Chapter 196 Ice Bee Nest

"We can't hold on any longer." Xue Zhiyu paused, then slowly looked into Wang Feng's eyes and said, "I have to leave here."

Surprisingly, Xue Zhiyu saw no shock in Wang Feng's eyes; instead, he smiled. "I guessed you'd make this move! Telling me makes it easier to coordinate. When do you plan to leave?"

Xue Zhiyu laughed. She had been hesitating about whether Wang Feng was trustworthy enough to share such crucial information, but the reality proved that there was no need to hide anything from someone so intelligent.

"Father will surely keep a close watch on me during this time. The only chance is on the day of the engagement," she said, feeling a sense of relief as she laid everything out. "I plan to leave then. Tatashi, Tassia, and Jina will be going with me. I've been planning this for a long time, but now I have to move it up."

"The Snow Festival is only a little over half a month away. Time is short, but I should be able to help you stall until then," Old Wang said with a smile. "I'll be leaving then too."

Xue Zhiyu gave a wry smile. "Leaving at the same time, aren't you afraid of being accused of abducting a princess? If that happens, even if you return to Aurora City, my Ice Spirit warriors will hunt you down."

"Your Highness, one must be fair..." Old Wang hadn't considered this and looked genuinely innocent. "Before you leave, you should at least write a letter to your father explaining the situation. Otherwise, if you randomly pin such a big label on me, how am I supposed to live? Helping you ends up getting me into trouble—there's no way I'd do that!"

Xue Zhiyu giggled, stopping after a while. "Don't worry, I'll leave a letter for Father explaining everything."

"Grandfather's decision to set our engagement has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that there will definitely be an opportunity to leave on the day of the engagement, but the disadvantage is how to delay until then." She paused, her expression turning serious. "It won't be easy. Father is unlikely to approve of this marriage. During this time, he will probably test you in every way possible. If what you do doesn't satisfy everyone, the engagement will be canceled, and I will be watched even more closely. Then, it will be even harder to leave."

"Don't worry, don't worry," Old Wang chuckled. "I'm a real Oscar when it comes to acting, you know, very good at it."

"I hope so." Xue Zhiyu smiled slightly. "Then let's have a pleasant cooperation."

"These are all minor things," Old Wang rubbed his hands and said with a grin. "Did the elder give you anything?"

"Anything? What kind of thing?"

"Like some token or an oil lamp..."

"An oil lamp?" Xue Zhiyu looked utterly puzzled.

Seeing her expression, Old Wang knew the result. He was a bit disappointed, but it was expected. Oscar was absolutely cunning; why would he release the hawk without seeing the rabbit? He shouldn't have thought too much about it...

But then Xue Zhiyu added, "Now that you mention the oil lamp, I do remember something."

She smiled and continued, "Grandfather's ice cave has an old oil lamp. He used to joke that he had no other valuables, just that one oil lamp that always accompanied him. He said he would give it to me as a wedding gift when I got engaged."

"That thing may be old, but it's an antique!" Old Wang slapped his thigh. "To be honest, I don't have many hobbies, but I love collecting old items and feeling the weight of the years they carry! When I went to the elder's cave before, I fell in love with that oil lamp at first sight!"

Xue Zhiyu laughed and said, "You want it?"

"Cough, cough, can't help it, can't help it..." Old Wang said with a grin. "Your Highness, look at the great favor I've done you this time. Even if there's no credit, there's still effort. If the elders really give you that oil lamp during the engagement, could you lend it to me? No other reason, just a personal hobby! You see, you're going to run away anyway, and carrying an oil lamp around is inconvenient. It's a keepsake from the elders, and if you lose it, wouldn't that be sad? Anyway, I'm right here in Aurora City. You could lend it to me for a while to satisfy my longing for antiques. When you're done running, send someone to Aurora City to retrieve it, or just send a letter, and I'll return it to you in perfect condition, how about that?"

"Return it in perfect condition?" Xue Zhiyu was taken aback.

"Cough, cough, it means returning it to you undamaged."

"You always say things that are hard to understand. Actually, giving it to you is fine. You've helped me so much; am I, a princess of Ice Spirit, a petty person?" Xue Zhiyu wrinkled her nose and gave Wang Feng a slightly angry glance.

"Princess, generous!" Old Wang gave a thumbs up. Dealing with wealthy people is always pleasant.

......

The world was blanketed in white snow, with steep mountains all around.

This was the side peak of Ice Spirit City, also the forbidden area of the Winter Chill Clan, facing the precipice of the Cloud Stepping Tower. Through the thick layer of mist in the mountain gorge, only the vague outline of the opposite cliff could be seen.

The sky was clear and snowless, a rare sunny day. A few members of the Winter Chill Clan were riding snow wolves, chatting and laughing as they patrolled the area.

Whoosh~~

It seemed as if a gust of snow-laden wind had blown by, and one of them widened his eyes: "Something just came up from the edge of the cliff..."

"Nonsense." Someone leaned over to peer down the adjacent cliff, only to see that within sight, the snow-covered wall was pristine and smooth, devoid of any trace. He laughed and scolded, "Are you seeing things? This ice wall is at least a few hundred meters high and slippery as can be. Who could possibly climb up here?"

"Maybe it was a snow cat or some small animal," another person said with a smile. "Don't make a fuss. Speaking of which, guarding the restricted area is probably the easiest job in the clan. Not just for our generation, but I heard from the captain that even a hundred years ago, no patrol team has ever encountered anything here. Getting this assignment is like retiring early."

"You're still happy about it? Because it's too easy, I heard the clan is planning to cut the personnel for our restricted area patrols. They say someone in the clan claims we just eat without doing any work, a complete waste of food."

"Let's see what the higher-ups decide. If they really do cut back, there's nothing we can do. Speaking of which, we've been patrolling here for several years now. What exactly is in this restricted area? The captain never allows us to get within half a step of it..."

"Don't be curious. I heard from the elders that the restricted area houses a devil. Whoever goes in never comes out!"

"Scary... Is that true?"

The voices of the team members gradually faded away, and on the snow-covered wall, which was as smooth as a mirror, two white 'snow shadows' trembled slightly, revealing the silhouettes of a man and a woman. Their hands and feet were firmly adhered to the smooth ice surface, and they moved upward with a slight leap.

*Whoosh...*

Both climbed up the ice wall simultaneously, ascending seven or eight meters in just a dozen movements. In no time, they had crossed the entire mountain wall, leaping up from the cliff's edge and landing gracefully.

Hong He, Fu Liye.

Hong He's chest rose and fell slightly. The forbidden area of the harsh winter was not easy to breach. It was impossible to enter from the front, and even for someone of her ghost-level expertise, climbing this thousand-meter-high cliff of ice was no small feat.

Beside her, Fu Liye appeared much more composed, not even taking a deep breath, as if the climb up the thousand-meter cliff had been nothing more than a few ordinary steps for him.

His gaze swept around and quickly settled on a peculiar deep cave at the mountaintop. The cave was about three to four meters square, with its entrance facing downward. Black fragments littered the walls, and wisps of icy cold air emanated from the cave, like a miniature 'volcano.'

"Those fragments are likely slag from cold iron ore," Fu Liye smiled slightly. "Heh, the Cold Iron Cave, Ice Bee Hive, it's here."

"The Ice Bee Hive, which once wreaked havoc in Ice Spirit Kingdom, was sealed by the Supreme Saint when he passed through this place. Over the years, one can only imagine how many there must be." A hint of fervor flickered in Hong He's eyes.

The Ice Bees, a forbidden existence in the *Nine Heavens Beast Codex*, survive by consuming cold iron.

Individually, Ice Bees are not particularly powerful; an average Ice Bee is merely wolf-level, and even the queen is only at the peak of the wolf level. However, their true terror lies in their numbers, often reaching into the billions! These creatures usually remain within their territory, but if any living being dares to invade or threatens the queen, they will attack en masse without hesitation, devouring everything in sight, leaving nothing but barren land in their wake. The terrifying swarm of Ice Bees would overwhelm any enemy, something humans cannot withstand.

"We spent a long time studying their habits. The queen has a fixed egg-laying period each year, coinciding with the Snow Festival in Ice Spirit Kingdom. To better incubate the eggs, she lays them outside the hive. This is the only time the Ice Bees leave their cave each year. Not only the queen, but countless Ice Bees come out to pay homage, creating a spectacle similar to an aurora on the mountaintop. If we can steal the queen during this time, we can lure all the Ice Bees into Ice Spirit City."

"So, what do we do now? Do you have a way to break the seal?" Hong He asked with interest.

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