Chapter 208 Da Ge is here

The surrounding ice peaks were still covered in snow, but the glaciers at the foot of the mountains were beginning to thaw.

At this moment, it was just dawn, with a gentle breeze blowing and a small river flowing peacefully. The lush green grass and the trees covering the mountain were brimming with new life, marking the season when all living things in the Ice Spirit Kingdom awaken each year.

A white-as-lightning weasel darted through the bushes, its beady eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. It sniffed the air with its bright red nose, seemingly searching for its beloved mouse hole.

Suddenly, it stood up on its hind legs in alarm as a lightning-fast figure approached from afar, sweeping past like the wind.

The weasel had no time to react; the powerful gust of wind from the figure’s momentum made its fine fur stand on end, and its eyes squeezed shut in fear.

However, the figure had no intention of harming it and didn’t even seem to notice its presence.

She paused for a moment, standing there and looking around.

Karida's eyes reflected a sense of ease as she breathed in the fresh air of the newly thawed snow forest, gazing at the distant ridges.

With her keen eyesight, she could already faintly see the bustling activity on the mountain slopes. Under the pale sky, countless glowing soul crystal lamps illuminated the peak like a lighthouse at dawn, guiding people within dozens of miles. This was the capital of one of the top ten powerful duchies in the League of Blades—Ice Spirit City.

It had taken Karida quite some time to complete her tasks at the Holy Sanctuary, travel by sea from Aurora City to the Azure Duchy, and then switch to a motorcar to reach the Snow Border Town.

The ice had melted more than ten days ago, and the Snow Festival was a grand event in the Ice Spirit Kingdom. Every year, envoys and travelers from neighboring duchies would come to attend the ceremony. Karida arrived in the evening, originally planning to rest overnight in the Snow Border Town and then rent a mount to ride slowly the next morning. However, while resting and dining in the town, she heard something quite unusual.

The news had spread throughout the town: Princess Xue Zhiyu of the Ice Spirit Kingdom was going to become engaged to a prodigious young man from Aurora City named Wang Feng during the Snow Festival.

Engaged? Prince consort? A prodigy from Aurora City? Wang Feng!

Karida couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. No wonder the Snow Border Town seemed busier this year than in previous years. Although the engagement wasn’t a formal wedding and no official invitations were sent to the duchies, the number of people coming to watch the festivities was much higher than usual. Her correspondence from Xue Cangbai hadn’t mentioned any of this.

“This Wang Feng, he really can’t stay out of trouble anywhere. Does he have to stir up drama wherever he goes...”

Karida couldn’t sit still after hearing this. She even dispensed with a mount and set off on foot into the mountains that very night. Ordinary mounts were far slower than she could travel at full speed.

She had to arrive before the Ice and Snow Festival; how could she let that spy of the Nine Gods become the prince consort of one of the top ten duchies of the Blade organization? That would be a disaster.

"Finally made it!" Karida heaved a sigh of relief, then looked at the city nestled in the distant mountain ridge, feeling both amused and exasperated. She had rushed all night, but still hadn’t figured out how to stop the engagement. The news of the engagement had already spread like wildfire, and Snow Cangbai, for the sake of the Ice Spirit Kingdom’s reputation, would never cancel the engagement just because of her few words. And if Wang Feng’s identity was exposed, things would only get more complicated. "This troublemaker, always claiming he’s mine, yet hooking up with others at every turn. I need to make him understand the consequences of being two-timed!"

She took a brief rest, drank some water, and then leaped forward, her feet moving as swiftly as the wind, racing toward Ice Spirit City.

...

The sky had just begun to brighten, well before the official festivities, but Ice Spirit City was already bustling with activity.

In the early morning, the city nestled among the ethereal peaks buzzed with noise, like a busy market.

All the soul crystal lamps in the city were lit, and each tall lamp post was adorned with paper cutouts of ice and snow. The streets were lined with various ice sculptures and snowmen, some of which were dressed in thick clothes and holding colorful flags, looking absolutely beautiful.

Every household had their lights on, doors and windows open, and smoke rising from the chimneys as they prepared all sorts of pastries and delicacies for the Ice and Snow Festival.

Children in new clothes, carrying exquisite little ice lanterns, ran and played in groups on the streets. The sky was still dim, and a few children almost collided with an ice cart being transported. A guard shouted from the street, "Watch out! Don’t bump into the ice cart! You brats, what are you running around for so early in the morning? If I catch you, I’ll beat your bottoms!"

The mischievous children scattered quickly, shouting back as they ran, "Pah! Old Bulato, you think you can beat my bottom? I’ll go beat your son later! Make him call me dad!"

Old Bulato cursed, and the other guards laughed, "We’ll deal with that kid later. Hurry up, hurry up, it’s getting late!"

The ice cart was bound for the palace. It was carved from pure ice, over three meters tall, and its large wheels creaked as they rolled along the ground. When the Ice and Snow Festival officially began, the king would lead the two princesses and the queen on this ice cart, parading from the palace to the central square, where the final ceremony would take place under the ancient bell tower.

The streets were already filled with people in high spirits, many of whom were tourists who had come specifically to see the Ice and Snow Festival. They had set up chairs and benches along the sides of the streets, securing their spots to watch the parade, chatting excitedly as they waited for the grand ceremony to begin.

The ice cart entered the palace, where the halls were brightly lit. Servants and guards hurried about, their voices mingling in a constant chatter: "Send it to the Cold Harmony Hall! The princess is waiting for it!"

"His Majesty has moved to the Central Palace and has summoned the Chief Guard and the Minister of Rites for an audience!"

"The court lecturer Abuda Jiebie is present!"

"By His Majesty's command, the Imperial Sorcerer Oscar is invited to the hall!"

"That is Prince Wang Feng’s ceremonial robe, Prince Wang Feng’s! The Prince is in the Nebula Hall! Hurry up, run faster, don’t deliver it to the wrong place! The Prince still has several dozen sets of robes to try on, and if you delay his good time, how many heads do you have to lose!"

The palace was in a chaotic uproar, starting from the middle of last night. The annual Ice and Snow Festival was already busy enough, but with the Prince’s engagement, things were far from ordinary.

Old Wang was dragged into the palace last night, supposedly to rest, but he was woken up by someone just past one in the morning. He was surrounded by women—dozens of them, constantly dressing and undressing him, then dressing and undressing him again. Xuecai stood nearby, eagerly supervising the endless changes, keeping Old Wang occupied all night.

He had never been woken up at one in the morning before in his life. Old Wang’s temper flared, almost leading him to a tirade, but the maids surrounding him were all exceptionally beautiful, well above average, and they served him with utmost care, gently and cheerfully. Their laughter, like silver bells… Well, you don’t hit a smiling face, right…

Old Wang decided to endure it, but the soft, delicate hands of the maids, caressing him as they dressed him, made him feel ticklish and uncomfortable.

It was a bit of a loss!

Especially those tender, affectionate gazes from the maids made Old Wang feel like he was being taken advantage of, but to be honest, being pampered wasn’t so bad after all…

"Xuecai, I think that’s enough." Old Wang was forced to change into another set. The ceremonial robes of Bingling were very complicated, colorful, and completely different from their usual preference for simple white. Wearing these robes made him feel like a peacock, which was quite frustrating. He considered himself quite capable of enduring, but compared to these women, he was still far behind: "We’ve changed twenty sets already, I think the previous one was fine!"

"Shut up! You don’t get a say!" Xuecai was admiring him, her eyes sparkling.

The misunderstanding in the cold winter, the respect from the elders, the sea creatures in front of the palace, and even her father’s change of heart, not to mention the slightly shy expression her sister showed when mentioning Wang Feng—humph, don’t think she can’t see through it!

Xuecai now truly regarded Old Wang as her future brother-in-law.

Beside her were two older maids, also commenting on Wang Feng’s attire. After several more changes, Xuecai finally found a combination she was satisfied with: "Mm-hmm, this one is good, let’s go with this one!"

Old Wang took one look at his peacock-like outfit and felt his head spin: "Xuecai, I think this is a bit too flashy..."

"I don't care what you think; I care what I think!" Xuecai said smugly. "An engagement is a big deal, and your taste just isn't up to par!"

"Alright, alright..." Among the young people, including Aota and the others, only this little girl knew that Xue Zhiyu and he were planning to slip away. Seeing the little girl's joyful expression, Old Wang couldn't help but feel a bit reluctant... She was such a cute girl, and a princess at that. It would be a waste to just leave her behind: "Did you see Aota and the others this morning?"

"Wild monkeys? I caught a glimpse of them when I came over earlier, looking all sneaky with Badeluo and the rest!" Xuecai rolled her eyes at Old Wang and then whispered in his ear: "Hey, hey, hey, Wang Feng, look at you now, playing pretend and ending up marrying my sister, a beautiful princess like her. Isn't it all thanks to me, your little matchmaker? How do you plan to reward me? Last time you said you'd teach me that 'Yoyo Dafa' when you had the chance. What kind of secret technique is it that can even control the elders? I'm telling you, a gentleman's word is as good as his bond. You promised to teach me, so no backing out!"

"Coo, coo..."

There was a soft bird call from the roof. Old Wang understood immediately and patted Xuecai's head affectionately: "It's called 'Huyou Dafa'! You even got the name wrong... Don't worry, I've already written down this divine skill. I'll give it to you after the wedding, Xuecai. You have a natural talent for practicing this skill, so keep it up!"