He Lan Tianxia

The woman picked up Murong Junlan's cup, squeezed a cup of bear milk into the large stone cave, and handed it to Murong Junlan: "Your Highness, there is no water here, please make do with this."

Murong Junlan really didn't want to drink it, but he couldn't refuse the woman's kindness, so he had no choice but to force himself to drink it. Drinking it this way was more respectable than drinking it while lying on a bear's back. However, thinking that it was bear milk and had a slightly goaty smell, Murong Junlan almost vomited. The woman couldn't help but burst into laughter when she saw this.

Murong Junlan took the large stone, and the woman looked at it and laughed, "This is good; it can be used to boil bear milk."

"You've become addicted to boiled milk, haven't you?" Murong Junlan said with a half-smile.

"You don't understand. We 21st-century people often boil milk to drink, and we even sell it by the box. It's very nutritious, especially good for calcium. If this pure natural bear milk were where we are, it would cost at least ten or twenty yuan for a small bottle. We would definitely make a lot of money."

"Really?" Murong Junlan listened with a mixture of belief and doubt.

"Of course, just think about it. If a handsome prince of your noble status were to drink milk from a bottle in such a carefree manner, his fans would definitely flood the screen. But if you were to lie down on a bear and drink milk, well, the posture would be a different story."

Murong Junlan glared at the mischievous woman and pretended to be angry, saying, "You're deliberately teasing me."

"Yan'er wouldn't dare." The woman escaped from the cave before Murong Junlan could get angry.

"Go and get Xiong Bao a bucket of clean snow."

"What are you here for?" The words had barely left her lips when the woman stepped out of the cave.

"Brewing tea."

When the woman and the little boy came in again, Murong Junlan was fiddling with the large, sunken rock, and a fire had been lit under the rock. Murong Junlan poured snow into the sunken area of ​​the rock.

"Brother, are you planning to use stones to boil water?"

"Hmm. You're smarter than your sister." Murong Junlan deliberately gave the little boy a thumbs up.

"Great! We can have water to drink now." The little boy blinked his sly eyes and turned to the woman, saying, "Sister, you won't have to lie on the bear's belly to nurse anymore. I know you really don't want to."

Murong Junlan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. To express his gratitude, he said to the little boy, "I'll give you the first cup of boiled water later."

"Thank you, brother." The little boy was so happy that he danced with joy.

"You little brat, how dare you make fun of me!" The woman chased after the little boy and started hitting him, so he had no choice but to run away.

The water finally boiled, and the little boy, looking at the long-awaited boiled water in front of him, sat there happily, reluctant to drink it. Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind, grabbed the cup, and left.

"That's my cup!" the little boy shouted.

"Let me try it first to see if it tastes good." Lorina appeared out of nowhere. "Ugh, it's burning hot."

"Serves you right, that's what happens when you steal from others," the little boy gloated. "See if you dare to do it again next time!"

"Who says I wouldn't dare? I'll steal from you again next time."

"Brother, she's bullying me."

"Quickly bring me a cup, or there really won't be any left." Murong Junlan used a wooden spoon to scoop up the remaining tea and added it to the new cup the little boy handed her.

"Your Highness, what kind of tea is this?" Yan'er asked, noticing two nearly transparent flower petals floating in the water.

"Snow lotus. The quality is excellent. If I'm not mistaken, it must have taken over a thousand years to bloom." Murong Junlan handed the cup to the woman. "Try it and see if it tastes good."

"It tastes good, very sweet, with a light floral aroma, and a refreshing feeling."

"That's good. It seems my luck is still pretty good." Murong Junlan smiled gently.

"Hey, where did you pick these?"

"On the way here, on a cliff face, I regretted picking them as soon as I finished." Murong Junlan still feels lingering fear when she recalls the howling of the wolves.

"Why?" The woman stared intently at Murong Junlan, whose clear eyes seemed to be deep in thought.

“Because I heard the howling of wolves then, I was afraid I would lose you for a snow lotus.” Murong Junlan couldn’t help but embrace the woman’s shoulders. The woman did not push him away and let him hold her. Murong Junlan took out the remaining snow lotus from his bundle and showed it to the woman. The woman held it with great affection.

"Do you like it? If you like it, I'll give it to you. We'll go back later..."

"Your Highness, I don't want to return to Du Yan Kingdom. I would rather stay in the Snow Region." The woman returned the snow lotus to Murong Junlan.

"It was my fault. I failed to protect you." Murong Junlan felt truly guilty when he thought of what had happened to the woman.

"The State of Yan? Could you be Prince Murong Junlan?" Luo Rina downed her tea in one gulp. "No wonder you're so powerful." Luo Rina stared intently at Murong Junlan.

"Your Highness, who is she?"

"Luo Xie's younger sister."

"Oh." The woman wanted to ask if they were close, but she swallowed the words back.

"I met her when I fell into the desert. She chased after me on her own. I don't know her well," Murong Junlan hurriedly explained, fearing the woman would misunderstand.

Whether you two are familiar or not is none of my business.

"..." Murong Junlan.

"Oh, you're not that woman who was sent to the Wubei Kingdom for a marriage alliance, but was then abducted by Prince Murong, are you?" Luo Rina looked at the woman, then at Murong Junlan, and made a guess in her mind.

"She is my queen consort," Murong Junlan said domineeringly.

"Heh, should I call you sister-in-law? Since you are the wife my brother married, why are you still clinging to the prince and refusing to leave?"

"Get out!" Murong Junlan ordered, his face dark.

"Your Highness, I've told you I like you, and I'll definitely make you like me back." Luo Rina stormed out.

Seeing that things were going badly, the little boy hastily wiped his mouth and ran away to go back to his cave to sleep.

The cave fell silent. Neither of them spoke, and the rare romantic atmosphere was suddenly awkward thanks to Luo Rina's disruption. Murong Junlan poured the woman a cup of freshly brewed tea and said softly, "It's late, time to sleep." After drinking the tea, the two returned to the cave to rest. Murong Junlan shared a bed with the little boy, while the woman shared a bed with Luo Rina.

As dawn broke, Murong Junlan was awakened by the howling of wolves. Everyone else was still asleep; the big bear was gone, and two cubs were huddled together, rubbing against each other. Murong Junlan rolled out of bed and was startled by the scene before him as soon as he stepped outside the cave. Two thickets of wolves, at least thirty or forty in total, were staring menacingly at the cave entrance, while the lone bear stood facing them without flinching. Murong Junlan instinctively reached for the hidden darts in his pocket; he only had about ten left, which he used as a last resort. Although there was a spear inside the cave, against this pack of wolves, they were clearly outnumbered and outgunned. He looked around the cave but saw no loose rocks; the situation seemed more dire than he had anticipated.

Murong Junlan went into the cave and woke everyone. To avoid distractions, he decided that he and Luo Rina would fight the wolves outside, while the woman, the little boy, and the bear would stay inside. The bear, in particular, was to guard the entrance to prevent a wolf attack. As for weapons, he decided to use a spear, as it was stronger and more lethal than a thin rope. Luo Rina would revert to using her long whip. Murong Junlan gave the order: "When the wolves move, I move; when the wolves don't move, I don't move."

Under Murong Junlan's powerful aura, the wolf pack dared not make a move, all waiting for the alpha wolf to give the order. An hour passed, and both sides remained deadlocked. One wolf near the barbecue pit became increasingly restless, constantly dawdling and peeking into the pit. The alpha wolf howled at the sky, seemingly as a warning, but the wolf seemed not to hear, abandoning its companion and running into the small stone pit. This action may have aroused the curiosity of the other wolves, and their hearts began to waver. The wolf that went in carried out the two snow lotus petals that had been used to brew tea, and the surrounding wolves immediately tried to surround it, creating some chaos. The alpha wolf looked at Murong Junlan and howled again, signaling the wolves to be on the lookout, but two or three wolves recklessly rushed forward to snatch the snow lotus petals, and the situation briefly spiraled out of control.

Murong Junlan originally intended to wait until the wolves were in disarray and fighting amongst themselves before making his move. However, Luo Rina was an impatient person. As soon as the wolves moved, she lashed out with her long whip, injuring several wolves in the process. Enraged, the wolves charged straight at the two of them, but fortunately, half of them were lured away to fight for the snow lotus.

The wolf carrying the snow lotus flower swallowed it whole as the pack pounced. A nearby wolf, enraged, lunged at its neck, followed by a second, a third… The wolf that had swallowed the snow lotus instantly became the target of the pack, the scene a bloody and brutal spectacle. At this moment, the alpha wolf, its ferocity flaring, vented its anger on the wolf that had eaten the snow lotus and the disobedient members, while also glaring at Luo Rina's sharp whip. It knew that a disorganized pack was a fatal weakness, one that humans would exploit to kill. A sharp, wary glint flashed in the alpha wolf's eyes, but it remained calm. Its composure momentarily startled Murong Junlan. However, he knew he couldn't act impulsively, especially towards a wild beast. So, he swung his spear, thrusting it straight at the alpha wolf.

The alpha wolf's abilities were not to be underestimated. It seized the opportunity when the whip was being used, pushed off with its hind legs, and shot out like an arrow, rushing straight at Lorina.

"Watch out, get out of the way!" Murong Junlan flashed in front of Luo Rina, shielding her. He knew how terrifying the alpha wolf's fighting spirit was; Luo Rina's skills were no match for it. Murong Junlan's spear aimed straight for the wolf's throat. The alpha wolf actually twisted in mid-air to dodge, then charged at Murong Junlan again. Murong Junlan didn't dodge, instead using his desert lightness skill as snow lightness skill, maneuvering the alpha wolf around in a 360-degree arc. Sensing the pressure of a powerful opponent, the alpha wolf roared, and most of the wolves around it abandoned Luo Rina and immediately attacked Murong Junlan. To lure the pack away, Murong Junlan forced the alpha wolf to retreat. The alpha wolf's ferocious attacks were all deadly, and Murong Junlan dared not be careless, using all his skills to fight back. On the vast snow-covered ground, the struggle appeared incredibly dangerous and eerie.