Sharing a Tent with Jiang Nannan, Night Chat

"Are you insane?" Shiyu glanced at Xu Sanshi and cursed in exasperation.

He had warned him so many times already, but had it done any good?

If he wanted to spend time with Jiang Nannan, then he would. If he distanced himself from her just because of Xu Sanshi's warnings, what would that make him?

Not only were such warnings useless against Shiyu, they even made him want to get closer to Jiang Nannan—just to piss Xu Sanshi off.

You tell me to stay away from her, and I'll get even closer. Why the hell should I listen to you?

Xu Sanshi was so angry he wanted to hit someone, but Zhang Lexuan's gaze doused his fury.

"Just you wait." Xu Sanshi shot Shiyu a vicious look. He added this grudge to his list.

Shiyu sat with Jiang Nannan, chatting idly with her, smiles often appearing on their faces.

Xu Sanshi stayed off to one side, while Zhang Lexuan remained alone on another. Together, they guarded Beibei, allowing him to absorb his Soul Ring without worry.

Several Spirit Beasts had approached, drawn by the scent of blood, but after Zhang Lexuan revealed her aura, they fled in terror without daring to linger.

The sky gradually darkened, and the Star Dou Forest became even more dangerous at night. Wolf howls and tiger roars echoed through the woods, with beastly roars sounding from time to time.

Shiyu and the others gathered together, staying relatively close to Zhang Lexuan for safety.

Beibei's Soul Ring absorption process came to an end, and he soon awakened. The joy in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"How did it go?" The first person to check on Beibei was not his best buddy Xu Sanshi, but Zhang Lexuan.

Seeing the concern on Zhang Lexuan's face, Beibei instead felt a little awkward. Intentionally keeping his distance from her, he simply replied with two words, "Not bad."

Zhang Lexuan knew that Beibei did not want much contact with her, and her expression dimmed slightly.

Jiang Nannan looked Zhang Lexuan and Beibei over in surprise. Something seemed off about their relationship.

Shiyu, however, was not surprised by the unusual relationship between them. He understood it perfectly well.

What a twisted fate. Shiyu still felt that Zhang Lexuan was not worth it.

Though he had spent less than a day with Zhang Lexuan, he had developed a rather favorable impression of this quiet, reserved Senior Sister.

It was not the kind of fondness between a man and a woman, but an appreciation for her character and the way she treated others.

She gave off a cool and distant impression, yet she was also gentle. Coupled with her beautiful appearance, powerful strength, and talent, it was difficult not to admire her. It was purely appreciation.

Such a wonderful woman had devoted herself to someone who did not love her at all because of a promise made in childhood. It was truly regrettable.

Perhaps Zhang Lexuan did not love Beibei either. She was simply too attached to that promise from the past, to the point that she would not mind even if it meant a lifetime of unhappiness.

But to those watching from the outside, it was painful to see. Sometimes, taking promises too seriously was not a good thing.

"We need to find another place to rest. The smell of blood here will be difficult to get rid of and will keep attracting Spirit Beasts. It isn't suitable for us to rest here tonight," Zhang Lexuan said.

The group got up to search for a suitable resting place and found a relatively safe spot to set up camp.

They set up two tents in total. Zhang Lexuan and Jiang Nannan shared one, while Shiyu stayed with Beibei and Xu Sanshi in the other.

This put Shiyu in quite a predicament. Staying with them, he was genuinely afraid they might cover his head with a blanket in the middle of the night and then beat and kick him.

His current strength was insufficient, and there was nothing he could do if they decided to act against him. Nor could he bring himself to run crying to Zhang Lexuan to complain. He still had some pride.

"I'll keep watch tonight," Shiyu volunteered. He could only make do outside for the night; after all, he had not brought a tent, blankets, or anything of the sort.

Zhang Lexuan also saw Shiyu's predicament. After thinking for a moment, she said, "If you can get Jiang Nannan's consent, you can share a tent with her."

"My cultivation is higher. I can meditate outside and still remain in good spirits, so I don't need to sleep in a tent."

Shiyu was only a level-twenty aspiring Soul Grandmaster. Missing sleep for one night might not be a problem.

But they did not know when they would acquire all the Soul Rings they needed. They might have to remain in the forest for the next several days.

Surely he could not go without rest for days and nights on end. His body would definitely collapse.

Yet if he slept with Beibei and Xu Sanshi, unpleasantness would likely arise again.

Xu Sanshi's jealousy and disgust toward Shiyu might drive him to do something.

It truly was not suitable to have Shiyu stay with Xu Sanshi and the others.

Jiang Nannan's pretty face flushed. She lowered her head without speaking, her hands twisting together as she struggled with the decision.

"No, absolutely not! How can they sleep together?" Xu Sanshi objected emotionally.

Shiyu also felt that it was somewhat inappropriate. His relationship with Jiang Nannan was good, but sharing a tent was still a little improper.

However, after hearing Xu Sanshi say that, he suddenly wanted to do it instead.

It was not as if he would actually do anything to Jiang Nannan. They would not even take off their clothes while sleeping together, so what was the big deal?

They were always together and often stood very close to each other. This was merely being close at night, except they would be lying down. It did not seem like something unacceptable, nor was it all that different from the daytime.

Shiyu told himself this, and suddenly felt that it was not something so embarrassing after all.

"Sister Nannan, how about I make do in your tent? I promise I won't do anything beastly," Shiyu tried to negotiate with Jiang Nannan.

"Mm." Jiang Nannan agreed in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, her face red as an apple as she hurriedly ducked into the tent.

"Thank you, Sister Nannan." Shiyu gave Xu Sanshi another slight smile and prepared to follow her inside.

But Xu Sanshi stopped him, his eyes wide as bronze bells, as though flames were about to burst forth from them.

"You're not allowed to go in. If anyone's going in, it'll be me. You go sleep with Beibei," Xu Sanshi blocked him.

"Xu Sanshi, if you dare come in, I definitely won't go easy on you!" Jiang Nannan's furious voice came from inside.

"Xu Sanshi, go back to your own tent and sleep," Zhang Lexuan said sternly.

"But..." Xu Sanshi was unwilling, but Zhang Lexuan's icy gaze frightened him into silence.

"Let's go. Even if they sleep together, they won't actually do anything," Beibei said, pulling Xu Sanshi into the tent.

"I arranged for you to share a tent with Jiang Nannan because your cultivation is low, and you need proper rest."

"Don't try anything funny. The academy is extremely harsh toward male students who dare mistreat female students, and I'll be even harsher. I hope you don't lose your mind," Zhang Lexuan warned Shiyu as well.

"Rest assured, Senior Sister. I may not be a gentleman, but I'd never do something worse than a beast," Shiyu promised. After wishing Zhang Lexuan to be careful and saying goodnight, he entered the tent.

Once inside, he found Jiang Nannan already lying down to sleep, her eyes closed and her body perfectly still.

Shiyu could sense Jiang Nannan's nervousness and knew she was pretending to be asleep out of embarrassment.

He did not disturb her. Instead, he lay down on the other side, keeping as far away from Jiang Nannan as possible so he would not accidentally touch her and cause a misunderstanding.

"Sister Nannan, are you asleep?" Shiyu still could not fall asleep after lying there for over an hour.

It was his first time sleeping in a tent, and even more so his first time sleeping in a tent within the dangerous Star Dou Forest.

Although he knew it was relatively safe with Zhang Lexuan keeping watch outside, he could not help feeling nervous.

It left him slightly sleepless. He had tried for a long time, yet still could not drift off.

Unable to bear the feeling of not being able to sleep any longer, he softly called out. If Jiang Nannan was still awake, they could chat for a while. Perhaps it would ease his nerves and help him fall asleep.

Jiang Nannan had not fallen asleep either. She was nervous as well, both because of the Star Dou Forest's environment and because there was a man lying beside her.

Hearing Shiyu call to her made her even more nervous. Her heartbeat quickened considerably, and wild thoughts ran through her mind as she even began guessing why Shiyu was asking.

"Not yet," Jiang Nannan finally replied, her voice rather soft.

"I can't sleep. I wanted to talk for a bit," Shiyu said quietly when he learned Jiang Nannan was still awake.

"What do you want to talk about?" Jiang Nannan asked, doing her best to remain calm.

"Nothing in particular. Just casual chatting," Shiyu said.

With his hands beneath his head, he stared blankly at the top of the tent, where faint moonlight filtered through.

"Have you decided what type of Spirit Beast you want for your Fourth Soul Ring?" Shiyu casually found a topic.

Today's second chapter. Sorry for updating later than before; it's because I've run out of saved chapters and have to write each day from scratch. I'll try to set the update time at noon every day.

New Book Sets Sail. I hope everyone can click to save it and cast some Recommendation Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Thank you so much.

Ten Monthly Tickets, fifty Recommendation Tickets, or one hundred and fifty saves will each earn an extra chapter. I hope everyone can give me a little motivation.

Yesterday, there were seven Monthly Tickets, over thirty Recommendation Tickets, and over eighty saves, so there was no extra chapter.