The ominous bird obediently delivers the egg.

The dawn light broke, with morning mist clinging to the dense forest like a sheer veil.

Ye Chonglou, Xiao Yan, and Le Fei lay sprawled on the ground, utterly drained and listless.

"Geez, finally, his body temperature is back to normal. That nearly killed me," Xiao Yan grumbled, exhausted after a long night of labor.

"Harder than fighting wolf-beasts," Le Fei sighed.

Ye Chonglou remained silent, having no desire to join the conversation of these two simpletons. He closed his eyes to rest; he was indeed bone-tired.

For a moment, the entire forest fell into a deep, heavy silence.

Suddenly, Wen Lang opened his ice-blue eyes. Gazing at the lush green grass and verdant trees before him, he couldn't immediately grasp where he was. They had been in the snowy mountains—why did this place look like eternal spring, without a trace of snow? Had they left the mountains? What had happened?

Turning his head, he spotted the three men nearby. "What happened to you all?"

"What happened?" Xiao Yan, whose sleep had been interrupted, was short-tempered. Without fully opening his eyes, he radiated an intense aura. "If you make any more noise, I swear I'll wipe out your whole family."

Wen Lang frowned and flicked his fingertips, conjuring a jet of water that splashed directly onto Xiao Yan.

"What the hell!" Jolted by the icy chill, Xiao Yan snapped awake. He blinked at Wen Lang, then hopped up, fuming. "Wen Lang, are you sick? We stayed up all night to save your life, and this is how you repay us? Crossing the river and breaking the bridge, biting the hand that feeds you, ungrateful, cold-hearted wretch!!!"

Wen Lang rubbed his nose, feeling a bit ashamed. "Did you just use every single idiom you know?"

Xiao Yan was instantly struck dumb. "..." Was that the point? Besides, who didn't know idioms? He was a beast-man of immense learning!

"You've recovered!" Ye Chonglou’s surprised voice cut in.

Xiao Yan finally realized it. "Your voice is back! No wonder I didn't recognize you at first."

Le Fei scurried over, inspecting Wen Lang from all sides. "We thought you were poisoned yesterday. Your whole body was burning up; if it weren't for the snow, you probably would have been cooked alive."

"So, it turns out Yun Zhao wasn't trying to harm you? She really was treating your throat?" Le Fei looked at Xiao Yan. "Poor girl, you almost strangled her yesterday."

Xiao Yan: "..." Who knew that was how you treated a throat?

Wen Lang recalled the scene from the night before and realized he had indeed misunderstood her.

"Thank you for your hard work last night," Wen Lang said with feeling, looking at the chaotic mess around them.

"As long as you're okay," Ye Chonglou said, patting Wen Lang on the shoulder.

"Where is Yun Zhao?"

"Probably in the hut, if she wasn't scared off. Qing Xuanche exhausted his powers trying to cool you down last night; I'm not sure if he managed to keep an eye on her," Le Fei replied quickly.

The group returned to the thatched hut. It was quiet inside, and as they entered, they met the cold, clear gaze of Qing Xuanche.

"Thank you," Wen Lang said sincerely.

Qing Xuanche nodded slightly. "You advanced a level. Not bad."

Only then did the others realize that Wen Lang had actually reached the fifth level! The realization that one could level up while getting a throat treatment drew looks of envy from everyone.

Yun Zhao, who had been sleeping soundly, had also woken up by now.

Wen Lang looked at her dark-complexioned face and spoke again: "Sorry about yesterday. I misunderstood you."

Yun Zhao waved her hands. "It's fine, it's fine." Although she had felt aggrieved and hurt at the time, she had been comforted by Qing Xuanche later. Hearing Wen Lang’s apology now, however, she felt quite relieved.

"Wait, your voice is healed?" Yun Zhao realized belatedly. "Your voice is really beautiful."

"Yes, thanks to you."

"It really worked!" Yun Zhao exclaimed, excited. "Oh, I have to write down the prescription!" She scurried off in a flash.

"Hey..." Le Fei didn't have time to stop her. "I was just going to ask, could you poison my throat and then cure it too?"

Yun Zhao: "..." She stumbled mid-stride.

Wen Lang and the others stared at him like he was an idiot.

Ye Chonglou, seeing that Qing Xuanche had not yet recovered from his own injuries, frowned. "That wicked female didn't treat you?"

Qing Xuanche said coolly, "I didn't let her. She hasn't been cured of her own poison yet, so she should take it easy. It's just a slow recovery; I can handle it."

Ye Chonglou said nothing more and lazily flopped onto the bed. "I'm going to sleep."

Xiao Yan and Le Fei, remembering the treasure they had discovered while moving snow the night before, dragged Wen Lang outside. They climbed over several mountains until they reached the edge of a dense forest.

Le Fei’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "This is it!" He lowered his voice, his golden eyes reflecting the dense clusters of nests in the branches above. "We found it last night. It must be the lair of the Cold Birds."

Wen Lang’s ice-blue eyes widened slightly. The Merfolk were extremely sensitive to the natural world, and he could indeed smell a faint, fishy scent unique to birds, mixed with the smell of damp humus. He looked at Le Fei in confusion. "So, you brought me here to..."

"Look closely!" Xiao Yan pointed at one of the giant trees, where massive nests were wedged between the branches. "Aren't there a lot of round things hidden in those nests?"

Wen Lang followed his gaze and saw bird eggs of various sizes lying in every nest, their shells shimmering with a deep blue luster. He felt a twitch in his brow. "You don't mean to..."

"We've never eaten Cold Bird eggs!" Le Fei grabbed Wen Lang’s wrist. "I heard they’re crispy on the outside and tender on the inside when pan-fried, and the soup is incredibly fresh..." He blinked pitifully, his golden eyes filled with longing.

Wen Lang frowned. "And you expect me to steal the eggs for you?" He pointed to the sky, where sharp, piercing bird cries echoed from the clouds. "Cold Birds are flock creatures. There are at least several hundred here. Even if I’ve reached the fifth level, I can't fight that many at once!"

"Who said anything about grabbing them by force?" Le Fei smiled slyly. "Isn't your Merfolk singing best at bewitching the hearts of beasts? If you just make the Cold Birds willingly hand over their eggs, wouldn't everything be solved?"

Wen Lang opened his mouth to refute the preposterous suggestion, but he was silenced by the expectant gazes of Le Fei and Xiao Yan.

He sighed helplessly, placed his hands over his chest, and let an ethereal song spill from his throat.

The sound was like a clear spring in the mountains, like a breeze in the spring, echoing through the forest with a unique rhythm.

A miracle occurred.

The restless flock of birds suddenly fell silent. One by one, the Cold Birds descended from the clouds, the ice crystals on their wings glinting in the sunlight. They tilted their heads, staring at Wen Lang with bright, black eyes, and let out soft, gentle chirps.

Most astonishingly, a few of the birds actually used their beaks to carry eggs, carefully placing them before Wen Lang.

"It worked!" Le Fei and Xiao Yan cheered in unison.

The two scrambled forward, carefully stowing the eggs into their fur bags, their faces beaming with satisfaction. Before long, the three of them returned in triumph, cradling the heavy cache of eggs.