Goldwing and the others burst into the cave, only to find Evan Chu grinning at everyone, perfectly fine. Their panic had been for nothing.
"Boss, you’re really okay? Damn, we thought you’d gone berserk from cultivation!" Goldwing complained, sounding frustrated.
Evan chuckled, "Come on, I just shouted once and you all overreacted like crazy. Relax, I’m fine—just broke through another layer, so I’m in a great mood. Oh, Jenny, how are you doing?"
"I think I’m at the peak of the Fourth Layer of the Earth Martial Realm now. Breaking through to the Fifth shouldn’t take much longer," Jenny Sima said happily. It was hard not to be excited after advancing a realm.
Evan gazed at Jenny’s smile, a little dazed. A woman who’d just experienced dual cultivation really did look different when she smiled—somehow, she seemed even more radiant.
"Evan, what are you staring at? Why’s your gaze so weird?" Jenny noticed Evan’s eyes wandering and immediately called him out.
"Nothing, nothing. I just think you look beautiful, haha!" Evan, caught in the act, could only play it off.
"Boss, let’s get moving. It’ll take a while to reach the northern summit, so let’s not waste time," Goldwing urged.
The Violet Thunder Fox, walking behind Evan, whispered, "Big Brother, you’re seriously impressive. You didn’t sleep a wink last night—and you were so loud you sounded like a bull! Respect!"
Evan immediately shouted, "Macy! What did you just say? Get over here!"
The northern peak was a world of silver, snowflakes swirling endlessly as icy winds cut straight to the bone. At this moment, Evan Chu and his group had reached the base of the Monster Beast Forest’s northernmost mountain.
Looking at the endless whiteness all around, Evan couldn’t help but ask, “Goldwing, why didn’t you just drop us off at the summit? What’s the point of landing down here—are you trying to make us climb the mountain?”
“Boss, don’t you feel cold?” Goldwing didn’t answer directly, but shot back with his own question.
“Cold? I’m burning up over here. Are you guys actually cold?” Evan replied, glancing at Jenny Sima and Macy.
Macy seemed perfectly fine, but Jenny was clearly struggling. Snowflakes landed on her hair and clothes, and she shivered nonstop in the wind and snow—it was obvious she was freezing.
“Jenny, why are you so cold? I don’t feel a thing.” Evan asked, quickly taking off his own coat and wrapping it around her.
“How can you not be cold, Evan? I’m freezing so badly I can barely talk. This place really isn’t fit for people.” Jenny managed to say.
Suddenly, Macy produced a luxurious purple coat covered in soft fox fur and handed it to Jenny. “This is made from my own shed fur. It’s great for keeping out the cold—wear it!”
Evan shot Macy a grateful look. “Thanks, Macy. Didn’t expect you to be so generous.”
Jenny felt much warmer after putting it on. “Thank you so much, Macy. But if you give it to me, what will you do if you get cold?”
Macy grinned. “Heh, if I’m giving it to you, you can bet I’m not bothered by a little cold. Honestly, this is just the foot of the mountain—if you were at the summit, you’d already be frozen stiff.”
The cold and astral winds up there are brutal. Even in my true form, I can only last a moment. You probably wouldn’t make it at all.”
Evan was secretly shocked. Even Macy, a ninth-rank beast, couldn’t stay long at the summit. But he had to get the Iceflame Crystal Luna mentioned, no matter what.
“Now you get why I didn’t fly straight to the top, Boss? I figured your precious Jenny would turn into an ice statue, and then you’d tear me to pieces.” Goldwing chimed in.
“So you’re saying Jenny can’t go up?” Evan asked urgently. He couldn’t relax leaving her behind.
Macy thought for a moment. “There is a way, but it’s up to her. My Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox bloodline has a secret art that can create an energy shield around the body, enough to block out the deadly cold.”
“What’s the method?” Jenny blurted out before Evan could speak.
“It comes at a price, though. The shield only lasts three days, then it vanishes. The cost is—you’ll permanently lose one minor realm of cultivation.” Macy said seriously.
“Isn’t there any other way?” Evan immediately rejected the idea. Jenny had worked so hard to reach the Fourth Layer—knocking her back was too much for anyone to accept.
“Nope, that’s the only way. Unless Goldwing’s got some miracle up his sleeve?” Macy said, glancing over.
Goldwing shrugged. “Nope. My bloodline’s nowhere near as fancy as Macy’s, and I didn’t inherit anything that could help. Sorry, Boss—I’m out of tricks.”
“Evan, do you really have to go up there? Can’t you just tell us why?” Jenny pressed, her voice filled with worry. She knew Evan wasn’t reckless—he must have a reason.
Evan realized Jenny had already made up her mind: wherever he went, she’d follow. The only way would be letting Macy use her secret art, even if it meant losing a realm.
He hesitated, struggling inside. “Jenny, you don’t need to do this. Can’t you just wait here for me? I’ll have Macy stay behind to protect you.”
“Evan, you’re so selfish! You insist on going somewhere this dangerous, but you won’t even tell us why. Do you think I won’t worry? What if something happens to you—what am I supposed to do? What about Roxanne?” Jenny’s voice trembled, almost in tears.
Evan was left speechless, deeply moved by Jenny’s devotion. To have a woman like this—what more could he ask for?
After a long pause, Evan finally spoke. “I’m going up to find the Iceflame Crystal. It’s the only thing that can safely remove the Vermilion Bird Mark from Roxanne’s face. Now do you understand?”
Jenny wiped her tears and smiled through them. “No matter where you go, I’ll follow—because I’m your woman.”
Macy couldn’t take it anymore. “Big bro, sis-in-law, save the lovey-dovey stuff for later! The real question is, are we going up or not? Even monsters hate staying in a place like this.”
“Evan, trust me—I’ll break through again soon.” Jenny said confidently.
Evan struggled inside, looking at Jenny, then Macy. At last, he made up his mind. “We go up. All of us—together.”