Chapter 085 - A Favor

What the hell just happened? Xu Yuan stared at the two ice sculptures falling from the sky, stunned. He had already braced himself to hear that plot-protagonist bastard spit out some vicious threat, then watch him slip away right under his nose. Yet an unknown third party had just intervened.

Gathering his thoughts, Xu Yuan looked at the falling ice sculptures, his expression turning slightly grave. He had not been able to see clearly how that plain, ancient-looking black sword had appeared, nor how it had pierced the remnant soul of the Sage. But he had seen the process of the Sage’s soul body and that plot protagonist being frozen solid.

Did Xu Changge arrive? But in Azure Point, he didn’t have any ice-sealing abilities like that, did he?

As his thoughts flickered, Xu Yuan’s attention was quickly drawn elsewhere.

The black canopy that had shrouded the entire Xu residence was changing. After the Sage’s remnant soul was sealed in ice, countless dense holes immediately appeared across the dark curtain. Those blank patches spread and connected at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In the end, before the ice sculptures even hit the ground, the entire black canopy had already vanished without a trace, revealing the complicated and mysterious formation patterns in the sky above. And after the city’s grand defensive formation lost its target, those visible, profound formation lines gradually faded back into the air.

Xu Yuan came back to his senses and instinctively prepared to head over to where the ice sculptures had fallen. But after a thought flashed through his mind, he did not go immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the guards in the courtyard, all of them exhausted yet visibly relieved.

Even in that hellish scene just now, these martial trainees had still not forgotten to come and protect him, the Third Young Master. Faced with life and death, they had still charged forward without hesitation.

“Haah.” Xu Yuan let out a long breath, then flicked his fingers. More than twenty silver bank notes, each worth 100 taels, flew into Instructor Wang’s hands.

Instructor Wang, who had been looking up at the sky, caught them out of reflex. A little surprised, he glanced down, then hurriedly said to Xu Yuan, “Third Young Master, what we did just now was only our duty. I cannot accept these silver notes.”

“If I’m giving them to you, then take them. Even if you don’t need them, the men under you do.”

As he spoke, Xu Yuan glanced toward the courtyard gate.

Instructor Wang suddenly fell silent. He thought of the brothers who had been killed by Qin Mo on the way here.

Xu Yuan lowered his eyes and patted Instructor Wang on the shoulder. He did not know much about the other people in the residence, but he spent almost every day in the martial training ground. He had spent more than a month sparring with that group of straightforward, muscle-bound brutes. Many, many things were still fresh in his mind.

Originally, he had planned to go there today as well. From the looks of it, he would never be able to go there again.

“Get some proper rest. You all did well this time.” With that, Xu Yuan withdrew his hand and walked out through the courtyard gate.

The sunny sky was still as warm and gentle as ever, but the courtyard after the disaster looked rather battered.

Instructor Wang clutched the stack of silver notes in his hand and stood there in silence for a long time. Finally, he bowed deeply in the direction where the Third Young Master had disappeared around the corner.

“Wang Quan thanks the Third Young Master on behalf of the brothers of the martial training ground!”

The ice sculptures had fallen beside the quiet, beautiful wetland lake from before.

By the time Xu Yuan arrived, Zhou Chen and the other two were already standing guard there.

Seeing Xu Yuan approach, Zhou Chen, who had a sword on his back, came forward first and cupped his fists in salute. “Third Young Master.”

Xu Yuan glanced at Zhou Chen. No, more accurately, he swept his gaze over all three Grandmasters.

All three of them looked somewhat worse for wear. Zhou Chen, who had faced the Sage’s remnant soul head-on, looked the most battered. His whole body was covered in bloody wounds, but his spirits seemed decent enough, so none of them should be in serious trouble.

Gathering his thoughts, Xu Yuan nodded and asked, “Was that sword strike just now from Xu Changge?”

Zhou Chen shook his head. “It was not the Eldest Young Master.”

As they spoke, the two of them walked toward the two figures sealed in ice.

Xu Yuan frowned, a little surprised. “Not Xu Changge? Then who was it?”

At that, the corners of Zhou Chen’s mouth curled into a strange smile. He lowered his voice and said, “Third Young Master, once you see that sword, you should know who it was.”

Back then, he had personally watched this Third Young Master threaten the Eldest Young Master with his own life just to let the Imperial Perceptor’s disciple go. Looking at it now, that kindness had not been for nothing.

Xu Yuan froze for a moment.

Can ice work? A cold, clear voice that had once nearly angered him into a brain hemorrhage suddenly flashed through his mind. Ice. That iceberg of a woman’s attribute is ice. Don’t tell me it was really her?

His footsteps stopped unconsciously, and he looked at Zhou Chen with a strange expression.

But Zhou Chen was not looking at him now. Instead, he slowly raised his eyes toward the sky off to one side.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan fell silent and turned to look as well. Then he saw a slender figure slowly descending from the sky, landing a little more than ten meters away from him. She was dressed in black, the outfit hiding her graceful curves. On her back was a bulging travel pack.

Unlike when they had first met, however, she was not wearing a veil this time. Instead, she had simply bought a bamboo hat with a hanging silk curtain and placed it over her head. Even through the thin skill, that quiet, distant gaze could still be faintly seen.

They stared at each other in silence.

Xu Yuan breathed out, stepped forward, bowed, and smiled sincerely. “Miss Ran, long time no see.”

Ran Qingmo stared at Xu Yuan in silence for two seconds, then corrected, “It’s Ran Qingmo.”

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, then realized what she meant. He gave a light cough. “Ahem. Ran Qingmo, long time no see.”

Ran Qingmo slowly took off her veiled hat, pressed her lips together, and nodded. “Mhm. Xu Yuan, long time no see.”

A long silence passed as the two continued to stare at each other.

“Ahem.” Xu Yuan coughed lightly, then glanced sideways at the two ice sculptures. “Was that your doing just now?”

Ran Qingmo walked over to the ice sculptures and pulled out her sword, her tone calm and casual. “Mhm.”

Xu Yuan was silent for a moment, then said quietly, “Ran Qingmo, thank you.”

If not for Ran Qingmo’s sudden move, that plot protagonist might very well have been teleported away. Once that happened, trying to kill him again would be harder than climbing to Heaven.

Hearing this, Ran Qingmo did not answer immediately. She thought for a moment, then looked into Xu Yuan’s eyes. “Xu Yuan, the words thank you are the least valuable thing in this world. You owe me a favor.”

Xu Yuan fell silent.

After a pause, Ran Qingmo shook her head again. “No. That is not right. Now I only owe you one favor.”

“Fine. You only owe me one favor now.” Xu Yuan laughed despite himself.

Bringing the conversation back on track, Xu Yuan looked at the two ice sculptures. “Right. Ran Qingmo, are both of them dead?”

Ran Qingmo glanced over with her beautiful eyes, then raised one slender jade-like finger and pointed at the two ice sculptures. “He is not dead. He is dead.”

The first point was at the old remnant soul. The second was at the plot protagonist, Qin Mo.

Xu Yuan’s breath caught. Looking at the plot protagonist frozen inside the ice sculpture, looking almost as if he were still alive, his eyes filled with deep surprise.

Qin Mo’s dead? Really? The plot protagonist actually died just like that?

Seeing his expression, Ran Qingmo pressed her red lips together and asked softly, “Um... did you not want him to die?”

Xu Yuan came back to himself and waved a hand. “No. I just feel like it was a little too easy.”

Ran Qingmo’s eyes were full of confusion.

Xu Yuan was in a wonderful mood now, and he had no intention of explaining things to this iceberg of a woman. Instead, he shifted the subject back to Ran Qingmo. “You came looking for me because of that matter?”