For two days, Feng Hua Xiaoxue had been swamped with state affairs and the final shooting of the movie, leaving her no time to find Lin Yu.
Finally, she managed to temporarily stabilize the situation in the Land of Snow. However, upon receiving news that the Leaf ninja would be returning the next day, she immediately postponed everything else and returned to her room to put on some makeup.
Feng Hua Xiaoxue gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes sparkled, her cheeks were flushed a delicate pink, and her lips were painted with a touch of rouge.
"What am I doing? Why would I need to dress up for that guy..."
Feng Hua Xiaoxue was about to wipe off her eye shadow and blush, but her hand paused in mid-air.
"He's leaving tomorrow. Perhaps I'll never see him again," Feng Hua Xiaoxue found an excuse for herself.
The ninja world was vast, and the Land of Snow was situated in a remote corner. She wasn't a ninja, and this might genuinely be the last time they met.
Feng Hua Xiaoxue couldn't quite understand her feelings for Lin Yu. Their conversations were always him teasing her, and there hadn't been any heroic rescues from damsels in distress like in the movies.
There certainly hadn't been any sparks of romance between a lone man and woman in the cold, snowy weather.
But...
Feng Hua Xiaoxue opened her palm. There lay a folded mission request, the very one she had crumpled into a ball the first time they met.
Now, she had painstakingly ironed it flat as he had asked.
She just wanted to return it to him personally and ask him a few questions. If the answers weren't satisfactory, then they would go their separate ways. She would be the Queen of Snow, and he would return to the Leaf Village to continue being a ninja.
Their paths might not cross again. It would end here.
Feng Hua Xiaoxue shed her opulent queenly attire and changed into a simple, white A-line dress. After composing herself, she walked towards the VIP room.
...
Lin Yu was feeling quite vexed. The image of that alluringly ripe vermillion hue, along with Kaguya's dazed look, was constantly in his mind, making it impossible to shake off. This, in turn, left him with an unquenchable fire.
"Forget it. I'll head back to the Leaf Village now... But wait, aren't Kushina and the others training together? Maybe I should go find Mei Terumi?"
Just as Lin Yu was about to activate his Mangekyo teleportation, his door was knocked.
Lin Yu sensed something and his expression turned peculiar.
"What does Feng Hua Xiaoxue want at this hour?"
Outside the door, Feng Hua Xiaoxue was visibly nervous, twisting her fingers behind her back and fiddling with the hem of her clothes. Seeing that the door remained closed for a long time, her eyes drooped slightly.
Was he not here? Or perhaps he had gone to see someone else?
Feng Hua Xiaoxue knocked twice more. After a moment of hesitation, she was about to turn away when she heard that voice that stirred her emotions.
"Hey, woman, coming to my room this late. Are you trying to seduce me?"
Hearing this, Feng Hua Xiaoxue's blood rushed to her head. She shoved Lin Yu, who was leaning against the door, and barged in angrily.
"This is my palace! Everything here belongs to me. Isn't it okay for me to conduct a routine inspection?"
"Oh, putting on your queenly airs already? You're picking things up pretty fast." Lin Yu suppressed his rising desire. Why was this woman wearing such revealing clothing late at night, and choosing precisely this moment to visit? It was practically asking for trouble.
Feng Hua Xiaoxue, arms crossed, glared at Lin Yu with a furious expression. For some reason, whenever she faced Lin Yu, she completely lost control of her emotions. She really wanted to pounce on him and give him a good bite.
"I came to see you because I have something to discuss. I want your pet, Shiro. Name your price!"
"What?"
Lin Yu's eyes widened in disbelief. Had this woman gone mad from fright? Or did she actually want to stew Shiro?
That was the Ten-Tails; it couldn't be stewed no matter how long you cooked it.
Lin Yu shook his head and said kindly, "It's not about the price. Even if I gave it to you for free, it might eat you the moment I leave tomorrow."
Feng Hua Xiaoxue shivered slightly, seemingly recalling Shiro's brutal demeanor on the spaceship. But that was against enemies. Although she was scared, she had felt a sense of exhilaration.
She hadn't expected Shiro to be so uncontrollable. However... Feng Hua Xiaoxue took a couple of steps closer, her beautiful eyes scrutinizing Lin Yu.
Was this scoundrel trying to trick her?
"Cough, if there's nothing else, I'm going to sleep."
A tempting fragrance wafted towards him, and Lin Yu took a couple of steps back, his body slightly hunched.
Feng Hua Xiaoxue stared at Lin Yu for a while, then sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. She said softly, "Actually, I came this time... to ask if you would be willing to stay in the Land of Snow and assist me?"
"Me stay? Uh, I'm just a weakling. Even though I'm a ninja, I can only do these C-rank escort missions. You could find much better options." Lin Yu blinked. He hadn't seduced Feng Hua Xiaoxue at all. What was happening now? Was this a windfall?
A trap? A honey trap?
Feng Hua Xiaoxue shot Lin Yu a disdainful look and said, "It's precisely because I know you're weak and not very capable that I made this decision."
Feng Hua Nu Tao was right. She was just a weak woman; how could she firmly control a nation? She needed power to suppress the country behind her, and this power had to be exclusively hers.
Otherwise, with her status as the princess of the Land of Snow, perhaps in a few years, another Feng Hua Nu Tao would emerge.
The combination of Lin Yu and Shiro perfectly fit her ideal candidate. She had personally witnessed Shiro's strength; it could completely crush an army, even surpassing most ordinary ninja. As for Lin Yu, although he was a weakling, Shiro obeyed him.
This way, as long as she could control Lin Yu, she would control Shiro, a weapon of war, which would be enough for her to secure her throne.
Coupled with the tiny, inexplicable feelings she harbored for Lin Yu, she had the nerve to visit him late at night.
"You chose me because I'm weak?" Lin Yu pointed at himself incredulously. Just as he was about to unleash Shiro, he remembered that Naruto and the others had invited Shiro out to the night market.
Feng Hua Xiaoxue blinked her beautiful eyes and said softly, "Weakness isn't a fault. As long as you're willing to stay, I can give you all the ninjutsu and secret techniques of the Land of Snow."
"Even... I can give you a chance to pursue me..."
As she said this, a blush crept onto Feng Hua Xiaoxue's face. To show her determination, Feng Hua Xiaoxue summoned her courage and took Lin Yu's hand. Her beautiful eyes looked at Lin Yu with sincerity and earnestness.
Feeling the soft, smooth skin on the back of his hand and the flushed face of the beauty before him, Lin Yu swallowed. His voice was slightly hoarse, "Do you really want me to stay? No matter the cost?"
Feng Hua Xiaoxue nodded, her lips, tinged with a light rouge, pursed slightly. "As long as it's something I, Feng Hua Xiaoxue, can do, just ask!"
"Good!"
Since Feng Hua Xiaoxue had said this, if Lin Yu refused again, he would truly be a weakling.
His heated hand clasped her soft, slightly cool jade hand and pressed it onto the bed, in the exact same position as with Kaguya. This time, however, Lin Yu wouldn't let the little lamb he had caught escape.
"You, what are you doing..."
"Didn't you say whatever I ask for? I'm currently collecting my reward from Your Majesty!"
"What do you want... Mmph!"
Feng Hua Xiaoxue's beautiful eyes widened. A scorching, intense male aura rushed towards her, blanking her mind. She could only watch dumbly as Lin Yu tasted her lips. Her two jade hands were tightly pinned to the bed, her full chest pressed uncomfortably, making it difficult to breathe.
"No..."
Lin Yu could no longer control the fire within him and said with a wicked grin, "Didn't you say you'd give me a chance to pursue the Queen?"
Feng Hua Xiaoxue's eyes reddened slightly. Her delicate lips were slightly swollen and moist, looking pitiful and endearing.
She had meant to give Lin Yu a chance to pursue her, but couldn't they start with dating, or at least holding hands... Ah! This scoundrel was already starting to take off her clothes.
"Mmph... Not there..."
In the dim light, with her clothes partially undone, Feng Hua Xiaoxue clung to Lin Yu, gradually adapting to his rhythm and awkwardly responding.
Time passed, and in the midst of the night, a slightly clear "Ooh~" seemed to echo.
It sounded a bit painful, but the sound was brief, as if immediately muffled.
After that, there was silence. However, amidst the swirling snow, wisps of spring warmth seeped through the cracks in the window, merging with the cold and deep moonlight above.