Chapter 120: A Deal Struck

Though she asked so casually, Chu Feng had already guessed the intentions of the cold and elegant woman in his heart.

“Let me be honest with you! I’ve been wounded by intense cold energy. Now, I only possess the skill to kill, but I’m unable to travel on my own! If you carry me to the female clan of the Wuhansnow Tribe, I will tell you where they are!”

Though she was negotiating with Chu Feng, her tone remained icy. It wasn’t so much a discussion as it was a command—she didn’t even ask, “Are you willing?”

“This deal seems a bit unfair to me,” Chu Feng shook his head with a smile. “By the time I’ve delivered you to the Wuhansnow female clan, even if you say nothing, I’ll know where they are, won’t I?”

“Impudence!” The cold woman snapped, without a hint of amusement. “Will you make this deal or not?”

Seeing her so domineering, Chu Feng wiped the smile off his face. “I’m no madman, but in my life, I only conduct affairs through negotiation. I will never be coerced. Miss, your tone is too harsh.”

“Hmph!” The woman snorted coldly. “If you want a reward, fine! Deliver me to the Wuhansnow Tribe, and I’ll pay you twenty thousand gold. How’s that?”

“Twenty thousand gold? That does sound substantial. But how far is it from here? If it’s thousands of miles away, then twenty thousand gold wouldn’t seem much.” Chu Feng asked.

“Not far—within five hundred li,” she replied. “This deal is all profit, no loss to you!”

“Oh? Five hundred li for twenty thousand gold?” Hearing this, Chu Feng was genuinely surprised.

Chu Feng had traveled about eight thousand li one way from the Fenglei Martial Hall to the Wuhansnow Tribe. A round trip was sixteen thousand li. For that journey, the Gao brothers of the Jiuxuan Sect had paid him three hundred thousand gold, about eighteen gold per li.

By comparison, this deal offered twenty thousand gold for five hundred li, which equated to over forty gold per li—more than twice the price offered by the Gao brothers!

Such a high fee could rightly be called “every step generating gold.”

“Heh, very well,” Chu Feng nodded. “Miss, since I accept this task, no matter the difficulties or dangers, I will deliver you to the Wuhansnow female clan. I hope you will keep your promise and not shortchange my reward, nor harbor any ill intentions towards me.”

Chu Feng’s words were a response to her earlier threat: “I only have the skill to kill now.” It was clearly a warning—deliver her safely, but if he dared any improper act, he would not end well.

Chu Feng was no fool. Anyone offering such a high reward must wield considerable power. He could not rule out the possibility that she might renege on the deal or even try to eliminate him.

“Enough talk! Hurry and carry me. We must be on the road!” The cold woman’s impatience was palpable, though her elegant features trembled slightly, clearly struggling to resist the pervasive chill.

“Alright.” Chu Feng nodded, amused by the contradiction. Earlier, she had acted as if she would devour him alive for trying to touch her, yet now she was willingly letting him carry her.

Without hesitation, Chu Feng began by breaking the layer of ice surrounding her with his palm force, then hoisted the woman’s frozen, statue-like body onto his back.

Given her current meditative posture, being carried like this was clearly uncomfortable, but Chu Feng paid no mind. He treated her as if carrying a block of ice.

Taking a deep breath, he circulated his inner energy in his dantian, preparing to resist the cold, then bent down and lifted her onto his back.

The weight was like a massive block of ice pressing down on him.

Yet strangely, Chu Feng felt no cold intrusion whatsoever, not even a hint of chill.

After drinking the Snow Scorpion Fire Wine, his body had become warm, effectively shielding him from the cold. After consuming over a thousand jin of the Grilled Ghost Ape’s core, his flesh seemed ablaze, utterly impervious to cold.

Seeing that Chu Feng carried her frozen body without any sign of discomfort, the cold woman’s face flickered with surprise but she said nothing, only directing him on where to go.

Against the relentless wind and snow, Chu Feng pressed forward across the desolate snowfield.

Five hundred li, if it were mountainous terrain like the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Ridges, would have been a breeze for Chu Feng—at most an hour’s walk.

But this snowfield was unlike ordinary mountain paths, taking him over half a day to traverse.

Chu Feng had no idea what time it was. Since entering the Wuhansnow Mountains, the sky had been a leaden gray, covered with thick clouds that blocked the sun entirely. This snowfield was the same—like a world without daylight.

He guessed it was either dusk or perhaps even deep night.

Through wind and snow, carrying the cold woman on his back, Chu Feng covered span after span of distance.

“Hmm?”

After covering more than ten li in one stretch, Chu Feng suddenly sensed something amiss and slowed his pace.

“Miss?”

He glanced upward. The cold woman’s head rested directly above him.

“What is it?” she asked, eyes half-closed, voice deep.

“Your body feels lighter—seems to have lost about two taels in weight,” Chu Feng said unexpectedly.

“What’s that to you? Keep moving!” she replied coldly.

But Chu Feng didn’t move on. Instead, he stood still, concentrating.

With his current strength, he could perceive subtle changes in his surroundings with remarkable sensitivity.

The woman’s body was encased in thick layers of ice, probably weighing over a thousand jin. For him to detect a loss of two taels was impressive.

At that moment, as he circulated his inner energy to cleanse his pores and sensory organs, he clearly felt faint wisps of cold vapor rising from her.

Thin streams of cold air were evaporating from her body, though the chill was so subtle that only through inner energy sensing could it be detected; to ordinary eyes, it was invisible.

Chu Feng said nothing more and resumed walking.

Plop!

Suddenly, the sound of a water droplet falling onto snow made him stop again.

With this droplet, many more fell into the snow, and the woman’s frozen body emitted even more vapor.

“Why have you stopped?” the cold woman asked.

“Miss, may I ask if you are channeling some inner power? Why is the ice around you melting? And quite rapidly, too,” Chu Feng inquired with curiosity.

“What business is that of yours? Keep your pace!” she snapped irritably.

“Heh!” Hearing such a frosty rebuke, Chu Feng didn’t advance but chuckled softly.

“What are you laughing at?” she demanded.

“I’m laughing at you,” he smiled.

“Laughing at me? What’s so funny?” she asked icily.

“Miss, I’m laughing because you’re quite insincere,” Chu Feng shook his head, his smile fading. “You’re taking advantage of me and don’t even thank me. Instead, you scold me so coldly. You’re quite the interesting lady.”

Her expression changed abruptly. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand!”

“Miss, at a time like this, playing dumb won’t get you far. Hmm, since you’re so insincere, perhaps I should cancel this deal with you right now.”

With that, Chu Feng squatted down and gently set the cold woman down on the snow.

“You brat! You... how dare you!” The cold woman, still sitting in her meditative posture on the snow, looked at Chu Feng with a face flushed by both shame and anger, her icy eyes blazing with fury.