A Favor

What was going on? Watching the two ice sculptures fall from the sky, Xu Yuan showed a hint of astonishment in his eyes. Just moments ago, he had been fully prepared to hear the plot's protagonist spout harsh words, only to watch him slip away right under his nose. And this was how it ended? Gathering his thoughts, Xu Yuan looked at the falling ice sculptures with a slightly solemn gaze. Earlier, he hadn't clearly seen how that ancient, simple black longsword appeared, nor how it struck the Saint's remnant soul, but he had clearly seen the process of the Saint's soul body and the plot's protagonist being frozen into ice sculptures. Was it Xu Changge? But in Cangyuan, his elder brother didn't seem to possess any freezing skills, did he? As his thoughts flickered, Xu Yuan's attention was quickly drawn to something else. The black canopy blanketing the entire Xu Manor had undergone a transformation. After the Saint's remnant soul was frozen, dense perforations immediately broke out across the canopy, expanding and linking together at a speed visible to the naked eye. Ultimately, before the ice sculptures even hit the ground, the entire black canopy had dissolved into nothingness, revealing the intricate, profound array markings high in the sky. Having lost its target, the city's grand array saw its visible, profound markings gradually fade into the air. Once Xu Yuan gathered his wits, his immediate instinct was to check the spot where the ice sculptures had fallen. Yet after a second thought, he didn't head over immediately, turning instead to look at the courtyard guards, whose faces showed exhaustion mixed with relief. In that living hell moments ago, these martial apprentices had still remembered to come protect him, the Third Young Master. Facing life and death, they had remained steadfast and valiant. "Phew." Exhaling a long breath, Xu Yuan flicked his fingers, sending over twenty banknotes—each in denominations of one hundred taels—floating before Instructor Wang. Instructor Wang, who had been staring up at the sky in a daze, caught them in surprise. Glancing down at them, he hurriedly said to Xu Yuan, "Third Young Master, that was just our duty earlier. I cannot accept these banknotes—" "Take them if they're given to you. Even if you don't need them, your men always do." With that, Xu Yuan glanced out the courtyard gate. "......" Instructor Wang suddenly fell silent. He thought of the brothers slain by Qin Mo along the way earlier... Xu Yuan lowered his gaze and patted Instructor Wang's shoulder. Xu Yuan didn't know much about the other people in the manor, but he had spent every day hanging around the Wuxuan Courtyard. Having sparred with that group of hearty, musclebound hulks for over a month, countless memories remained vivid in his mind. He had originally planned on going there today as well. From the looks of it now, he would never be able to go there again. "Rest well. You did a good job this time." Having said that, Xu Yuan withdrew his hand and walked toward the courtyard gate. The sunny sky remained as warm and gentle as before, yet the courtyard in the aftermath of the catastrophe appeared somewhat devastated. Clutching the stack of banknotes, Instructor Wang remained silent for a long time. In the end, he bowed deeply toward the corner where the Third Young Master had disappeared. "Wang Quan gives thanks to the Third Young Master on behalf of the brothers of Wuxuan Courtyard!" *** The spot where the ice sculptures landed was beside that originally serene and lovely wetland lake. When Xu Yuan arrived, Zhou Chen and the other two were already standing guard beside them. Seeing Xu Yuan approach, Zhou Chen, with his sword strapped to his back, stepped forward to greet him with cupped fists. "Third Young Master." Xu Yuan glanced at Zhou Chen. No, rather, he swept his gaze across all three Grandmasters. All three looked somewhat battered, most of all Zhou Chen, who had clashed head-on against the Saint's remnant soul. Bloody wounds covered him from head to toe, but judging by his reasonably good spirits, none of it seemed critical. Gathering his thoughts, Xu Yuan nodded and asked, "Was that sword strike earlier from Xu Changge?" Zhou Chen shook his head. "It was not Eldest Young Master." As they spoke, the two walked toward the two frozen ice sculptures. Xu Yuan frowned, somewhat surprised. "Not Xu Changge? Then who was it?" At that, Zhou Chen curled his lips into an odd smile and murmured, "Once you see the sword, Third Young Master, you should know who it is." Back then, he had watched with his own eyes as the Third Young Master threatened his own life to force the Eldest Young Master to release the Imperial Preceptor's disciple. Looking at it now, it wasn't without its returns. "......" Hearing this, Xu Yuan was taken aback. ['Ice, is that fine?'] A cool, aloof voice that had once infuriated him nearly to the point of a cerebral hemorrhage suddenly flashed through his mind. Ice. That huge block of ice also used ice. Could it really be her this time? His steps paused subconsciously, and Xu Yuan gave Zhou Chen a strange look. Yet Zhou Chen wasn't looking at him now; instead, he slowly lifted his gaze toward the sky to one side. Seeing this, Xu Yuan silently turned his head to look in the same direction. There, he saw an elegant figure descending slowly from the sky, landing a dozen or so meters beside him. A black outfit concealed her graceful curves, and she carried a bulging travel pack on her back. Unlike their first meeting, however, she wore no veil this time; instead, she had bought a veiled bamboo hat to cover her head, through whose sheer gauze her serene gaze could still be faintly discerned. They gazed at each other in silence. Xu Yuan exhaled, stepped forward, offered a polite bow, and smiled genuinely. "Mr. Ran, long time no see." Ran Qingmo stared at Xu Yuan silently for two seconds before uttering just three words: "Ran Qingmo." "......" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, realized what she meant, cleared his throat, and repeated, "Ahem... Ran Qingmo, long time no see." Ran Qingmo slowly took off her bamboo hat, pursed her lips, and nodded. "Mm. Xu Yuan, long time no see." With that, silence fell. "......" Xu Yuan. "......" Ran Qingmo. "Ahem." Xu Yuan gave a dry cough and glanced toward the two ice sculptures. "Did you do that just now?" Ran Qingmo walked over to the ice sculptures and retrieved her sword, saying nonchalantly, "Mm." Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "Ran Qingmo, thank you." Had Ran Qingmo not struck so suddenly, the plot's protagonist would very likely have teleported away, and trying to kill him then would probably have been harder than ascending to heaven. "......" Hearing this, Ran Qingmo didn't reply immediately. After a brief recollection, she looked into Xu Yuan's eyes. "Xu Yuan, the words 'thank you' are the most worthless thing in the world. You owe me a favor." "......" Xu Yuan. Pausing, Ran Qingmo shook her head again. "No, wait. It means I now only owe you one favor." "Alright, only one favor left," Xu Yuan smiled wryly. Bringing the conversation back on track, Xu Yuan looked at the two ice sculptures. "By the way, Ran Qingmo, are both of them dead?" Ran Qingmo's beautiful eyes glanced over, and she lifted a slender jade finger to point at the two ice sculptures. "No. He isn't dead. He is dead." The first was toward the remnant soul old man. The second was toward the plot's protagonist, Qin Mo. Xu Yuan's breath hitched. Dead... Looking at the plot's protagonist frozen inside the ice sculpture as though still alive, Xu Yuan showed deep astonishment in his eyes. Qin Mo was dead? ? The plot's protagonist had really just died like this? Seeing his expression, Ran Qingmo pursed her red lips and asked softly, "Um... did you not want him to die?" Snapping out of it, Xu Yuan waved his hand. "No, I just felt it was a bit too easy." Ran Qingmo's eyes filled with utter incomprehension. In high spirits, Xu Yuan had no intention of explaining things to this big block of ice, instead shifting the topic back to Ran Qingmo. "Did you come looking for me because of that matter?"