In just a short while, the wind and snow at the cliff’s edge intensified. Snowflakes drifted through the magical barrier, settling on both of them. The cold air spread, and the atmosphere grew heavy. For a moment, no one spoke.
Luo Ren stepped forward, blocking his path, his face pale and tinged with blue, whether from cold or anger, it was hard to tell. “I don’t object to you searching for someone, but only if you prioritize your own safety.”
Upon hearing this, Su Sheng frowned slightly. “I said I would.”
Luo Ren replied with certainty, “You won’t.”
The two stood locked in a stalemate.
After a moment, Luo Ren’s gaze deepened, but he suddenly let out a sigh and forced a smile. “At least let me accompany you.”
Su Sheng remained silent but no longer insisted on heading toward the cliff’s edge. Instead, he returned to the footprints. With a slight flick of his finger, a magical butterfly emerged from his fingertips. The butterfly hovered over the footprints briefly before fluttering toward the edge of the cliff and descending into the abyss.
Su Sheng furrowed his brows. He needed to find a way down the cliff, but he was unfamiliar with the paths here. Returning to the foot of the mountain would waste too much time, leaving him momentarily at a loss.
Just as Luo Ren was about to suggest leading the way, a figure emerged from the swirling snow.
Luo Ren’s expression darkened imperceptibly. He wanted to do something but restrained himself, though his gaze toward the approaching figure was laced with coldness.
Su Sheng spotted the figure in the distance and hurried toward it. As he drew closer, he realized it was a young man.
The young man, seeing the newcomers, paused and asked hesitantly, “You are…”
The air was bitterly cold, each breath sharp with frost. Su Sheng replied succinctly, “Looking for someone.”
The young man looked at him, then at Luo Ren, and suddenly understood. “Oh! You must be the outsiders my uncle mentioned.”
Su Sheng immediately asked, “Can you take us to the bottom of the cliff? Wei Er might be there.”
At these words, the young man perked up, too excited to question why this person addressed the Knight by his given name. “Follow me,” he said eagerly.
Su Sheng walked close to the young man, while Luo Ren’s displeasure grew more evident behind them. Unfortunately, Su Sheng didn’t notice.
…
They searched for a day and a night at the bottom of the cliff, finally finding Wei Er unconscious in a cave at the break of dawn on the second day.
Overjoyed to see the Knight alive, the young man rushed forward. Su Sheng cast a wind-blocking spell and approached, saying, “Let me check on him.”
The young man stepped aside.
After examining Wei Er, Su Sheng turned to look for Luo Ren, only to find him standing at the cave entrance, braving the cold wind.
“What are you doing?” Su Sheng walked over, puzzled.
“Exactly what you see,” Luo Ren replied with an ambiguous, low hum.
Su Sheng paused mid-step, his confusion deepening. “What’s wrong with you?”
Luo Ren casually scooped up a handful of snow from beside the cave, playing with it in his palm. His eyes swept over Su Sheng indifferently, but he said nothing.
Su Sheng rarely saw Luo Ren like this. After a moment, he asked uncertainly, “Are you angry?”
Luo Ren continued to mold the snow in his hands, shaping it into various forms before carelessly tossing them aside. Su Sheng used magic to gather the discarded snow, restored it with a spell, and crafted it into ice sculptures. Then, he joined Luo Ren in throwing them away.
After tossing them for a while, Luo Ren stopped moving. Su Sheng tilted his head to look at him. Those azure-blue eyes no longer held the breathtaking allure of their first encounter, yet they now felt exceptionally reassuring, even somewhat endearing.
A moment later, Su Sheng restored all the snow sculptures he had thrown away. The restored sculptures gathered around Luo Ren, some even waving their tiny hands in greeting.
Luo Ren was amused.
Seeing this, Su Sheng quietly let out a sigh of relief. Unnoticed even by himself, a faint smile touched the corners of his lips.
Luo Ren turned and walked inside, stopping beside Wei Er to cast a healing spell on him.
Soon, Wei Er woke up.
Seeing the three people present, Wei Er was momentarily stunned. After scanning the room, his gaze settled on them.
Su Sheng stared back at him steadily, not showing the slightest intention to look away.
Wei Er, clad in black armor, moved his lips and stated, “You used a disguise spell.”
As he spoke, Wei Er waved his hand and dispelled Su Sheng’s magic.
Caught off guard, Su Sheng’s black hair and dark eyes were revealed for all to see.
Wei Er was taken aback. “Your Holiness.”
The young man beside him gaped, his eyes fixed on Su Sheng, clearly shocked as well. “Wh-wh-what? The Saint?”
But then he looked at Su Sheng with hostility, his body tensing defensively.
Wei Er remained relatively calm, though his tightly clenched hands betrayed that he was not as composed as he appeared.
“You harmed an entire city.”
Su Sheng’s gaze grew slightly colder as he looked at Wei Er and said softly, “Must we discuss this matter here?”
At that moment, Luo Ren gathered the surrounding ice sculptures and stepped in front of Su Sheng, blocking the gazes of the two men while giving them a stern look.
It was as if he were saying, “This person is under my protection.”
Wei Er glanced at Luo Ren standing protectively in front, then at Su Sheng. His expression was one of astonishment, as if the scene before him was something utterly unbelievable.
He hesitated and asked, “The two of you?”
It was no wonder he was so surprised, because Norton Similias was truly a person who loved to act tough. Ever since his childhood at school, he had always insisted on being first in every magic potion experiment. Once, when caught skipping class, everyone pinned the blame on him, and he was forced to take all the responsibility. Even when beaten until his backside bled, he never begged for mercy, though he later took fierce revenge, of course.
For someone so fiercely independent to now allow someone to stand in front of him, even if out of goodwill, was something that had never happened before.
“What is the relationship between the two of you?” Wei Er was, in fact, an extremely curious person. This was why, even knowing he would face Su Sheng’s retaliation, he had once sought to understand why this person refused to beg for mercy despite being in excruciating pain. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked.
Su Sheng stepped out from behind Luo Ren and replied calmly, “Companions.”
Wei Er looked at the other man, who remained silent but wore a faint smile. Just companions? Well, now he was even more curious about their relationship.
But the other party clearly had no intention of letting him probe further. Suppressing his untimely curiosity, he said, “What do you need from me?”
“I need you to do me a favor,” Su Sheng replied.
Wei Er shrugged and said, “You know, we’ve never gotten along since we were kids. But considering you saved me, I might consider it.”
Su Sheng: “Consider what?”
“As long as you tell me what you want to do and why, I’ll help you. How about that?” Wei Er said with a smile.
Luo Ren raised an eyebrow and was about to speak, but Su Sheng took over the conversation, not backing down: “You should understand that we’re at the bottom of a cliff. With your injuries, it would be difficult for you to return to the foot of the mountain right now, wouldn’t it? And you still carry traces of demonic energy, who knows when the demons might come looking for you again. Even so, you still refuse to help me?”
Wei Er: “…”
Wei Er gritted his teeth: “You’ve got some nerve. Fine, tell me, what is it that only I can do?”
Su Sheng said: “It’s a simple matter. Everyone else, step outside. Only Wei Er and I will stay in the cave. As for you, close your eyes.”
Su Sheng took out a device and began scanning Wei Er, only to be disappointed to find that the person he was looking for wasn’t him either.
Just as he was feeling disheartened, faint noises could be heard from outside the cave.
Su Sheng went out to look and saw Luo Ren facing a group of demons, with the young man standing behind him, pressed extremely close to Luo Ren.
For some reason, an uncomfortable feeling welled up in his heart.