Hathaway Likes You

Every step Freya took was unbearably difficult. Her legs felt as though they could no longer bend, and she waddled along like a duck, swaying from side to side.

During the day, she had unleashed all her strength and fought for a while, causing a large amount of ice to condense inside her body.

But she did not dare use her qi to dispel the ice. All she could do was endure its piercing pain and continue searching for an exit.

Now, however, darkness had fallen again. After encountering several snow beasts, she found herself completely unwilling to fight against their attacks as they swarmed her. She could only flee.

But escaping from fifth-tier snow beasts also required her to release qi.

She felt that she had reached her absolute limit. Just when she thought she could go no farther, she saw a flicker of firelight.

“That must be the exit!”

Freya clenched her fists tightly, endured the effects of the ice on her body, and hurried toward the opening in the wind.

Boom!

She unleashed her power and transformed into a golden javelin, shooting toward the distant firelight.

The gorillas blocking her path were shattered before they could even touch the javelin she had become.

The javelin pierced through the storm ahead and finally entered the windless zone.

By the time she arrived, Freya had reached her limit. When she saw the three people before her, her eyes widened in shock.

“It’s you… Xu Mu!”

Even her speech was slurred, because the flesh inside her mouth was almost completely frozen.

Her eyes fixed on Xu Mu. Earlier, there had been two people beside Zilan Yin, and although one of them had been wearing a black robe, it was obviously a woman.

There was no need to think any further. The person she had fought was Xu Mu.

The person before her was truly terrifying. No wonder Hathaway had once warned her that if she encountered Xu Mu, she absolutely must not act rashly. He was someone who could not be judged by common sense.

“Don’t… kill me!”

Freya had reached her limit, and her body could no longer move.

She believed that if she unleashed her full strength one more time, her body would be completely frozen. If that happened, Xu Mu could kill her with ease.

Xu Mu did not move. His perception had been active the entire time, so he had noticed the woman long ago.

He could tell that she had reached her limit and posed no threat. His top priority was still saving the two women beside him.

Several minutes passed like this before Li Hongdou’s body suddenly moved.

Xu Mu could clearly sense that the lightning was no longer like a hammer. Instead, it had become gentle as water.

On the other side, Zilan Yin was the same. Her body gradually began to respond as well.

About another minute later, Li Hongdou and Zilan Yin opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

They felt the warmth inside the blankets. Their faces and breaths seemed to carry waves of heat, melting the ice within their bodies.

Only then did they realize that there was a fire burning in front of them. It was the warmth from that fire that allowed them to inhale hot air and ease the chill inside their bodies.

The alternation between cold and heat made Zilan Yin’s body itch slightly. This was caused by her temperature rising and her capillaries expanding.

Almost instinctively, she reached out to touch herself, only to discover that her hand had not touched clothing.

“Ah! Xu Mu…”

“If it weren’t for Xu Mu, we would already be frozen to death. Don’t make such a fuss. What do these things matter in the face of death?”

Li Hongdou was much calmer than she was. The blush on her cheeks was unclear as to whether it came from the heat or embarrassment.

[Affection +20]

She stood up directly from beneath the blankets, doing her best to remain composed.

There were no other men here besides Xu Mu. As for Xu Mu, he had surely already seen everything, so she could not be bothered to hide herself.

Especially considering what was in her heart—she was an old soul.

Although she still felt somewhat embarrassed, that reason suppressed her shame.

She first took out a towel from her spatial ring and wiped the water from her body.

Zilan Yin and Freya, who was standing opposite them, both narrowed their eyes slightly.

So big.

And so full.

The two of them had always thought their own figures were quite impressive. But after seeing Li Hongdou, they could not help feeling inferior.

Freya, in particular, felt that the woman before her was in no way inferior to Hathaway.

After wiping herself dry, Li Hongdou changed into a casual outfit that was more convenient for movement.

This time, she did not put on the maroon outfit she had worn before.

Seeing that Li Hongdou had acted so openly, Zilan Yin found it difficult to continue being coy.

Besides, she trusted Xu Mu’s character. He was absolutely not the sort of person who would take advantage of someone’s vulnerable state.

But then, why didn’t he take advantage of them?

Could it be that she and Li Hongdou were still not attractive enough for him?

Zilan Yin shook her head hard. What was she even thinking?

[Affection +20]

She also stood up, but unlike Li Hongdou’s openness, she chose to stand behind Xu Mu.

She quickly dried herself, changed back into her dress, and tidied her hair.

Once everything was finished, Zilan Yin stared at Freya.

“Xu Mu! Can I kill her? She clearly wanted to kill us just now. Once she recovers, we’ll still die!”

“No! Xu Mu, I didn’t know it was you just now. If I had known, I absolutely wouldn’t have attacked you. Hathaway is technically my junior apprentice sister, and we have an excellent relationship.”

Freya immediately spoke up.

Xu Mu raised his eyebrows slightly. “You and Hathaway have a good relationship?”

“Hathaway grew up under my watch. I studied under her father, and she specifically instructed me not to attack you.”

Freya paused slightly as she said this. She knew very well that this alone would probably not be enough to save her life, so she continued exaggerating.

“Hathaway and I have always been able to talk about anything. In fact, she likes you. She’s liked you for a long time. But with her personality, she would definitely never take the initiative to tell you. Still, she once told me about it. We’re so close—how could I possibly kill the man she loves?”

Freya’s voice rose as she reached the end.

Hathaway had never said anything of the sort. In fact, Freya could not even imagine that a woman obsessed with battle like Hathaway would fall for a man.

But she was trying to save her life. Since she had never interacted with Xu Mu before, all she could do was use Hathaway.

“Xu Mu, don’t listen to her nonsense! She must be lying to you!” Zilan Yin said from the side. “How could that woman possibly like you? Even if she really does, she probably only likes you as a pet.”

“I’m the one who knows her best.”

“You’re the one talking nonsense!” Freya snapped. “I think you’re just jealous! During the last Battlefield of Gods involving the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, Xu Mu stood against the four major races. But after we returned, your Darkmoon Clan immediately issued a warrant for Xu Mu, while our Holy Light Clan did not. That was because Hathaway intervened behind the scenes.”

Freya gave a cold laugh. “I think you like Xu Mu too, don’t you? That’s why you’re smearing Hathaway’s reputation—you want Xu Mu to leave her!”

“I… You’re talking nonsense!”

Zilan Yin secretly glanced at Xu Mu.

“I don’t like him.”

“You don’t like him? Then why are you slandering Hathaway? Just because you don’t like him, does that mean you won’t let anyone else like him?”

Freya continued pressing her.

“You…”

Zilan Yin was at a loss for words.

“What a silver-tongued liar! I’ll kill you first!”