Yaoye's Visit

After soothing everyone, Xiao Zhan finally waved his hand and had the guards use their own carriage to take Xun'er, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Shuang back to the clan.

As for himself, he shamelessly squeezed into the same carriage as Third Elder. The latter was quite helpless. His beloved grandson was riding in the clan head's carriage, and now the clan head had no transportation—how could he refuse? Besides, his grandson riding in the clan head's carriage proved how highly the clan head regarded him. Third Elder was naturally quite pleased and agreed without much hesitation.

In the carriage, Xiao Zhan also had a long chat with the hot-tempered Third Elder. In the end, both sides were very satisfied.

No matter how the factions within the family differed, their ultimate goal was still to make the Xiao Family stronger. Now that they shared the same objective, they naturally got along much better.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Shuang chatted freely in the carriage. Ping'er naturally had no right to ride in the clan head's carriage, and only after Third Elder spoke up was she allowed into his carriage.

Judging by what had happened today, Shuang'er seemed rather satisfied with this maid, so Third Elder was willing to grant her some preferential treatment.

Ping'er was somewhat flattered. She sat at the very edge of the carriage, yet even listening to the clan head and Third Elder chat put tremendous pressure on her...

Before long, Xiao Shuang's little wooden cabin came into view. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xiao Shuang dashed into the cabin through the drizzle. Ping'er timidly raised her hand, and after Third Elder glanced at her, he let her get down from the carriage.

After returning to the cabin, Xiao Shuang first took off his clothes and tossed them aside, then changed into a loose azure robe.

With white hair and an azure robe, Xiao Shuang now carried something of an immortal air about him, though his little face was still somewhat youthful.

Xiao Shuang sat cross-legged on the bed and glanced at Ping'er. "Come sit over here. I happen to have a few things to tell you."

Having received permission, Ping'er immediately ran to Xiao Shuang's side and knelt beside him, naturally beginning to massage his shoulders.

"Tomorrow, go over to Grandfather's place."

The moment he said that, Ping'er's hands stiffened. However, she did not ask why and merely nodded.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Shuang took the initiative to explain. "It has nothing to do with what happened today. It's just that I have a marriage engagement now. You understand, right?"

Ping'er's eyes widened even further. What had happened today had already exceeded what she could accept, and now Young Master was saying that he had a marriage engagement?

"I understand, but what exactly is Young Master's marriage engagement? May Ping'er know?" Though she knew her question was somewhat improper, her curiosity made the little maid unable to stop herself from asking. Young Master was only ten years old—how could he already have a marriage engagement?

"I was surprised too, but before her, I can hardly call myself a Young Master." Xiao Shuang shook his head with a smile. He did not mind chatting about it. After all, the clan head and Grandfather would have to learn of this eventually; he simply did not yet know how to bring it up.

"She's a very beautiful and gentle girl. To show my sincerity, I naturally need to sever as many ties with the opposite sex as possible." As though merely stating a fact, Xiao Shuang closed his eyes after saying this. With each breath, he entered a cultivation state, and the Dou Qi between heaven and earth surged madly into his body.

Seeing Xiao Shuang enter cultivation, Ping'er stopped massaging him and went outside to carefully pull the door shut.

With Ping'er's departure, the room fell silent, leaving only the sound of Xiao Shuang's breathing.

Suddenly, Xiao Shuang opened his eyes. His gaze turned toward the window, but he found nothing there. He frowned in confusion. Whenever he entered a cultivation state, his soul perception became much sharper. It was rare for his judgment to be wrong...

Although his soul perception was rather keen, Xiao Shuang could not become an alchemist because of his attributes. This was one of his greater regrets.

He shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to compose himself and enter cultivation again, his body stiffened, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead. No, his perception had not been wrong. When he looked toward the window again, the window that should have been closed was now open, and quite a bit of drizzle had blown in with the wind.

"Tch, why does all the trouble come looking for me?" Xiao Shuang warily scanned his surroundings. The instant he sensed something unusual behind him, he spun around and thrust out a finger.

"Ice Breaking Finger!"

Of course, an Xuan-tier Dou Technique was not so easily performed. Xiao Shuang had merely condensed Dou Qi onto his fingertip.

"Hm? Your Ice Breaking Finger is already showing signs of reaching the beginner stage? What terrifying talent." An exceptionally pleasant voice rang out. At the same time, Xiao Shuang's finger was firmly caught in that figure's hand.

Her hand was soft and cool. When Xiao Shuang saw the owner's face clearly, his tense body relaxed.

"Uh, so it was you. Is scaring me that much fun?" The Dou Qi on his finger gradually dispersed. As he withdrew his hand, Xiao Shuang shot the culprit a fierce glare.

The visitor was Yaoye. Dressed in black, she looked heroic and dashing. Though it was drizzling outside, not a drop of water stained her clothes. That was apparently one of the benefits of cultivating Dou Qi—it could even serve as a raincoat...

"Hehe, I just came to pay you a visit." Yaoye sat smilingly on Xiao Shuang's bed and naturally extended her feet toward him.

"Help me take off my shoes."

She really was a princess. Xiao Shuang grumbled inwardly, but he still walked over to the bed, carefully untied the straps on her shoes, then gently pulled them from Yaoye's feet.

There was no odor at all. Was that because she cultivated Dou Qi?

Xiao Shuang set the shoes aside, then watched Yaoye fling open the quilt on the bed and cover her legs with it. Seeing how completely unguarded she was, Xiao Shuang could not help asking, "You weren't following me the whole time, were you? And why didn't that old man come? Isn't he afraid you might be in danger?"

Yaoye rolled her eyes at Xiao Shuang. Dou Qi gathered in her palm as she revealed a dangerous smile. "What danger? You might not even be able to beat me."

At that, Xiao Shuang hesitated to speak, then remained silent.

"Hahaha, I was just teasing you. Don't worry, I might not necessarily be your match." Yaoye seemed quite delighted by his reaction, but then, as if she remembered something, a blush appeared on her face.

"I came to chat with you, and to discuss our engagement."

She and Great-Grandfather had been following Xiao Shuang all along. Although their first impression of him had been fairly good, whether he could become Yaoye's marriage partner was still something that needed to be examined. Though Yaoye had previously left behind a token of affection, if Xiao Shuang did anything to displease her, the Jade Pendant could be reclaimed at any time.

However, Xiao Shuang's performance so far had been quite satisfying to Yaoye. Naturally, they could now discuss some details of the engagement...