Chapter 412: The Legendary Snow Princess

As night gradually fell, Yun Che followed the man towards an outlying area south of Divine Phoenix City.

“Why… why are you helping me?” the man asked cautiously after a long silence. Like Yun Che, he had survived countless pursuits and brushes with death, and his sense of caution and spiritual perception were no less keen than Yun Che's. He could tell at a glance if someone harbored ill intentions or ulterior motives towards him. From Yun Che, he sensed no malice or hidden agenda.

“Just consider it the sudden awakening of my long-dormant healer’s heart,” Yun Che said. He sighed inwardly. A healer’s heart, dedicated to universal love and saving lives, had once been the entirety of his soul, the core of his master’s teachings. But ever since his master had been forced to their death, his healer’s heart had been replaced by endless hatred. After that, he had never used his medical skills to save anyone in the Azure Cloud Continent.

“Uh…” The answer left the man bewildered.

“You mentioned you once acquired half a Phoenix Blossom?” Yun Che asked casually.

“That’s right,” the man nodded. “The Phoenix Blossom naturally grows in very small quantities each year, and the Divine Phoenix Sect usually claims them immediately. So, some time ago, I had to infiltrate one of the Divine Phoenix Sect’s treasure halls. But there were many defensive profound formations, and as soon as I entered, I accidentally triggered one, forcing me to flee. Fortunately, I managed to snatch that half Phoenix Blossom before escaping. I suppose the reason I got it so easily was that the half-blossom had lost too much of its medicinal potency and had been carelessly left on top of a jade cabinet.”

Yun Che slowed his steps, surprised. “You… infiltrated the Divine Phoenix Sect?”

“Yes,” he said. Noticing the shock in Yun Che’s voice, the man patted his chest and nodded proudly. “In this world, apart from the Four Great Sacred Grounds and the Black Moon Merchant Guild, there’s nowhere I can’t infiltrate. Even though they discovered me… hehe, they couldn’t even lay a finger on me before I vanished.”

Yun Che was speechless.

The man had mentioned that one of his ancestors had once intruded upon the Sun Moon Divine Hall, which had greatly shocked Yun Che. And now, this person beside him… he could infiltrate the Divine Phoenix Sect and, after being discovered, escape completely unharmed…

Who… exactly was this man?

The man lowered his voice, looking vexed. “Originally, when I sneaked in, I also wanted to secretly catch a glimpse of the legendary Snow Princess, but she happened not to be there that day. I overheard people talking… it seemed she had gone to a place called Phoenix Abode Valley.”

“Snow Princess?” Yun Che turned his head slightly. “Is she a princess of the Divine Phoenix Sect?”

As soon as Yun Che finished speaking, he saw the man’s eyes widen. His gaze… was as if he were examining an alien from another world.

“Don’t… don’t tell me you don’t know about the Snow Princess?” the man said with wide eyes.

“Is this Snow Princess… very famous?” Yun Che countered.

Yun Che’s calm expression showed no hint of pretense. The man’s gaze swept up and down, re-examining Yun Che with an extremely strange look. It was a look… as if he wasn’t looking at a living person at all. “Damn! Are you serious? You really don’t know the Snow Princess? You… you really aren’t from the Divine Phoenix Empire! Ah, no! Even if you’re not from the Divine Phoenix Empire, even if you’re from some remote backwater village in another country, it’s impossible not to have heard the name Snow Princess!”

Yun Che was speechless.

Indeed, it was the first time Yun Che had heard the name Snow Princess.

“Then… have you heard of the name ‘Hua Minghai’?” the man asked, his eyes gleaming.

“Hua Minghai? Never heard of him. Is he very famous too?” Yun Che asked.

“Damn it!!” The man leaped up, roaring with bared teeth. “You… it’s one thing that you don’t know the Snow Princess, but you’ve never even heard of the great Hua Minghai! He’s the legendary ‘Ghost Shadow Holy Hand,’ one of the most incredible individuals… *cough cough*, in the entire Profound Sky Continent! That name should be known far and wide, not just among humans, but even to mud loaches in the dirt! How could anyone not have heard of it?!”

“Ghost Shadow Holy Hand? What a lame nickname,” Yun Che muttered, curling his lip.

The man’s facial muscles twitched, looking as if he wished he could rush up and fight Yun Che. “You… you wouldn’t happen to be a transmigrator from another world, would you?”

Yun Che turned his face and nodded seriously. “You could say that.”

“Damn!”

“You wouldn’t happen to be… that ‘Ghost Shadow Holy Hand,’ Hua Minghai, would you?” Yun Che re-examined him.

“That’s right, it’s me!” Hua Minghai thumped his chest. His eye twitched uncontrollably. Damn it… this was the first time he had openly, and at close range, declared his name to someone… and that person had actually never heard of him!

“Oh, I see,” Yun Che said calmly. “So, should I call you Little Hua, or Little Hai?”

“…Little Hai, I suppose,” Hua Minghai said, almost in tears. He was nearly thirty, yet this kid looked barely twenty.

“Tell me about this Snow Princess. Why is she so famous?” Yun Che asked with some curiosity.

“Ahem, don’t you want to hear about the glorious deeds of the Ghost Shadow Holy Hand first?”

“No.”

Hua Minghai took a deep breath, using all his willpower to calm himself. He said, “The Snow Princess is known as the treasure of the Divine Phoenix Empire, the darling of the Phoenix God, and a miracle bestowed upon Divine Phoenix by the heavens. Previously, she was only heard of, never seen. When the Snow Princess was thirteen, she appeared on the Divine Phoenix City tower for a certain ceremony. On that day, Divine Phoenix City, which hadn’t seen a speck of snow in ten thousand years, was blessed with a miraculous snowfall. When the Snow Princess appeared, the entire scene fell silent, and everyone who saw her was instantly mesmerized, as if beholding a fairy descended to the mortal realm… The very next day, she was proclaimed the most beautiful woman in the Profound Sky Continent, so peerless that no one before or after her could ever compare.”

“Thirteen? The most beautiful woman in the Profound Sky Continent?”

“That’s right. The Snow Princess was only thirteen back then. She should be sixteen now, and she must be even more astonishingly beautiful. Unfortunately, she hasn’t appeared in public since that one time three years ago, so no one knows how stunningly she has grown,” Hua Minghai said, a look of longing on his face.

“You saw her three years ago?” Yun Che asked.

“No, I only heard about it from others…”

Yun Che curled his lip. “Then how do you know she’s truly that beautiful? For a woman, thirteen years old… not only is she not mature, she hasn’t even fully developed. No matter how pretty, how beautiful could she really be?” At this point, Yun Che’s voice paused as he recalled Jasmine… When he first met Jasmine, she was also only thirteen, and the impact she had on Yun Che surpassed even that of Xia Qingyue…

But Jasmine was an anomaly who couldn’t be judged by the rules of this world, so how could that so-called “Snow Princess” possibly compare to her?

“As for the miraculous snowfall, that’s even more ridiculous. Divine Phoenix City is summer all year round; where would snow come from? I guess both the title of 'most beautiful woman' and the snowfall were just fabricated by the Divine Phoenix Sect to consolidate their prestige.”

“But everyone says so…”

“I only believe what I see with my own eyes; hearsay doesn’t count,” Yun Che said leisurely. “If we’re talking about the most beautiful woman in the world, I think only my wife deserves that title… anyone can declare themselves number one.”

“Hmph…” Hua Minghai snorted softly, then said, “I heard that the Snow Princess will also be present at this year’s Seven Nations Ranking Tournament. I definitely have to sneak in and see what she looks like then. Are you interested?”

“No interest.”

In a corner at the very edge of Divine Phoenix City, Hua Minghai’s steps halted before a small, nearly derelict house. He controlled his breathing, his spiritual perception swiftly sweeping the surroundings, then whispered, “This is the place… Come in with me.”

The door opened, and a strong scent of medicinal herbs wafted out. It was clearly a temporary dwelling, very simply furnished. On the small bed furthest inside, glittering purple crystals covered the surface, their light deep and ethereal. Upon the crystals lay a frail, emaciated woman. Hearing the door open, her body stirred, and she let out a weak, eager voice: “Husband… you… you’re back…”

The voice made Hua Minghai’s entire body tremble. He rushed inside, throwing himself at the bedside, and said excitedly, “Xiao Ya, you’re awake… I’m sorry, I wasn’t here when you woke up. You must have been worried again… How are you feeling now? Are you in much pain?”

Yun Che stepped in softly, standing behind Hua Minghai, and looked at the woman’s face… She was impossibly thin, her face utterly devoid of color. Her eyes were half-closed, and her gaze was hazy… With such a gaze, she could barely make out anything.

The most prominent feature on her face was her forehead… where a deep bluish-black mark was clearly visible.

Seeing the bluish-black mark, Yun Che’s brow furrowed slightly.

“It’s alright… I just woke up too… I feel… much better…” The woman tried to smile. Just then, her peripheral vision caught a blurry figure, and she softly asked, “Husband… do we… have a guest?”

Before Hua Minghai could speak, Yun Che said, “Hello… My name is Ling Yun, and I am Hua Minghai’s friend.”

“Friend…”

The two casual words from Yun Che made the woman’s eyes light up with an unusual sparkle. She asked excitedly, “You really… are Husband’s friend? Husband… is he really… your friend?”

Yun Che was slightly stunned, but Hua Minghai knew why she was so excited. He nodded emphatically. “Yes! Xiao Ya, he’s a friend I met outside… If he wasn’t a friend, how would he know my name, Hua Minghai?”

“Friend… Husband’s friend…” She smiled, her expression pale yet happy, and murmured softly, “Husband has a friend… Husband really… has a friend…”

“…” Yun Che exhaled silently and stepped forward. “I’m not just Little Hai’s friend; I’m also a healer. I came with Little Hai this time because I wanted to see if I could treat your illness and injuries… Little Hai, please move aside and let me examine her condition.”

Hearing this, Hua Minghai quickly moved aside, his eyes fixed on Yun Che. “Big Brother! Please, you must do everything you can to save Xiao Ya. If you can truly save her…”

In front of Xiao Ya, Hua Minghai couldn’t finish his sentence. Although he knew he was nearly ten years older than Yun Che, the title “Big Brother” came from his soul. If Yun Che could truly save her, he would gladly call him “Big Brother” for life, or even “Grandpa.” And just for Yun Che’s willingness to come here with him, he was already deeply grateful.

“I will do my best,” Yun Che said calmly. He then walked to the woman’s bedside, his gaze falling upon her forehead… The bluish-black mark between her brows indicated that the terrible cold poison in her body was about to invade her brain marrow.

The purple crystals beneath her were each priceless… because every single one was a pure Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal! Her body was severely depleted, and the main reason she had survived so many years under the terrible cold poison was these Purple Vein Heavenly Crystals covering half her body.

“My name is… Ru Xiao Ya. May I… call you Big Brother, like my husband does?” she suddenly asked in a weak voice as Yun Che watched her.

“…Mm,” Yun Che nodded in affirmation.

“Thank you… Big Brother…”

“Why thank me?” Yun Che asked.

“Thank you… for being Little Hai’s friend,” Ru Xiao Ya said with genuine gratitude. “These past years… to prolong my life… Husband abandoned his family’s principles of robbing the rich to aid the poor and living freely… he went around stealing vast amounts of spiritual herbs and Purple Vein Heavenly Crystals… Because of me… he had no friends… and couldn’t… have friends…”

“I don’t want to burden him like this anymore… but I’m also so afraid of dying… Because if I die… Husband will truly be all alone… Now… he finally… has a Big Brother… it’s… truly… good…”

Ru Xiao Ya’s voice grew weaker and weaker until she finally drifted into a deep sleep. Her body was too weak; speaking so much at once was a huge drain on her.