Chapter 56 Keeping Warm
Without the clues provided by 111, Su Yunyu fell into melancholy. He poked 111 again and asked frantically:
"Are there any other clues? The previous NPC is gone."
111, for some unknown reason, was frantically writing, her mind filled with the crackling sound of electricity, and upon hearing this, she didn't stop.
No, I'll let you know when there are fluctuations.
Su Yunyu was curious about what it was writing, so she asked:
What are you writing?
111: [I'm going to write this plot into my storybook, a ghost possession system. My colleagues will definitely love it.]
"This isn't novel, it's bizarre..."
Su Yunyu's complaints were drowned out by 111's furious writing. Just when he thought all hope was lost, the token vibrated.
Upon picking it up, I heard Zhu Fu's voice coming from inside:
"I bet you've come away empty-handed."
“If it’s just a cold shower, then there’s no need,” Su Yunyu said, about to ignore her, when Zhu Fu hurriedly said:
"Wait a minute, I have a clue."
Su Yunyu immediately became interested:
"What"
"Legend has it that the Crimson Flame Phoenix lives in extremely hot places."
"So we need to find extremely hot places."
“No,” Zhu Fu denied.
"You must find the land of extreme cold, for only in the land of extreme cold can there be the land of extreme heat."
Su Yunyu accepted this explanation after a second of silence, and then asked:
"So where are the coldest places?"
"It's in the far north, quite close to you. That snow-capped mountain is it. Climbing it should lead you to the hottest place."
This clue sounded very plausible, so Su Yunyu thanked Zhu Fu and looked around, discovering that there was indeed a snow-capped mountain in the distance.
Seeing that he didn't look north immediately but instead looked around, Xiao Shuying felt an eerie silence rise in her heart:
Could it be that Su Yunyu can't distinguish between east, west, south, and north?
This reason seemed the most convincing. This time, Su Yunyu did not let Xiao Shuying go first; he himself quickly walked towards the snow mountain.
Although it seems far away, the distance is only in the eyes of ordinary people. For Su Yunyu, it's just a matter of teleporting to the foot of the mountain.
As soon as he arrived at the foot of the snow-capped mountain, a biting cold wind swept over him. Su Yunyu felt fine, as he was originally an ice-type spiritual root, and this cold air felt like coming home to him.
Xiao Shuying sensed the temperature around him and found it bearable, but given his current apparent cultivation level, it probably wasn't.
Moreover, it's uncertain whether what that remnant soul said is true or false. Judging from its swift betrayal, its credibility is probably low. But if it is true…
Wait a minute, isn't this a perfect test to see if Su Yunyu actually wants to kill him?
As her thoughts raced, Xiao Shuying came up with an idea, and deliberately feigned timidity, tugging at Su Yunyu's sleeve:
"Master, it's so cold."
Su Yunyu glanced at him. When Long Aotian was still a teenager, it was heartbreaking to see him tugging at her sleeve. But now that he's grown up, to see him do that again…
His sense of compassion immediately surged!
Without hesitation, Su Yunyu used his own spiritual energy to burn into a protective barrier. He had very few items in his space to keep warm, and even if he did, they wouldn't be able to withstand the coldness of the Crimson Flame Phoenix's domain, so he simply burned himself.
"How are you? Is it still cold?"
Seeing the pale blue barrier shimmering around her, Xiao Shuying felt a slight tightness in her chest and shook her head, saying:
"Thank you, Master. I'm not cold anymore."
Judging from Su Yunyu's cultivation level, he could definitely sustain himself until he reached the snow mountain. What Xiao Shuying needed was to force him to choose between her and Su Yunyu. For example, if the spiritual energy dried up halfway through the climb, Su Yunyu would have to face the choice between the two.
What will Su Yunyu choose then...?
Xiao Shuying concealed the meaning in her eyes and followed Su Yunyu up the not-so-steep snow mountain.
The snow here isn't very deep, just above ankle height. For someone with high cultivation, climbing such a snow-covered mountain wouldn't be difficult.
Therefore, in order to create a dilemma of choosing between two options, Xiao Shuying deliberately used her spiritual body from the Three Realms to lower the surrounding temperature once again.
Su Yunyu had no idea that the Spirit of the Three Realms was an unparalleled being, capable of controlling the vast majority of things, such as splitting off divine consciousness, or creating smaller worlds within the larger world...
Su Yunyu then felt the temperature, which he had been getting used to, suddenly drop several degrees. Even he found it hard to resist. Looking at Long Aotian, he was already shivering.
He looked incredibly cold but didn't utter a sound, so Su Yunyu felt even more compassionate and, without saying a word, added more spiritual energy to the barrier.
Sensing the strengthening of the barrier, Xiao Shuying glanced at Su Yunyu discreetly. Would he still be so relaxed in a little while?
As expected, when he had climbed two-thirds of the way to the summit, Su Yunyu felt pain in his meridians, his spiritual energy was almost depleted, and he clearly couldn't hold on any longer. So he called for help from 111:
What if I run out of spiritual energy?
111 Objective Description: [Based on your constitution as an enemy of the Heavenly Dao, it is not recommended that you use up all your spiritual energy, as it is easy to deplete it.]
"...But," Su Yunyu hesitated, then continued...
"If I refuse to open the barrier for Long Aotian because I am afraid of death, he will not die according to the fortune of the Son of Heaven, but he will definitely hold a grudge against me."
[this……]
The method of using spiritual energy to defend oneself consumes so much spiritual energy that most cultivators cannot afford it, and most spirit-replenishing pills are ineffective.
111 could only say to Su Yunyu:
[Then take a gamble, betting that your spirit of sacrificing yourself for Long Aotian can move the Heavenly Dao.]
"..."
Well, he had no choice but to take a gamble. Judging from his current psychological warfare plan, Long Aotian probably wouldn't let him die.
So Xiao Shuying watched as Su Yunyu's face grew paler and paler, but the protective barrier around him remained in place.
His heart sank slightly, and he spoke:
"Master, this consumes too much spiritual energy. You should retreat quickly."
"No," Su Yunyu said coldly, determined to go all in.
"You can't withstand the cold, what will you do if I leave?"
"But……"
That's enough.
Despite Su Yunyu's strong refusal, Xiao Shuying had no choice but to silently climb the snow-capped mountain beneath his feet. Each step felt agonizing and heavy; he wanted to retract his control over the temperature, but…
But now that we've come this far, we'll soon be able to test whether Su Yunyu chooses to withdraw her spiritual energy to protect herself, or whether she chooses to continue using her spiritual energy to protect him.
No, we can't retreat now.
Both of them thought the same thing. Su Yunyu could feel that her meridians were getting more and more painful and her spiritual energy was getting thinner and thinner. Soon, she felt a sharp pain in her meridians.
His face turned pale instantly. The intense pain from overdrawing his spiritual energy was unbearable for most people. He bit his lower lip and began to prepare words to move Long Aotian.
While Xiao Shuying appeared to be walking with her eyes downcast, she was actually observing Su Yunyu discreetly from the corner of her eye. Seeing that he was already depleted of spiritual energy but was still overdrawing it, her heart felt heavier than the sea.
The choice he now faces is whether to continue this dragging on until Su Yunyu dies, or to withdraw the Spirit of the Three Realms so that Su Yunyu no longer has to suffer losses.
The former can solve the most difficult obstacle to control in his ninety-nine lifetimes in one fell swoop, and from then on there will be nothing to be ashamed of.
The latter, letting Su Yunyu go, believed that he genuinely posed no threat to him.
Just as Xiao Shuying was facing a dilemma, Su Yunyu finally finished writing the draft she had prepared and spoke in a hoarse voice:
“Shuying, my spiritual energy is already depleted. Once you reach the snow mountain and see the Crimson Flame Phoenix, you don’t need to worry about me.”
"Master!" Xiao Shuying's heart tightened. She couldn't understand why his words sounded like he was making his final arrangements. He could have easily resolved the situation by withdrawing his spiritual energy, so why did he still have to protect him...?
"Listen to me," Su Yunyu began to speak, deciding to take this opportunity to change his status as an enemy of the Heavenly Dao:
"Actually, I've always been very lucky to be your master. To me, you are the most special person..."
Her voice was weak and feeble, as if she were about to faint at any moment. Xiao Shuying bit her lower lip tightly and withdrew her control almost without hesitation.
The next second, the temperature rose several degrees, no longer so cold, to a level that even Xiao Shuying, in her Foundation Establishment stage, could tolerate.
As the temperature rose, the barrier was no longer needed. Xiao Shuying then quietly integrated the spirit of the Three Realms into the air and into Su Yunyu's body.
While doing all this, he also said to Su Yunyu:
"Master, you will be alright."
As Long Aotian finished speaking, Su Yunyu miraculously felt the temperature rise, she was no longer cold, the barrier was no longer needed, and even her withered meridians were soothed.
He was overjoyed and said to 111:
"Your method really worked! Divine doctor, I must have moved Heaven to treat me like a son!"
111, unusually, paused his cyber typing, speaking in a very humble tone: [You're too kind, we're practically a perfect match, invincible!]
With the weather no longer so harsh, the remaining third of the journey was over in the blink of an eye. After reaching the top of the mountain, Su Yunyu looked around, slightly out of breath.
However, no trace of extremely hot places was found.
He turned to look at Xiao Shuying and found her gaze deep and intense. However, when their eyes met, Xiao Shuying's gaze shifted, and she asked:
"Master, what should we do now?"
"Let's take a break first."
Regardless, the current environment wouldn't make a difference if she stopped to rest, so Su Yunyu found a spot with little snow and took out a long, wooden-like object from her spatial storage, then sat down.
Although he has cultivation and climbing a snow mountain is not difficult for him, deep down he is a lazy bum from the 21st century, and he was still exhausted after climbing this mountain.
Su Yunyu sat there to rest slowly, and Xiao Shuying sat down next to her. For some reason, Su Yunyu turned her gaze to his long black robe hanging down and his exposed, blood-red skin, and suddenly felt an urge to warm herself up...
Wait, hold on, what is he thinking?
He's a grown man, how can he lean on someone else!
but……
Su Yunyu looked at Xiao Shuying again, still feeling a little restless.
Just then, Xiao Shuying said:
"Master, stop trembling."
"..." Su Yunyu was stunned. She looked at herself and realized that she was indeed trembling slightly.
No wonder I'm so envious of Long Aotian; it turns out I'm just too cold-hearted.
So Su Yunyu pretended nothing was wrong and said:
"It'll be ready in a moment."
He was the number one person in the world, how could he be defeated by something as trivial as feeling cold? The very next second, as he pretended to be fine, his body suddenly fell into a warm embrace—
Strong arms encircled his waist, hands resting on his shoulders, their warmth sending a chill down his spine, accompanied by Long Aotian's whispered words so close to his ear:
"Master, is this any better?"
-----------------------
Author's note: Go take your supplements during the holiday! [Clown]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
