Chapter 726 - 346: Snow Poppy

"Mother, where has father gone?"

A tender child’s voice rang out.

In a daze, You Su seemed to see a hazy image, a graceful woman swaying back and forth while holding a child. Her movements were somewhat clumsy, but her patience in coaxing was evident.

"Your father..."

The woman’s answer abruptly stopped, as if she was reminiscing about something. She fell into silence for a long time, finally letting out a deep sigh before raising her tone, seemingly trying not to let her sadness affect the child in her arms:

"Your father is playing hide-and-seek with you... once you find him, he’ll appear."

The woman’s voice was gentle, but You Su stood there as if struck by lightning.

This voice was so familiar, as familiar as if it came from his own throat.

Isn’t this the voice of my junior sister, whom I long for day and night?

But... why is there a child calling my junior sister ’mother’?!

Then who is this father? Me?

But didn’t she firmly say before she left, that even the Third Elder and other great doctors examined her and confirmed she wasn’t pregnant?

Is this a dream?! Or an illusion?!

You Su had experienced too many similar situations, his doubt between illusion and reality had almost become a reflex. The scene before him began to crumble as he swiftly awakened, like a shattered mirror.

"Then I’ll definitely find father, no matter where he’s hiding."

The girl’s voice was sweetly innocent, yet filled with determination.

This line was like a falling stone, causing ripples in the lake of You Su’s heart.

Different experiences, fragmented memories, and the scrutinizing attitude towards the outside world he developed since childhood, made him instinctively repel and feel detached from illusions, so he could see through even the most real illusions.

But this plain illusion felt incredibly real, making him regret why he woke up so quickly.

He hurriedly looked towards the shattered scene, seemingly catching a glimpse of the illusion turning solid.

The child in his junior sister’s arms slowly turned her head, her big shiny eyes seemed to be making eye contact with him.

"Daddy... you better hide well..."

The girl said, then closed her eyes, as if she was finally lulled to sleep by her patient mother.

The scene vanished suddenly, and in that moment, You Su felt a genuine gaze upon him.

When one realizes they’re dreaming, that’s when they actually wake up.

You Su opened his eyes, to a vaguely colorful sight, the ceiling of various animal pelts above the tent.

His vision improved significantly, but to observe this world in detail, he needed to activate his "dark vision."

"Cough, cough!" You Su couldn’t help but cough a few times.

"Great one, have some water!"

A female voice with a northern accent suddenly sounded, followed by the clanking of some metal.

Little Deer had been by You Su’s bedside all along, holding the snow tea warmed by candle to him.

You Su was slightly taken aback, furrowing his brows, he said coldly, "I remember I said no one was allowed inside."

Little Deer repeatedly apologized, "Great one, I’m sorry! The tent is warm, but it gets stuffy easily. The Clan Leader was worried you might be uncomfortable, so he had me lift the tent flap to air it out every so often. I was waiting outside, but it got too cold... I couldn’t help sneaking in to cozy up... Please don’t be angry, I’ll leave right away!"

The girl was on the verge of tears as she spoke, getting up to head outside.

In the end, You Su couldn’t be harsh with a child: "Fine, warm up before you leave, I’m already fully rested."

"Thank you, great one!" Little Deer was so grateful she nearly knelt to kowtow.

You Su propped himself up in the wool quilts, taking a sip of the warm tea, instantly feeling a significant alleviation of the dizziness.

"How long did I sleep?" You Su rubbed his temples.

"I don’t know." The girl replied straightforwardly.

You Su instinctively wanted to question her, but then remembered he was in the extreme north, where time was inherently blurred.

He had only read about this theory in books before, but after trudging through the snowy land for days, he’d experienced it firsthand. A day here felt much longer than a day on the Zhongyuan Continent.

Because it’s bright most of the time, the feared night here had become a transient rarity. In this desolate, broken little tribe, expecting them to have precise time recordings was an unrealistic demand.

Suddenly, You Su twitched his nose, held his breath and focused, alertly asking in a cold voice:

"What’s with this scent?!"

With his words, a burner under the tent flap was suddenly knocked over by a burst of energy.

Startled by You Su’s sudden sternness, Little Deer, while marveling at the young man’s ability to destroy things from a distance, hurriedly said:

"Please let me explain, great one! It’s incense made from Snow Poppy! It’s harmless!"

"Snow Poppy?" You Su’s brows furrowed deeply. He only knew of poppies, not Snow Poppy. But thinking of his dizziness and the scenes he dreamed of earlier, they probably had everything to do with this incense ball.

"I didn’t light it before sleeping, why light it after I fell asleep?!" You Su’s voice was icy. His sense of smell was extraordinarily keen, and he was certain there wasn’t such a scent before he slept.

"It’s a misunderstanding, great one. We didn’t wait for you to sleep to light it, but lit it so you could fall asleep..." Little Deer explained nervously.