Chapter 211 Smoke in Wolf Terrace

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Old Wang never would have dreamed that the person waiting for him outside the palace walls would be Karida.

Karida was truly at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

During the Ice Festival, she had already arrived in Ice Spirit City and witnessed the entire ceremony. She followed all the way to the palace and saw the scene where Wang Feng and Xue Zhiyu became engaged.

She had been looking for an opportunity to get close to Wang Feng, but unfortunately, from the ceremony to the end of the engagement, this guy was always surrounded by people, leaving her no chance to approach him alone. She had considered stepping forward to forcibly stop it, but both during the ceremony and later in the grand hall of the palace, everything was meticulously arranged by Snow Cypress, with perfect decorum. It was a done deal, and honestly, jumping out to stop it would have been futile and only added to the awkwardness.

Fortunately, it was just an engagement, not a marriage, so there was still room for redemption. She could only wait and see how things unfolded.

She thought she would have to wait until after the banquet to find an opportunity to meet Wang Feng, but unexpectedly, things took a turn. This guy actually started consorting with three young people from the Winter Chill Clan, planning an escape. Karida followed them, and Wang Feng's attempts to hide were nothing compared to her skills. Seeing him about to climb over the wall, Karida jumped down first and caught him at the foot of the city wall.

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, especially one she had been thinking about day and night, was a heartwarming moment.

Old Wang was so excited that he didn't even wait for Karida to set him down. He immediately threw his arms around her neck, pressing his face and chest tightly against hers like a child who hadn't been weaned yet: "Oh my God, Sister Karida, how did you get here? I've missed you so much!"

So fragrant, so soft, so comforting!

This position...

Karida had prepared to give him a stern lecture and a thorough questioning upon meeting, but she was taken aback when he happily muttered something like, "Dear Sister Karida, I'm back to find you." She was momentarily moved and instinctively teased him, but this kid immediately took advantage of the situation.

"Let go!" Karida was a bit embarrassed; this guy was clinging too tightly, his face buried in her chest. If it weren't for the genuine emotion she sensed in that moment, she might have suspected he was deliberately taking liberties.

"Cough, cough..." Old Wang had long realized the situation, but he wasn't about to let go of such a pleasant embrace. After all, if it was free, why not take it: "Sister Karida, I'm afraid I'll fall. You let go first..."

Only then did Karida remember that she was the one holding him, and she couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated.

With a thud, Old Wang was thrown to the ground, rubbing his sore bottom while grinning contentedly as he got up: "Sister Karida, why did you come here? Did you miss me too?"

"... I just happened to be passing by." Karida, being Karida, quickly regained her composure and teased him with a smile, "And you, where do you plan to go?"

"There's no need to ask!" Old Wang was suddenly full of confidence. He had shouted "dear Brother Da" in a moment of madness while climbing the wall, and Brother Da must have heard it! What was this? This was called divine intervention: "I went through countless hardships to sneak out. Why? Of course, it’s to return to Rose to find you, Brother Da! These days, trapped in Ice Spirit, I couldn’t think about tea or food..."

It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to her like that, and Karida found it somewhat nostalgic. She felt amused inside but wore a playful expression on her face, "Aren't you going to be a prince consort anymore?"

"I offer my heart to the bright moon, yet the moon shines upon the gutter!" Old Wang said with a sigh, "I’ve always said, Wang Feng is yours, Brother Da, in life and in death. These days, my body is in Ice Spirit, but my heart is in Rose. In front of others, I’m a prince consort, but behind closed doors, I feel empty. I can’t stop thinking about you, Brother Da, but you actually…"

Karida found his words both amusing and irritating. This guy really had become arrogant after a few days as a prince consort, daring to tease her now. She was curious to hear what else he could come up with, but then the scene suddenly changed as Wang Feng abruptly pulled her hand.

Old Wang was also feeling a bit high. Her hand was so soft… he wanted to hold it forever.

He said earnestly, "Alright, alright, Brother Da, we can talk about this later. Let’s go quickly; I’m in the middle of an escape. If we’re discovered, it’ll be a big problem!"

After spending several days wandering around Ice Spirit City, Old Wang had become quite familiar with its complex streets. He led Karida through several alleys, running at a brisk pace.

At this moment, Ice Spirit City was in the midst of a post-drinking spree celebration. People were singing and dancing on the streets, and no one recognized Old Wang in his civilian clothes or Karida with her face covered by a cloak.

However, their hand-holding did attract some hearty laughter and blessings. Some people even gave them a few bouquets of flowers. An uncle laughed loudly and blessed them, "Young couple, may you be happy together!"

Old Wang responded happily, but Karida pinched his hand hard, unable to shake him off. The pain made Old Wang grimace, but he secretly enjoyed it.

It took them quite a while to reach the outskirts of the city. The city gate was wide open, with a constant stream of people coming and going, and the guards at the entrance were quite lax. They slipped out of the city without any trouble.

The Snow Wolf King was waiting on a hillside seven miles away, on a small path, the same spot where Aota and the others had waited for Wang Feng before taking him to Frostwinter Ice Valley.

From a distance, they could see the Snow Wolf King lying there, its long and powerful body covered in snow-white fur. Upon seeing Wang Feng and Karida approach, the Snow Wolf King, which was over two meters tall and looked incredibly majestic, stood up energetically. Two large bundles hung from its back, heavy but seemingly insignificant to the Snow Wolf King, not hindering its movements at all.

Karida let out a light praise, having seen many snow wolves in Ice Spirit Kingdom, but such a tall and magnificent one was rare: "What a fine snow wolf, it must be the wolf king!"

"Karida, come on, I'll take you!" Old Wang said enthusiastically, but he shot a fierce glare at the Snow Wolf King behind his back.

After all, as an expert in Soul Beasts... with just one look, the Snow Wolf King understood and growled lowly, standing firm against Old Wang, refusing to let Wang Feng climb onto its back.

"Hey! You little beast, you’re really getting out of hand. Now I’m your master, and you won’t even let me ride you..." Old Wang muttered, looking helpless.

"This should be the Alpha of the Winter Wolf pack, the so-called Snow Wolf King. Your little friend from the Winter Woods is truly good to you," Karida said with interest, smiling. "The Snow Wolf King is naturally proud and will only submit to the strong. Even if its master gives it to you, it’s normal for it not to listen to you at first."

She walked over excitedly and gently stroked the Snow Wolf King’s forehead. A powerful soul force erupted from Karida, and the Snow Wolf King, which had been playing along with Old Wang, was startled. It glanced at Old Wang’s face and then obediently knelt down.

Karida grabbed a tuft of white fur on its back and nimbly leaped onto it.

"Wow, idol!" Old Wang looked at her in awe, praising her endlessly. "What’s difficult for me is just a piece of cake for you, Karida. I’m really impressed!"

"Cut the flattery." Karida gave him a half-smile, lightly pressing the Snow Wolf King’s back. "Get up here!"

"Sure thing!"

That’s what he was waiting for. Old Wang clumsily climbed up and sat ‘carefully’ behind Karida.

"Go!" Karida squeezed her legs slightly, and the Snow Wolf King sprang up.

"Whoa!" Old Wang flailed his arms, pretending to lose balance, and clung tightly to Karida.

Damn! This waist, this scent... it was worth all the acting with the Snow Wolf King... What’s so fun about showing off in front? Is it more fun than Karida’s waist?

"..." Karida was speechless. If she hadn’t come, this coward would probably have been eaten by the Snow Wolf King. "Do you really need to hold on so tight?"

"Karida, no, I’m scared!" Old Wang pressed himself tightly against her back. In fact, he wanted to move his hands a bit higher, but considering the possibility of being killed by Karida... forget it, there’s always tomorrow: "You don’t know me? I’ve always been a coward! It’s an instinctive reaction. Besides, how fast does this Snow Wolf King run? If I fall off and get hurt, I won’t be able to serve you wholeheartedly anymore!"

"Don’t try to weasel out of it," Karida said with a smile. "You can’t think that your escape will just be let go, right? Once we’re back in Rose, there’s a lot I’ll have to settle with you! Not to mention the meditation room worth a million, you’ll have to be prepared to sell yourself."

"Brother Karida, look at what you’re saying," Old Wang held on tightly, his face full of contentment. "I’m already yours, why would I need to sell myself? There’s no need at all, if you want me, just take me away!"

A spotless young gentleman, an honest and reliable handsome youth!

That would be me.

……

At the back gate of the Ice Spirit Palace, Xue Zhiyu was waiting somewhat nervously, with Tassia and her brother by her side.

Soon, they saw Jina flying over from a distance. She shook her head at Xue Zhiyu: "He’s not at the Nebula Hall."

She handed over the soul crystal card in her hand and said, "It was the three Aota brothers who helped him leave earlier. They’ve been getting along well these past few days, so perhaps Aota has been helping him."

"Where are the Aota brothers now?"

Jina smiled. "They’re drinking merrily in the main hall, constantly toasting the king and pulling the queen into conversations with His Majesty. They must be trying to buy time for Wang Feng, which is quite helpful for us."

Xue Zhiyu felt a slight disappointment in her heart. Although she had known that Wang Feng would leave alone, she had hoped he would at least say goodbye to her.

"Princess, we should hurry!" Jina urged. "The Aota brothers can’t stall for long. The king seems to be in high spirits today, so he might not get drunk easily. If he asks about you later…"

Xue Zhiyu nodded, thinking of the long-awaited wandering life ahead and pushing aside the small sense of disappointment in her heart. "Let’s go, first to—"

Woo~~~~

Before Xue Zhiyu could finish her sentence, a heavy and loud alarm sounded in the distance.

All four of them were taken aback, looking up toward the direction of the alarm. They saw thick smoke rising frantically from several tall platforms outside Ice Spirit City.

If it had been just one smoke signal or one alarm, it might have been a guard’s mistake, but with multiple smoke signals rising simultaneously from the platforms outside Ice Spirit City and the continuous sounding of the alarm, this was...

Xue Zhiyu's face suddenly changed. "There’s an attack!"