425. I'm Smart

“Alright.”

Hearing Qian Renjue’s words, Snow Empress nodded decisively.

With a slight raise of her delicate hand, a pile of snow lotuses appeared on the table.

Her clear, ice-like beautiful eyes gazed at Qian Renjue, shimmering with a radiant light.

She softly asked,
“Is this enough for you? If not, I can go pick more.”

“Haha.”

Qian Renjue chuckled and shook his head.

Raising his hand, he directly stored the pile of snow lotuses into his system space.

Snow Empress silently watched Qian Renjue, entirely unconcerned.

She had been willing to give her life to him—why would she care about mere snow lotuses?

Even so, under her unwavering gaze, Qian Renjue couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

“Hmph! What a big appetite,” the Ice Emperor huffed.

Her voice had grown more delicate, but she no longer dared approach Qian Renjue, retreating instead to Snow Empress's side.

“Ahem.”

The Ice Emperor’s remark made Qian Renjue even more awkward.

He coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment before deciding to act. A burst of purple-black light flashed from the center of his brow.

The Evil God's Heart enveloped the entire cavern, isolating it from the cold outside. The collision of lightning and warmth brought a sense of comfort.

With a wave of his hand, a few steaming dishes and a large bowl of rice appeared on the table.

“Well... Snow Empress, how about we eat this for lunch?” Qian Renjue offered with a friendly smile.

“Mhm~ okay!”

Snow Empress nodded absentmindedly, her gaze no longer on Qian Renjue but fixed on the dishes in front of her.

They smelled amazing!

Snow Empress unconsciously licked her lips, the moisture adding a glossy sheen to her soft pink lips.

Her appetite was thoroughly whetted!

The Ice Emperor, drawn by the scent, also moved closer, sniffing at the dishes. Her pincers reached for the edge of the bowls.

Qian Renjue let out a breath of relief and picked up his chopsticks.

“Well then, let’s eat.”

“Mhm~”

Snow Empress replied softly, immediately reaching out her hand. But when she noticed the chopsticks in Qian Renjue’s hand, her delicate hand froze in mid-air.

The rising steam warmed her face.

“Snow Empress use the chopsticks to pick up the food. Otherwise, your hands might get dirty,” Qian Renjue reminded her with a smile.

As a demonstration, he picked up a piece of codfish and placed it in the bowl in front of her.

“Thank you.”

Snow Empress whispered her thanks, imitating Qian Renjue by picking up the chopsticks and lifting her bowl.

She carefully moved the fish from the bowl to her mouth. As soon as it entered, it melted on her tongue, leaving a lingering flavor.

Her icy blue eyes sparkled with delight.

Just as she was about to use the chopsticks to help herself, she suddenly froze.

Her chopsticks, halfway open, slowly closed again.

Snow Empress stared blankly at Qian Renjue, who was serving the Ice Emperor.

It seemed as if she had suddenly grasped something profound.

A flash of inspiration crossed her mind.

“Hmph! Thanks,” the Ice Emperor muttered, watching as Qian Renjue placed a fried icy silkworm on her dish. Her pincers rubbed together as if preparing to dig in.

“You’re welcome,” Qian Renjue replied softly. “I hope you’ll behave better when we return, so the others won’t dislike you.”

“I... I’ll try,” the Ice Emperor mumbled, her tone awkward and reluctant.

She could feel the faint, intangible connection between herself and Qian Renjue—a binding she couldn’t escape.

If Qian Renjue willed it, he could silence her with a mere thought. Yet he didn’t.

“Mhm.”

Qian Renjue nodded.

Just as the Ice Emperor prepared to dig into her meal, her golden hexagonal eyes caught sight of Snow Empress

Her heart filled with an odd feeling.

Snow Empress was holding her chopsticks, picking up food only to put it back down, before finally pulling the chopsticks to her mouth and biting on them.

She seemed to be savoring the lingering flavor left on the chopsticks.

Her eyes, however, stayed fixed on Qian Renjue, her cheeks subtly flushed.

When Qian Renjue finally looked up after finishing serving the Ice Emperor, he met Snow Empress's somewhat shy yet feignedly aggrieved gaze.

Qian Renjue frowned in confusion at Snow Empress, just about to ask her what was wrong.

Before he could speak, Snow Empress bit her chopsticks and murmured, her glossy lips parting.

“Qian Renjue, I... I don’t know how to use these.”

“...?”

The Ice Emperor froze in shock.



Even the scorpion tail behind her curled into a question mark.

What was her sister saying? Not knowing how to use two wooden sticks?! She clearly saw her sister picking them up just now!

Snow Empress stared at Qian Renjue, her heart a mix of nervousness and anticipation. She softly and tentatively asked,

“Come here... teach me?”

As soon as she spoke, Snow Empress bit her chopsticks, looking slightly uneasy, as if afraid of being exposed.

“...”

Qian Renjue’s expression turned a bit strange, but he didn’t overthink it.

To him, how could Snow Empress possibly have any schemes? She had already, clumsily and without any understanding, let him see so much of her before—she was entirely naïve.

“No problem.”

Qian Renjue nodded gently and stood up, walking toward Snow Empress.

A glimmer of joy flashed in Snow Empress's eyes.

Sure enough, she was clever—she had even fooled Qian Renjue!

“Hey—”

The Ice Emperor raised her head, waving her pincers as though she wanted to say something.

But the icy cold glare Snow Empress shot at her made the Ice Emperor shiver.

She quickly bowed her head and focused on devouring the fried icy silkworms, no longer daring to speak.

Standing next to Snow Empress, Qian Renjue didn’t notice the tension. Snow Empress quickly softened her icy demeanor.

Her face flushed as she allowed Qian Renjue to hold her delicate hand.

“Don’t clench your fist.”

“Mhm~”

Snow Empress's reply was barely audible, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.

Having tricked Qian Renjue into coming closer, she felt both warm and flustered.

Her emotions were like melting candied hawthorn—sweet and sour at the same time.

“Here—open your mouth.”

Like coaxing a child, Qian Renjue held Snow Empress's slender hand, picked up some food with the chopsticks, and brought it to her mouth.

Snow Empress parted her rosy lips and accepted the food.

The dish was delicious—but not as wonderful as Qian Renjue’s scent!

“Have you learned now?”

Qian Renjue asked softly, bending down to look at Snow Empress's softened profile.

“Mhm.”

Snow Empress nodded, glancing back at him with a faint blush in her eyes.

She gently raised her hand and tidied a strand of his golden hair that the Ice Emperor had previously messed up.

“Thank you, Qian Renjue.”

“...”

Snap, snap!

At the table, the Ice Emperor turned around, showing her scorpion tail to them.

She stared at the barely touched fried icy silkworms on her plate, suddenly losing her appetite.

She felt full—so full it made her want to throw up.

Her sister, Snow Empress, felt like a stranger to her!

Just a simple lesson, and Snow Empress had mastered how to use chopsticks.

She was smart—too smart to act clumsy, or Qian Renjue might dislike her.

With narrowed eyes, Snow Empress ate happily while constantly serving Qian Renjue more food.

She completely ignored the Ice Emperor at the table, treating her like nothing more than a lifeless decoration.


---

Not long after, the lunch in the extreme north came to an end.

After promising to bring snacks for Snow Empress tomorrow, Qian Renjue prepared to leave with the Ice Emperor.

“Bing'er, be good and listen to Qian Renjue. Don’t make him angry,” Xue Nu reminded her sister before parting.

The Ice Emperor didn’t reply but used their unique sibling communication to ask concernedly:

“Sister, I’ve sacrificed myself to him. What about you?”

“I’ll sacrifice myself to him later,” Snow Empress replied with a smile in the Ice Emperor’s mind.

“...What?”

The Ice Emperor was stunned, her heart filled with shock.

Qian Renjue didn’t hear their exchange. He simply smiled at Snow Empress and said,

“See you tomorrow.”

Snow Empress watched as Qian Renjue and the Ice Emperor left the cave.

Her eyes suddenly showed a hint of loneliness. The extreme north felt even colder and emptier.

Her sister and Qian Renjue were gone.

There was no one left to talk to...

Wait!

This might be another perfect excuse to make Qian Renjue visit her more often.

Snow Empress blinked, inwardly marveling at her own cleverness.


---

In Spirit City.

Qian Renjue walked out of a secret chamber with the scorpion perched on his shoulder.

As he stepped into the room, he froze.

Raising his eyes, he saw a figure sitting on the sofa, and a joyful gleam appeared in his gaze.

“Sister!”