Dou Technique Hall

Many people along the way wanted to greet Xiao Shuang, but after hesitating again and again, no one spoke.

The reason was simple. Xiao Shuang rarely left the house; perhaps he did not even know their names.

Imagine eagerly approaching him, only for him to reply with one word: "Who?" How awkward would that be?

Of course, there were exceptions.

"Oh? Let me see who this is." Xiao Yan looked rather surprised at Xiao Shuang, who almost never went out. With both hands behind his head and a nameless blade of grass between his teeth, he greeted Xiao Shuang as naturally as could be.

"I'm going to the Dou Technique Hall. Want to come along?"

Xiao Yan was quite interested when he heard Xiao Shuang's words and immediately nodded.

"Sure. I happen to need to learn some dou techniques too. Let's go together."

Xun'er, who stood behind Xiao Yan, also smiled and waved at Xiao Shuang as a greeting.

After that, the three of them headed for the Dou Technique Hall together. Along the way, Xiao Yan told many amusing stories, such as how he had fallen to the ground while picking fruit for Xun'er...

Suddenly, a burst of girlish laughter drifted over from the other side. Xiao Yan, who had been speaking, frowned. Having been interrupted, he forgot what he had been about to say!

The girls all appeared rather young and innocent, yet the girl clearly standing at their center had a hint of charm on her pretty face.

The combination of innocence and allure did not seem contradictory at all. One could imagine just how breathtakingly beautiful this girl would become once she grew up.

That girl was none other than Xiao Mei.

When she saw Xiao Yan and the others, Xiao Mei stopped where she was. If Xiao Shuang had not been there, she would have gone over long ago...

However, her hesitation did not last long. A few seconds later, escorted by those young girls, Xiao Mei walked over.

"Cousin Xiao Yan."

As for the other girls, they all remained quiet. Before the Xiao Family's two geniuses, they were still quite restrained.

They had urged Xiao Mei to come greet them only because they wanted to use her as a connection to get a little closer to Xiao Yan or Xiao Shuang.

The future prospects of these two within the family were limitless. If they could befriend either one of them, then...

"What is it? Do you need something?" Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, his tone far from enthusiastic, making Xiao Mei feel somewhat awkward.

The young girls exchanged glances, and then one of them quietly gave Xiao Mei a push from behind.

"Ah!"

Xiao Mei cried out and staggered forward after being caught off guard.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan could only sigh helplessly. Just as he was about to reach out and catch the falling Xiao Mei, he discovered that Xun'er, who should have been standing behind him, had somehow moved in front of him.

Xiao Mei, who was about to fall, was naturally caught by Xun'er, who stood a little closer to her.

"Are you all right? Cousin Xiao Mei, you really are careless."

As if her little scheme had been exposed, Xiao Mei hurriedly pulled her arm from Xun'er's grasp.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

Xiao Mei secretly regretted it as well. How had she let all their flattery go to her head? She should have known that these people merely wanted to use her to get close to Cousin Xiao Yan...

Of course, the girl might also have felt a certain pride. Her relationship with Xiao Yan was already quite close, after all. She did not mind their little schemes; rather, she quite enjoyed them. Girls her age could hardly refuse the praise and flattery of their peers.

Remembering her purpose, Xiao Mei asked, "Cousin Xiao Yan, where are you going? Can you take Mei'er along?"

Yes, it was a declaration of ownership. Even with Xun'er standing beside them, Xiao Mei could not resist proving how close she was to Xiao Yan. The girls beside her watched Xiao Yan expectantly as well.

No matter what, as long as Xiao Yan agreed, they would have an excuse to go with them. This would surely be the beginning of friendship!

As for Xiao Shuang? He looked cold and distant, obviously hard to get along with. Besides, he was far too beautiful, like an icy beauty standing there. Their best choice was to admire him from afar, rather than approach and try to pluck that snow lotus.

"Hm? We're going to the Dou Technique Hall. Do you want to come?" Xiao Yan did not think much of it. Upon hearing Xiao Mei's question, he naturally extended the invitation, completely failing to notice Xun'er's little face subtly fall beside him.

Xiao Shuang noticed it. Since no one was talking to him, he could naturally observe more closely than the others.

Tsk, girls really change expressions so quickly. Xun'er's expression shifted too fast—I didn't even see it clearly.

With a silent sigh, Xiao Shuang had no intention of warning Xiao Yan. In fact, he was more interested in watching the drama unfold.

What a blockhead! Xun'er felt a trace of dissatisfaction. He had just been talking about picking fruit for her, and now he was inviting another girl along!

"Of course I can!" Xiao Mei looked delighted. Xiao Yan's invitation greatly pleased her. As for her little sisters, she showed an apologetic smile on her charming face, then turned and said, "Sorry, I'm going to the Dou Technique Hall with Cousin Xiao Yan now. Let's go shopping together tomorrow!"

There was no helping it. Since Xiao Mei had spoken, they had no reason to insist on following her to the Dou Technique Hall. Befriending Xiao Yan was not something that needed to be done immediately, but if they offended Xiao Mei, their days from then on would not be pleasant.

None of them was foolish enough to miss the point. Seeing Xiao Mei's actions, they naturally knew what to do.

After exchanging farewells, the girls left. Xiao Mei smiled at Xiao Yan. "Let's go."

Xiao Yan nodded. After that little interruption, he had forgotten what he wanted to say anyway, so he simply stopped thinking about it. The Dou Technique Hall was close now, and this awkward atmosphere would not last much longer.

Xiao Mei leaned close to Xiao Yan's ear and whispered something. The two of them suddenly laughed together.

Xun'er still looked gentle and amiable, without any change at all. Yet Xiao Shuang could sense a trace of coldness beneath that gentleness—a coldness that had not been there before Xiao Mei appeared...

How terrifying. Is this the clash between women? Xiao Shuang shook his head. He seemed to understand Yaoye's request a little better. No one would want their other half to have other women, right? At least, excellent girls were all like that.

"We're here." Xiao Yan turned back to look at Xiao Shuang. The two exchanged a smile and, in tacit understanding, walked toward the western section of the Dou Technique Hall.

The Dou Technique Hall was divided into eastern and western sections. The eastern side stored dou techniques, while the western side was a fairly large training ground. Xiao Yan had meant for them to spar a little, and Xiao Shuang smiled and agreed.