Chapter 171

Lu Fang stared at Snow Luo Sha in surprise, frozen in place.

He had seen the Great Zhou Son of Heaven and the Luo Sha King unharmed, yet never expected Snow Luo Sha to detect the presence of the Demon Heart—leaving him utterly at a loss.

Demon Heart: "This female Luo Sha knows of my existence. That's not good. What should I do? Find an opportunity to kill her?"

Lu Fang frowned and mentally told the Demon Heart: "Shut up. Your ideas are terrible. Even if killing her were possible, I wouldn't do it."

Demon Heart: "I find you're good in every way, except for this one weakness—sentimentality. How can you accomplish great things with such sentimentality?"

Lu Fang ignored it and turned to Snow Luo Sha, whispering mentally: "Did you hear the presence of that heart inside me?"

Snow Luo Sha nodded silently, placed a piece of meat on his plate, and whispered back: "What's going on? I heard the heartbeat of that heart—it sounded strange. Just now, I even heard it tell you to find a chance to kill me."

"I won't kill you," Lu Fang said seriously.

Snow Luo Sha smiled sweetly: "Though I can't hear your words, I caught fragments of what that heart said—it called you sentimental. I think I guessed your response."

She paused, then laughed: "Don't worry. If you don't want anyone to know, I won't tell a soul."

To reassure him, she added: "If I didn't consider you a friend, I wouldn't have whispered to you at all—I'd have stayed silent. Do you understand what I mean?"

Lu Fang nodded with a smile. He knew Snow Luo Sha could hear certain peculiar sounds—like the echoes of ancient traces from the Seventh Rank Upper Realm—so he guessed she had heard the Demon Heart.

It seemed his guess was correct.

This Snow Luo Sha was truly extraordinary—even able to hear something like the Demon Heart.

Snow Luo Sha whispered with concern: "That heart inside you sounds untrustworthy. If you'll take a friend's advice, find a chance to eliminate it."

"I'm looking for a way."

Lu Fang whispered: "But it's not easy. The matter is complicated—I won't go into details. Please keep this secret for now."

"Alright," Snow Luo Sha agreed, then stopped whispering and smiled at him: "It's such a pity you didn't have me yesterday. Your poem 'When Will the Bright Moon Appear?' is truly magnificent."

She softly hummed the tune, her voice exquisite—just pronouncing each word brought joy, let alone her gentle humming, which drew one involuntarily into its spell.

Lu Fang listened quietly. When she finished, he clapped and said: "Your voice suits this song perfectly. Still, a few parts would sound better if sung like this..."

Over the meal, he and Snow Luo Sha and Shui Yao discussed how to sing better.

Like friends meeting up.

As they prepared to part, Snow Luo Sha suddenly said: "By the way, my father told me earlier—he's granted you special permission to train inside the Snow Mountain for a month, in thanks for your beautiful lyrics to the Heavenly Palace."

"Snow Mountain?"

Lu Fang instinctively glanced toward the rear of the hall.

Snow Luo Sha nodded firmly: "Only the royal family of the Luo Sha Kingdom has any chance of entering the Snow Mountain. Inside lies the source of extreme Yin energy—immensely beneficial for Luo Shas and spirit cultivators."

"It benefits Confucians too—it can strengthen your righteous qi, and even trigger sudden enlightenment."

"Previous Great Zhou envoys never gained entry. You're exceptional—this is a privilege reserved for the imperial family."

"Choose a time. We'll enter together—it'll be safer with mutual support."

Lu Fang hesitated briefly, then agreed outright: "From your tone, the Snow Mountain seems dangerous?"

If it weren't dangerous, she wouldn't have mentioned mutual support.

Snow Luo Sha explained: "Places like the Snow Mountain, similar to Upper Realms, offer great opportunities—but also great risks. Still, we'll only go to already-explored areas, so the danger isn't as great as it sounds."

"The interior of the Snow Mountain is vast, with many unexplored regions—no one knows if those places hold danger."

"But from past exploration, unexplored zones almost always carry some level of risk."

Lu Fang probed: "What kind of dangers, roughly?"

Snow Luo Sha tilted her head, thinking: "Like unique beasts of the Snow Mountain, strange locations, or unknown ruins—things like that."

Lu Fang mused: "Will humans be restricted upon entering?" After receiving a negative answer, he nodded: "If possible, let's enter tomorrow."

Places like the Snow Mountain—ideal for cultivation—wouldn't have been opened to Lu Fang unless he'd written "When Will the Bright Moon Appear?"

He certainly didn't want to miss such an opportunity.

As for danger—he wasn't worried. If Snow Luo Sha wasn't afraid, why should he be? Besides, opportunity always demands risk.

"Tomorrow?"

Snow Luo Sha nodded slightly: "Fine. Lately, I've felt signs of breaking into Sixth Rank Second Stage. Maybe entering the Snow Mountain will trigger it."

After parting, Lu Fang walked back.

Demon Heart: "You're really going to that Snow Mountain? I tell you, there's a conspiracy here. She never mentioned entering before—only now, after sensing me, does she bring it up."

Lu Fang looked bewildered: "What are you talking about? What conspiracy? Snow Luo Sha isn't that kind of person. If she truly meant to harm me, do you think we'd have any chance to resist?"

Demon Heart: "I don't know why, but something feels off. Even if you trust her, be careful when entering the Snow Mountain. If I were you, I'd never believe in the word 'friend.'"

"I think you're acting strange."

Lu Fang frowned, puzzled. This feeling was odd—he sensed the Demon Heart was behaving abnormally.

But when he thought harder, he couldn't pinpoint exactly how.

The Demon Heart fell silent for a moment, then said: "To be honest, I don't like Snow Luo Sha. Maybe because she wants you to eliminate me. Either way, I'll never trust her. If I were you, I'd kill her in the Snow Mountain at the first chance."

"You two are close now. But what if a greater benefit appears before her someday? Are you sure she won't reveal my existence?"

"There's another method—I sense she seems to admire you..."