Chapter 470: Teacher, Long Time No See

Chapter 470: Teacher, Long Time No See

"Let me go!"

The Holy Maiden was slung over Li Wei's shoulder. She pounded furiously on his back, demanding he release her.

But she failed to hurt him; instead, it was her own hands that stung from striking his invisible armor.

After flying for a while, Li Wei left the Ice and Snow City behind.

Seeing no pursuers, he found an open patch of land and landed.

He dumped the so-called Holy Maiden onto the snow.

Thump!

She landed hard on her rear in the soft snow, half her body buried beneath white powder.

Her face burned with fury as she glared at Li Wei, eyes blazing with enough hatred to kill him ten thousand times over.

Soon, however, she calmed down and realized her current predicament.

His strength far exceeded anything she had imagined.

Yet, in her view, she lost only because she underestimated him.

From the start, she hadn't intended to kill Li Wei—only to trap him and bring him back.

That’s why she hadn’t used powerful spells.

Otherwise, Li Wei would have been dead long ago.

If given another chance, she was certain she could defeat him.

But now, things looked grim. Her staff was gone, they were too close for her to cast safely, and there was no room to begin a spell.

The memory of being interrupted by Li Wei before still burned fresh in her mind.

Li Wei stared at her face for a moment.

The Holy Maiden, who had just regained her composure, flared up again—this man was far too rude.

She struggled to her feet, resolved that even if she died, she wouldn’t let his evil intentions succeed.

Li Wei continued staring at her face when suddenly it struck him—he knew why she looked familiar.

This woman bore a striking resemblance to Teacher Gu Ze, about seventy percent alike.

Compared to Teacher Gu Ze, this woman’s features were softer.

Which made sense, after all—she was female.

Li Wei felt puzzled. Why did this person look so much like Teacher Gu Ze?

A flash of realization hit him. Could it be...

The Holy Maiden saw Li Wei standing there blankly, unresponsive, and shouted angrily, “What exactly do you want? Even if I die, I won’t let you succeed!”

Only then did Li Wei snap out of his thoughts.

He frowned. “What did you say?”

The Holy Maiden hesitated slightly upon hearing this.

She turned her head away. “Nothing.”

Seeing her reaction, Li Wei didn’t press further about what she meant.

Instead, he focused more intently on how to deal with this troublesome situation.

If the Ice Queen kept hunting him, moving around the Far North Ice Plains would become increasingly difficult.

After all, even mighty dragons struggle against local serpents.

The Holy Maiden recovered her senses and asked Li Wei, “Why did you kidnap me?”

Li Wei replied, “Isn’t it you people who came after me?”

She paused briefly at his words.

Though true in one sense, admitting outright that she’d been overpowered and captured by Li Wei was hard to swallow.

“Well, not really kidnapping,” she said carefully. “We merely wanted to invite you to meet the Ice Queen. If you hadn’t run, I wouldn’t have needed to use magic so hastily.”

Li Wei chuckled dryly. “Oh really? And you call that an invitation?”

Recalling the Valkyrie’s earlier attitude, the Holy Maiden softened her tone. “Alright, I admit our approach may have seemed overly aggressive.”

“But we truly never meant to capture you.”

Hearing this, Li Wei frowned again. “Then what? Aren’t you supposed to help the Church of Light hunt me down?”

She pouted slightly. “Yes, the Church did ask us to find you—but the Queen refused.”

Li Wei froze. That contradicted everything he'd heard.

The orc leader claimed it was the Ice Queen herself who ordered the search for him.

Who was lying?

Judging solely from recent events, Li Wei believed it more likely that the Ice Queen had indeed sent someone after him.

Yet if this girl truly was the Holy Maiden of the Ice and Snow City, then she probably had no reason to lie.

After pondering for a moment, Li Wei asked, “Why does the Ice Queen wish to see me?”

“She didn’t tell me specifically,” the Holy Maiden answered. “All I know is that the Queen might need your help.”

“Help?” Li Wei grew even more confused.

As ruler of the Far North Ice Plains, what could possibly require assistance from someone like him?

Even the Church of Light relied on her power to track him here.

Was there truly something beyond her reach that required outside aid?

The Holy Maiden sighed. “Say whatever you will, but until you actually meet the Queen yourself, you won’t understand.”

Li Wei glanced at her without responding.

Although this woman bore such a strong resemblance to Teacher Gu Ze from his memories, it wasn’t enough to make him trust her completely.

Seeing his skepticism, the Holy Maiden bit her lip and stepped forward, extending both hands toward him.

“If you’re worried about danger… then take me as a hostage.”

Li Wei looked surprised.

At this point, hesitation would seem indecisive.

He shook his head. “No need. If I wanted to kill you, hiding wouldn’t save you.”

Instantly, indignation surged within the Holy Maiden—she felt insulted.

“Damn it! Don’t underestimate me! Just because I lost once…”

Li Wei didn’t bother arguing with her. He gave her a quick glance and said, “Fine, lead me to your Queen.”

“You walk ahead.”

“I have a name. It’s Gusewei.”

Upon hearing this, Li Wei stirred inwardly, though outwardly unchanged. He simply responded with a casual “oh,” pretending indifference.

Gusewei shot him a glance, flushed with anger and embarrassment, and began walking toward the direction of the Ice and Snow City.

After a few paces, she found that trekking through the deep snow was too arduous.

She cast a spell.

"Ice Track!"

A sheet of moving ice materialized beneath her feet.

Glancing back at Levi, she noticed that although he was clearly treading upon the snow, he left no footprints behind.

She stared in stunned silence until Levi asked, "Why have you stopped?"

Only then did she snap out of her daze and press forward.

In her heart, a deep curiosity bloomed regarding the mysteriously spawned Levi.

What was the truth behind this man?

Why was he being hunted by the Church of Holy Light?

And how could he walk across the snow without leaving a trace?

Most importantly, he seemed quite young, so how did he possess such formidable power?

Under Gusevie's guidance, Levi returned once more to the City of Ice and Snow.

The city gates had been shut earlier to facilitate Levi's capture, and they had not yet been reopened.

A handful of hunters returning from the wilds lingered outside, grumbling about when the gates would finally open.

Just as Gusevie was about to call for the gates to be unbarred, a heavy rumble echoed, and the city gates swung wide.

A contingent of Valkyries clad in ice-blue armor rode forth astride snow steeds.

Behind the gathering Valkyries followed a man dressed in ash-white magus robes.

The leading Valkyries had barely advanced a few paces past the gate when she spotted Gusevie not far away, freezing instinctively in place, utterly bewildered by the situation.

Swiftly recovering her wits, she brandished her lance and cried out, "Surround them!"

With a chaotic rustle of movement, Levi was encircled by the Valkyries in the blink of an eye.

Yet he paid them not the slightest heed, his gaze locked intently on the man following in the wake of the Valkyrie vanguard.

Levi offered a broad, beaming smile.

"Teacher, it has been a long time!"