Ever since I was little, I knew my parents were seriously big shots. Ice Palace—yeah, it always sounded super badass to me. Back then, I didn’t have a clue what my parents actually did. All I knew was, loads of people came looking for them, each one storming in furious and leaving all hopeful. Oh, and they always dropped off crates and crates of jewels.
Later on, I gradually figured it out: my parents were top assassins in the martial world. Ice Palace got its name because, well, they killed people like it was nothing and were cold as frost.
As a kid, I didn’t have a care in the world—just got pampered by my folks and respected by the servants. That lasted until I turned five. But after five, everything changed.
It was one of those blazing hot summer days. Seriously, it was so hot I was losing my mind. Dad and Mom had just taken on a huge job and had been gone for days.
For some reason, I was all jittery. Even Aunt Su, who’d cared for me since I was born, got the brunt of my crankiness. I didn’t know why—just felt super fed up.
Pretty soon, my bad feeling got confirmed. Dad and Mom finally came back, but both were badly hurt. Mom was covered in blood—and cradling a tiny baby in her arms.
That’s when I learned they’d run into some crazy powerful enemy. I didn’t get it—if they knew the opponent was so strong, why go anyway? Turns out, they had to. It was a life-or-death bond with an old friend, and the baby Mom brought back was that friend’s orphan. She named her Clara Night, hoping she’d stay pure and clear as water. And just like that, I had a little sister.
Mom was terrified Clara would be bullied, so she strictly ordered the servants to keep their mouths shut—or lose their heads.
From then on, my sister never knew her real background. She always thought Mom was her birth mother. Honestly, I figured that was just fine.
But because Mom was so badly hurt by that powerful enemy, she couldn’t practice martial arts anymore. And I never expected the peace in Ice Palace to be shattered right then and there.
Somehow, word got out that Mom couldn’t fight anymore. Suddenly, enemies kept showing up for revenge. Dad had to take everyone out to deal with them. They always won, but I could tell Dad was getting worn out.
That’s when I realized—I had to get stronger. I had to protect them. Otherwise, Ice Palace would be wiped out for sure.
When Mom found out I wanted to learn martial arts, she was really surprised—and kind of against it. She wanted my childhood to be happy, and training wasn’t exactly the happiest path.
But Dad pushed back. Not for anything else—just for my life and Clara’s. One day, they’d both be gone, and if I didn’t know how to fight, the enemies would never let me or Clara live.
Mom thought it over and finally gave in. Growing up in a house of assassins, learning to fight isn’t optional—it’s a must.
So that’s how my training started. Mom couldn’t fight anymore, but she was still awesome—her lessons were tough and strict. But compared to Dad, she was way gentler. As I got older, Dad took over my training, and man, he was brutal. I had whip marks on me all the time.
I know Mom cried secretly more than once. And every time Dad whipped me for messing up, Clara would bawl her eyes out.
Back then, I didn’t get why I had to cozy up to that so-called airhead. What kind of secret could she possibly be hiding?
From that day on, Dad turned ice-cold. Like he’d lost everything. He locked himself in his room and didn’t come out at all.
That was also the day I took charge of Ice Palace. My first kill—nobody knew how terrified I was. But I knew, if I didn’t kill him, he’d kill me. I had no choice.
After that, I killed more and more people—all kinds of people. At first, I was scared out of my mind, but after a while, I just got numb. I don’t even know how the change happened.
But lately, something’s been driving me crazy—Clara’s been looking at me weirdly. I’ve seen that look plenty of times from the palace maids. It’s the look of infatuation. But she’s my sister! How could she look at me like that?
That kind of life lasted until I was twelve, when Mom passed away on a warm, sunlit afternoon.
I tried a few things to fix it, but she wouldn’t let go. So I pretended to be interested in one of the maids—hoping she’d get over it. Instead, she secretly chased the maid away.
That’s when I realized she was stuck in this twisted crush. So I stopped being gentle with her, stopped spending time alone with her. Most of my days were just training, training, training.
That routine lasted till I was twenty-two. (In the Serpent Realm, that’s not old, and nobody’s obsessed with getting married super early like in ancient times.) Then one day, Dad suddenly came out of seclusion and told me: the enemies outside are getting stronger, and if we want Ice Palace to survive, it has to get even stronger.
The only way to make Ice Palace stronger was to get close to that foolish Miss Shen from Prosperity City.
Back then, I had no idea why I had to get close to that fool. What kind of secret did she have, anyway?
Dad said, when he was in his twenties, he met a Daoist immortal—Master Xuanluo. The guy predicted all sorts of things about Dad’s life, and, crazily enough, every single thing came true.
Even though Dad hadn’t left the house for ages, he kept gathering intel—trying to find out how to make Ice Palace stronger. Eventually, he learned Master Xuanluo was a total mystery, only showing up for random people and never meeting the same person twice. But that foolish Miss Shen had met him multiple times.
(This chapter’s not done yet~ Click next page for more chaos, drama, and laughs!)
Our inside source said Master Xuanluo really likes that silly girl. Seems like their relationship isn’t ordinary.
That kind of life lasted until I was twelve, when Mom passed away on a warm, sunlit afternoon.
From that day on, Dad turned ice-cold. It was like he’d lost his anchor. He locked himself in his room and didn’t come out at all.
When I got to Prosperity City, the gossip was that Miss Shen was not just plain, but legendary-level ugly—and apparently obsessed with chasing pretty boys.
After that, I killed more and more people—every kind you can imagine. At first, I was scared out of my mind, but after a while, I just got numb. I don’t even know when I changed.
But hey, for the mission, I put up with it. I staged a 'totally coincidental' encounter, and sure enough, that so-called ugly duckling saw me and just glitched out—mouth gaping, eyes sparkling, brain clearly blue-screened. After a long beat, she blurted, 'Handsome!'
After that, I left. I wanted to test if the rumors were true.
Turns out, that fool actually spent half her family’s fortune just to get info about me.
Turns out, this so-called airhead actually blew half her family fortune just to get my info. Commitment, I guess?
That routine lasted till I was twenty-two. (In the Serpent Realm, that’s not old, and nobody’s obsessed with marrying super early like in ancient times.) Then one day, Dad suddenly came out of seclusion and told me: the enemies outside are getting stronger, and if we want Ice Palace to survive, it has to get even tougher.
The info I got was pretty surprising. And according to the grapevine, Master Xuanluo is super fond of that silly girl.
Looks like, if I wanted to meet Master Xuanluo, I’d have to rely on that fool.
So, I set up another 'accidental' meeting with her.
And she just stood there, totally frozen, completely forgetting to react.
Seeing her like that, I was honestly unimpressed. But for the mission, I knew I had to suck it up, so I smiled and said, 'Miss, you bumped into me. Shouldn’t you compensate me?'
But hey, for the mission, I put up with it. I staged a 'totally coincidental' encounter, and sure enough, that so-called ugly duckling saw me and just glitched out—mouth gaping, eyes sparkling, brain clearly blue-screened. After a long beat, she blurted, 'Handsome!'
I honestly have no idea how to describe how I felt hearing that. This fool wanted me to marry her? I almost burst out laughing—who knew someone could joke around like that?
But my next words were, 'Okay.'
As soon as I said that, she blinked, then cracked a wild grin: 'Sure! How about you marry me? That way I can pay you back—I'll just hand myself over!' If it were anyone else, I’d think she was trolling me.
Honestly, I couldn’t even process it at first. This girl wanted to marry me? I nearly burst out laughing—who knew someone could be so extra?
Seeing her like that, I was honestly unimpressed. But for the mission, I knew I had to suck it up, so I smiled and said, 'Miss, you bumped into me. Shouldn’t you compensate me?'
And she just stood there, eyes wide, frozen like a statue—completely forgetting how to human. If this were a comic, there’d be a giant sweat drop over her head.