Chapter 642: Stone House Night Talk

「Three days later. Wan’an Pass, in a stone cabin of the Cyan Mountain Army.」

Night had fallen. In the pitch-black bedroom, a faint glimmer of light could be seen.

The continuous rustling sound made Gao Lingwei, who was fast asleep, furrow her brow slightly. She opened her bleary eyes and groggily looked toward the source of the noise.

However, when she saw who was making the noise, her brow gradually relaxed.

There, at the desk diagonally across from her bed, a figure was rummaging for snacks. Perched on his left shoulder was a curious Snowball Cat, and draped over his right was a restless Cloud Dog.

The figure’s actions were rather heartwarming. He would eat a handful of chocolate chips, then feed one chip each to the Snowball Cat and the Cloud Dog.

Rong Taotao would eat another handful of chocolate chips, then give one more to each of his two adorable pets…

Gao Lingwei slowly sat up. Her long, dark hair spilled over her shoulders. Still drowsy, she lazily ruffled her hair, her sleepy eyes quietly watching Rong Taotao’s back.

‘I’ve been at Wan’an Pass for so long. It’s rare to see such a warm and wonderful scene.’

As a key military outpost, Wan’an Pass was naturally a very solemn place. The constant defense against the invading Snow Realm Soul Beasts only added to the heavy atmosphere.

In private, the members of the Cyan Mountain Army took good care of Gao Lingwei and were very friendly, but in such an environment, her life was obviously different.

But this warm scene before her… it allowed Gao Lingwei’s mind to completely relax.

‘Rong Taotao is fine. He’s awake, and he’s sneakily munching on snacks.’

Not only was he sneaking food himself, but he had two cute little accomplices perched on his shoulders, craning their necks as they waited for their master to feed them.

“Yip?” The Cloud Dog turned its head, cocked it curiously, and looked at its mistress, who was sitting up in bed, leaning against the stone wall and watching them silently.

An adorable smile appeared on the Cloud Dog’s face, and it stuck out its little pink tongue. “Woof~”

On his left shoulder, the Snowball Cat also turned to look at its master. “Woof~”

Rong Taotao, of course, realized what was happening. He turned his head, and under the light of the White Lantern Paper Cage above, his somewhat pale face was revealed.

‘It seems that although he’s awake, he isn’t in good shape.’

Gao Lingwei asked, “When did you wake up?”

Rong Taotao stuffed another handful of chocolate chips into his mouth and mumbled, “Just now.”

“Mm.” Gao Lingwei glanced at the IV stand by Rong Taotao’s bed. There was still a lot of nutrient solution left. He really had just woken up, and this time, he had pulled the needle out himself.

Practice makes perfect.

As for falling into a coma, you get used to it after a while.

If this kept up, Rong Taotao would probably be able to crawl back to the “respawn point,” give himself the IV, and then pass out again…

It couldn’t be helped. The Lotus Petals inside Rong Taotao’s body had a massive demand for Physical Energy.

“I heard you used the Prison Lotus and dealt with the Frost Beauty in a miraculous way.” Gao Lingwei’s sleepiness gradually faded, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Rong Taotao.

“Ah.” Rong Taotao picked up a bag of potato chips, and with two adorable accomplices on his shoulders, he got up and went back to his own bed.

In the bedroom, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s beds were placed on the same wall, with the foot of each single bed against the other. When they slept, they were foot-to-foot; Gao Lingwei’s head was near the door, and Rong Taotao’s was near the window.

Rong Taotao plopped down on his bed, kicked off his slippers, scooted back against the wall, and ripped open the bag of chips. “I held her in the palm of my hand.”

Leaning her head against the wall, Gao Lingwei turned to look at Rong Taotao and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow slightly.

Rong Taotao turned his head too, a sudden smile spreading across his face. “And then I crushed her to bits~”

Gao Lingwei: “…”

Rong Taotao took out a chip and, under the eager gazes of the two little guys, popped it into his mouth.

He mumbled, “It’s a really strange way to fight. I’d never even thought of it before; the Prison Lotus taught me. Speaking of which, the feeling I get when I have Empathy with it is very strange…”

Gao Lingwei: “How so?”

Rong Taotao: “Let me test you, Xueba Wei. What’s Article 238 of the Punishment: Soul Martial Chapter?”

Gao Lingwei: “Unlawful Imprisonment?”

Rong Taotao nodded. “That’s exactly what the Prison Lotus wants to do.”

Xueba Wei certainly lived up to her name, but to be honest, that question wasn’t difficult for any student in the Soul Class.

It was a topic from last semester’s final exam, and it was also one of the key statutes that Yang Chunxi had repeatedly emphasized before the test, so of course Gao Lingwei remembered it.

“CRUNCH, CRUNCH…” Rong Taotao chewed on his chips, took out another, broke it in two, and handed the pieces to the Snowball Cat and the Cloud Dog. “At first, when I accidentally formed an Empathy with the Prison Lotus, I misunderstood its intentions. I thought its emotion was a desire to ‘obtain,’ but I later realized that what the Prison Lotus truly wants is far more extreme than ‘obtaining.’ It wants to imprison everything in the world. Honestly, the Frost Beauty should thank me.”

Surprised, Gao Lingwei asked, “How so?”

Rong Taotao grinned. “I set her free. If I hadn’t crushed that Lotus Bud, she would have been imprisoned inside it forever. A prison sentence is a form of punishment, but the Lotus Bud has its own built-in system of punishment. A dense shower of Lotus Petals would have also attacked the Frost Beauty inside. The Prison Lotus’s innate ‘Lotus Rain’ punishment, while its offensive level and intensity are far inferior to the Sinful Lotus, would have tortured the Frost Beauty to death sooner or later. So, I helped her find an early release.”