By the time Dan Xingyu returned, Qiyu was already dressed in a down jacket and waiting for him. 

Dan Xingyu was holding a black down jacket, with a pale yellow scarf draped over his arm.

Looking at Qiyu, he didn’t even have time to admire his new look before urging him repeatedly, “Hurry, hurry, let’s get out of here—it’s so hot, so hot.” 

Just as he was about to ask Qiyu, “Aren’t you hot?” he felt a wave of icy coldness envelop him.

Dan Xingyu blinked in astonishment and saw tiny pale blue ice crystals drifting down before his eyes.

He turned to look at Qiyu. Wrapped in a fluffy white down jacket, the wizard—who looked like a fuzzy little bird—smiled at him: “Not hot anymore, right? This is the ice and snow magic I just learned—isn’t it pretty useful?”

Dan Xingyu exclaimed excitedly, “Do it again! Do it again!”

His joy was so obvious that Qiyu was more than happy to indulge him; magic surged through him, and this time the area was a bit larger.

A small flurry of snowflakes drifted down gently over their heads, completely sweeping away the lingering heat in Dan Xingyu’s heart. 

“Rubbing snow with your bare hands? How are you any different from an immortal?” Dan Xingyu leaned close to Qiyu, circling him to examine him from every angle, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “We’re both mortals—why are you so exceptional?” 

Flattered by the compliment, Qiyu said to him, “Stop dawdling. Hurry up and get dressed—let’s go out.” 

With a mage who could generate cold right by his side, Dan Xingyu wasn’t afraid of the heat anymore. He quickly slipped on his down jacket, saying as he did so, “I wonder which unlucky soul actually won a down jacket and a scarf in Server 88.” 

He searched the trading page and bought it; when he did, the seller even sent him a private message to thank him.

Then he saw the buyer’s ID—God Without Form. 

Dan Xingyu was too busy rushing over here to read the long-winded message that the player had sent.

However, he had no doubt whatsoever that, right now, over in Server 88, people were surely speculating about why he would buy cold-weather gear in such sweltering heat.

He had deliberately chosen not to buy it anonymously.

His Lordship was kind-hearted; when he brought the martial arts techniques back to Server 88, he would certainly make it clear who was truly benefiting the players.

And then there was all that ice and snow, not to mention the swift meat from earlier.

Even if he didn’t say anything, no one could force him to reveal their origins.

But why wouldn’t he say anything? 

Thinking of that, he chuckled with a hint of delight.

This drew Qiyu’s curious gaze: “What are you laughing at?”

Dan Xingyu interjected: “If someone else asked me where I learned martial arts and got all this ice and snow, could I mention your name?”

Qiyu: “Of course you could.”

He said matter-of-factly, “Didn’t we both take part in the Racing Carnival together? Now everyone knows we’re good friends, right?” 

Dan Xingyu savored the phrase “everyone knows we’re good friends” and felt inexplicably pleased.

“You’re right!” he said cheerfully. “Everyone knows we’re good friends. We took first place, so it’s only natural that we’d help each other out.” 

Just thinking about the comments that would appear on the Zone 88 regional channel made him feel great: 

“They’re going to be so jealous.”

As they spoke, the two walked out of the territory.

A howling cold wind, laden with heavy snow, lashed against their faces.

“Whoa!”

Qiyu was just about to ask if he should set up a simple wind-blocking barrier for him when he heard Dan Xingyu shout, “It’s so refreshing, so comfortable!” 

The next thing he knew, Dan Xingyu had lunged forward and plunged headfirst into a snowdrift. 

Qiyu: “……”

He silently equipped the Guardian Mage Robe from his backpack, then crouched down, waiting for Dan Xingyu to dig himself out of the snow pit. 

Fortunately, Dan Xingyu remembered he had serious business to attend to. He struggled to his feet, took a deep breath, and said, “That felt so good. Rolling around in piles of yellow sand every day, and then suddenly finding myself in this vast, snowy world—it’s pure bliss.” 

It had only been a month in the survival game, and since he was already a Level 3 Martial Artist, his physical stats were high and he was tough. Otherwise, switching from the 50-degree Golden Desert to the Star Forest—where temperatures were well below minus 20 degrees—in the blink of an eye, his body wouldn’t have been able to handle it. 

Standing up, he discovered the snow had already risen above his thighs.

Dan Xingyu asked in puzzlement, “With such low temperatures, why hasn’t the snow frozen solid? Is the climate in the survival game different from ours?” 

He was a southerner with little experience and didn’t really understand. 

Qiyu wasn’t sure either.

But Dan Xingyu quickly shifted his attention. 

He looked at his lower body, which was sunk deep into the snow, then at Qiyu, who was crouching lightly on the snow’s surface and wore a puzzled expression. 

“Qiyu, my friend,” he said, deeply shocked, pointing at the ground beneath Qiyu’s feet, “Please tell me—are you a paper cutout? Or is there some strange principle at work here? How is it that you can step on such fluffy snow without even leaving a single footprint?”

Qiyu glanced down and said casually, “Maybe it’s because my Agility stat is pretty high.”

He said to Dan Xingyu, “You’re having a hard time just walking like that; I imagine it must be inconvenient to do anything. Do you want me to help you?”

Dan Xingyu: “No, thanks.” 

He pulled himself out of the snowdrift and channeled his inner energy.

Qiyu saw a fiery red glow flash across his body; this power lifted him up, allowing him, just like Qiyu, to walk on the soft snow without sinking in.

However, there was still a difference: as the two walked side by side, only a single trail of footprints could be seen ahead.

Dan Xingyu used his sword to dig through the snow, but after a while, he couldn’t resist turning back to look at the ground beneath Qiyu’s feet.

“Are you really sure you haven’t awakened any elven bloodline? ” he asked seriously. 

Qiyu had already grown too lazy to pay him any mind.

Keeping the task assigned by the butler firmly in mind, he took the “mature” trash can out of his backpack and placed it in the snow.

To see if the trash can would find the snow to eat on its own.

Unfortunately, the trash can remained completely still and silent.

It seemed it hadn’t recognized the snow covering the ground as trash.

But if Qiyu scooped up a pile of snow and fed it to the trash can, it would eat that too.

Qiyu understood immediately: just like the food he couldn’t finish himself, the trash can wouldn’t automatically consider it “trash”; if he fed it what he genuinely couldn’t finish, it would eat that as well.

Of course, today’s breakfast didn’t include any for the trash can. 

Qiyu and Dan Xingyu polished off most of it between the two of them, and Qiyu put away the remaining bread, pastries, and other items.

He couldn’t bear to throw such good food into the trash can.

In the blink of an eye, Dan Xingyu had a new idea. He shouted, “Master Wizard.”

Qiyu had already gotten used to the fact that Dan Xingyu always came up with all sorts of new nicknames for him.

Dan Xingyu said, “You know ice and snow magic, so can you condense all this snow and use magic to build a snowman?”

Qiyu thought for a moment and said, “I’ll give it a try.”

He raised one hand, and dazzling magic emerged from his palm. The surrounding ice and snow, as if summoned, began to gather in front of him.

The magic became his “hand,” and he began to sculpt a “snowman” exactly as he envisioned.

With a touch here, a round, plump body took shape.

With a touch here, two chubby arms took shape.

He was like a novice artist—magic was the brush in his palm, and the ice and snow were his canvas. He happily began to play in this frozen world. 

Dan Xingyu had stopped shoveling snow at some point; he gazed at the scene with intense focus and awe. 

The person younger than him was a genius. He had known that from the very beginning.

And this was the first time he’d seen Qiyu so completely immersed in magic. 

It was a far cry from the racing frenzy, where his overwhelming power seemed like a mere display of skill.

At this very moment, he had simply slipped into his own magical world, casually finding himself a new toy, just like a child who’d discovered a new playground.

And to passersby, this playground looked like witnessing a miracle come to life.

“Dan Xingyu, look—doesn’t this look just like you?” Qiyu called out to him.

He had used magic to sculpt a large snowman, so meticulously crafted that even the down jacket Dan Xingyu was wearing was rendered in detail.

Dan Xingyu snapped out of that strange mood and walked over gently.

The snowman was a bit different from what he’d imagined; surprisingly, he could actually make out a faint resemblance to himself in those features—which were hard to describe as either delicate or rough.

Dan Xingyu smiled and said, “You made your very first snowman in my likeness? Why didn’t you make one of yourself?”

Qiyu was taken aback; he really hadn’t thought that far ahead.

He answered honestly, “I don’t know—I didn’t think that far ahead. But since you’re here with me, I subconsciously ended up making one that looks like you.”

His tone was warm and sincere: “This is my first time playing in the snow—it’s so much fun.”

Dan Xingyu: “Am I the first snowman you’ve ever made? That’s such an honor!”

Qiyu: “Mm-hmm!”

He examined the snowman, thought for a couple of seconds, then asked Dan Xingyu, “Are you cold?”

Dan Xingyu shook his head: “Not at all.”

As a swordsman, he had always been training his body, and since the sword energy he cultivated was fire-attributed, he really wasn’t very sensitive to the cold.

So, his body, carrying the scent of ice and snow, moved closer.

They were so close that their clothes were touching.

Dan Xingyu: ??

He felt inexplicably nervous and instinctively held his breath as he watched Qiyu get closer and closer to him, then raised both hands to wrap them around his neck.

!!

In an instant, the jumbled thoughts in his mind seemed like they could be boiled down into a pot of porridge, yet upon closer reflection, he had absolutely no idea what he’d been thinking.

He thought blankly, What’s this guy doing? Is he going to give me a hug? 

So should he hug him back? 

Just as he was about to raise his arms, the space around his neck suddenly felt empty; the icy air touched his bare skin, sending a sharp shiver down his spine.

It also successfully brought his mind back to reality. 

The body that had been pressed against him was now gone, leaving him standing all alone in the snow. 

His pale yellow scarf had been snatched away.

“Perfect,” he heard Qiyu’s voice. “A white snowman is way too inconspicuous. Add a scarf, and not only will it look more like you, but it’ll also stand out from a distance—you’ll be able to spot it at a glance.”

Dan Xingyu: “…Oh.”

His friend’s tone had an inexplicable hint of hurt.

Qiyu looked over in puzzlement: “What’s wrong, Dan Xingyu?”

Dan Xingyu wiped his face: “Nothing, I just feel a little stupid.”

Qiyu: ??

He seriously objected, “You’re not stupid at all—don’t talk about yourself like that.”

Sigh… People older than Dan Xingyu really do take things so seriously; it’s kind of fun. 

The inexplicable sense of frustration deep in Dan Xingyu’s heart vanished instantly, and he even began to entertain the thought of pushing his luck a bit.

Isn’t it just a hug?

If I want it, I’ll just take it.

“Qiyu,” he said boldly, “I thought you were going to give me a hug just now, but it turns out you just wanted my scarf.” 

“I’m a little upset right now. I need a big hug to cheer me up.”