Xiao Ning's Invitation

The next morning, the sun shone brightly.

Warm sunlight streamed through the vent and fell across Xiao Se and Long Kui's faces.

Xiao Se slowly opened his eyes and gently pulled his slightly sore arm out from beneath Long Kui's snow-white neck. Then, carefully getting dressed, he sat cross-legged on a stone slab nearby, took out the Nurturing Spirit Liquid, took a small sip, activated the Burning Art and the Returning Origin Soul Art, and entered a cultivation state.

Morning was full of vitality, making it the best time to cultivate Dou Qi.

An hour later, the faint aroma of food drifted into Xiao Se's nose.

Xiao Se formed a hand seal to end his cultivation and awoke from his meditative state.

Turning his head, he saw that Long Kui had already prepared breakfast in the corner of the Stone Chamber.

"Brother, you're awake. Come eat, breakfast has just been made." Seeing Xiao Se stop cultivating, Long Kui's lovely face blossomed into a gentle smile.

Xiao Se nodded slightly, rose and stretched his somewhat numb and sore legs, then walked over to Long Kui's side. "Long Kui, what did you make today? It smells wonderful."

"Hehe..." Xiao Se's praise made Long Kui's beautiful eyes curve into shallow crescents. She giggled sweetly. "It's lean meat porridge, made with Brother's favorite beef."

As she spoke, Long Kui reached out her jade-like hand, took a small bowl from the side, filled it, and carefully handed it to him.

Taking it, Xiao Se sniffed the fragrant beef porridge, and his mouth immediately filled with saliva. He blew on it lightly, then gulped it down in one mouthful without caring whether it would burn him.

Seeing Xiao Se directly gulp down the beef porridge, Long Kui smiled. She truly liked the time she spent with him.

Sitting on the stone slab, Xiao Se drank nearly an entire pot of beef porridge. Long Kui was a Soul Body and did not need to eat, but she enjoyed living with Xiao Se, so she drank a bowl as well.

After finishing the last bowl of beef porridge, Xiao Se contentedly rubbed his still-flat stomach and gave Long Kui a thumbs-up. He joked, "Long Kui, you're truly skilled. Whoever marries you in the future will be in for a treat."

"Long Kui doesn't want to marry anyone. Long Kui wants to stay with Brother forever." The moment she heard Xiao Se mention marriage, Long Kui became anxious. The jade bowl in her hand shattered with a crack as it fell to the ground, and she threw herself into Xiao Se's arms.

"Uh—" Xiao Se froze slightly, a wave of guilt rising in his heart. It seemed his joke had gone too far. He gently stroked Long Kui's head and comforted her, "Long Kui, Brother was only joking with you just now. I'm not making you marry anyone. Even if someone else wants to marry you, Brother will kill him."

"Really?" Long Kui wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, raised her head, and asked with reddened eyes.

"Of course it's true!" Xiao Se declared solemnly.

There was not a trace of falsehood in those words. If someone wanted to marry Long Kui after she was revived, he would be the first to object.

"Really, really?" Long Kui continued.

"Really, really!" Xiao Se nodded firmly.

"Then let's pinky swear." Long Kui held out her little finger.

"Pinky swear." Their little fingers hooked together.

"Pinky swear, hang ourselves, never change for all eternity."

After making their promise, they looked into each other's faces and smiled at the same time.

"Brother, did you get up to cook something last night?" Nestled in Xiao Se's arms, Long Kui suddenly asked.

"No. What's wrong?" Xiao Se asked in confusion.

"The egg left over from last night is gone. I was going to save it to make egg-drop porridge for Brother." Long Kui pouted as she explained.

Upon hearing the word egg, Xiao Se suddenly understood. The corner of his mouth twitched as he recalled that he seemed to have used it to trade with Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang's egg was still warm in Xiao's System Warehouse!

He scratched the back of his head and gave a dry laugh. "Oh, I remember now. I got a little hungry last night, so I used Beast Flame to roast it and ate it."

Long Kui nodded slightly at this and did not doubt him. She stood and began clearing away the dishes.

After leaving the cave, Xiao Se practiced his Dou Technique for another hour before slowly descending the mountain and heading toward Mittel Auction. Today was the day the Nurturing Spirit Liquid would be auctioned, and it was also one of his final days in Wutan City.

He would leave in three days. Once he left, he had no idea how long it would be before he returned.

Perhaps he would only come back on the day Canaan Academy began admissions. After all, he was determined to obtain the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

As he passed through Bluestone Plaza of the Xiao Clan, the only route leading to Mittel Auction, Xiao Se once again encountered someone he did not wish to meet: Xiao Ning.

"Hehe, Xiao Se, you've come at the right time. Let me tell you, Mittel Auction sent our Xiao Clan an invitation yesterday. Aside from the Clan Head and the three elders, they gave us an additional ten spots. Those ten spots are all for the family's core members. Even that trash Xiao Yan, despite being the Clan Head's son, isn't qualified to attend. I specifically asked my grandfather for one extra spot. Come on, I'll take you to broaden your horizons." Xiao Ning threw an arm around Xiao Se's shoulder as though they were close brothers.

Xiao Se cast Xiao Ning a somewhat disdainful glance and replied calmly, "Is that so? Then thanks."

"No need to thank me. With your relationship with my big sister, aren't we practically family?" Xiao Ning patted his chest with complete confidence.

There was something he did not say: that spot had originally been prepared for Xun Er, but she had refused it.

"Xiao Ning, get over here! If you don't leave now, you won't be able to catch up!" one of the Xiao Clan core members from the Great Elder's faction urged from ahead.

"Oh, coming." Xiao Ning answered, then patted Xiao Se's shoulder and smiled. "Let's hurry and catch up..."

"Mm." Xiao Se nodded slightly and followed Xiao Ning toward Mittel Auction.

It had to be said that Mittel Auction's promotional efforts were quite formidable. Xiao Se had only handed over the Nurturing Spirit Liquid yesterday, yet today, forces large and small from all over Wutan City had already gathered at the Auction House.

Looking at the tightly packed crowd ahead, Xiao Se followed the four people led by Xiao Zhan into the VIP passage under the guidance of a Mittel Auction attendant.

Upon entering the auction room, Xiao Se had intended to sit in a secluded corner, but Xiao Ning dragged him into a seat closer to the front.

"Hehe, Xiao Se, do you know what treasure Mittel Auction is going to auction today?" Xiao Ning asked from his right, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

"I don't know." Xiao Se shook his head, pretending ignorance.

"Then let me educate you. Nurturing Spirit Liquid—a Second-Rank Pill that can speed up a Dou Zhe's cultivation. You know Zhang San, the owner of Yue Lai Inn on the West Side of Wutan City? A month ago, he was only an eight-star Dou Zhe. He had been stuck at that level for years and couldn't break through. After spending a fortune to buy Nurturing Spirit Liquid, he broke through to nine-star Dou Zhe in just a few days. They say he's now working hard to break through to Dou Shi." Xiao Ning adopted the air of a wise man as he explained confidently.