317. Meet Again

"Your Majesty, the Holy Son has taken Miss Zhu as his disciple," Ling Yuan reported respectfully with her head bowed.

"Jue took a female disciple?" Bibi Dong was momentarily taken aback, but then smiled with some relief.

"Who would have thought I’d have a grand-disciple."


---

In a courtyard filled with the scent of flowers, Qian Renjue had just stepped away from Hu Liena, who was blushing as she stood up and placed a hand on her sore butt while casting a resentful look at him.

"Alright, I barely used any strength. Go change your clothes," Qian Renjue said, giving her a playful pinch on the cheek.

If Hu Liena hadn’t tried to pull something on him, he wouldn’t have had to punish her.

"But it hurts, senior brother," Hu Liena murmured, biting her lip and lowering her tear-filled eyes with embarrassment.

If she couldn’t see her senior brother’s body, then she couldn’t let him get away with hitting her without a reward.

Determined, she grasped his hand, hesitantly saying, "Senior brother... could you... rub it for me?"

“Huh?” Qian Renjue looked down at Hu Liena, who was wiggling closer, trying to guide his hand to her.

His face lined with faint helplessness, caught between humor and surprise.

"..."

Despite her shyness, Hu Liena stubbornly held onto his hand, unwilling to let go.

"Fine, you’re hopeless," Qian Renjue sighed and gently lifted her chin to see her disappointment. Smiling, he said, "Forget rubbing; let’s try something else."

"Something else?" Hu Liena looked up, confused. Just then, Qian Renjue leaned in, and her lips felt a gentle, moist touch. Her eyes softened as she leaned into him, her hand clutching his clothes as she shyly returned the gesture.

The faint scent of milk filled the air as she drew closer, her long eyelashes quivering.

Qian Renjue held her slender waist, guiding her, while Hu Liena stood on his feet to press herself against him, her breath quickening.

When he finally released her, Hu Liena looked intoxicated, her cheeks flushed. Qian Renjue brushed her hair lightly.

"Happy now?" he asked with a faint smile.

“Yes, very happy," Hu Liena murmured, her voice soft as she pressed her warm face into her hands, savoring the moment.

Qian Renjue shook his head, smoothed his clothes, and told her, "That’s enough for now. I need to change; I have to go out for a while."

As he left, Hu Liena watched him go, a smile playing on her lips. Finally, senior brother’s waking up, she thought, though she pouted, knowing it wasn’t her who made him this way.

If it hadn’t been for Miss Xue and the teacher holding her back, she would’ve taught him everything long ago.

But that was fine. They helped him open his heart; she could teach him the rest.

Smiling mischievously, Hu Liena ran back to her room, her mind filled with new ideas.


---

Qian Renjue changed clothes, recalling Bibi Dong's questioning the night before, realizing he still had many responsibilities. But his focus remained on strengthening himself—since Qian Renxue had already started on her path to godhood, he couldn’t afford to lag behind.

He summoned his dark power, the Evil God's Hook emerging from his back, a black vortex swirling as he prepared to leave.

Ling Yuan had expected to join him but likely was still being questioned by Bibi Dong in the hall. Qian Renjue smiled apologetically, knowing his mother wouldn't treat Ling Yuan too harshly.

"It's time to meet the Snow Empress again. Hopefully, I won’t run into that pesky Ice Emperor Scorpion this time," he murmured, disappearing into the vortex.

As he vanished, Ling Yuan entered, noticing the dwindling vortex, her face showing a mix of disappointment and frustration. He had promised to take her along but had left her behind!


---

Far in the northern lands, amid the extreme cold, Qian Renjue’s dark power mingled with the icy winds and swirling snow.

He arrived in a palace-like cave, where he saw a familiar, unnaturally still cold spring. But the figure he had hoped to see was absent.

"Not here?" Qian Renjue muttered, releasing his spiritual senses to scan the surroundings. Almost instantly, he sensed something and turned toward the cave’s entrance.

Through the snowstorm, a figure appeared. A woman with snow-white hair and icy blue eyes locked her gaze on him from afar.

Her white dress floated gracefully in the wind as she approached, holding a strange ice sculpture—a bear’s head with a scorpion’s body.

Snow Empress’s pace was steady, her demeanor calm and indifferent, as though Qian Renjue’s presence meant nothing. As she entered the cave, her cold voice echoed off the walls.

“Human.”