Chapter 71: Who Is Prettier?
Evening. Silvis City.
The streets were teeming with people; having finished their day’s labor, residents were either hurrying home or gathering in small groups to find a meal.
Inside a rather renowned restaurant within the city, business was currently at its absolute peak. The dining hall was packed to capacity; the rising heat mingled with the aroma of food, creating a lively din of voices.
Seated at a window-side table in a corner of the room were three particularly eye-catching patrons.
Jiang Bai wore a simple, close-fitting martial outfit in a moon-white shade. His black hair was tied back behind his head; his features were handsome and refined, and his demeanor—evident in the set of his brows—carried a maturity and composure rarely seen in someone his age.
The two women seated across from him, however, drew even more attention—attracting numerous gazes from around the restaurant, some overt and others covert.
The woman on the left wore a long, ice-blue gown, her long hair matching the pale blue hue of her dress. Her beauty was so exquisite that she seemed not of this mortal realm, and her aura was as cool and aloof as the moonlight atop a snow-capped mountain peak.
The other woman wore a jade-green dress; her figure was petite and delicate, and her long, emerald-green hair was tied into twin ponytails, revealing a smooth, unblemished forehead and a pair of bright, mischievous green eyes.
She was unceremoniously devouring a roasted chicken; her eating style stood in stark contrast to her exquisite appearance, yet it possessed a unique, charmingly uninhibited quality.
The table before the trio was laden with a colorful array of dishes: a whole chicken roasted to a golden, crispy perfection; tender, slow-stewed game meat; lightly sautéed seasonal vegetables; and an aromatic, fragrant broth...
"Mmm, this is delicious!"
The Ice Empress tore off a chicken leg and took a hearty bite, her eyes narrowing in sheer satisfaction.
"Humans certainly have a knack for variety when it comes to food. It beats gnawing on frozen fish out on the ice plains any day."
"Though it still doesn’t taste as good as an Ice Silkworm!"
The Snow Empress, maintaining her elegant demeanor, daintily picked up a morsel of greens with her chopsticks and chewed it slowly. Upon hearing the remark, she cast a faint, cool glance at the Ice Empress.
"Slow down; no one is trying to snatch it away from you."
Jiang Bai smiled as he ladled a bowl of soup for each of them.
"If you like it, then eat your fill. You’ve both worked hard training out in the wilderness these past few months."
They had spent over two months in the mountainous terrain just outside the city of Silvis.
In addition to practicing the "Three Ultimate" techniques of the Snow Empress, Jiang Bai had been continuously familiarizing himself with the power of the Four Dragons—newly unlocked following his recent breakthrough—and honing his combat coordination through sparring sessions with both the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress.
Having made a rare trip into the city today, it was only fitting that they treat themselves to a well-deserved feast.
Just then, two more patrons entered the restaurant.
They were two women, both possessing stunningly beautiful countenances.
Leading the way was a tall, blonde woman clad in a simple yet sleek white combat outfit that accentuated the graceful curves of her figure.
Her most striking feature was her pair of crimson-red eyes—bright, sharp, and piercing. With every glance and movement, she exuded an indescribable aura of nobility and mystery.
Following close behind her was a woman wearing a long gown of white and green.
She possessed a gentle, mild-mannered demeanor, and her long, emerald-green hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, reaching all the way to her waist.
Yet, what was truly impossible to overlook was her ample bosom, which rose and fell ever so slightly with each step she took.
Her eyes were clear and serene, appearing capable of embracing the entire world; simply standing there, she instilled in those around her a profound sense of inexplicable peace and reassurance.
The arrival of these two women caused the previously bustling restaurant to fall silent for a brief moment.
The gazes of many diners were involuntarily drawn toward them. Jiang Bai looked up with a casual glance; as his gaze swept across the retreating figure of the blonde woman, his entire body suddenly froze.
That figure... tall, statuesque, with a cascade of brilliant golden hair that seemed to flow with a honey-like luster under the lights...
Although her attire was different and her demeanor seemed to carry a subtle variation, for that fleeting moment, it was as if he were looking right at Qian Renxue!
It felt as though something had ruthlessly clenched his heart, the sudden pain stealing his breath away.
"Sister Xue’er...?"
He murmured the name unconsciously, his voice so soft that barely even he himself could hear it.
"Hmm?" Seated across from him, the Snow Empress looked up at Jiang Bai with a puzzled expression.
Was he calling out to her?
The Ice Empress, too, paused in her movements; her emerald eyes fixed in a fierce glare upon Jiang Bai, her small face etched with unmistakable displeasure.
How dare he address someone so intimately?! Does he take me for a ghost?!
Pulled back to reality by their combined gazes, Jiang Bai suddenly realized he had lost his composure. He hurriedly explained, "I wasn’t calling you, Snow Empress. I just... seeing that figure from behind suddenly reminded me of my girlfriend."
Upon hearing this, the Snow Empress cast a reproachful glance at Jiang Bai. She pursed her lips, said nothing more, and lowered her head to resume sipping her soup—though the fingers gripping her spoon tightened ever so slightly.
The Ice Empress, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a blend of curiosity and a barely perceptible hint of sourness: "You have a girlfriend? Is her name ’Xue’er,’ too?"
Jiang Bai nodded, his gaze drifting into the distance as his voice softened: "There is indeed a ’Xue’—meaning ’Snow’—in her name. Usually... I call her Sister Xue’er."
As he spoke those words, the image of Qian Renxue seemed to materialize once more before his eyes.
Her brilliant golden hair shimmering in the sunlight; her violet eyes that would crinkle slightly at the corners whenever she smiled; that adorable way she would feign an air of majesty, only for him to effortlessly see right through it...
And at that very moment—seated at the table adjacent to Jiang Bai’s, her back turned toward him—sat the blonde woman: none other than the Three-Eyed Golden Lion in her human form, Jiang Li’er.
She held the menu handed to her by the waiter, just about to place her order, when Jiang Bai’s murmured "Sister Xue’er"—along with the conversation that followed—drifted clearly into her ears. The hand holding the menu unconsciously tightened, her knuckles turning faintly white.
Girlfriend... Sister Xue’er... Qian Renxue...
This name—this relationship—had flashed through her mind during the "Destiny Convergence" ritual she had performed with Jiang Bai. It represented the most cherished and warmest part of Jiang Bai’s deepest memories.
Sitting across from her, Bi Ji took in every detail of Jiang Li’er’s reaction.
In the eyes of this gentle, water-like incarnation of the Emerald Swan, a flicker of understanding—and complexity—passed through.
Naturally, she, too, had recognized Jiang Bai at the neighboring table; she never expected to encounter him here again.
What secretly alarmed her even more, however, were the two women seated at Jiang Bai’s table...
Although their spiritual auras were suppressed with exceptional skill, Bi Ji—as a ferocious beast with over five hundred thousand years of cultivation—possessed senses of unparalleled acuity.
These two... were by no means ordinary human Soul Masters.
Their auras felt somewhat familiar... yet she couldn’t quite recall where she had sensed them before.
Bi Ji remained inwardly vigilant, though her outward demeanor remained as gentle and amiable as ever.
She spoke softly, her tone carrying a hint of tentative concern: "So... Li’er, did you come to the human world solely for... him?"
Jiang Li’er’s body stiffened slightly, but she immediately retorted with feigned bravado: "C-Certainly not! I was just... just curious about the human world! I’m simply wandering around to take a look!"
Yet, her ears unconsciously perked up, straining to catch every single word drifting over from the table behind her.
...
Having finished gnawing on her chicken drumstick, the Ice Empress wiped her hands, rolled her emerald eyes, and suddenly spoke up again—her tone laced with mischief: "Hey, Jiang Bai, let me ask you a question: who do you think is prettier—your girlfriend, Xue’er, or my Xue’er?"
As she spoke, she deliberately winked at the Snow Empress.
The Snow Empress, taken aback by the remark, first shot a disgruntled glare at the Ice Empress.
Who is "your" Xue’er?! What nonsense!
But then, the hand holding her spoon paused mid-air; her icy-blue eyes drifted ever so subtly toward Jiang Bai, her long lashes lowering to conceal a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of... anticipation?
"..."
Jiang Bai’s hand, chopsticks still in grasp, froze in mid-air.
This is a death trap of a question! He glanced at the Ice Emperor’s expression—one of pure amusement—then stole a furtive peek at the Snow Emperor, who appeared indifferent yet was, in reality, ever so slightly cocking her ear to listen.
With his thoughts racing, Jiang Bai cleared his throat, striving to make his tone sound both objective and sincere.
"Sister Xue’er is an angel, naturally radiating a divine aura. She is radiant and noble—like the sun shining down upon the world from high above the clouds—dazzling with boundless brilliance, stirring within one a sense of...yearned for, yet dared not profane."
He paused, then looked toward the Snow Emperor and continued:
"As for the Snow Emperor... with her skin of ice and bones of jade, enveloped in the spiritual aura of frost and snow—she is at once aloof and pure. She is like that single, purest ray of moonlight resting upon the very peak of a snow-capped mountain: solitary, noble, and transcendent. The haughty disdain for the mortal world reflected in her eyes—and the occasional, inadvertent glimpses of... innocence that she reveals—are truly soul-stirring."