In her current state, Su Rushi looked as though she were trapped in an ice cellar. Even the bright red, warm quilt covering her couldn’t offer the slightest bit of warmth.

Tu Xiao’an felt an inexplicable pang of pity. It was truly hard on this young, beautiful girl to endure such a merciless torment every night.

Life was hard. She seemed to be just getting by, treating each day she lived as a victory. With her constitution, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if she were to one day pass away silently in the freezing cold.

She was lucky to come from a good family, with the respected vice-chancellor of the Ancient Academy for a grandfather. If an ordinary person were born with this one-in-ten-thousand constitution, they would have died long ago. Reaching adulthood would be a fantasy; even surviving to the age of ten would be considered a miracle.

According to the old vice-chancellor, her condition was nearly incurable. The only way was for a Rank Four Divine Spirit to intervene and completely transform her body, a true rebirth.

Of course, that was an impossibility and could be disregarded.

The second method was to use a Spirit Fruit. The very reason Su Rushi had been sent to the White Demon King was because he possessed a Centennial Ice Divine Fruit that could suppress her condition.

It was a case of fighting poison with poison—or in this case, fighting ice with ice.

Tu Xiao’an recalled reading novels that featured a so-called Nine Yin Body. Those born in a yin year, month, and hour possessed a Supreme Yin Body, making them so cold that ordinary people couldn’t get close. To survive, they needed to unite with someone who had a Supreme Yang Body.

As for her Taiyin Cold Body, there didn’t seem to be a similar solution. It couldn’t simply be countered with a Supreme Yang Object.

In her sleep, Su Rushi’s delicate body shivered uncontrollably. She curled into a ball beneath the quilt, looking like a wounded hedgehog.

"Grandpa... Grandpa..."

Su Rushi mumbled in her sleep, her lovely brows knitted together.

"Grandpa... Grandpa, Shi’Er misses you so much..."

It seemed she was dreaming of her grandfather in her cold, fitful sleep.

Tu Xiao’an realized the temperature in the room had plummeted to fifty degrees below zero. It was bone-chillingly cold. If someone threw a basin of water, it would likely freeze solid in mid-air before it even hit the floor.

He suddenly understood why Su Rushi hadn’t kept a pet for company. In her state, any animal that stayed with her would be an ice sculpture by morning.

She was destined to be alone. Even Cultivated Creatures at the level of a Spirit Monster couldn’t withstand it.

Only an anomaly like Tu Xiao’an wouldn’t fear the cold, for he wielded the Ice Frost Power.

Thinking of his Ice Frost Power, Tu Xiao’an felt an impulse. An idea sparked in his mind. As if guided by some unseen force, he slithered onto Su Rushi’s frost-covered body. Instantly, the cold Qi emanating from her seemed to find a vent, surging toward the small, exquisite snake.

The Ice Frost Power within Tu Xiao’an’s body instantly awakened. It surged and boiled like an excited child presented with a feast, and it began to devour the energy with wild abandon.

’Huh...’

’My Ice Frost Qi is active? It can really do this?’

After all, Tu Xiao’an was severely injured. Not only had his cultivation path stalled and his system gone dormant, but even the four Elemental Attributes within his body had become completely unresponsive.

But now, his Frost Element sensed the Yin Power radiating from Su Rushi and abruptly awakened. It began to frantically absorb the cold Qi emanating from her body.

It was as if this cold Qi was a supreme nutrient that would allow his Frost Element to grow and strengthen.

Tu Xiao’an was ecstatic. This feeling was just like when he had fought against Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire, absorbing their Energy to vastly increase the power of his Attributes.

He made the connection, but he wasn’t certain, since he hadn’t been able to use his Elemental Power at all.

But now, his Ice Frost Power was active.

’So my Frost Element really can absorb the cold Qi from Su Rushi’s body! This is fantastic!’

If so, this was a case of killing two birds with one stone. It was a huge benefit to both him and Su Rushi.

After a few minutes, the frost on Su Rushi’s body slowly vanished, like ice melting in the spring warmth. A hint of a healthy blush returned to her beautiful sleeping face. Her body was no longer shivering, and her sleep was visibly more peaceful.

However, Tu Xiao’an noticed that her body was no longer emitting that extremely Cold Yin Qi. ’Has my Ice Frost Power cured her?’

’No, it can’t be that simple.’

’If the legendary Taiyin Cold Body were this easy to handle, would it require the intervention of a Rank Four Divine Spirit?’

’It’s likely that the Cold Yin Qi in her body had become excessive and needed a release, and my Ice Frost Power just happened to absorb it.’

Absorbing the excess cold Qi from Su Rushi’s body had allowed her to return to normal, but this was only a temporary fix for the night.

But a sharp glint flashed in Tu Xiao’an’s Snake Gaze. ’If Su Rushi emits this cold Qi every night, and I keep absorbing it, the capacity and might of my Ice Frost Power will increase dramatically.’

In other words, the Power of his Frost Element would advance by leaps and bounds.

’Haha, this girl is my lucky star!’

’This one-in-a-million constitution is practically tailor-made for my Ice Frost Qi.’

’A perfect match between snake and human.’

With Tu Xiao’an around, even without taking the White Demon King’s Centennial Ice Divine Fruit, Su Rushi was in no danger of dying for the foreseeable future.

Whenever the Cold Yin Qi in her body became excessive, Tu Xiao’an’s Ice Frost Power would absorb it, allowing her to return to normal.

The next day, Su Rushi awoke feeling energetic and refreshed. Her face was rosy and radiant, and she looked like a flower in bloom, showcasing her unique beauty.

She smiled at the little snake and said, "Xiaoleng, I feel so safe sleeping with you. I’ve never slept so peacefully in my life."

With a giggle, she planted a kiss right on Tu Xiao’an’s snake mouth, leaving him feeling rather awkward.

Caught completely off guard, his first kiss was stolen just like that.

This girl had no defenses whatsoever against the snake she’d found. She was practically offering herself up on a silver platter.

This continued for four or five days. By day, Tu Xiao’an ate Su Rushi’s Spirit Fruits to heal his injuries. By night, he absorbed the excess Cold Yin Qi that emanated from her, causing the Power of his Ice Frost Power to increase immensely.

His injuries also healed rapidly. After seven days, he found that he was beginning to molt normally again.

The only problem was that the molting process was painfully slow.

If Tu Xiao’an’s tail still had a hundred Snake Scales left to shed, he was only losing one or two per day.

Of course, as his injuries continued to heal, the rate of molting would also increase.

It was a good start.

At the very least, he now had the ability to protect himself. His Ice Frost Power could be fully unleashed, and its might was extraordinary. He was confident he could freeze even a Demon Spirit-level being into an ice sculpture that would last ten thousand years.

However, because of his injuries and incomplete molting, his other three Elements remained dormant.

If Su Rushi’s constitution hadn’t activated his Ice Frost Power, Tu Xiao’an probably would have had to wait until his injuries were fully healed and his cultivation path advanced before he could use his Elemental Abilities again.

This was a completely unexpected blessing.

........

It was a new day. The sky above the Purple Bamboo Forest was filled with the morning glow. Stalk after stalk of purple bamboo stood tall and straight, as if holding up the heavens, and from time to time, they would emit a strange, rhythmic hum.

Inside Rushi Pavilion!

Su Rushi woke early and sat on the edge of her bed, looking radiant. For the past several days, she had woken up feeling wonderful—better than she ever had before. Her stunning face seemed to glow, making her appear even more beautiful.

She just hadn’t noticed it herself.

At the moment, however, she was feeling rather frustrated. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the exquisite little snake on the bed, and she couldn’t help but sigh. This snake she’d brought back truly knew how to eat and sleep.

First, there was its appetite. She originally had a large number of Spirit Fruits, all gifts from Brother Bai. She couldn’t eat that many on her own, so she had slowly accumulated a stash of over a hundred.

But ever since she brought this snake home, it had devoured every last one in just a few days.

A snake that ate only fruit instead of meat... Su Rushi was feeling the pressure. She felt like she could no longer afford to keep it.

Then there was its sleeping habit. She had woken up early, but the snake hadn’t stirred at all. Now, with the sun high in the sky, it was still lost in dreamland, sleeping so soundly that even a thunderclap wouldn’t wake it.

"Xiaoleng, when are you going to wake up? It’s so sunny outside, and I wanted you to come with me for a walk in the Purple Bamboo Forest."

"From the looks of it, you’re probably planning to sleep until next spring."

Su Rushi sighed, a worried look on her face. But her face was so beautiful that any expression she made was utterly captivating.

"Xiaoleng, I’m begging you, please wake up, okay?" Su Rushi gently shook the snake’s body, but it remained completely still.

Suddenly, Su Rushi froze. She noticed that Xiaoleng’s entire body had begun to glow. A small piece of old skin from its tail had actually come off when she shook it.

"Xiaoleng, are you molting?"

Su Rushi was already used to the snake’s radiant glow, but seeing the shed skin still surprised her.

Before, no matter how hard she had pulled or tugged, she couldn’t tear off any of the old skin.

How could she not be astonished that a piece had just fallen off?

A question surfaced in her mind. ’Does my Xiaoleng molt differently from other snakes?’

’Does it molt in its sleep?’

"Alright, Xiaoleng. You keep sleeping and keep molting. I won’t disturb you."

Su Rushi felt that the snake she’d found was different from other snakes in every possible way.

’Or am I just being ignorant?’

With nothing else to do, Su Rushi sat down at her vanity and began to comb her long, black hair while looking into a bronze mirror.

The reflection in the bronze mirror was as pretty as a picture. Her skin was as white as snow, her eyes sparkled like stars, and her elegant nose perfectly accentuated her flawless, oval face. She had cherry-red lips, a pair of enchanting dimples, a graceful figure, and a delicate, otherworldly beauty.

She touched her own face, which was rosy like the dawn. She couldn’t help but murmur to herself in confusion, "It seems my condition hasn’t acted up recently, has it?"

In the past, she would wake up every morning covered in a layer of Frost, her body completely devoid of warmth, like a corpse that had been dead for a long time.

Her daily routine was to get up and soak in a hot bath just to bring some warmth back into her body and feel like a living person again.

But ever since she started sleeping with the snake she’d found, she had slept soundly and peacefully every night. She could even feel a hint of warmth from under the covers, and she woke up feeling better and more refreshed with each passing day.

Su Rushi glanced over at the exquisite little snake sleeping soundly on the bed, and a smile graced her lips. She realized she was becoming inseparable from it.