Pinky Sworn, No Breaking the Promise

Three days later.

"Lin Xiao, Sister Yanyan and I are going to hunt for a Soul Ring. Do you want to come with us? Or are you going to wait for us at home?"

Ye Lingling burst cheerfully into Lin Xiao's room.

She was just about to lift the quilt.

But she suddenly discovered that the bed was empty.

She froze, then muttered, "Where is he?"

She went to search the corridor, the main hall, the side courtyard...

"Mom! This is terrible!"

"Lin Xiao's gone!"

Ye Lingling panicked, shouting at the top of her lungs.

Ye Qingxian was practicing Eight Section Brocade in the back courtyard, and she glanced at her.

"What are you yelling for!"

"He left this morning. It's not like he died!"

"Left?"

Ye Lingling stood frozen in place.

A bitter feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.

Her eyes stung unbearably too, as if a layer of mist had veiled them.

Moisture swirled in her eyes.

She had only just made a new friend besides Sister Yanyan. Why had he left so soon?

Ye Qingxian said in astonishment, "Why are you crying?!"

After thinking for a moment, she was both exasperated and amused.

"What nonsense are you getting worked up over!"

"Lin Xiao went out for a while. He has a friend in Skywater City! They're quite close. Now that it's vacation, he went over to visit her. He'll be back before long!"

Ye Lingling stared blankly at Ye Qingxian.

Tear tracks still hung on that fair, pretty face.

The surprise had come too suddenly.

Ye Lingling broke into a smile through her tears.

"You scared me to death. I thought he wasn't coming back!"

Her happiness did not last long.

Ye Lingling saw Ye Qingxian folding her arms, studying her with an extremely strange look, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Her cheeks flushed red with a whoosh.

"Mom, you're not allowed to tell anyone else about this!"

Ye Qingxian nodded.

"All right. Your mother won't say anything."

In the end, Ye Lingling still felt terribly embarrassed.

Ashamed and annoyed.

She stamped her foot and prepared to flee Ye Qingxian's gaze.

When she turned around, she ran straight into Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo, who were ready to set off.

Dugu Bo seemed to still be muttering something.

"I just knew there was nothing wrong with grabbing a spot in advance..."

Ye Lingling felt as if the sky had collapsed.

A brutal social death was worse than having her corpse whipped.

Her head buzzed...

Even her pupils lost focus.

Fortunately, Dugu Yan did not laugh at her.

Instead, she looked at Ye Qingxian and asked, "Aunt Ye, who did Lin Xiao go to Skywater City to see?"

"Oh, a little girl, I think. She's about his age, called Shui Bing'er. Lin Xiao said he met her on the road to Heaven Dou City, and that girl seemed to treat him very well?"

Ye Qingxian said thoughtfully:

"I was wondering. He said he was an orphan, yet he was wearing a Soul Tool ring on his hand and was dressed quite decently. So it turns out he latched on to a little rich girl."

The speaker had meant nothing by it, but the listeners took it to heart.

Ye Qingxian had only been teasing.

Yet after Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan heard it, they both fell silent.

For a moment, the atmosphere turned somewhat quiet.

Seeing this, Ye Qingxian said no more and waved her hand.

"Weren't you going to hunt for a Soul Ring?"

"Go on, go on!"

"With Poison Douluo here, I won't come along."

Dugu Bo set off with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.

Ye Qingxian watched their backs and let out a faint sigh.

"Lingling's nature is just like this—shy and sensitive. Who knows what she'll do in the future? Surely Yan Yan can't look after her forever? She has to grow up eventually."

As for matters between the younger generation, Ye Qingxian had always believed in letting things take their course.

As an adult, why meddle in children's affairs?

Besides, right now, they were all only friends...

And in any case, Ye Qingxian was all alone, yet didn't she still live freely and easily?

"Still, if that boy Lin Xiao gets spirited away by someone, I always feel a bit uneasy about it... The days ahead will be lonely too."

In this world, eight or nine times out of ten, things did not go as one wished.

Living amid the mortal world, how could one pass through without a single leaf clinging to them?

The rumbling of the carriage wheels gradually came to a stop.

"Young Master Lin Xiao, we've arrived."

An aged voice sounded.

Lin Xiao gave the man a slight bow and said politely, "Thank you, Li Bo."

Li Bo's original name was Li Cangsong. His Martial Soul was the Coiling Serpent Staff, and he was a rank 64 Soul Emperor.

He owed Ye Qingxian a favor—or rather, a life.

Moreover, she knew him thoroughly.

This time, he was the one escorting Lin Xiao.

Li Bo smiled kindly.

"Young master, you're too courteous."

Speaking of which, in all his life, this was the first time Lin Xiao had ever been called "young master"!

It was just that he did not feel especially pleased by it. Instead, he felt very unaccustomed to it.

Lin Xiao got off the carriage.

He looked ahead through the swirling wind and snow at the exquisite, beautiful city. Above the city gates were several ancient, simple characters: "Skywater City."

After entering the city, as they walked along the road, he saw many exquisite ice sculptures.

It seemed this was also one of Skywater City's special features.

On the streets, there were also many bright and youthful girls.

Some were in twos and threes, while others traveled in groups.

"Moth brows, willow-white snow, threads of gold; amid laughter and chatter, a faint fragrance drifted away."

Beautiful women were everywhere, so many he could hardly take them all in.

By contrast, boys were rarely seen.

That was normal too, because in Skywater City, there was an Advanced Soul Master Academy made up entirely of female students, called Skywater Academy.

In the future, after Shui Bing'er graduated from Elementary Soul Master Academy, there was a high chance she would join it as well.

Lin Xiao suddenly heard whispers coming from around him.

From time to time, there were soft giggles.

Quite a few gazes drifted over him.

Lin Xiao couldn't help touching his Crimson Maple Color hair.

It seemed that in this city whose main colors were ice blue and snow white, his blazing Crimson Maple Color was a little too eye-catching.

"That little brother is so cute..."

"He is. Long hair, and such a pretty face too."

"What a shame. If only he were my little brother."

"If he were your little brother, what would you do?"

"If he were my little brother, he'd definitely look even better in a skirt!"

"Hahaha... Don't let the little brother hear you!"

Lin Xiao's originally relaxed mood vanished without a trace.

His little face darkened, his expression gloomy.

The first bad impression he had of Skywater City came from these Big sisters who had no sense of propriety!

"Ah, is he angry? He's even cuter now!"

"I really want to go pinch his cheeks. Tell me, if I give him a stick of candied hawthorn, can I trick him into coming home with me?"

"Idiot, there are people with him!"

Lin Xiao didn't want to listen to these words full of "malice" anymore.

It was the depths of winter.

Yet these girls' words chilled him even more!

Following the address Shui Bing'er had written down, Lin Xiao asked an uncle for directions, then walked over quickly.

"Young Master Lin Xiao, why are you walking so fast? Aren't you going to look at the scenery of Skywater City?"

Li Bo, on the other hand, was in a very relaxed mood.

He treated this escort mission as a vacation.

Skywater City was beautiful!

Lin Xiao said gloomily:

"Li Bo, let's go to the Shui Family first. After I arrive, you can find time to look around more."

Li Bo smiled.

"Is the young master that eager from missing someone?"

Lin Xiao: "..."

He wasn't eager from missing someone.

He was afraid he wouldn't be able to control his Lust for stabbing people!

After many twists and turns.

They arrived at the Shui Family.

Lin Xiao smiled at the guards at the entrance and said:

"Hello, please report inside and tell Miss Shui Bing'er that Lin Xiao is looking for her."

At this moment.

A cry of surprise came from behind him.

"Brother Lin Xiao?!"

He saw Granny Shui Yuehua following behind Shui Bing'er.

The Young Girl in a sky-blue long dress was as beautiful as a princess.

Her fair, delicate face was full of surprise!

Lin Xiao chuckled softly and said:

"Miss Shui Bing'er, Granny Shui Yuehua."

"Have you been well?"

Once they had hooked fingers, he would not break the promise!