Chen Yuyang slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing that came into view was Yan Luo sitting right in front of him, her face propped on her hands, staring at him unblinkingly and intently.
Her eyes were filled with undisguised infatuation.
Chen Yuyang: “…”
After a moment of silence, the young man spoke with some helplessness: “What are you doing?”
“Nothing, nothing.”
Seeing Chen Yuyang suddenly open his eyes, Yan Luo was startled and hurriedly got up to hide it, but because she stood up too quickly, she stumbled.
With a soft cry, she plopped back down onto the ground.
Chen Yuyang sighed slightly, got up, and reached out his hand to her.
Yan Luo’s face reddened, and she quickly extended her hand to take his, using it to stand up.
“How do you feel now? Any discomfort?”
Releasing her hand, Chen Yuyang asked with some concern.
“I’m fine, everything’s fine.”
Yan Luo quickly replied, grateful: “It’s all thanks to you, Yuyang.”
Chen Yuyang nodded.
As long as she was okay.
As for helping Yan Luo attain the Glorious Sun Body, he had already promised her that earlier; this was just conveniently fulfilling that promise.
“Your Glorious Sun origin is still very weak now. Remember not to use the Glorious Sun Fire lightly. When we have time later, I’ll teach you the method to condense it.”
After giving this instruction, Chen Yuyang turned his gaze to Xuan Ke and asked: “How about your recovery?”
Xuan Ke nodded slightly: “My spiritual power has fully recovered.”
Chen Yuyang nodded again.
“In that case, let’s prepare a bit and continue climbing the peak.”
“Wait, wait!”
Hearing this, Yan Luo and Xuan Ke both spoke at the same time, interrupting the young man’s words.
Chen Yuyang raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled: “What’s wrong?”
The two women looked at each other, then pointed at each other.
“Is she coming with us too?”
They spoke in unison again, their words carrying a hint of reluctance.
Chen Yuyang instead showed a confused expression, looking at the two: “Why not?”
“If we’re teaming up, I’m stronger and can do more. Isn’t it enough to bring just me? What do we need her for?”
Yan Luo hurriedly stepped forward, grabbing Chen Yuyang’s arm, swaying her body slightly, saying coquettishly.
Xuan Ke also stepped forward, standing side by side with Yan Luo in front of Chen Yuyang, and said seriously: “Yuyang, you should know that she and I don’t get along. I’m not comfortable having her on the team. What if she suddenly attacks me from behind…”
Chen Yuyang’s gaze first fell on Yan Luo, and his tone was somewhat stern: “Yan Luo, I helped you out. You owe me a favor now. You can’t have an opinion on teaming up.”
“Besides, if you were really that strong, you wouldn’t have been hurt so badly by that Fiend Beast.”
Yan Luo was choked by Chen Yuyang’s words, biting her lip and lowering her head.
However, the girl’s cheeks unconsciously flushed red.
‘He… his attitude toward me is so domineering…’
‘For some reason, I actually kind of like this tone of his… this tough attitude…’
‘Alright…’
‘Since he said so, I’ll go along with him.’
Seeing Yan Luo comply, Chen Yuyang patiently explained to Xuan Ke: “Yan Luo is at least at the Nascent Soul stage. Among the cultivators participating in this secret realm trial, her strength is already top-tier.”
“With her here, plus me, no matter how strong the enemy, we have the confidence to win. Besides, she is the eldest miss of the Yan family. With her here, the Yan family members can also be used by us.”
“The purpose of teaming up is not to see who we like, but to get a high ranking in this secret realm trial in the easiest and safest way.”
Hearing this, Xuan Ke’s lips moved, but she eventually fell silent.
What Chen Yuyang said was right.
If Yan Luo’s strength could be utilized, it would greatly benefit the team.
Moreover, with Yuyang acting as a check, she didn’t really need to worry about Yan Luo attacking her from behind.
“Then… fine.”
In the end, Xuan Ke nodded in agreement.
The two looked at each other, both feeling a bit uneasy, but since they agreed, they wouldn’t stir up the conflict again.
They just averted their eyes, not wanting to look at each other.
Chen Yuyang didn’t care about their relationship; he had his own considerations and goals.
Turning around, the young man walked out of the stone house, then dragged in the skin of the Giant Ape he had killed earlier, took out a dagger, and began cutting it.
“Yuyang, what are you doing?”
Seeing this, Yan Luo’s curiosity was piqued again, and she came over to ask curiously.
“He’s going to make a few cold-proof coats,” Xuan Ke answered flatly from the side.
“Coats…” Yan Luo realized, then showed an excited expression: “I didn’t know you could do this, Yuyang. Want me to help? I actually know a bit of needlework.”
“You?”
Xuan Ke stared, not believing that at all.
Not to mention Xuan Ke, even Chen Yuyang glanced at the girl with some doubt.
“It’s fine, it’ll be done soon.”
Chen Yuyang said perfunctorily, his hands not slowing down at all.
Seeing that Chen Yuyang didn’t need help, Yan Luo was a bit disappointed but didn’t insist.
She just obediently squatted to the side, propping her chin, watching Chen Yuyang’s focused appearance without blinking.
In the silence, Yan Luo suddenly cleared her throat.
As if remembering something, her cheeks slightly reddened.
She hesitated for a long while before finally gathering her courage and asking softly: “Um, Yuyang… was it you who changed my clothes?”
Yan Luo had actually wanted to ask this question ever since she woke up, but she felt it was too embarrassing and hadn’t had the nerve to ask earlier.
But the answer to this question was crucial to her.
Now, waiting for the answer, her heart raced.
‘If it really was him, doesn’t that mean he saw every inch of my body…? Then I really would have no choice but to marry him, right?’
Thinking this, the girl didn’t feel wronged at all but rather secretly delighted, unable to stop her lips from curling up slightly.
‘If that’s the case, he can’t deny it even if he wants to.’
As if guessing her thoughts, Chen Yuyang didn’t stop his movements, but answered bluntly: “Oh, that? Xuan Ke helped you put it on.”
The blush on the girl’s face faded considerably.
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her head.
Yan Luo turned to look at Xuan Ke beside her with some speechlessness.
Xuan Ke seemed to guess what Yan Luo was thinking, and a smug smile appeared on her face.
She even gave her a thumbs up: “It’s okay, no need to thank me.”
Yan Luo: “…”
Disappointedly pouting, Yan Luo looked quite hurt as she silently sat on the ground hugging her knees.
‘This annoying woman!’
‘If it weren’t for her, Yuyang would have had to do this himself.’
‘Maybe, while changing my clothes, he would have been tempted by me and made a move.’
‘Even if not, in this blizzard, alone in a stone house with just the two of us… that would have been a perfect opportunity!’
‘But unfortunately… Xuan Ke had to be there.’
Yan Luo radiated resentment.
Meanwhile, in no time, Chen Yuyang had finished sewing three simple fur coats.
The coats were simple in style—just a whole piece of fur cut out for the collar and sleeves, the edges roughly stitched with thick thread, and with a hood.
Chen Yuyang tried one on and moved around a bit.
Though not good-looking, its windproof and cold-resistant effect was surprisingly excellent.
The chill emitted by the Hanpo Snowfield could be directly blocked by over ninety percent by this fur.
Chen Yuyang then tossed the other two coats to Xuan Ke and Yan Luo: “Put them on.”
The two women took the coats.
Though there was still a faint fishy smell on them, it wasn’t pleasant.
But now, they couldn’t afford to be particular about appearances.
They put on the coats, and the thick fur clung tightly to their bodies.
The effect was immediate.
To save spiritual power and climb the peak quickly, they could endure the smell for a while.
Besides, even Yuyang didn’t complain.
If they nitpicked, wouldn’t that seem too pretentious?
The two women’s thoughts were surprisingly consistent at the moment.
At that time, the wind and snow outside had lessened a bit, and the sky was no longer so dim.
The three walked out of the stone house together.
The biting wind carried sharp snowflakes.
Even wearing the fur coat, Xuan Ke still felt a chill creeping in along her neck.
Though slow, her body temperature was still gradually dropping.
“By the way…” Suddenly, Chen Yuyang thought of something, stopped, and reached out his hand to Xuan Ke behind him.
Xuan Ke was startled and instinctively reached out to take it.
In Chen Yuyang’s palm, a clump of blue flame merged into Xuan Ke’s palm.
Xuan Ke felt a wave of warmth instantly fill her entire body.
Along with the thick fur coat she was wearing, it would be enough for her to endure the cold for a long time.
Yan Luo watched this scene from the side, her eyes fixed on it.
After it was over, she immediately came up, grabbed the young man’s arm, and begged: “Yuyang, I want one too.”
“Don’t you already have your own?” Chen Yuyang gave Yan Luo a small glare.
This girl, being the Glorious Sun Body and in control of the Glorious Sun Fire, keeping warm was not a big deal for her.
“Oh, but yours is warmer and more comfortable!”
Yan Luo bit her lip, decided to give up any pretense of modesty, tugged on the young man’s arm, and swayed it, acting coquettishly.
Chen Yuyang was internally speechless.
‘This girl is getting more and more… difficult to handle.’
However, Chen Yuyang had no way to deal with such cajoling.
Shaking his head, a wisp of flame emerged from Chen Yuyang’s palm and went toward Yan Luo.
The flame entered her body and spread throughout in an instant.
Yan Luo immediately squinted in comfort: “Mm… inside my body, it’s warm… so comfortable…”
For Yan Luo, who had already become the Glorious Sun Body, this flame didn’t have much effect, even less effective than if she had used her own Glorious Sun Fire.
But Yan Luo just liked it.
Chen Yuyang coughed, ignoring the girl’s murmurs, and said seriously: “Alright, let’s go.”
With that, the young man stepped into the wind and snow, consciously keeping two steps away from the two women.