"Yuhao, how do you feel? Is anything wrong with your body?"
The Snow Empress reached out a jade hand and gently pressed it to Huo Yuhao's forehead. A strand of gentle, pure ice-attribute Soul Power flowed into his body through the space between his brows.
Huo Yuhao tried to sit up, only to find that he could barely muster any strength throughout his body. He said weakly, "I think... I'm a little drained."
When I fused with the Ice Empress in the original story, it didn't seem to be this bad, did it?
Although it had been just as painful, he hadn't struggled even to sit up like he did now.
The Snow Empress's face filled with concern. She carefully supported Huo Yuhao's back and lifted him, letting him lean against her:
"The fact that you survived and woke up is already the greatest of blessings."
"Du Busi said that if a Body Martial Soul Second Awakening reached Gold Rank, it would very likely draw on the Soul Master's life force."
"And you're a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster. Judging by your current condition, you've probably used up a small portion of your life force."
"My life force?" Huo Yuhao's expression changed slightly.
He seemed to remember hearing about this from Elder Golden Body.
A Body Martial Soul Second Awakening could help a Martial Soul evolve and strengthen its Soul Master.
But the greater the power of the Second Awakening, the more incalculable its consequences for the Soul Master's body.
The Snow Empress looked at Huo Yuhao's somewhat wan face and reassured him, "Don't worry. The life force you lost hasn't harmed your foundation. Du Busi has already gone to hunt Soul Beasts that can replenish your Qi and blood."
"It won't be long before you recover."
Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up and met the Snow Empress's gentle gaze. "Have you been here the whole time?"
"Mm." The Snow Empress nodded gently.
After a moment of silence, Huo Yuhao said, "Get some rest, Snow Empress."
The Snow Empress was slightly taken aback. "I'm used to it..."
"That won't do." Though Huo Yuhao was a little weak, his attitude remained firm.
"You used up a lot of strength helping me fuse with the Ice Empress."
"If you don't take care of yourself, how can you take care of me?"
"At least sleep beside me for a while and recuperate."
At those words, the Snow Empress's face, cold and serene as ice and snow, completely melted. A smile curved her lips.
"All right, I'll do as you say."
She carefully laid Huo Yuhao back on the ice bed. Then she gently removed her outer robe and lay on her side beside him.
The ice bed Huo Yuhao lay on could fit two people at most. It was also where the Snow Empress usually slept.
Once she lay down, there was little space left between them.
Huo Yuhao and the Snow Empress met each other's eyes. She shifted inward, bringing herself almost against him.
The crisp chill immediately became more noticeable. As she drew closer, the scent unique to ice and snow quietly slipped into Huo Yuhao's nose.
For some reason, however, Huo Yuhao didn't feel cold. Instead, he had an illusion of tranquility, and he could even smell a fragrance.
Seeing his face so close, the Snow Empress was taken aback. She asked softly, "Am I too close?"
"Close? I think it's just right." Huo Yuhao neither moved back nor forward, staying where he was.
A faint blush appeared on the Snow Empress's beautiful cheeks. (I tried my best; it seems I'm not very suited to writing this kind of thing.)
One, two, three, four hours later.
A booming voice suddenly rang out from outside the ice palace. "Kid, your Grandpa Du Busi is back!"
On the ice bed, Huo Yuhao and the Snow Empress were startled awake by the voice at almost the same time.
After resting several times, Huo Yuhao had recovered much of his vigor. At the very least, he was far healthier than when he had first woken up.
The Snow Empress also rose from the ice bed, stretched languidly and yawned.
With Huo Yuhao setting the example, she had actually grown a little sleepy herself.
The Snow Empress sat back down beside the ice bed and helped Huo Yuhao sit up slowly.
She draped her outer robe over him.
Since they had shared a bed for a while, Huo Yuhao's body heat lingered on the Snow Empress, while her crisp fragrance had also rubbed off on him.
"I have to say, it smells pretty good." Huo Yuhao gently sniffed the fragrance on himself.
"Stop it!" The Snow Empress turned completely red at his words.
Du Busi came in through the main entrance, and Huo Yuhao and the Snow Empress hurriedly returned to their previous demeanor.
"Kid, eat all of this!"
Du Busi came over to Huo Yuhao and the Snow Empress, but he didn't notice their expressions.
With a wave of his great hand, he took a large oval wooden table and several cuts of Soul Beast meat, each as tall as Huo Yuhao and the Snow Empress, out of his Storage Soul Tool.
Du Busi said, "This is hind-leg meat from a thousand-year Icefield Snow Rhinoceros and chest and belly meat from a thousand-year Cold Crystal Demon Bear. Nothing could be better for replenishing your Qi and blood."
"Don't worry, it's all been seasoned and roasted. The flavor is guaranteed to be spot-on!"
Huo Yuhao and the Snow Empress stared in surprise at the mountain of meat before them. Leaving the Snow Empress aside, Huo Yuhao alone-
He could live most of his life without ever seeing so much Soul Beast meat at once.
"Sect Master, is all this... for me?"
Du Busi glared at him. "Obviously. This old man can't eat that much."
Huo Yuhao could only pick up a piece of meat and start eating.
He had a feeling that after this meal, he wouldn't want to see meat for months.
Several hours later, Huo Yuhao finally managed to finish all the Soul Beast meat.
He had to admit, the method was quite effective.
Although he still needed some time to make a full recovery, a hint of color had returned to Huo Yuhao's somewhat pale face, and his vigor had returned to its original state.
Huo Yuhao pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Du Busi. "Sect Master, I remember that after a Body Martial Soul undergoes a Second Awakening, it can continue to evolve later, right?"
Du Busi was taken aback. "That's right. For example, an Innate Silver-Rank Second Awakening will evolve to Gold Rank once the Soul Master becomes a Titled Douluo."
"Don't tell me you're thinking..."
Huo Yuhao's next words confirmed Du Busi's thoughts.
Huo Yuhao nodded. "That's right. I want to know whether my Innate Gold-Rank Second Awakening will break through to an entirely new rank when I become a Titled Douluo."
Du Busi's expression gradually grew serious. This kid Huo Yuhao was truly bold.
An entirely new rank-more than a dozen generations of sect masters, from the early days of the Body Sect onward, had never dared imagine such a thing, yet this kid had thought of it.
Du Busi said gravely, "Let me put it this way: before you, no one had ever achieved an innate Gold-Rank Second Awakening, let alone had such an idea."
"Even if there is such a rank, it's not something you can consider right now."
"More than that, this old man is curious about your Spirit Eyes' Second Soul Skill."