The Ice Empress Gets Jealous

"Nannan!" An anxious cry came from the doorway, filled with unmistakable concern and worry.

"Mom?" At the familiar voice, Jiang Nannan involuntarily trembled, as though struck by an overwhelming surge of emotion.

She slowly turned her head, her gaze settling on the face etched deep in her memories. It bore a fifty-percent resemblance to her own, but was more mature, carrying the charm of a grown woman. Jiang Nannan stared blankly at her mother. Her eyes instantly grew wet, tears gathering as though they would spill over at any moment. Her lips trembled slightly, and her voice caught. "Mom... why are you here?"

Her mother hurried over and gently gathered Jiang Nannan into her arms, stroking her back as though soothing a frightened little bird. She whispered, "Nannan, no matter how much I suffer, I can't watch you sacrifice yourself for me. You're my daughter, my most precious treasure."

At those words, all the hurt and anguish in Jiang Nannan's heart burst forth. She threw herself into her mother's arms and began to cry.

At those words, the hurt and anguish in Jiang Nannan's heart broke through the floodgates. She flung herself into her mother's arms, tears spilling from her eyes as she wept silently.

Tian Chen stood quietly to one side, leaving the tender reunion between mother and daughter undisturbed.

Just then, the Ice Empress appeared beside Tian Chen in a flash and whispered, "Little Chen, it's done."

Tian Chen nodded. Before arriving here, he had already sent the Ice Empress to see Jiang Nannan's mother.

Although Tian Chen had no Black Tortoise Divine Pill, the Far North had existed for countless years and produced innumerable Heaven-and-Earth Treasures. Any one taken from the Ice Empress or the Snow Empress would have been enough to cure her mother's illness.

"Mom, you're better." Only after crying for quite some time did Jiang Nannan realize it.

Her mother smiled gently. "I'm fine now, thanks to this young lady bringing me medicine."

Hearing her mother's words, Jiang Nannan finally understood what Tian Chen had meant earlier. She turned toward him and the Ice Empress, her eyes filled with gratitude, and bowed slightly. Her voice choked as she said, "Thank you both. I really don't know how to repay you."

The Ice Empress waved a hand lightly, her expression calm yet gentle. "Don't thank me. Little Chen arranged it. We only did what we could."

Jiang Nannan was about to say more when a domineering voice interrupted her.

"Who dares interfere with the Xuanming Sect's business? You must have a death wish!" A burly man in black robes kicked the door open and stormed into the room, his roar seemingly shaking the entire house.

Once the burly man landed, a number of guards followed behind him, wearing black armor that resembled turtle shells.

Leading them was the middle-aged man Tian Chen had driven away earlier.

At the sight of Tian Chen, fear flickered in the middle-aged man's eyes, only to be swallowed by anger. He pointed at Tian Chen through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with rage. "My lord! This is the brat who ruined our plans earlier. We can't let him off lightly. Kill him! And that girl is the one meant to help the young master awaken his martial soul."

The burly man in black glanced sideways at Tian Chen and Jiang Nannan. "Hmph. A brat barely out of diapers dares run wild on the Xuanming Sect's territory? You have no idea what you're getting yourself into!"

Before his words had faded, eight brilliant soul rings appeared around him—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black—revealing his strength as a Soul Douluo. His gaze swept over Tian Chen like a blade, and he sneered. "Brat, I don't care who you are. Since you dared ruin our business today, you'll pay with your life!"

Jiang Nannan cowered in a corner, her face pale, clearly terrified by the display before her. "We're finished..." she murmured. Yet just as she thought neither she nor Tian Chen would escape disaster, the Ice Empress stepped slowly out from behind him. An icy chill radiated from her, as though even the air had frozen.

She gave the burly man a cold glance, her voice carrying unquestionable authority. "An insignificant nobody like you dares hurt my Little Chen? Know your place."

Her expression icy, the Ice Empress merely raised a hand, gathering a trace of Ultimate Ice at her fingertips. In an instant, the temperature plummeted. White frost mist, visible to the naked eye, filled the air, while countless sharp ice spikes suddenly erupted from the ground. Like the merciless blades of death, they pierced the chests of several guards behind him.

The guards had no time even to scream before they froze into ice sculptures, then shattered into chunks that scattered across the floor. The sight sent chills down the spine. The Ice Empress's movements were clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation, as though it had taken no effort at all.

Seeing this, Tian Chen activated Bloodflash beneath his feet and became a streak of red lightning, appearing before the steward from earlier in an instant.

"I spared your life before, but you didn't appreciate it. Since you insist on coming back to die, I'll grant your wish." As he spoke, Blood Lightning gathered at his fingertips once more. Before the steward could react, the lightning pierced his head. He then dissolved into drifting specks of dust, as though he had never existed in this world.

Meanwhile, the burly man in black robes could barely breathe beneath the crushing, frigid aura emanating from the Ice Empress.

The Ice Empress stared coldly at him, an icy gleam flashing in her eyes. That brief glance alone covered his entire body in frost, freezing him solid where he stood.

Just as the Ice Empress was about to raise her hand and crush the frozen man completely, Tian Chen gently extended an arm to stop her.

The Ice Empress frowned slightly and turned toward him, confusion and puzzlement in her eyes, seemingly waiting for an explanation.

Tian Chen remained composed. Gold and red light flickered together in his eyes, lending him a reassuring air of authority. He said slowly, "Sister Ice, there's no need to kill them all. Leave one alive so he can take a message back. The Xuanming Sect has some influence in the Dou Ling Empire. If we use this opportunity to let them learn about you, it might save us a lot of trouble."

Although Tian Chen himself might not fear retaliation from the Xuanming Sect, Jiang Nannan and her mother were still here. These people had come today because of their arrangement with Jiang Nannan. If the sect traced the matter back here, she and her mother would likely struggle to escape, and he and the Ice Empress could not stay here forever to protect them.

Tian Chen's gaze lingered on Jiang Nannan and her mother for a moment. "Miss Jiang, now that your mother has recovered, come away with us. That way, you won't be here when the Xuanming Sect comes looking."

At his words, Jiang Nannan looked at her mother, hesitated briefly, then nodded.

Seeing her agree, Tian Chen felt relieved and began arranging their next steps.

At the same time, he turned to the Ice Empress and whispered, "Sister Ice, sorry for the trouble, but could you clear away the traces around here?"

The Ice Empress nodded.

Half a day later, Tian Chen and the others had arrived at a small village outside Lingdou City. Nestled among the mountains, it was surrounded by lush green trees, with a clear stream winding through it.

"Miss Jiang, you should be safe here. I've already asked Sister Ice to erase our tracks along the way. The Xuanming Sect shouldn't be able to find this place easily." Tian Chen smiled at Jiang Nannan and her mother.

"Now that everything's taken care of, we should be going. Until we meet again."

"Wait!" Jiang Nannan called after Tian Chen. "Could you tell me your name?"

Tian Chen stopped and turned his head slightly. His gaze was calm yet profound, as though he could see into people's hearts. After a brief pause, he softly said, "Tian Chen."

"Tian Chen, thank you so much for saving my mother. How can I find you?"

"We'll meet again!" Tian Chen said without looking back.

Partway along the road, the Ice Empress asked in puzzlement, "Little Chen, I still don't understand. Did you really go to all this trouble just to help that human girl? Don't tell me you've fallen for her?"

As she spoke the last sentence, the Ice Empress pouted, looking somewhat unhappy.

Tian Chen's lips curved into a faint smile. His tone was light. "That wasn't entirely the reason. I simply didn't want such a good girl to lose her innocence. But..." He deliberately drew out the word, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Sister Ice, why are you suddenly asking about this? Don't tell me you're jealous?"

The Ice Empress immediately gave a soft huff and turned her head away, but the slight stiffness of her movement betrayed emotions she could not quite conceal. She protested quietly, "Who—who's jealous? I'm one of the illustrious Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North! How could I care about such a trivial matter? Besides, that girl may be pretty, but she's still nowhere near my level."

Tian Chen did not answer. He simply watched her with a meaningful look, as though he had already seen through her thoughts. A subtle mood hung in the air, and their footsteps sounded especially clear in the quiet night.

Meanwhile, at the Xuanming Sect.

"What did you say? An ice-attribute expert at least at the Super Douluo level? When did our Xuanming Sect offend someone like that?" A handsome middle-aged man in dark robes sat at the head of the room, his bearing dignified as he asked in bewilderment.

"It's absolutely true. That expert froze me with a single glance. At the time, it felt as though a terrifying ferocious beast was standing before me." Below him, the burly man in black broke into a cold sweat at the mere memory of what had happened.

Xu Shaokun, the current sect master of the Xuanming Sect, rubbed his chin. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "I'll send someone to investigate. If this is true, your failure to complete the task is understandable. But our most pressing concern is still helping Sanshi complete his martial soul's second awakening. We've delayed it again and again already. We cannot put it off any longer. Have Sanshi choose another of the women we selected earlier."

"Yes!"