"I must say that I'm really impressed. It has only been three months but the appearance of my Snow Fields had changed drastically."

The old man said while praising Li Ming as they took a tour through the nursery.

The evidence of her hard work was on display in front of their eyes as for the first time in a millennium, flowers were blooming in the Snow Fields.

"I'm actually flattered. It's a rare chance to hear you giving compliments to anyone." Li Ming replied with a soft smile.

The old man broke out into chuckles as he replied, "Well, you have earned this with your hard work. I can already imagine fruits and vegetables growing in those plants very soon. I'm ready to accept my defeat."

Li Ming stopped in her tracks as she turned to look at the old man in surprise. She did not expect him to suddenly announce her as the winner of their challenge.

The old man followed her and also stopped as he said, "To be honest when I was assigned with the job of this place's caretaker I was not that enthusiastic about it. I just wanted to enjoy a peaceful life in my old age. However, I got stuck here. I never paid attention to this place more than what was needed."

"But....is not this place perfect for a peaceful life? There no one or nothing, in general, that could destroy your peace." Li Ming asked him as she looked around her surroundings.

"Of course not! This place is filled with..." The old man suddenly trailed off as he realized that he was about to reveal the secrets of the Snow Fields.

"Though for the rest of the world, this place is just a closed world filled with nothing else but snow. However, it's holding so many secrets and mysteries inside it. How can I have a peaceful life while I have to protect all these mysteries and secrets?" The old man looked at the deep valley down the cliff and a sigh left his lips.

Li Ming stayed silent for a few minutes but then asked, "Why are you telling me about this? After all, I'm not someone whom you have known for a long time and can trust."

Her question made the old man laugh as he turned to look at her with a serious gaze while replying, "Even I'm not sure about why I'm doing all this. I just have a gut instinct and I'm just following it."

Li Ming stared at the old man for a few seconds, trying to read his eyes since she could not read his mind.

All that she found in his eyes was confusion but also a sense of trust and the presence of these two feelings at the same time did not make much sense to her.

Was he confused because his heart and mind were suddenly placing their trust in her?

"Oh! This reminded me. When we first set this challenge I promised to fulfill one of your wishes. Since the result is already clear, you can go on and claim your prize."

The old man's words made her eyes shine as a huge smile made its way to her lips.

"Really?" She could not help but ask to just make sure that she would finally be able to do the thing for which she decided to come to the Snow Fields.

"Are you doubting my words, Young Lady?" The old man asked with his eyebrows raised high on his forehead.

"Nope, nope! Nothing like that." Li Ming quickly shook her hands to deny. She did not want to incite the old man and ended up losing her winning prize.

"So? What do you want to ask for?" The old man asked her.

"Actually, it's not something big. I just want to look around the Snow Fields, it's every single part without missing anything." Li Ming replied as she waited for the old man's permission.

The old man was taken aback as he asked, "Are you sure this is exactly what you want? I know that you told me this before too but I thought that you were just trying to play safe. Are you really willing to waste this chance for something like this?"

The old man was seriously having issues with believing her. His surprised expression made Li Ming roll her eyes.

"Don't worry. There's nothing else that you can give me besides this. So? Are you giving me permission to look around the Snow Fields or not?" She asked the old man with her challenging gaze.

She was definitely ready to murder the old man if he dared to go back on his words and refused to allow her.

Thankfully she was saved from the charges of the murder of the Master of the Deities as the old man nodded his head while giving his permission.

"I think there is no danger in allowing you to roam around the Snow Fields freely. I'm giving you my permission. You are free to do whatever you want." The old man told her with a huge smile on his lips.

Li Ming raised her eyebrows as she asked the old man, "Why? What about the secrets of the Snow Fields? Are you not worried that I would somehow end up finding out about those secrets?"

The old man chuckled a little before replying, "No, I'm not worried about it. The secrets of the Snow Fields are very well hidden. You will never be able to reach them on your own."

Li Ming nodded her head slowly. "Alright! I'm very thankful to Master for granting me my wish. I'll not take any more of your precious time. See ya!"

She said while bowing a little in greeting before she disappeared from the nursery.

A figure came out from the shadows and stood beside the old man.

"I did exactly what you asked me to do. I'm just hoping that everything is going to be fine in the end." The old man said to the figure.

"Don't worry. Everything is set. Now we just need to wait." The silhouette of the other person replied as they both started walking out of the nursery.

On the other hand, Li Ming appeared in the magical mansion.

It was finally the time when she could find out about the source which had been pulling her towards it for such a long time.

In the last three months of her stay in the Snow Fields, she had experienced that pull every bow and then.

Though it was not as powerful as the first time when she felt it, nowhere near it, But it was still there, making her realize that she had not imagined everything.

It was the chance for which she had worked so hard during the past few months.

She took a quick shower and put on black jeans, a matching sweater over a tank top, black leather boots, and a warm cloak.

Her long hair was tied in a high ponytail and she put on a cap to cover her ears from the cold.

Putting on a woolen face mask to save her nose from the cold and a pair of gloves were the final touch to her all-black outfit.

If it was even possible, she looked both cute and dangerous in that outfit.

Just as she was observing herself in the full-length mirror, a figure appeared behind her and soon she was pulled into the tight embrace of the Evernight Lord.

"You remember that your punishment is still pending, right?" He asked her in a soft voice as he snaked one of his hands towards the hem of her sweater.

"Did not you say that you will give me the punishment after a few years? It's only been a few weeks. Are you already changing your min.......FUCK!"

Li Ming could not stop the curse from leaving her mouth as her entire body was shaken from the tingles that suddenly erupted all over her body as Ruoshan's cold fingers grazed the bare skin of her belly.

"You can curse! That's new." The Evernight Lord chuckled as he started forming circles on her belly with his cold fingers.

He felt the shiver that ran down her body as his hands made proper contact with her bare skin.

"A-are......are y-you trying to kill me?" Li Ming asked him as she grasped his roaming hand in her own, making his hand atop in its track.

"Why are you saying that, Xingan? What I did to make you say something like this?" Ruoshan sure knew how to okay innocent.

"Get your hands out of the sweater right now!" Li Ming told him as she was finally able to get a grip on her body which was about to melt under the caresses of the Ever night Lord.

"And if I did not?" Ruoshan dared her as he inched his hand higher on her belly.

Li Ming was on the verge of losing her control over her body which wanted to succumb under the love of her mate.

However, she took a deep breath as she replied in a cold tone, "If you do not let ne go this very instant, I will make sure that you won't be able to touch me for the rest of this year!"

And immediately she was standing alone in her bedroom and there was no Evernight Lord present there with her.