424. Snow Empress's Unease

Qian Renjue and Snow Empress walked hand in hand.

Most of the time, they stayed silent, simply enjoying each other’s company. Their conversations mainly arose when Snow Empress asked questions.

Meanwhile, the Ice Emperor leapt about energetically.

Qian Renjue frowned as he and Snow Empress stepped into the ice cavern, heading to a table carved from a massive ice block.

They sat across from each other.

The moment he sat down, Qian Renjue couldn’t hold back any longer.

Rolling his eyes, he complained helplessly:

“Can you stop stepping on my head?”

“I refuse!”

The Ice Emperor lay arrogantly on Qian Renjue’s golden hair.

Having shrunk to a tenth of her original size, she now measured only about fifteen centimeters in length and could easily be held in one hand.

Her silvery-white pincers, hexagonal golden eyes sparkling like diamonds, emerald-green tail, and silver-white barbed stinger adorned with crystalline grains made her look exquisitely beautiful.

Her body was a blend of icy blue and green, a striking appearance.

However, her six scorpion legs made a mess of Qian Renjue’s hair.

His words did nothing to deter her. Instead, the Ice Emperor doubled down, snipping strands of his hair with her pincers.

“Stop acting like you’re doing me a favor.”

“Bing'er!” Snow Empress's voice came sharp with disapproval.

“…”

Qian Renjue frowned, watching the strands of hair fall, irritation flickering in his eyes. His tone grew colder:

“Don’t act like I want anything to do with you.”

“What... what did you just say?!”

The Ice Emperor’s silvery-white pincers opened and closed furiously, her anger palpable.

“I said, I’ve never even considered you.”

Qian Renjue smirked and kept pushing, his violet eyes calmly meeting Snow Empress's. All the while, the Ice Emperor’s frustrated cries rang in his ears.

“You... you’re insufferable!”

The Ice Emperor stammered, trying to lash out but unable to form a coherent retort.

After all, Qian Renjue was telling the truth. At their core, they were merely strangers who had once fought each other.

“Despicable human!”

“Give me back my soul ring and soul bone! I regret it!”

Qian Renjue rolled his eyes again and replied flatly:

“Do you think I could even do that? If I could, I probably would have already.”

“You... you’re driving me crazy!”

The Ice Emperor screeched, furious.

She had sacrificed her very life to Qian Renjue, yet he acted so dismissive of her.

In her rage, she prepared to use her claws and mouth to turn Qian Renjue into a bald man.

“Bing'er, stop causing trouble!”

Snow Empress intervened quickly, her voice firm yet soft.

“Elder Sister, look at him! I sacrificed myself for him, and this is how he treats me!”

The Ice Emperor was both furious and deeply wronged.

But as her gaze fell on Snow Empress, she remembered that her elder sister was Qian Renjue’s original choice.

Her fiery arrogance instantly faded.

“Bing'er, Qian Renjue is easy to get along with as long as you stop throwing tantrums,” Snow Empress said gently, her brows slightly furrowed. Her tone carried a hint of reproach.

“Fine, Elder Sister~”

The Ice Emperor’s voice softened with guilt. She reluctantly jumped down from Qian Renjue’s head, landing on his shoulder.

Lying there, she pouted and huffed, “Hmph! I won’t stoop to your level.”

“…”


Snow Empress watched the human-scorpion duo before her, feeling a sudden wave of unease.

A stronger sense of regret arose within her.

If she had been the one to sacrifice herself...

Then it would be her lying on Qian Renjue’s shoulder right now, wouldn’t it?

However, as she observed the lively Ice Emperor, bouncing around in her usual energetic manner,

Snow Empress felt that it was all worth it.

“Thank you,” Qian Renjue said softly.

Snow Empress nodded slightly and explained,

“The Ice Emperor isn’t usually like this. She’s probably just not used to it yet.”

“Hmm, I won’t take it to heart.”

“Hmph! As if I need you to care about me!”

“…”

Hearing the Ice Emperor’s tsundere remark, Qian Renjue fell silent, a little dumbfounded.

Was this scorpion… a little full of herself?

Snow Empress, on the other hand, didn’t think there was anything unusual. She frowned and gave the Ice Emperor a sharp glare before lifting an icy jade teapot from the table.

“Qian Renjue, would you like some water?”

Though she asked him, Snow Empress had already started pouring, sliding a cup of chilled spring water toward him.

Qian Renjue couldn’t help but smile at her gesture.

The Ice Emperor’s voice suddenly broke the peace between the two.

“Sister, I want some too!”

“Alright~”

Snow Empress nodded and poured a cup for the Ice Emperor as well.

The Ice Emperor hopped onto the table, staring at the cup with a troubled expression.

It seemed like she couldn’t drink the water from the cup.

Clink!

A small dish appeared in front of her as Qian Renjue poured the water into it.

“Here, now you can drink.”

“Hmph!”

The Ice Emperor huffed, flicking her scorpion tail as she elegantly sipped two mouthfuls of water.

Her silvery-white pincers opened and closed, while her golden diamond-like eyes sparkled.

She asked in confusion,

“Why does this water taste strange?”

“It doesn’t taste strange to me,” Snow Empress replied after taking a sip, shaking her head gently. Her beautiful eyes turned to Qian Renjue.

“It’s probably the taste of carrots,” Qian Renjue explained softly, setting his cup down.

“I used it before to raise a pet.”

“What?!”

The Ice Emperor screeched in disbelief, her anger flaring.

“Human! I’ll bite you to death! I, the Ice Emperor, am NOT your pet!”

“I never said you were my pet,” Qian Renjue replied with a chuckle, casually catching the small scorpion that leaped toward him.

“It was a 100,000-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit that used it.”

“Feeling better now?”

A 100,000-year soul beast?

Both the Ice Emperor and Snow Empress froze for a moment, surprised.

They hadn’t expected Qian Renjue’s so-called “pet” to be such a rare and valuable creature.

“Hmph! I’m far more noble than a Soft Bone Rabbit!”

The Ice Emperor snorted coldly, wriggling in Qian Renjue’s palm, trying to escape.

“Human! Let me go!”

“Heh.”

Qian Renjue chuckled, holding the small scorpion firmly. Its icy, smooth texture amused him.

His thumb slid between the scorpion’s six legs, gently rubbing its abdomen.

“Human! W-what are you doing?! Let me go!”

The Ice Emperor suddenly grew agitated, struggling harder.

The warmth of his fingers, transmitted through her exoskeleton, brought an unfamiliar heat that made her uncomfortable.

“Ah—stop it! Let go!”

She tried to sting him with her tail, but it refused to obey, stiffening as radiant light shimmered across her carapace.

“Let go of me!”

“Alright, alright. You’re surprisingly fun to play with,” Qian Renjue teased with a smile.

He seemed to find her quite agreeable—despite her protests, she hadn’t actually bitten him.

“You scoundrel!”

The Ice Emperor slumped onto the table, her voice trembling as though she were on the verge of tears.

She lay motionless on the icy surface, covering her head with her pincers.

Qian Renjue looked surprised. He hadn’t thought he had used much force.

Snow Empress frowned slightly as she watched him handle the Ice Emperor. A strange discomfort arose in her heart.

What was happening to her?

Suppressing the odd feeling, Snow Empress asked curiously,

“Qian Renjue, it’s nearly noon. Don’t you need to head back?”

“No rush. I’ve already informed my family,” Qian Renjue replied, shifting his gaze from the Ice Emperor to Snow Empress with a smile.

“This afternoon, I’ll stay here and have lunch with you. How does that sound?”