LAVW – Chapter 63 Is It a Boy or a Girl?

“Squeak Squeak.”

Recognizable. Definitely recognizable.

Shi Qian swooped low and cast a large-scale Cleanse spell on Qiao Mianmian and her group.

Once Qiao Mianmian’s clean little face was revealed again, Shi Qian hopped onto her small shoulder.

Barely managing to steady himself, Shi Qian gave a Squeaking encouragement: “Squeak Squeak!”

Well done! You’ve upheld the name of the Tenth Peak of our Sword Sect!

Qiao Mianmian looked at Brother Qian, still wearing a silly smile on her face—clearly dazed with joy.

But suddenly, wisps of black mist began to rise from her face.

Shi Qian instantly clenched his little paw and leapt up, punching Qiao Mianmian square in the face, knocking her out.

However, the moment she was knocked out, she snapped awake again. Her eyes were vacant as she lunged at the nearest person, attempting to devour their primordial spirit.

“Even the Princess has been infected by the miasma—!”

As the words fell, the adorable white furball of a spirit beast that had just descended like a divine being now hefted its enormous black sword and swung a righteous wave of cleansing energy at the little princess “Qiao Mianmian,” dispelling all the heart-bewitching miasma clinging to her body and even lingering in the surrounding area.

Perhaps due to the experiences of several past lives, Shi Qian had cultivated a deep sense of righteousness. This move was especially powerful—every swing of the sword left a visible trail.

After forming a contract with the Dragon Leaf and the Dragon-Slaying Sword, and with assistance from Shi Qian’s nascent soul, his cultivation was about to break through the late Nascent Soul stage. When he used this move together with Shi Qian, who was in the early Nascent Soul stage, the effect was nearly identical.

Lying on the ground, Qiao Mianmian felt dizzy, with a sharp pain especially throbbing in her forehead.

She was dazed for a moment before she could gradually make out the voices of those around her.

But seeing her dazed expression, the others only assumed the worst.

“Princess, Princess! Are you alright?”

“Princess, wake up!”

“The princess gave me the last healing pill to eat…” The one who said this was the cultivator who had previously complained. Now he was filled with regret, almost on the verge of tears.

Shi Qian listened to the commotion from these Foundation Establishment cultivators and checked Qiao Mianmian. He found a wound on her arm — the miasma had entered through that wound, slowly infecting and corrupting her primordial spirit.

She had been holding on with sheer willpower, but when Shi Qian arrived, the brief moment of relaxation gave the miasma the chance to invade.

Luckily, Shi Qian acted in time and had already eradicated the miasma, so it wasn’t a major problem.

Upon hearing the word “healing pill,” Shi Qian, out of concern for a fellow sect member, reached into the necklace on his chest with his little paw and fished out several bottles of antidote pills that Long Ye had mentioned.

“Squeak squeak.”

Which one are you talking about?

The group of cultivators who had intended to seek help from this “Senior Brother”: …

Wiping away their tears, they picked the most effective pill from the bunch and fed it to Qiao Mianmian.

After taking the pill, its medicinal power quickly dissolved in her mouth, and her consciousness swiftly returned.

She looked at Brother Qian, a bit remorseful. “Senior Brother…”

Shi Qian: “Squeak squeak.”

Realizing the translator wasn’t present, Shi Qian used spiritual energy to write a few words: “You did very well, taking the lead.”

Then Shi Qian extended his short paw and pointed to a spacious area, indicating to Qiao Mianmian that he still had others to save.

After leaving some pills for Qiao Mianmian and the others, Shi Qian flew off on his sword.

Compared to the black sword, he was tiny, yet so striking and eye-catching.

Qiao Mianmian silently vowed: she would sharpen her sword for ten years, like her senior brother, master her skills, and one day protect the Qiao Kingdom even better.

Besides, Senior Brother Wang had said she had good talent.

The young girl didn’t know yet that she was still very far from her goal. From Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul, Shi Qian had used two “cheat codes” and it still hadn’t been easy. But with that kind of determination, at the very least, she would be able to accomplish the latter half of her vow.

Shi Qian flew from place to place, and as he approached the capital, he began encountering more dangerous miasma.

However, with a heart filled with righteous energy, dealing with it was always a bit easier.

Countless ordinary people and farmers were saved, and for a while, everyone believed a divine beast had descended from the heavens to rescue them.

Long Ye was receiving the same treatment on the other side.

He had only administered a few pills to some of the severely affected people, and they were already calling him an immortal.

Long Ye had thought that Luofeng Town was already a remote, underdeveloped place, but he hadn’t expected there to be places even more barren of spiritual energy.

“Not an immortal, just a disciple of the Sword Sect.” Long Ye left that one sentence and didn’t delay further, immediately heading to the next location.

Those who had been infected with the miasma for too long and had their consciousness completely consumed couldn’t be saved. Even the severely afflicted, if rescued, would suffer damage to their primordial spirit. So he had to hurry.

Meanwhile, Shi Qian arrived at the Qiao Kingdom’s imperial palace.

He assumed it was the palace because compared to the Forbidden City in his memory, this place looked quite shabby. But compared to the other places he’d seen, it was at least a bit better.

Inside the palace, it was chaotic. A group of guards was protecting a tall, burly, square-faced man while being chased by another group of guards and palace maids.

Just as they were about to run into a vegetable garden, the square-faced man shouted, “Change direction! Quick, go another way—don’t trample on My garden!”

Shi Qian: …

Shi Qian stepped forward and landed above them, raising the black sword with practiced ease. With a fluid motion, he executed a sword technique.

Just like that, he saved an emperor—and his vegetable garden.

The square-faced man was still shaken, but when he saw the sword light, he was overjoyed and dropped to his knees, bowing deeply. “Are you a celestial from the Sword Sect? Please save me! Immortal, save our Qiao Kingdom!”

“Immortal, save us!”

“Immortal, save Qiao Kingdom!”

Shi Qian peeked his head out from behind the sword. These people didn’t react.

Then he jumped onto the sword, and only then did everyone widen their eyes in surprise and look at him.

Shi Qian: “Squeak squeak.”

There is no immortal—only a Chinchilla.

Shi Qian pointed toward the outskirts for the emperor to see. The square-faced man reacted quickly enough: “Honorable spirit beast, do you mean Mianmian is over there?”

“Squeak.” Shi Qian nodded and then used spiritual energy to write:

—“I’m going to save others, will find Mianmian later.”

“Thank you, noble one—”

Amidst heartfelt gratitude, Shi Qian left the shabby Qiao Kingdom palace and headed to the next place.

As he departed, he couldn’t help but wonder curiously: What was growing in that vegetable garden? He didn’t recognize it.

Busy and tireless, working until the sky turned so dark that nothing could be seen, the miasma that had spread across nearly the entire Qiao Kingdom was finally cleared.

Shi Qian reunited with Long Ye and lay down on the Dragon-Slaying Sword along with the black sword: “Squeak.”

So tired.

Long Ye glanced at Brother Qian, then at the black sword that insisted on lying only on other spiritual swords even in its shrunken form, and silently thought to himself how lucky he was that the black sword hadn’t taken a liking to him.

Then he thought again—no, the black sword wouldn’t like someone like him anyway. Back in the Sword Sect, there had been plenty of others it could have chosen.

What a perfect match. Truly a spiritual sword destined for Brother Qian.

Long Ye picked up Brother Qian and gave his short arms a squeeze—they were quite stiff. He reached out and started massaging them.

“Brother Qian, did you see Qiao Mianmian? I saw the area around the palace had been cleared, so I didn’t go there.”

“Squeak.”

Yes, I saw her. She was injured, but luckily we arrived in time.

As he said that, Shi Qian raised his paw and pointed in the direction of the imperial palace: “Squeak—”

Let’s go to the palace and mooch a meal.

Long Ye reminded him, “There’s not much to eat here. Not even many spirit beasts.”

The spiritual energy contained in the local food couldn’t compare to that of spirit beasts from the Sword Sect’s spirit mountains. The taste was worlds apart.

“Squeak squeak.”

You just don’t get it.

Shi Qian thought, the appeal is in the local specialties. Food from different places naturally has its own unique flavor.

Long Ye patted his head. “You really do know more than I do.”

That kind of ordinary food lacking in spiritual energy would be more of a burden than a benefit for people like them now.

Because of this consideration, Long Ye spoke up to remind him, knowing that Brother Qian didn’t really mind—or rather, he wouldn’t make Qiao Mianmian’s family feel awkward. Brother Qian was always like this.

If he had never met Brother Qian, Long Ye thought, he would surely be a completely different person now.

But there were no “what ifs.”

As he listened to the soft little purring sounds Brother Qian was making, Long Ye thought to himself, The books were right—channeling spiritual energy into these areas really does make the pressure point massages feel more comfortable.

Shi Qian hadn’t expected that Long Ye’s massage technique would continue to improve.

Dizzily relaxed, Shi Qian thought with admiration, As expected of someone who loves learning! Tomorrow I’ll go read two pages of a book.

Once Shi Qian had fully enjoyed the massage and promptly forgotten his intention to study, he perked up and realized they had arrived at the palace.

Qiao Mianmian had changed into the most splendid princess attire and stood next to the square-faced emperor. Beside them was the empress, whose cultivation was at the early Golden Core stage.

Behind the little family of three were several of the emperor’s sons. The strongest among them had only reached the eighth stage of the Qi Refining realm, and they all looked very much like the king—like they’d been mass-produced from the same mold.

Then Shi Qian looked at Qiao Mianmian, who was beautiful and talented, and could only think: The empress really worked hard.

As Long Ye landed, Qiao Mianmian stepped forward and greeted them, “Senior Brother Long Ye! Thank you so much—you and Senior Brother Qian. I didn’t expect it would be you two who came.”

Shi Qian: “Squeak squeak.”

Long Ye picked it.

But Long Ye replied, “Brother Qian chose it. So we came.”

After a few words between fellow disciples, the Empress of Qiao Kingdom stepped forward and graciously invited them into the palace, saying they had prepared a banquet in their honor to express their thanks.

The square-faced emperor stood behind the empress, smiling awkwardly. Perhaps because his cultivation was too low, he didn’t dare speak much.

Shi Qian was still thinking about that vegetable garden, and so he kept staring at the emperor.

The emperor gave an uneasy smile. “Honorable spirit beast, is there something wrong with how I look?”

Shi Qian pointed toward the garden and asked, “Squeak squeak?”

What’s growing in that courtyard?

The emperor glanced in that direction. In the darkness of night, the nearby area was lit with lanterns, but the farther garden was pitch-black. Still, he seemed quite familiar with it and immediately realized what Shi Qian meant. An embarrassed smile crept across his face.

Long Ye helped translate, “He’s asking what’s growing in that courtyard—he’s curious.”

Qiao Mianmian answered, “That area? Oh, it’s my father’s garden. It’s the season for planting cotton, but it hasn’t bloomed yet. He has a lot of different varieties planted—most of them he imported from other nations.”

A dignified emperor, being described like a humble farmer.

The emperor blushed, lowered his head, and tugged on his daughter’s sleeve. “Stop it, you’ll make the celestial masters laugh.”

But Qiao Mianmian said, “You’re overthinking it, Father. Senior Brother Qian loves hearing about things like this.”

A spirited Shi Qian: ?

So she’s figured out how to capture my interest through food.

But, truthfully, he did enjoy hearing about these things. It felt like a link to the life he once knew. The cultivation world was great—but it was also so out of touch with reality.

Besides, Shi Qian loved listening to stories. The more bizarre and interesting, the better.

An emperor with a passion for farming? That was definitely interesting.

Shi Qian followed Qiao Mianmian, leaving Long Ye to the empress—who was determined to properly host the sword sect immortals—and went off to listen to the emperor recount how he had risen above all the other princes purely because of his farming skills.

Long Ye: …

Another day of being abandoned by Brother Qian.

But he was used to it by now. He turned to the only reliable cultivator in the palace—the empress—and began asking about the Frozen Wastelands.

Only then did he learn that the empress’s current cultivation level was due to her having visited the Frozen Wastelands in the past.

But in recent years, news from there had become increasingly scarce. The merchant caravans going in to procure goods from the wastelands had dwindled, and now only a few regular ones remained. So even the empress didn’t know much about the current state of the wastelands.

Long Ye frowned. “Are those few caravans being controlled by some force behind the scenes?”

The empress replied respectfully, “That’s not certain, immortal master. It’s just that no information has come out recently—I’m simply speculating.”

“But the Frozen Wastelands are vast. Once you reach the Ice City region, you might be able to learn more.”

On the other side, Shi Qian was tasting the candy made by the emperor.

Only now did he realize the ones Qiao Mianmian had given him last time were actually handmade by her royal father.

And the current greatest challenge of the Qiao royal family? The princes had absolutely no talent for farming and were constantly looked down upon for it. Thankfully, the crown prince awakened a talent for sales and thus managed to secure his position.

After tasting the candy, Shi Qian pulled out a Hundred-Year Pill.

As the name suggested, the Hundred-Year Pill could extend one’s life to a hundred years.

Such life-extending items were often the most valuable of all. Even though this was a low-grade pill, the scarcity of its ingredients made its price absurdly high.

But for Golden Core cultivators, who lived up to 500 years, and Nascent Soul cultivators, who could live up to 2000 years, like Shi Qian and Long Ye—it was useless.

At this point, selling it wouldn’t even fetch much benefit for them.

But Shi Qian was still curious to see if this emperor might someday grow even better cotton—or sugar beets for candy-making. So he generously gifted the pill to the emperor.

“Squeak squeak.”

Take good care of your crops.

“Thank you for the gracious gift, Immortal Master!” The emperor was overwhelmed with emotion.

Even Qiao Mianmian hadn’t expected Brother Qian to like her father this much.

From what she and her fellow noble ladies had observed, Brother Qian had always seemed more patient with female disciples.

She glanced at Long Ye and asked with her eyes, worried that this senior brother might not know what was going on.

But Long Ye just nodded nonchalantly, his thoughts still on the Frozen Wastelands. He was also thinking about the surrounding nations, which had also been affected by the miasma. Might as well take care of them tomorrow while passing through.

After enjoying the lavish banquet, Long Ye proposed turning in for the night.

After all the flying, both people and swords were worn out.

Shi Qian, after listening to the farming tales, was lying on Long Ye’s head yawning, ready to sleep.

Qiao Mianmian was no different. Forcing herself to lead the two to their rooms, she fell asleep halfway there and had to be carried back by her mother.

Inside the palace, under the soft glow of candlelight—

Long Ye looked at the light yellow bedding and had a sudden suspicion—

Tonight, the crown prince has no bed.

But who cared about that? Long Ye cast a Cleaning Spell on himself, then on Brother Qian, set him down on one pillow, and lay down on another to sleep.

Outside the room, a black brick lay soaking up the moonlight to absorb lunar essence.

So even the usual protective formation for night watches could be skipped.

That night, Shi Qian dreamed a very poor dream—he absurdly tried to imitate the Qiao Kingdom’s emperor by farming, and only slowly did he start to make a fortune.

When he woke up the next morning, he didn’t even want to see the emperor anymore. Too exhausting!

After bidding farewell to Qiao Mianmian and the empress, Shi Qian urged Long Ye to leave quickly and decisively.

Not long after, the emperor returned from calming the people and was quite regretful: “They wouldn’t even let me see the Immortal Master and Divine Beast off.”

Qiao Mianmian, back in her regular clothes, replied, “That’s my senior brother, not some divine beast.”

“The messengers from the south rushed here with news,” said the emperor. “They said the people want to erect statues and pray for the Divine Beast’s protection.”

“What about Senior Brother Long Ye?”

“No, no one mistook him. One look and it’s clear he’s a cultivator. But the Divine Beast’s spiritual sword is eye-catching, plus he has dragon horns, one black and one white—some elders started believing he was a savior beast.”

Qiao Mianmian: …

“Father, you handle it. Mother went out, and I’ll go out too.”

“Mianmian, why don’t you stay in the palace and rest for a while? Father knows you were hurt—your mind nearly got ensnared too.”

“No need. Cultivation can’t fear hardship.”

Qiao Mianmian gripped her sword and walked out resolutely, leaving her concerned father behind. He couldn’t keep up with his powerful, determined young daughter.

Shi Qian and Long Ye traveled to some nearby small kingdoms to help along the way.

Unlike Qiao Kingdom, these smaller states were still in early, manageable stages of trouble.

There was no need for them to split up—Shi Qian and Long Ye swept through together, resolving issues as they went, leaving behind the name of the Sword Sect disciples, then heading to the next location.

Once the nearby places were dealt with, they turned and flew toward the Frozen Wastelands.

The ground beneath them shifted from dry yellow soil to black earth speckled with ice shards. As they moved forward, the terrain nearly disappeared under the growing frost.

On the way, Long Ye spotted a few merchant caravans.

After making inquiries, he learned they only traded with small tribes near the outskirts—they never ventured deeper.

Only four major caravans traveled to the inner city of Ice City, all famous across the region.

Due to being closer, they also heard other rumors.

In the past ten years, people from Ice City rarely left. They stayed within the city walls. But rumors said life inside was exceptionally good—everything one could want was available. Enter the city, and it was a life so blissful that even immortals wouldn’t trade it away.

That’s why the nickname “Bliss City” had begun to spread, stirring the dreams of many.

But strangely, those who went in… never seemed to come out. They said people got lost in the pleasures of paradise.

Shi Qian was silent upon hearing this.

To him, it didn’t sound like Bliss City. It sounded like a Prison City.

How could there be happiness without freedom?

Shi Qian didn’t think it was possible. Even if all other desires were fulfilled, without the ability to choose freedom, it couldn’t be true happiness.

And this was a whole city—where human nature constantly stirs and grows. Where there’s people, there will always be competing interests and inevitable harm.

Long Ye was also silent. He hadn’t expected that even before arriving, the place his mother once lived might already be completely changed.

After wrapping up another round of questioning, within the protective spiritual shield against the cold, Shi Qian asked Long Ye:

“Squeak?”

Brother Ye, are we still going?

Ice City didn’t sound safe… it sounded mysterious and unsettling.

Long Ye quickly made up his mind. “Let’s go take a look.”

“This place is too remote. We might not come again, and even if we do, it may not be the same as it is now.”

He had an obsession in his heart—sooner or later, he had to go and see it for himself.

Long Ye raised his hand and touched his chest. “Besides, the deeper we go into the wasteland, the more I feel I have to go.”

Shi Qian, having no premonition at all: “?”

He suspected that the Heavenly Dao was once again getting ready to give Long Ye a cheat.

But this kind of cheat usually came with a price—Long Ye would likely have to suffer through some painful trials before emerging like a sharpened sword or a plum blossom blooming through bitter frost.

Shi Qian patted “Ao Tian’s” head lovingly.

Brother Ye, oh Brother Ye… why couldn’t you be the heroine of a koi-luck novel or a fortune-blessed story? That kind of life is all joy and no suffering.

Especially since right now, Shi Qian had no idea what kind of plot they were walking into—he could only watch as Long Ye stoically prepared to “endure hardship.”

Wait a minute—he’s not dragging me into the suffering too, right?!

Shi Qian quickly tucked away any extra sympathy and began to question carefully: “Squeak—”

Brother Ye, what kind of premonition is it?

“Not too sure. Just a feeling like I can’t miss it,” Long Ye replied with a frown. “But the feeling also doesn’t seem very solid. Like… a meat pie falling from the sky—it just makes my chest feel heavy.”

Shi Qian: “Squeak squeak.”

Then maybe… we should just go back.

There’s no obstacle in life that can’t be overcome—if you’re willing to give up.

Strictly speaking, Long Ye’s current cultivation level already far exceeded his original progression. Giving up on this “big meat pie” would still be fine.

After all, when pies fall from the sky… they come with acceleration.

Without a steel-plated rice bowl, don’t go catching falling pies.

Long Ye laughed. “What are you afraid of? We’re both Nascent Soul stage. We can escape even from someone in the Soul Formation stage.”

“Squeak squeak.”

Don’t go—raising flags.

“Why not raise flags?”

“Squeak Squeak.”

In battle, they always go for the flags first! Raising a flag just means it’s meant to fall.

Long Ye thought to himself, Surely we won’t be so unlucky as to run into some maniac undergoing tribulation, right?

He said, “If things really go south, we’ll just send a distress signal to the sect and hide in the clam shell.”

“Squeak squeak.” Shi Qian was still uneasy.

At least send our whereabouts to the sect first.

Long Ye nodded. “Fair enough.”

So before they even reached the Frozen Wastelands, he crushed the sect’s location-marking jade talisman.

These talismans weren’t cheap, but Shi Qian had inherited Brother Clam’s estate and was now a wealthy spiritual beast. As a human cultivator who lived off him, Long Ye could just go to the Hall of All Things and requisition what he needed as necessary.

After crushing the jade talisman, Shi Qian felt much safer. He jumped onto the icy ground to go catch some ice rabbits.

The ground of the Frozen Wasteland was covered in ice, the mountains were icy, and even the water lay hidden beneath thick layers of ice. In such a harsh environment, any plants that managed to grow carried an innate coldness, and the beasts that lived there were known as “ice beasts” because they all had ice-based attributes.

The ice rabbit was a pale blue creature, looking almost dreamlike. It was said that at night, the blue parts of its fur would glow faintly. With a cultivation level around the Golden Core stage, it was considered a mid-tier beast among the ice types.

As they traveled deeper into the wasteland, they entered the territory where these ice rabbits typically roamed.

“Squeak!”

I caught one!

Shi Qian leapt onto an ice rabbit, pinning the shimmering blue creature beneath him.

Then Long Ye heard Brother Qian shouting something about “frost claws,” followed by the poor ice rabbit getting mercilessly knocked unconscious.

Looks like their lunch today would be rabbit stew.

Long Ye pulled a pot and firestone from his storage ring and began prepping.

Shi Qian, who had just finished giving the dreamlike ice rabbit a couple of good smacks, heard the noise and turned to find that Long Ye had already started preparing for a meal.

Shi Qian: “Squeak squeak.”

How could you eat the rabbit? It’s so cute!

Long Ye lit the firestone. “That last pack of spicy spirit herbs you sweet-talked the elder out of—this is it.”

Shi Qian quickly dragged the ice rabbit over to Long Ye: “Squeak.”

Here you go, Brother Ye.

Then he darted away into the distance to knock out a few more ice rabbits and brought them back. Together, they could make a full pot.

Long Ye chuckled. “So rabbits are that cute, huh?”

“Squeak.”

The more we eat, the cuter we’ll become!

Shi Qian was completely hooked on the spicy flavor—ever since tasting it in the cultivation world, he had been obsessed. It reminded him of hotpot, and he just couldn’t resist.

He resolved to formally take that elder as his master someday—to pursue the noble calling of spiritual chef taste-testing.

Long Ye quickly dispatched the unconscious ice rabbits, cleaned and chopped them into pieces, and threw them into a pill-refining cauldron.

As for why the cauldron had turned into a cooking pot—well, that was a question for Brother Qian.

Inside their spiritual barrier, the aroma of food grew thick and delicious. After a satisfying meal, Shi Qian and Long Ye set off once more.

Finally, they approached the city of Icebound.

In the distance, they could see a majestic city of shimmering ice-blue towers. Under the crimson sun, it sparkled with brilliance—beautiful, grand, and eerily devoid of any smoke or signs of life.

Nearby was a marketplace just outside a small village beside the city. Everyone wore cheerful smiles and traded goods with enthusiasm.

Long Ye frowned. Nothing seemed off with these people—they all just looked very happy and spent money generously.

But instinctively, he felt something was wrong.

After walking a few more steps, the atmosphere changed.

Suddenly, all eyes turned—some burning, some feverish—all fixed on Shi Qian perched on Long Ye’s shoulder.

Shi Qian: “?”

What now?

Seriously—what’s with this world of cultivators? Is it full of roving perverts or something?!

Just as Shi Qian was internally complaining, a fishing net was suddenly cast down toward Long Ye’s head, trapping both Long Ye and Shi Qian inside.

“Capture that spirit beast! Offer it to Her Reverence, the Celestial Venerable!”

Shi Qian bet that these people were, at most, only at the mid-Golden Core stage—not even strong enough to beat him. Yet when they charged, they did so with a reckless ferocity, utterly unafraid of death.

The one man and one dragon-rat drew their swords and slashed the falling net to pieces, escaping as their first priority.

Once they reached a deserted area—

Shi Qian and Long Ye exchanged glances.

“Squeak squeak.”

Are spirit beasts not allowed in the city?

Long Ye narrowed the scope. “Could it be… because of your dragon horns?”

Spirit beasts with dragon horns were extremely rare.

And they had heard a rumor related to dragons—You Fang had ordered demonic cultivators to collect anything related to dragons: spirit beasts, remains, anything with a connection.

But then Long Ye frowned and rebutted himself, “But there’s no demonic aura in the city. On the contrary, the spiritual energy is unusually rich. It’s just… those people. They all felt off somehow.”

Shi Qian also felt it was like a brainwashing cult. He curled his claws and said to Long Ye: “Squeak squeak.”

Then how about you go in alone?

“I disagree with you staying behind. What if you get discovered again, Brother Qian?”

Long Ye had Shi Qian hide inside the conch shell that completely masked one’s presence. He tucked the shell away, took an appearance-altering pill, and disguised himself before returning to investigate Icebound City.

Shi Qian sighed. “Squeak squeak.”

Then hurry up. I don’t want to be a lonely chinchilla.

“I will. Don’t worry, Brother Qian.”

To prevent Brother Qian from getting bored, Long Ye even handed him a bunch of jade slips to read, stuffing them all into the shell.

Shi Qian: …Goodbye.

With an indignant huff, Shi Qian rolled into the shell, leaving Long Ye with a cold and heartless back view.

Once Shi Qian was inside, Long Ye’s expression instantly turned cold.

His dragon bloodline wasn’t inherited from his father’s side—there had been no trace of it for generations. So if not his father, then it must have come from his mother.

If demonic cultivators had ever set foot in Icebound City, then wouldn’t that mean his mother’s body was no more?

Long Ye swallowed the appearance-altering pill. Not only did his features change, but even his height shortened by half a head. His entire aura shifted to match that of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. No one would be able to associate him with who he was just moments ago.

He then circled around and entered Icebound City from a different direction.

The city didn’t block cultivators from entering. In fact, the guards at the gate even smiled and praised his discerning eye.

Long Ye smiled casually, brushing them off, and stepped into the seemingly harmonious Icebound City to look around.

People came and went throughout the city, appearing to be good-natured. Smiles adorned every face; mischievous children who caused trouble were merely scolded playfully; even local hooligans might meet bold young ladies, creating a perfectly balanced social interaction.

But—

First, there were no obviously powerful cultivators in the city. The ones present behaved like ordinary people, completely immersed in mundane pleasures.

Second, no overly wealthy or influential individuals could be seen—not even a single person riding swiftly through the streets.

Noticing all of this, Long Ye could already conclude that Icebound City was deeply suspicious.

He thought for a moment, then headed toward a prominent tower in the city.

This tower, called a Ding Tower, was not unlike the brothels found in mortal nations. Those who worked there had the proper “furnace” aptitude—men and women who, through dual cultivation, could greatly benefit their partner. They were often soft-featured and stunningly beautiful.

But if one had the potential to cultivate and become strong on their own, why would they stoop to serving others, handing over the fruits of their cultivation?

Therefore, those who sold smiles could never truly be happy.

Long Ye aimed directly at the flaw. He set up a table with spiritual wine and dishes on the second floor.

At first, using only his Golden Core cultivation, he couldn’t see anything unusual. But once he activated his Nascent Soul cultivation, the appearance of the men and women before him changed.

Those seemingly flirtatious men and women turned into… men with men, or women with women. Yet all bore the same expressions of lustful delight.

Long Ye’s eyes widened in shock. Then, a woman’s figure appeared at his table.

She wore a light purple gauzy dress, her features seductive, holding a wine jug in one delicate hand. With a pair of alluring fox-like eyes, she gazed at the solitary Long Ye with a slightly drunken air.

“Do you think I’m beautiful?”

As she spoke, she leaned in at the waist, reaching out with her free hand to try and caress Long Ye’s chin.

Long Ye leaned back to avoid her touch and asked, “Which one are you asking about?”

“Earlier, I was referring to those below. But now…” Her gaze landed on Long Ye’s spirit sword, her tone still sweet and syrupy, “Naturally, I mean myself.”

Long Ye frowned and asked coldly, “Are you a man or a woman?”

He could no longer bring himself to look directly at any of these men or women.