Hearing the arrogant roar from outside, Bing Di's eyes lit up.
She pinched Cheng Yang's cheek hard and shouted,
"Slacker! Get up, trouble is here!"
"Don't be so loud…" Cheng Yang mumbled groggily, still half-asleep.
"I was dreaming that Saber came to my room in the middle of the night. Let me finish that before you wake me up…"
Before he could finish, a thud echoed; Bing Di had kicked him straight off the carriage.
Cheng Yang groaned, rubbing the back of his head.
Just as he was about to complain, Bing Di leaped gracefully over him, landing lightly in front.
From his angle, the view was... breathtaking.
Cheng Yang couldn't help muttering under his breath, "Photographer, you're getting extra chicken legs tonight."
Bing Di didn't notice his nonsense.
She flicked her twin ponytails, planted one hand on her hip, and pointed dramatically at the group of rough-looking men ahead.
In her small but confident voice, she declared a line Cheng Yang had taught her,
"You're seeking your own death!"
The bandits from Qinglang Stronghold, who had been jeering moments ago, froze for a beat, then burst out laughing.
"Pff hahaha! What did that girl say?" one of them cackled.
Even the leader wiped away tears of laughter as he stepped forward, showing off his martial spirit.
A long stick appeared in his hands, flaring with two glowing rings, one white, one yellow.
"Little girl, do you even know what this is?" he sneered.
"These are spirit rings. I got them from hunting down vicious spirit beasts myself. I'm a two-ring Spirit Master! Just me alone could flatten all those fools behind me, and there are five more just like me!"
He puffed out his chest proudly, unaware that Cheng Yang, now standing behind Bing Di, had already written his epitaph in his head.
Bing Di tilted her head.
"Are you finished talking?" she asked sweetly.
Her finger lifted, pointing straight at his nose.
"Good. You can die now."
The man's grin froze. For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then, with a faint crack, his body stiffened and shattered into glittering shards of ice that fell to the ground.
Silence.
Every bandit stared, mouths agape, laughter dying in their throats.
Then, panic exploded.
"R-run!" someone screamed.
The entire group bolted, tripping over each other to escape.
Too late.
The temperature dropped sharply, frost creeping across the ground.
Before anyone could take two steps, their movements froze midair.
One by one, they solidified into ice sculptures and collapsed into frozen fragments.
Bing Di brushed her hands together and looked back impatiently.
"What are you staring at, Cheng Yang? Go loot the corpses!"
Cheng Yang, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead, sighed and climbed up.
"You really know how to ruin a nap," he muttered, trudging toward the fallen bandits to search their belongings.
He worked methodically, used to it by now.
In the beginning, he'd been horrified by the sight of corpses.
But after traveling with the Ice Empress for some time, it had started feeling… routine.
Bing Di killed without blood or cruelty, just efficiency.
To her, it was like collecting frozen meat.
As they scavenged, the caravan nearby remained dead silent.
Every merchant and guard stood frozen, not by ice, but fear.
None dared to move or even breathe too loudly.
Finally, the caravan's supervisor gathered his courage and stepped forward, trembling as he approached.
He swallowed hard before speaking, his voice cracking slightly.
"Th-thank you… for saving us, masters."
"Thank you both for saving our lives!" the caravan supervisor said, bowing deeply.
"How could two powerful soul masters condescend to sit in the back wagon? Please, allow me to arrange something more fitting; there's a spare carriage up front."
He gestured politely toward a much more luxurious-looking vehicle.
Bing Di turned to glance at Cheng Yang.
She had already learned that in the human world, there were often hidden meanings behind polite words, and she trusted Cheng Yang to handle them.
Cheng Yang stretched lazily, brushing the dust off his coat.
"Then it'd be rude to refuse, right?" he said with a grin.
He'd had enough of that bone-shaking wooden cart; even a tractor from his old world would've been more comfortable.
The supervisor personally escorted them to the new carriage, opening the curtain with both hands.
He then offered two small pouches of gleaming gold soul coins.
"Please, don't take it the wrong way," he said humbly.
"This is just a small token from our men. Without you two, we'd be corpses on the roadside. I only hope you'll look after us during the rest of the journey."
Before Cheng Yang could answer, Bing Di's eyes flashed.
She snatched the pouches and began counting with the focused expression of a true money lover.
The supervisor stiffened, unsure whether to laugh or flee, but Cheng Yang gave him an easy smile.
"Relax," Cheng Yang said.
"If there's trouble ahead, just call for help. You won't die while we're around."
That promise made, the supervisor bowed again and left, visibly relieved.
Bing Di, however, was still shaking the pouches, eyes glittering.
"Hey, Cheng Yang," she said excitedly, "why don't we start escorting caravans full-time? A hundred gold soul coins each trip! Think about it, we've already looted over two hundred from those bandits!"
Cheng Yang sighed.
"You really do think like a little money grubber."
He couldn't even be mad.
This was just how Bing Di was proud, blunt, and utterly without the human sense of restraint.
Still, seeing her act like this warmed him a little.
It meant she was adapting, bit by bit, to the human world.
He plucked a single gold coin from her hand under her glare.
"This," he said, "is enough to feed one person comfortably for a month."
He then pointed at the bulging pouches.
"And these are the wages for hiring a two-ringed spirit master for a week."
He tapped her forehead lightly.
Bing Di puffed out her cheeks, clearly not convinced.
"Then how much do you think a Titled Douluo like me is worth?" she asked proudly, holding the pouch up to the light.
"Wait, what are you?" Cheng Yang's face paled as she stood up suddenly, eyes burning with purpose.
"I'm going to find that supervisor," Bing Di said matter-of-factly.
"He still owes me at least a million gold soul coins."
"Hold it!" Cheng Yang yelped, grabbing her wrist before she could storm out.
"We're just hitching a ride! We already earned enough! And no, you can't charge people for existing!"
Bing Di frowned, tilting her head in confusion.
"Why not?"
"Because no one could afford you!" Cheng Yang groaned, rubbing his temple.
If she ever argued with someone on her own, the entire caravan would be wiped out.
Eventually, after much coaxing and a promise that he'd find "a proper way to make money" next time, Bing Di reluctantly gave up her plan to extort the poor merchants.
The caravan, unknowingly spared from total annihilation, continued its journey in peace.
As dusk approached, the convoy rolled into the edge of the Sunset Forest.
The air was thick with the scent of pine and spirit energy.
Cheng Yang stepped down first, stretching his back.
"This is where we part ways," he told the supervisor politely.
"You should head around the outer path, it's safer. We'll take another route."
The supervisor tried to persuade them to stay the night, but Cheng Yang declined with a smile.
Beside him, Bing Di looked restless, her eyes gleaming faintly green; the forest's aura was stirring her spirit beast instincts.
"Come on," Cheng Yang said quietly, sensing it.
"Let's move before you start thinking about hunting someone."
Bing Di snorted but followed, still clutching her gold pouch like it was the most precious treasure in the world.
As the caravan disappeared behind them, Cheng Yang glanced at her sideways.
"You know," he said, "for someone who used to rule an ice domain, you sure look happy holding money like a village girl."
She gave him a cold stare, then muttered, "Money buys food. Food makes me happy. Therefore, money makes me happy."
Cheng Yang chuckled under his breath. "Can't argue with that logic."
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