Chapter 628: Pine Soul Four Rites: Smoke?

Cheng Jiangjie, who was sitting in the chair by the bed, spoke up. “She just explained that she and a few other young clan members left their tribe to find the human world.”

“Huh?” Rong Taotao was taken aback for a moment. “To find the human world?”

“Yes.” Cheng Jiangjie’s expression was grave. “They were originally a tribe of Frost Beauties from the Snow Realm Vortex. A few months ago, the Soul Beast Army visited their tribe, intending to recruit them. They also demonstrated all the Soul Skills that humans can learn on their own.”

Rong Taotao: !!!

Cheng Jiangjie continued, “After that incident, the clan split into several factions, unable to reach a consensus.

You know, survival in the Snow Realm Vortex is incredibly difficult. The Frost Beauty clan only possesses their innate Snow Dragon Tornado Soul Skill, along with a few low-level Soul Skills they figured out on their own, like Snow Step.

The Soul Skills independently developed by humans, like A Snowy Ocean and Ice Power Like a Mountain, were just too tempting for the Frost Beauty clan.

And it wasn’t just about Soul Skills. The Soul Beast Army also promised the Frost Beauty tribe a better living environment—less wind and snow, warmer temperatures, and most importantly, inexhaustible resources.

They wouldn’t have to worry about food anymore, nor would they need to be constantly on edge, protecting their village and fending off enemy attacks.

In the Snow Realm Vortex, where food is extremely scarce, every species is a hunter, and every species is also prey. Roles are constantly shifting. Every second of every day, they are fighting just to survive.

So, you can imagine what a huge impact the news brought by the Soul Beast Army had on them.

To some of the Frost Beauties, it was just a pie in the sky—a world fabricated by the Soul Beast Army to recruit soldiers for their slaughter and satisfy their own desires.

After all, the Frost Beauties had spent their entire lives in the extremely harsh conditions of the Snow Realm Vortex. They believed that what they saw with their own eyes was all that existed.

But for another group of Frost Beauties… they were swayed.

Some clan members ignored the warnings and chose to join the Soul Beast Army.

A larger portion of the Frost Beauties chose to stay with the tribe, but those who remained spent their days and nights thinking about those powerful human Soul Skills and the wonderful living conditions on Earth.

So, within a few days, dissenting voices rose within the tribe, and people grew restless.

Frost Beauties continuously left the tribe, trying to find the specific Snow Realm Vortex—the one the Soul Beast Army had used to find their village—or to find the legendary humans and see the world outside the Vortex.”

Rong Taotao opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He realized that he had never once considered the issue from the opposite perspective.

Rong Taotao wanted to explore the Snow Realm Vortex and uncover its mysteries.

Meanwhile, the intelligent species living within the Snow Realm Vortex, upon hearing that another world existed where humans lived, also seemed to want to see the outside world for themselves.

Cheng Jiangjie said, “This Frost Beauty is one of them. She came outside the Vortex to find the legendary human race. But according to her, their small team was acting on the Clan Leader’s orders. The Frost Beauty Clan Leader hoped this team could find the legendary Vortex and the legendary humans. Then, they were to bring back everything they saw and heard to the tribe, to give their people the truest possible account of the ‘world outside’…”

As he spoke, Cheng Jiangjie sighed. “I feel like I’m looking at a version of the Cyan Mountain Army, a Frost Beauty version. We want to explore what’s inside the Vortex, while they want to explore what’s outside.”

For a moment, everyone in the room fell silent.

“Mmm.” A sound escaped the Frost Beauty’s lips as she extended a pale hand toward Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao raised an eyebrow, confused, but still stepped forward. Having grown up on Earth, he naturally assumed she wanted to shake hands.

But their cultures were different. How could a Frost Beauty possibly want to shake hands?

She took hold of Rong Taotao’s ring and pinky fingers with her left hand, and his index and middle fingers with her right. Then, she closed her eyes, slowly bowed her head, and gently rested her forehead on the back of Rong Taotao’s hand.

Rong Taotao was stunned, feeling the cool touch of her skin on the back of his hand. “This is…”

Gao Lingwei explained, “It’s a gesture of respect from the Frost Beauty clan. You can think of it as their version of a bow of gratitude. Just accept it. We did save her life, after all.”

If Gao Lingwei had remained silent, it might have been fine. But as soon as she spoke, the Frost Beauty’s body trembled. For a moment, it was as if she recalled the demonic whispers she’d heard by her ear while unconscious.

The demon spoke a language she couldn’t understand, but its tone was terrifying, laced with heavy menace…

‘So, it was her?’

‘Was this human girl the one who whispered in my ear?’

The Frost Beauty cautiously opened her eyes and turned her head slightly, searching in Gao Lingwei’s direction.

Rong Taotao, however, asked, “How do I accept? Do I just not move?”

Gao Lingwei replied, “Just place your hand on her head and give it a gentle pat.”

“Oh.” Rong Taotao reached out with his left hand and patted the Frost Beauty’s head, feeling her long, silky-smooth hair…

‘This species is really perfect. Not just their looks and disposition, but the key is that frost and snow are constantly emanating from them. Does that mean they don’t even need to bathe?’

‘It’s basically a self-cleaning ability…’

Cheng Jiangjie continued, “She said their team followed the trail of the Soul Beast Army, enduring untold hardships. After searching for several months and losing many companions, they finally found the Snow Realm Vortex. According to her, when they saw the Snow Realm Vortex for the first time, they were so excited they almost cried. A vortex really did exist in this world.”

‘Several months?’

Rong Taotao frowned slightly. “The ‘month’ she’s talking about—is that unit of time the same as ours?”

Cheng Jiangjie said, “She didn’t say ‘month.’ That was my translation.”

Rong Taotao immediately said, “The blizzard nights began over a month ago. That means the Soul Beast Army started gathering its forces several months before that. And that was just their visit to the Frost Beauty tribe. The Soul Beast Army must have started summoning other species even earlier! How did the Soul Beast Army know the blizzard nights were coming? Why would they prepare so far in advance?”

Cheng Jiangjie nodded slightly. He appreciated Rong Taotao’s sharp thinking but offered his own perspective. “The Soul Beast Army might have known, or they might not have. Perhaps they’ve been constantly searching for suitable soldiers in the Snow Realm Vortex, building an army, always prepared for the arrival of a blizzard.”

“Hmm…” Rong Taotao nodded, but then he noticed the Frost Beauty’s forehead was still pressed against the back of his hand. His expression turned odd. “When does this gesture end? It’s taking a while.”

Beside him, the cheerful and sunny Xie Zhi laughed. “It should have ended long ago. It’s like a human handshake, just a couple of seconds. You think she’s taking advantage of you?”

Rong Taotao: “…”

Rong Taotao carefully tried to pull his hand back. Seemingly sensing his movement, the Frost Beauty released his hand, raised her head, and smiled at him again.

It was such a genuine smile, truly warm, and a stark contrast to her noble and aloof features.

‘What a pity. The Frost Beauty’s demeanor is elegant. If she were a bit goofier, she’d have that Shi Lan vibe…’

Rong Taotao quickly asked, “So how were they attacked? Was it near the Vortex or after they came out?”

Cheng Jiangjie looked at the Frost Beauty again and began speaking in a language Rong Taotao didn’t understand.

After a brief exchange, Rong Taotao clearly sensed the terror in the Frost Beauty’s heart. More than that, he noticed the expressions on the faces of the Cyan Mountain Army members in the room change!

“What’s going on?” Gao Lingwei asked. Like Rong Taotao, she hadn’t yet taken the course on the common language of Humanoid Soul Beasts.

Cheng Jiangjie’s face was grim. “She said their team encountered a demon—a demon that manipulates souls and controls people’s Heart Souls. The demon wanted to enslave them. They fought back, and then… they were brutally killed by the demon’s servants.”

A demon?

The demon’s servants?

Cheng Jiangjie composed himself and continued, “Based on her description of the demon’s appearance, the soul-controlling demon should be a Frost Beauty. As for the demon’s servants, they were a species she had never seen before. She said the demon’s servants were similar in size to us humans, covered in frost and snow, with their faces obscured. They were also scruffy and unshaven…”

Rong Taotao’s breath caught in his throat!

Son of a bitch!

“A Frost Beauty!? Xiao Ziru!?”

Pine Soul Four Rites: Smoke!?

In an instant, an image flashed through Rong Taotao’s mind, but it wasn’t of the first time he had seen Xiao Ziru at Hundred Corps Pass.

Instead, it was from Songbai Town at sunset, in the Pine Forest beside the monument in North Mountain Park.

The lonely figure in red, waiting in anguish…