Chapter 182: The Great Magic—O Village L Wave 4

Everyone stared at Sang Chu in shock. Yi Ping exclaimed, “You’re really something! He could probably kill me with just one hand!”

Five witches! He’s even stronger than those three witches from before, almost took down a man-eating vine by himself.

Seeing Yi Ping’s expression, Sang Chu laughed and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not that scary!”

After everyone finished chatting around the fire, Sang Chu stood up and said, “Let’s get ready, everyone. We’ll be heading out soon!”

“Yeah, the fire’s already burning. Let’s warm up a bit.”

Sang Jingwen moved closer to the fire for warmth, while Sang Chu went off to take care of something.

...

Meanwhile—

After L got the rose, she was pondering over it when a sudden cold wind swept by.

“Huh?”

“Is this the rose? I haven’t seen one in a long time.”

A man dressed in white, his robes trailing on the snow, stepped out from the blizzard. His features were as if carved from ice and jade, and he was intoxicated by the rose, greedily inhaling its scent.

As the magic in the rose gradually faded, L shouted angrily, “Who are you?! Let me go!”

The man in white looked up at him, his eyes flashing with a cold light. In that instant, L felt as if he’d lost all will, like a puppet.

“Is the rose yours?”

Like a marionette, L stiffly replied, “It was given to me by someone named Sang Chu.”

“Sang Chu?”

The man in white waved his hand, and the snow instantly swept L away, leaving him lying on the ground like a wisp of cotton.

By the time Mu Xue sensed something was wrong, it was already too late. She tried to speak, but her whole body was immobilized.

“Brother? Xiao Xue?”

The person sitting next to her suddenly stopped moving. Sang Chu immediately sensed something was wrong.

Suddenly, he felt someone behind him. As he turned, he found himself completely paralyzed. “Who are you?”

Isn’t this the monster from outside? How did it get in?

The man in white was very tall, at least as tall as Sang Chu’s most dangerous enemy. He tossed Yi Ping and Sang Jingwen, who were sitting on the sand, to the ground, then sat down himself.

“Are you Sang Chu?”

Realizing that resistance was futile, Sang Chu replied, “Yes. Are you looking for me?”

“I want flowers. Lots and lots of roses.”

Sang Chu stared at him. This man seemed obsessed with flowers.

“Are you the Lord of Lixin City?”

Hearing this, the man in white straightened his back and sneered, “I’m not some minor character who can’t show his face in public.”

Suddenly, his expression changed. In a flash, he appeared beside Xiang, sniffing her for a long moment before pulling back and frowning. “Strange. You have a strong trace of my cold curse on you, yet you’re still alive?”

Curse?

Wait, this man is...!!!

Sang Chu swallowed hard. “The Demon King?”

Xue You (Snow Ghost) let out a cold laugh, his icy hand slowly reaching for Sang Chu’s neck. “Do you know why my cold curse doesn’t kill people?”

“N-no, I don’t.”

The chill from his hand spread from Sang Chu’s neck throughout his body. His blood seemed to freeze, and he shivered uncontrollably.

Xue You said, “Go to the underworld and find the answer yourself.”

His voice was slow and calm, but the cold was overwhelming. The entire space was filled with ice and snow. The temperature plummeted, and even the fire was instantly covered in frost.

With the last of his strength, Sang Chu managed to release Xiang Granny from her seal. “Please, Granny Xiang, help me! I didn’t hurt him!”

It was Xiang Granny’s first time seeing the true form of the Snow Demon King. She hurriedly knelt and pleaded, “Demon King, my master never harmed me. The blood on her that carries the cold curse was stolen from your palace to save me. If you’re angry because of the blood on her, you can use your magic to see the truth for yourself.”

Xue You looked at Xiang, who was unaffected by the cold curse, and frowned slightly. “You’re a merfolk?”

“Yes. My master gave me a special pill so I could walk freely on land and hide my tail without any side effects.”

Xue You glanced at her, waved his hand, and the ice and snow instantly vanished. Sang Chu, barely surviving, clutched his neck and curled up on the ground, shivering from the cold.

“Demon King, I swear my master never harmed the merfolk.”

Xue You said, “Then break the contract.”

“Alright.”

Sang Chu didn’t say much, simply agreed, and immediately released Na from the contract. As soon as Na was free, she saw the imposing man and hurriedly hid behind Sang Chu, clutching her tightly.

“Sang Sang, what happened? Are you abandoning me?”

Normally, Sang Chu wouldn’t release her like this. She gently patted Na’s hand and said, “It’s okay. Once our contract is broken, you’ll be free.”

Na’s eyes widened, tears welling up. “Sang Sang, you don’t want me anymore? I’m useful, really! If you want, you can drink my blood. My blood...”

Before she could finish, Xue You yanked Na over, glaring at her in disgust. “You’re a noble merfolk, yet you beg a human witch so pathetically! Don’t you have any dignity?”

“I don’t!”

Na didn’t know where she found the courage, but she clung tightly to Sang Chu’s arm and refused to let go.

“When I was being abused by those monsters, I lost all dignity. If Sang Sang hadn’t saved me, I don’t know how much longer I would have been trapped. You know nothing, so don’t judge my choices or my life. I don’t need dignity—I just want to stay with Sang Sang. With her, I don’t have to be afraid. I can do what I like, walk in the sunlight openly. These are things I never had before, and I don’t want to lose them!”

Xiang Granny added, “Demon King, the merfolk are not what they once were. My magic is weak, I can’t even protect myself. The merfolk disappeared a hundred years ago. Now, we can only hide in the deep sea, but even there, the high-level witches hunt us. If not for my master, I wouldn’t have survived. The few merfolk left are all here, and we followed our master willingly. Please don’t blame her.”

Xue You’s eyes flickered, and his voice unconsciously softened a bit. “The merfolk... are gone?”

Xiang Granny didn’t know what relationship Xue You had with the merfolk, but it seemed he truly didn’t wish them harm.

“Yes, they disappeared a hundred years ago.”

Without another word, Xue You turned into a swirl of frost and vanished on the spot. The cold spell ended instantly.

Let me know if you need any more chapters or have specific requests for names or terminology!"