Why Does the Snow Empress Look So Easy to Fool?

Normally, when a woman said she was willing to pay any price, there was usually only one thing she actually wanted to offer,

But... the Snow Empress was not human. She was a Soul Beast.

She truly wanted to offer everything she had in exchange for protection for the Extreme North and a way for the Ice Empress to survive the Heavenly Tribulation.

Kong Ming'an silently watched the Snow Empress, watching her look as though she would sacrifice herself for her people the very next moment. A trace of surprise inexplicably arose in his heart.

There was no doubt that the ruler of the Extreme North was powerful, but her temperament... was a little too naïve and straightforward.

This utterly unguarded trust made him feel as though he could easily take complete control of her and toy with her as he pleased... She looked easy to fool?

Sure enough, compared to humans, Soul Beasts were relatively purer... Well, that purity was both praise and criticism.

However...

"I refuse."

Under the Snow Empress's gaze, filled with expectation and resolve, Kong Ming'an calmly rejected the deal she had proposed.

Those three simple words were like ice spikes piercing the heart that had just kindled hope within the Snow Empress. A flicker of astonishment crossed her exquisite face, and then the light in her Ice Blue eyes visibly dimmed.

Her long lashes lowered slightly. The Snow Empress pressed her lips together, disappointment appearing in her eyes, yet there was no resentment.

After all, she herself knew that everything she possessed was not enough to pay for a "promise to protect the Extreme North" and "a method for the Ice Empress to overcome the Heavenly Tribulation."

Her offer to give everything was merely an attempt to gamble, but clearly, the other party would not lower his price just because she had staked everything on a single throw.

Seeing the Snow Empress look so dejected, Kong Ming'an smiled faintly and softened his tone slightly.

"Disappointed already?"

"..."

The Snow Empress said nothing. She merely raised those Ice Blue eyes slightly.

Those eyes remained cold and pure, but their light had visibly dimmed, carrying an inexplicable sense of fragility.

Kong Ming'an's gaze remained calm, yet he took a slight step closer and spoke gently.

"Actually, you can possess enough value to pay for everything."

"I... can?" the Snow Empress repeated softly, her Ice Blue eyes filled with confusion.

There was no doubt that the Snow Empress was exceptionally powerful, yet in certain matters, she seemed extraordinarily... clumsy. Or perhaps simply naïve?

Tch... Why did she look even easier to fool now? And why did I suddenly feel a sense of guilt?

Kong Ming'an found it inexplicably strange, but he quickly dispelled that feeling. His calm gaze met the Snow Empress's eyes as he continued in a somewhat serious tone.

"Snow Empress, my refusal is not a denial of your value, nor is it because I am unwilling to make a deal.

"The value you hold in my eyes right now is only barely equal to my promise, but... that is only your value as you are now.

"If you want more—if you want not only the safety of the Extreme North, but also for the Ice Empress to safely overcome her tribulation—then you need to show me more value of corresponding worth."

"More... value?" The Snow Empress's eyes brightened slightly.

"Yes, value." Kong Ming'an patiently explained, as though guiding a student.

"It could be becoming stronger and becoming a more dependable aid to me. It could be knowledge that you yourself comprehend, knowledge unique to you. Or it could be indispensable help that you can give me in the future...

"All of that can be converted into value, into bargaining chips that you can use to obtain what you need."

The Snow Empress's eyes brightened. She quickly understood what Kong Ming'an meant. If she was not valuable enough now, then she only needed to work hard and improve herself. Once her value became sufficient, giving everything she had would allow her to obtain what she wanted!

She looked at Kong Ming'an, and a trace of genuine gratitude appeared in her cool eyes. "...Thank you."

"No need. It is merely mutual benefit."

Kong Ming'an smiled, then extended his right hand, palm up, in an inviting gesture. His tone was somewhat gentler.

"So, are you willing to make this deal?"

The Snow Empress's gaze fell upon his outstretched hand. She was slightly dazed, yet as though possessed, she raised her own hand and gently placed it in Kong Ming'an's palm.

She was about to respond when the Snow Empress suddenly noticed something was wrong.

She lowered her gaze to the hand resting lightly in Ming's palm.

Contrary to her expectation that the Youth might be affected by her inherent coldness and instinctively withdraw his hand,

She found no sign of discomfort in the Youth. Instead, she herself felt the warmth coming from his palm.

It was not the ordinary heat of a mortal body, but an indescribable... tolerant and peaceful warmth.

The incomparably pure Extreme Ice Snow energy within her body not only showed no reaction of suppression or rejection, but instead conveyed a strange sense of harmony.

Her own Extreme Ice Snow seemed not to reject the Youth before her. It even seemed exceptionally fond of him?

The Snow Empress's expression changed slightly. She had only vaguely felt such harmony before when facing the Ice Empress, who possessed Extreme Ice.

But that was born from the natural affinity between energies of the same origin.

Then why did she feel this way toward a human now? The Youth before her was not even an ice-element Soul Master!

The Snow Empress sank into thought, staring at their clasped hands with a trace of inquiry in her eyes.

Kong Ming'an did not notice the Snow Empress's change. At this moment, his attention had already been drawn to her hand.

The Snow Empress's hand felt icy at first touch, yet it was not piercingly cold. Instead, it possessed a unique texture, smooth and delicate as polished jade, like a fine piece of cold jade nurtured over countless years, fit to be admired in one's hand.

Mm, it was roughly softer and cooler than Miss Meng's hand.

But... that was not why his attention had been drawn to it.

What truly captivated him was the incomparably perfect and harmonious energy structure of the Snow Empress's body, which he could perceive more clearly through their contact and the inadvertent mingling of energy within his Energy Perspective.

He was somewhat entranced, as though admiring a peerless work of art. His eyes revealed only pure inquiry and appreciation, but in the Snow Empress's eyes, it seemed to carry a different meaning.

The Snow Empress suddenly thought of something. Her eyes brightened faintly as she looked at Kong Ming'an seriously, her tone carrying a hint of probing.

"You... could you be a Soul Beast who rebuilt their cultivation?"

Kong Ming'an, immersed in his appreciation of that perfect energy structure, was stunned by the abrupt question.

"Huh?"

He instinctively wanted to let go and step back, but the Snow Empress did not let him go. She grabbed his hand in return and stepped closer.

With a hint of inquiry and anticipation, the Snow Empress's tone gained the delight of seeing one of her own kind, along with an inexplicable aggressiveness, as she asked again.

"What I just said... are you a Soul Beast who rebuilt their cultivation?"

This time, Kong Ming'an heard her clearly and blinked involuntarily.

No... Did I really look that unlike a human?

And... why did it feel like there was something a little off about the Snow Empress?