“You found a strange ice cave?” Nangong Mo set down his chopsticks.
“Yes, do you know something?” Cold Proud Soul, noticing Nangong Mo’s unusual expression, became serious.
“My master mentioned an ice cave… What do you mean by strange?” Nangong Mo asked again.
“On this Ice and Snow Mountain, it’s the only place where grass and trees can grow. But that ice cave is in the middle of Ling Xiao’s cliff, and there’s an extremely bizarre plant growing at the cave entrance, like…”
“Like Snow Tender!” Xie Ying continued, “But the cave entrance is quite different from the Snow Tender here—similar, yet not quite.”
“What is that thing?”
“The little rascal became curious.
“The location of that ice cave… probably impossible to explore, right?” Xiao Yao, who practiced martial arts daily, understood that without assistance, it would be impossible to reach the cave on the cliff.
“Based on what you’ve described, it seems very difficult,” Huo Lingyun said. “But no matter how mysterious that ice cave is, what does it have to do with us?”
“Nangong, do you know about it?” Qiao Ruo Feng asked.
“Yes, my master mentioned it, but even my master never went there.” Nangong Mo recalled, “From what you’ve described… that plant should be the predecessor of Snow Tender – the Undying Ice Flower. Snow Tender was transplanted later.”
“Undying Ice Flower…”
“Did you see the flower about the size of a hand, like an ice sculpture?” I interjected.
“You’ve seen it?” Cold Proud Soul and Xie Ying looked at me in shock.
“Could it be…” My head felt hazy. Could it be that things aren’t over?
“Little Ai, when did you see it?” Nangong Mo asked.
“Hehe… everyone, don’t be so tense! I can say I’ve seen it, and I can also say I haven’t.”
“This…” My words made everyone even more confused.
“Little Ai, explain clearly.”
Nangong Mo looked anxious.
I, a professional translator, will translate the text into English:
“I saved Xiao Yao once,” I said while absentmindedly eating from my bowl. Unexpectedly, Nan Gong Mo snatched my chopsticks, and Huo Ling Yun took away my bowl. With a helpless expression, he said, “That time, I felt like I was about to die, as if in a dream, with an old voice calling me into an ice cave. Inside were many ice flowers, similar to Xue Jiao; if I picked one and brought it to my nose, it would disappear. It seems I absorbed that flower, which is why I survived.”
“Could it be our ancestral master?” Nan Gong Mo murmured, smiling, “It seems the ancestral master protected you. No wonder the master said you would have died but miraculously survived – it must be because you consumed the ‘Immortal Ice Flower’.”
“So, Ai’er’s internal energy is now stronger than before,” Leng Ao Hun nodded thoughtfully.
“I have something to ask you all,” I suddenly remembered my doubts, “Why are you being so mysterious and not telling me anything?”
“It’s nothing, just eat. The food is getting cold,” Huo Ling Yun and Nan Gong Mo returned my bowl and chopsticks, while the others continued to serve me food.
“Stop!” I covered my bowl, examining them and sensing an unusual atmosphere, and asked seriously, “They say husband and wife are…”
“Xiao Ai, what are you hiding from me?”
“Xiao Ai, it’s not…” Nan Gong Mo began, then stopped, troubled.
“Ai’er, you’re currently pregnant, and we’re afraid knowing might affect you, so…” Xie Ying trailed off, omitting the crucial part.
“Your task now is to rest and give birth to a beautiful daughter. Don’t think about anything else,” Huo Ling Yun decided for me.
“If you’re bored, think about naming your daughter,” Qiao Ruo Feng added lightly.
“You…” I pouted, angry, and threw down my chopsticks, sulking back to bed.
“Ai Ai, are you angry?” Xiao Yao approached, softly comforting me, “They’re just worried about you. Come eat.”
“I won’t eat!”
“Little Ai Ai, if you get angry, it’ll affect the baby,” the little rascal said, using words he’d learned from me.
“I don’t care! So what if the child is temperamental?”
“If the mother doesn’t care, we fathers will feel heartache,” Leng Ao Hun said, picking me up and placing me back at the table. “Now, obediently eat!”
“…” I looked at him resentfully, upset. “Now that we have a child, you don’t love me anymore.”
“How could that be?
Nan Gong Mo patted my head and looked at my belly, saying, “We’re just afraid of starving the little treasure. Shall we eat?”
“Didn’t you always say eating is paramount?” Qiao Ruo Feng laughed, refilling my bowl.
“Hmph!” I rubbed my belly. I picked up my chopsticks and started eating. These heartless people have forgotten their wife after having a child. I… hehe, I’ll make you worry a bit.
“Little Ai Ai, do you have something happy in mind?” the little rascal asked, puzzled by my mischievous grin.
“It seems we’ll need to be more careful in the future,” Xie Ying said, his gaze sharp and knowing.
“Everyone, let’s eat! Don’t just stand there!” I laughed awkwardly and stuffed food into my mouth to cover my guilty conscience.
Reaching the foot of the mountain made my legs weak. I didn’t dare to run, considering the small life in my belly.
“Miss, why are you alone in this place?” A pleasant male voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see a handsome young gentleman.
“You… who are you? How did you end up here?” I asked cautiously, though he was good-looking. There are few people in this snowy mountain, and I was wary of how he appeared so suddenly.
“Heh…”
He let out a light laugh, “Miss, you’re overthinking it. I’m just passing by.”
“Passing by?” Lies! How could anyone be passing by this place? Alarm bells rang in my heart, and I stepped back.
“Miss, don’t be afraid!” He seemed to sense my fear, and his eyes shifted as if a strategy surfaced, “To be honest, I came to this snowy mountain to find the legendary ‘Immortal Ice Flower’, the predecessor of Snow Tender.”
My eyes widened in shock. He… he knew about the ‘Immortal Ice Flower’ and had come to find it?
“Miss, are you living on this snowy mountain?” His calm demeanor intrigued me.
“Sort of! Sir, where are you from? Why are you looking for the ‘Immortal Ice Flower’?”
“Hehe, miss, you don’t know,” he looked up. “It’s getting late. Are you heading to the Silver Sun Country?”
“Indeed!” Could he be offering me a ride?
“I’m from the Silver Sun Country. Why don’t I give you a ride?” His harmless smile and handsome looks made it hard to refuse. Plus, I was curious about his identity and purpose.
“Okay! Thank you, sir!” I agreed readily and got on the horse with him. “Sir, could you ride a bit slower? I’m not feeling comfortable.”
He smiled in agreement and answered, “I’m a merchant.”
I didn’t initially believe in the ‘Immortal Ice Flower.’ However, after my mother fell seriously ill, I consulted many doctors without success. Then, a passing Taoist priest mentioned a magical flower on the snowy mountain that could cure her. I hurried here from the Crimson Flame Country.”
“You’re from the Crimson Flame Country?” I glanced sideways, considering how to test him. “What’s the most famous snack there?”
“Could it be the Jiang family’s crystal shrimp dumplings?” he replied, furrowing his brows slightly.
“Mm.” He seems genuinely from the Crimson Flame Country, and the thought of those dumplings makes me crave them.
I stepped out early to clear my mind when fewer people were around. She smiled charmingly, but her bright eyes hinted at something deeper.
“Still worried about your mother?” I noted. He seemed quite filial. I examined him more closely; his appearance reminded me of Evil Shadow, giving a clean and refreshing impression, yet his eyes were intriguing. The first glance was clear, but the second seemed to conceal deeper thoughts, and the third drew me in further. What kind of man was he, really?
“Miss, are you alright?”
