately, with Heavenly Dream Iceworm's cast-off shell, Huo Yuhao could barely withstand the bitter cold.

Still, freezing hunger and the powerful soul beasts along the way... those dangers were things he had to cautiously avoid himself. Each time, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

"Soon, Yuhao... we're almost there..."

Heavenly Dream Iceworm's voice rang out in his mind, carrying a trace of excitement.

"I can feel it... her aura... it's right ahead!"

Huo Yuhao clenched his teeth and crawled forward another few steps.

His hands and feet had already gone numb, but time was limited. He could not stop yet.

The "she" Heavenly Dream Iceworm spoke of was none other than the second of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, the Ice Emperor!

She was also the key to whether he could be reborn anew!

Before long, Huo Yuhao crawled to the foot of an enormous iceberg.

According to the plan, Heavenly Dream Iceworm temporarily separated from Huo Yuhao and released his spiritual power, attempting to lure out the Ice Emperor.

At the same time, he used the gentlest and most sincere tone of his entire life to make all kinds of promises.

Living together, sharing their lifespans, pursuing a god-level future together...

Yet there was no response.

All around the iceberg, there was only dead silence.

Heavenly Dream Iceworm froze for a moment, then released his spiritual power again and expanded the search range.

His spiritual power spread in every direction like a tide, covering dozens of miles around him.

Then, this soul beast that had lived for over a million years discovered a fact he could scarcely believe.

Nothing...

There was absolutely no trace of the Ice Emperor's aura anywhere in the entire Extreme North Core Region?!

It was as though she had vanished from the face of the earth, completely disappearing into this frozen land.

"Impossible... how is this possible?!"

Heavenly Dream Iceworm's voice was filled with shock and panic.

"She was clearly here! I've known her for hundreds of thousands of years! There's no way I could mistake her aura! How could she be gone?!"

Huo Yuhao lay in the snow, listening to Heavenly Dream Iceworm's nearly collapsing voice in his mind as an ominous premonition rose in his heart.

"Brother Tianmeng... what happened?"

"The Ice Emperor... she's gone."

Heavenly Dream Iceworm's voice was hoarse and low, carrying deep loss and confusion.

"I don't know what happened... but her aura has completely disappeared from this land."

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment.

He knew what that meant as well.

After spending so many days getting here, the greatest objective of this journey had already come to nothing.

"Then... what do we do now?"

Heavenly Dream Iceworm remained silent for a long time.

Huo Yuhao could feel the enormous spiritual power within him churning violently, an emotion where extreme grief and anger intertwined.

But in the end, for Huo Yuhao's sake, Heavenly Dream Iceworm calmed down.

He was an existence that had lived for a million years and weathered too many storms. There was no time for grief now. They needed to find another way out.

"Yuhao, we can't come all this way for nothing."

Heavenly Dream Iceworm's voice returned to calmness, though it carried a hint of heaviness.

"There are two other Heavenly Kings in the Extreme North... one of them isn't someone I can afford to provoke right now. As for the remaining one, while it can't compare to the Ice Emperor, it will still be enough."

He released his spiritual power again and scanned toward more distant regions.