164: Chapter 164: Snow Empress: Is this love?

A rare, clear expression of hesitation and struggle surfaced on her exquisite face.

After a long silence, she slowly shook her head, a trace of confusion she hadn't even noticed herself flickering in her ice-blue eyes as she whispered, "I... I don't know."

These were her honest words.

She truly did not know.

The Far North was her root, her responsibility, and her past.

But Lu Jing and the others, especially Lu Jing, were like a sudden beam of light that had burst into her long life, bringing entirely different colors, warmth, and... ties.

Leaving them to return to that eternal frozen silence—just thinking about it caused an emotion she was unfamiliar with, a sense of reluctance to part, to sprout in the depths of her heart.

Qian Renxue did not seem surprised by her answer.

She took a half-step forward, closing the distance, a gentle and encouraging smile appearing on her beautiful face as she suggested softly:

"In that case, why not... consider going to the Divine Realm with us?"

"With you?"

The Snow Empress raised her eyes to look at Qian Renxue and asked, "In what capacity would I go up?"

This was a very practical question.

The Divine Realm was not a vegetable market; it wasn't a place anyone could enter just because they wanted to.

A seven-hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast from the lower realm, no matter how powerful, would need a legitimate status accepted by the rules of the Divine Realm to enter.

Otherwise, it would be considered an illegal intrusion, resulting in expulsion or even suppression.

Previously, she hadn't known if she could successfully cross her tribulation, so she had chosen to sacrifice herself to Lu Jing.

But things were different now.

She was still alive, and her original body was intact.

Qian Renxue seemed to have expected her to ask this.

Looking into the Snow Empress's cold yet bewildered ice-blue eyes, she asked in return, "Then, Senior... in what capacity do you want to go up?"

She offered a few options, her tone calm yet seemingly carrying a deeper meaning: "A friend? Family? Or... a step further in the relationship?"

The Snow Empress was slightly taken aback, a hint of incomprehension flashing in her ice-blue eyes. "A step further? What is that?"

The smile on Qian Renxue's stunning face seemed to deepen, carrying an indescribable nuance as she clearly articulated those words:

"Naturally, it is like the relationship between Donger and Xiao Jing... a relationship between a man and a woman, a husband and wife."

"Husband and wife?!"

The Snow Empress's eyes, which were usually like ten-thousand-year-old ice, suddenly widened the moment she heard that term, her pupils filled with unbelievable shock!

She even blinked subconsciously, as if doubting she had misheard or hadn't understood what the term meant in the current context.

Her heart, which had been frozen for hundreds of thousands of years, felt as if a red-hot iron had been plunged into it, instantly stirring up an unprecedented, strange flutter and chaos.

"I... don't quite understand." A rare tremor appeared in the Snow Empress's voice. On her exquisite face, a very faint but real blush quietly crept onto her cheeks and ears.

She looked away, not daring to look at Qian Renxue anymore, her voice sounding a bit dry.

It wasn't that she truly didn't understand the meaning of the word 'husband and wife,' but rather she couldn't comprehend how that word could be linked to herself and Lu Jing.

Watching the Snow Empress's rare reaction of shyness and bewilderment, a flash of realization crossed Qian Renxue's eyes.

She didn't continue to dwell on the term 'husband and wife' but instead switched to a seemingly simpler question that actually pointed to the same core:

"Senior, what do you think of... Xiao Jing as a person?"

The Snow Empress steadied herself, forcing herself to calm down and think about this simple question.

Lu Jing's image surfaced in her mind.

His smile, his composure, his decisiveness, his fearlessness when facing powerful enemies, his treasuring of friends, his determination when awakening the remnant souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings... countless scenes flashed by.

"He..."

The Snow Empress's voice regained its usual cool clarity, but there was an added touch of softness and... admiration that she hadn't even noticed!

"His talent is peerless, his mind is meticulous, he is loyal and righteous, and his strength is... very great. He is a very special human."

Her evaluation was very objective, yet it also revealed a high level of recognition.

Qian Renxue nodded and then asked a question that was even more direct and impactful this time:

"If... you were to become husband and wife, would you agree?"

Boom—!

This question was even more blunt and unavoidable than the previous one!

The Snow Empress's heart, which had just calmed down a bit, was once again tossed by giant waves!

She froze on the spot. On her exquisite face, the blush spread at a speed visible to the naked eye, even staining her neck red!

A strong mixture of shyness, panic, confusion, and a trace of a flutter she couldn't explain even to herself instantly overwhelmed her.

She was stunned for a long while before she retorted somewhat frantically and almost subconsciously, her voice carrying a trace of an imperceptible tremble: "This... how is this possible... Donger... she wouldn't agree..."

Her retort didn't directly deny whether she agreed or not; instead, she immediately treated Wang Donger's disagreement as the greatest obstacle.

This subconscious reaction caused a meaningful smile to flash in Qian Renxue's eyes.

"Oh?"

Qian Renxue raised a brow slightly, a teasing expression appearing on her beautiful face. Her voice was soft yet possessed a piercing quality that saw through people's hearts as she asked, "Senior, you are only worried that Donger won't agree, but you didn't say... that you yourself don't want to marry Xiao Jing. So, you actually... don't resist this possibility, right?"

She moved another half-step closer, her gaze burning as she looked into the Snow Empress's ice-blue eyes, which were flickering slightly due to shyness. Word by word, she asked clearly:

"Have you fallen in love with him?"

"Love..." The Snow Empress trembled all over at the mention of that word.

She lowered her head, avoiding Qian Renxue's gaze that seemed to see through everything.

Her long silver-white hair fell, covering half of her cheek and concealing the complex emotions churning in her eyes.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Qian Renxue thought she wouldn't answer.

Then, an extremely faint voice, filled with uncertainty and confusion, slowly spilled from her lips:

"I... don't know. I... know even less what 'love' is."

She seemed to be trying her best to describe the strange and complex feeling in her heart:

"I only know that... with him by my side, my heart can feel a kind of... peace that I've never felt before. It is no longer always filled with the cold winds of the Far North and eternal loneliness."

"I like... watching the way he thinks, watching the way he smiles. I like... being by his side, watching him do things I never thought of, things I even found inconceivable."

"When he is in danger, I worry, I feel anxious, and I would do anything to save him. When he returns safely, I feel... an indescribable relaxation and... joy."

"Is this... love?"

She looked up, her ice-blue eyes filled with genuine confusion and inquiry as she looked at Qian Renxue, as if seeking an answer from this human woman who seemingly understood more.

Qian Renxue listened quietly to the Snow Empress's somewhat clumsy but incredibly sincere description, a flash of complex emotion crossing her eyes.

There was relief, sentimentality, and an indescribable... realization. She nodded gently, her voice becoming even softer:

"Yes, Senior. Although it might not be complete, everything you described—dependence, trust, care, joy, worry, wanting to be together—these are all parts of love. Especially when you are willing to break your habits and trajectory of hundreds of thousands of years for him, and even think about the future, this feeling has already surpassed simple friendship or gratitude."

Upon receiving Qian Renxue's affirmation, the Snow Empress's heart seemed to skip a beat.

A strange sensation, like spring water breaking through ice, quietly began to flow in her frozen heart.

So... this was love?

She, the Snow Empress, would actually develop such feelings for a human?

But she immediately thought of practical issues. A flash of clarity appeared in her ice-blue eyes as she looked at Qian Renxue and asked in confusion:

"Why... did you come to tell me all this?"

The smile on Qian Renxue's face faded, her expression becoming serious and solemn. She looked at the Snow Empress and said slowly:

"Because only in this way, when you ascend to the Divine Realm in the future, your identity will not become a handle for other Divinities to attack or criticize, nor will it bring unnecessary trouble to Xiao Jing."

Her tone carried a hint of realism and gravity: "No matter how powerful or transcendent you are, in the eyes of those Divinities who have existed for endless ages in the Divine Realm, you are ultimately a Spirit Beast, a being from the lower realm, not of their kind. Especially as the ruler of the Far North, your identity is sensitive. A powerful Spirit Beast monarch who does not belong to the Divine Realm system entering the Divine Realm will inevitably invite suspicion, scrutiny, and even hostility."

"But if you become Xiao Jing's wife, the situation will be completely different."

Qian Renxue's tone slowed as she explained, "The identity of the Destruction God King's wife would be your most powerful and unquestionable protective charm in the Divine Realm. With a God King as your background and support, those potential malices and targets will be suppressed to the minimum. This is the safest way to protect you and also to protect Xiao Jing, so he doesn't have to fall into pointless disputes and dilemmas because of your identity."

The Snow Empress understood.

Qian Renxue wasn't just talking about feelings; she was planning the safest way forward for her, for Lu Jing, and for the future of their small group.

Following Lu Jing into the Divine Realm as his wife would indeed save them from countless troubles.

But...

"But..."

Hesitation and an imperceptible shyness once again appeared on the Snow Empress's exquisite face as she murmured, "They... won't agree. And... I don't know how to say it, or how to... do it."

She was referring to Lu Jing and Wang Donger.

She couldn't imagine how she should express this strange feeling to Lu Jing, and she couldn't predict how Wang Donger would react.

Just thinking about it made her feel at a loss.

Looking at the Snow Empress's cold yet helpless, majestic yet shy appearance, Qian Renxue couldn't help but find it a bit amusing and sentimental.

Who would have thought that this ice monarch who had ruled the Far North for hundreds of thousands of years would be so green and bewildered when facing matters of the heart?

She smiled and encouraged, "Just try. If you don't try, how will you know it won't work? What if... Donger is more generous and reasonable than we imagine, and Xiao Jing... has the same feelings for you?"

She paused and said pointedly, "Do you really want to keep this feeling hidden in the deepest part of your heart forever, never to see the light of day, Senior? Are you content with that?"

Finally, she said softly, as if stating a simple fact and giving one last push:

"Don't forget, this is the Douluo Continent after all. In this World, it is not uncommon for a powerful man to have multiple confidantes. As long as there is mutual affection and willingness, what is there to stop it?"

Having said that, Qian Renxue did not continue her persuasion.

She gave the Snow Empress a deep look, a gaze that contained understanding, encouragement, and a trace of complex emotion that only she herself understood.

Then, she nodded slightly, turned, and left the room with light steps, gently closing the door behind her.

"Click."

The soft sound of the door closing was exceptionally clear in the silent room.

The Snow Empress stood alone, her ice-blue eyes staring blankly at the closed door before slowly shifting toward the cool, bright moon outside the window.

Qian Renxue's words were like stones thrown into a lake; the ripples they caused would not subside for a long time.

Husband and wife? Love? Following him to the Divine Realm? Becoming his... wife?

These words were like the strangest incantations, circling repeatedly in her mind.

Every time they echoed, her heart would skip a beat and her cheeks would flush slightly.

She subconsciously reached out and touched her burning cheek. Her cold fingertips touched her warm skin, bringing a strange sensation.

Could she... really?

And Lu Jing... what kind of feeling did he have for her?

And Donger... would she accept it?

Countless questions, mixed with that heart-fluttering excitement and confusion that had just been pointed out but was becoming clearer, overwhelmed her like a tide.

For the first time, she felt that this quiet night was so long, and so... unsettling.

---

Outside the door, Qian Renxue did not leave immediately.

She stood quietly in the shadows of the corridor, also looking up at the moon that pierced through the window lattices and shed its clear light.

The gentle and encouraging smile on her exquisite face had long since disappeared, replaced by a deep calm and an extremely complex, indescribable light flashing deep within her violet eyes.

In that light, there was melancholy, hesitation, helplessness, and perhaps... a trace of an extremely hidden, faint bitterness that even she was unwilling to delve into.

But in the end, all emotions returned to a state of profound tranquility.

She took a soft breath and slowly exhaled, as if to expel all the complex thoughts in her chest with that breath.

Then, she withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at the moon, and no longer staying. She turned and walked silently toward her own room.

Her slender figure soon merged into the darkness at the end of the corridor.

The night remained deep. The moon hung high in silence.

However, within this mansion, the hearts of certain people had already been stirred by tonight's conversation, creating ripples that would never again be stilled.

The road ahead also seemed to have gained a few more unpredictable variables and... possibilities.