In a private room at the Pine Soul Soul Martial University Hospital.

"Ugh..." Lying in the hospital bed, Rong Taotao groggily opened his eyes. He stared at the white ceiling for a long moment before his vision finally came into focus.

Rong Taotao forced his eyes to blink. Looking up and to his right, he saw a bag of nutrient solution hanging from an IV stand. Following the tube down, he found a needle stuck in the back of his right hand.

’What happened?’

Rong Taotao was bewildered. ’Why am I on an IV?’

’What was I... doing before? Oh, right. Fighting...’

As he tried to think, a wave of dizziness washed over Rong Taotao. He now understood perfectly what it meant for one’s vision to go black. The feeling... was simply indescribable. It was just too awful.

Feeling utterly drained, Rong Taotao struggled to move his left hand, only then realizing that someone seemed to be holding it...

Rong Taotao slowly turned his head and saw a woman to his left.

She was sitting by the bed, resting her forehead on her left arm as she dozed, slumped over the edge of the mattress. Her outstretched right hand still held his.

’Sister-in-law?’

Rong Taotao shifted his hand slightly, trying to pull it from her grasp, but the small movement woke Yang Chunxi.

"You’re awake?" Yang Chunxi lifted her head, her face beaming with joy. The hand holding Rong Taotao’s trembled slightly, as if she were overwhelmed with emotion.

"Ow..." Rong Taotao couldn’t help but wince. ’Is this woman trying to crush my hand?’

Yang Chunxi loosened her grip, reaching out instead to cup the side of Rong Taotao’s face. "How are you? How does your body feel?"

Rong Taotao’s face scrunched up as he carefully took stock of himself. "So weak," he said. "I feel like I don’t have an ounce of strength."

"Mm-hm." A gentle smile graced Yang Chunxi’s lips, and her voice was soft. "You accidentally absorbed a Lotus petal. It’s a miracle you woke up at all. After all, your power level is too low to handle a Snow Realm Treasure of this caliber."

"A Snow Realm Treasure?" Rong Taotao blinked. A thought suddenly struck him, and he asked urgently, "What happened? Are we still at the university? Did we drive off the Snow Realm Soul Beasts?"

"Yes, we drove off the invaders," Yang Chunxi said softly. She slowly stood up, reached out again, and gently ruffled Rong Taotao’s naturally curly hair. Then she scooped up the Cloud Dog from above his pillow and placed it on his chest.

"Nnngh~" The Cloud Dog was tiny but very well-behaved and sensible. It seemed to know its master was gravely ill. The little creature, who normally loved to knead, no longer bounced around recklessly. Instead, it cautiously crawled forward a couple of steps.

"Nnngh~ Nnngh~" It nestled close to Rong Taotao’s face, its tiny, pink tongue licking his cheek.

"Hey, that tickles." Rong Taotao chuckled. Seeing his companion lifted his spirits considerably. He turned his head to look at Yang Chunxi. "Are the other students okay?"

Yang Chunxi’s expression became a little unnatural. "The students who escaped with you are all fine," she said.

Rong Taotao’s mind raced. "What about Xu Taiping?" he asked.

Hearing this, Yang Chunxi pursed her lips. "He’s gone."

"Gone!?"

"Yes, he’s missing. He probably left with his people. After that night, there’s been no word from him."

"I see..." Rong Taotao processed this news. After a long silence, he asked, "Why is Xu Taiping’s surname Xu? Does it have something to do with my mother?"

Yang Chunxi mulled it over for a moment before replying, "A little. Your mother found him and gave him to the Snow Realm Army. After much consideration, the Snow Realm Army decided to keep the young Ice Soul Guide and sent him to be raised in Songbai Town."

At this, Yang Chunxi sighed. "His name, Xu Taiping, represented a hope.

The Snow Realm Army truly hoped that Xu Taiping, having been raised in human society, could become a bridge between the human and Snow Realm armies. They hoped that the war-torn north could one day become Taiping Shengshi.

After all, Xu Taiping’s race is special, his status transcendent. He possesses both intelligence and a certain right to speak for his people.

But bringing peace to the Snow Realm is so incredibly difficult. The battle between the human and Snow Realm armies has been constant, raging from the moment the Snow Realm Vortex first appeared until this very day. This so-called hatred isn’t something that can be so easily resolved."

Rong Taotao nodded silently. He’d never imagined Xu Taiping had such a backstory.

Yang Chunxi continued, "In the end, he still left. He is, after all, a Snow Realm Soul Beast. It seems we can’t fathom his thoughts with our human way of thinking.

Even though he was raised in human society from a young age and received a human education, from the moment he learned he was one of the Ice Soul Guide clan, he seemed to deepen his sense of identity and belonging with his race every day. Speaking of which, I suppose I share some of the blame. That night, I killed one of his kin right in front of him.

But I don’t regret it. If I had to do it over again, I would still strike down that invader."

Rong Taotao knew why Yang Chunxi was telling him this. He was quiet for a moment before saying, "So Xu Taiping hates my mother. Or more accurately, he hates every single Snow Realm Army Warrior."

"Perhaps."

Rong Taotao pursed his lips. In his mind, it was hard to understand why humans would continue to raise Xu Taiping. Could he really become a bridge between the two sides one day? Could he really turn this northern Snow Realm, which felt as if it had fallen into an endless night, into Taiping Shengshi?