Shopping

Shopping

Feeling a little hungry, Xiao Ling planned to head to the dining hall for breakfast. Remembering that Xiao Xun'er had told him yesterday that they would visit the market together today, a smile appeared on his face.

Ever since the first time he had gone to Xiao Xun'er's room to nourish her meridians, Xiao Ling had visited her almost every night before he turned seven. Though the results might have been modest, Xiao Xun'er had felt the sincerity of his persistence, and their relationship had grown closer and closer. They often chatted together around the clan, always side by side.

After leaving the courtyard and heading toward the intersection where he had arranged to meet Xiao Xun'er, he indeed saw a lovely young girl waiting there.

She wore a purple dress, her cool and tranquil bearing like a green lotus amid the mundane world. Her slender waist was willow-leaf thin, seemingly small enough to fit within one hand. Her long black hair was casually tied with a pale purple ribbon and fell smoothly along her graceful curves to her waist. Two small green bells hung from her fair wrist, making her seem like a figure from a painting. Every smile and frown on her slightly youthful face could stir the hearts of young boys.

When Xiao Xun'er saw Xiao Ling approaching, she blinked her bright autumn-water eyes and greeted him with a beaming smile. "Brother Xiao Ling, are you done cultivating? Your aura has grown much stronger again. As expected of the Xiao Family's number one genius."

Xiao Ling scraped the tip of Xiao Xun'er's nose and smiled. "Little girl, you're teasing me again."

Xiao Ling was a transmigrator. He knew that Xiao Xun'er possessed the Ancient Clan's most perfect Divine Bloodline in a thousand years, with talent so absurdly high that he did not know what her cultivation was before her bloodline awakened. But if she cultivated seriously, she would definitely surpass him now.

The two chatted and laughed as they entered the dining hall together. Envious gazes came from the surrounding clan members, yet when they saw how close Xiao Ling and Xiao Xun'er were, they could not bring themselves to feel jealous.

"Cousin Xiao Ling and Cousin Xun'er truly are a match made in heaven!"

"Exactly! They're childhood sweethearts to begin with, and they're both talented and beautiful. Their cultivation talents are stronger than anyone else's!"

"They really make people so jealous."

Hearing the conversations around them, Xiao Xun'er glanced at Xiao Ling's profile. Her pretty face reddened, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Xiao Ling merely smiled. Their feelings had not yet been made clear. They were more than friends, but not quite lovers.

As they sat at the table eating and chatting, Xiao Xun'er suddenly asked, "Brother Xiao Ling, where do you plan to cultivate? Do you want to go to the Misty Cloud Sect?"

Xiao Ling stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and replied, "I'll probably go to Jia Nan Academy. Once I break through to the Dou Zhe realm, I'll enroll. Jia Nan Academy's annual admissions are coming up soon."

Although Xiao Ling was extraordinarily gifted and might be accepted as Yun Yun's disciple if he went to the Misty Cloud Sect, he knew that the Misty Cloud Sect was connected to the Soul Hall. He also did not know whether Yun Shan had broken through to the Dou Zong realm yet. To avoid drawing too much attention to his talent, Xiao Ling had specifically spoken to the clan elders and asked them not to spread news of it.

Moreover, the quality of geniuses at Jia Nan Academy was surely higher than at the Misty Cloud Sect. There were also quite a few students from the Central Plains in the Inner Academy, so he could gather useful information there. In terms of foundation, the Misty Cloud Sect was not even one-tenth the equal of Jia Nan Academy. In the original story, Yun Shan had never even used an Earth-tier Dou Technique. His strongest technique was only the Mysterious-tier Advanced Dou Technique, Wind Extreme Meteor Kill. The Misty Cloud Sect's Gate of Life and Death was also inferior to Jia Nan Academy's Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower.

Perhaps becoming Yun Yun's disciple would grant him more resources than being a student, but with his talent, Xiao Ling believed he could still earn the academy's upper ranks' attention. He could also build a good relationship with that little female dragon. Why not?

Shaking his head, he stopped thinking about those matters. The two began eating, and amid their laughter and conversation, they finished breakfast, left the Xiao Family together, and headed toward the market.

Xiao Ling and Xiao Xun'er walked side by side along the broad street, looking around them. Xiao Ling could not help sighing inwardly.

"Dou Qi Continent truly deserves to be called a fantasy world. Even a small place like Wutan City looks more prosperous than some major cities."

Xiao Xun'er looked at the young man beside her and became slightly lost in thought. She still remembered when she had first arrived at the Xiao Family. At night, because of the backlash from the Heavenly Flames, her meridians had swollen and ached, leaving her body uncomfortable. The young boy had sneaked over to nourish her meridians with Dou Qi, drenched in sweat every time. It felt as if it had happened only last night.

Now, looking at him again, the child who had once been so youthful had grown considerably. Not only was he half a head taller than her, but his looks had become more and more outstanding.

His fair face had begun to show sharper lines. His youthful features and exquisite facial structure made people unable to resist looking at him a few more times.

"Xun'er, why are you staring at me like that?" Xiao Ling asked with a smile.

"Brother Xiao Ling, you're becoming more and more handsome." Halfway through, Xun'er covered her small mouth, turned her face away, and hurriedly explained, "It's nothing. You misheard me."

Hearing that, Xiao Ling smiled. He gently stroked Xiao Xun'er's head and said, "Xun'er is becoming more and more beautiful too. You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

Feeling Xiao Ling's warm palm stroking her head, Xiao Xun'er did not dodge. A faint rosy blush appeared on her pretty face.

After Xiao Ling withdrew his hand, Xiao Xun'er tucked her hair behind her ear, stepped in front of him, clasped her hands behind her back, and leaned forward slightly. With a charming smile, she said, "Brother Xiao Ling is awful. You've messed up Xun'er's hair!" Before Xiao Ling could react, she darted into the market.

That smile left Xiao Ling momentarily stunned. His heart immediately began racing, and even his breathing seemed half a beat slower. He placed a hand over the left side of his chest, feeling his suddenly accelerated heartbeat, and sighed, "Is this what being in love feels like?" Watching Xiao Xun'er's retreating figure, he hurried after her.

After entering the market, the two began browsing around. Xiao Ling spread out his Soul Power to investigate, especially the older tiles and similar items. If he remembered correctly, the Mysterious-tier Low-level Dou Technique, Absorption Palm, which had been used to show off in the original story, had been picked up at a market stall.

For the moment, he did not find Absorption Palm. Xiao Ling glanced sideways at Xiao Xun'er and noticed that her gaze frequently lingered on the jewelry shops, as though she was very interested.

Xiao Ling rubbed his chin and pondered for a while before forming a plan. He then led Xiao Xun'er to the front of a shop, because the bracelet Xiao Xun'er had been watching most closely was inside.

Pointing at the bracelet, Xiao Ling asked, "Boss, how much is this bracelet?"

Seeing customers enter, the merchant looked Xiao Ling and Xiao Xun'er over. Noticing their exceptional bearing, a flash of amazement crossed his eyes, and he hurriedly said, "Young Master, are you buying a bracelet for your little girlfriend? This bracelet suits your girlfriend very well, and the price is quite reasonable. Just two hundred gold coins."

Xiao Ling's expression did not change when he heard that, but Xiao Xun'er's face flushed slightly. Seeing that the bracelet Xiao Ling had chosen for her was the one she had been looking at, her gaze toward him became even gentler.

He swiftly took out two hundred gold coins from Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night and handed them to the merchant. Though it should have been expensive for an ordinary child, it was nothing more than pocket change for Xiao Ling, who had inherited Yu Xiaogang's assets.

Taking the bracelet, Xiao Ling looked at Xiao Xun'er and saw that she was looking into his eyes as well. He said, "Little Sister Xun'er, this bracelet suits you very well. Let me put it on for you."

Xiao Xun'er tilted her head slightly to one side, feeling her face grow a little hot, then extended her left hand before Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling did not hesitate. He deftly fastened the bracelet around Xiao Xun'er's wrist.

Xiao Xun'er looked at the bracelet and was very satisfied. Smiling faintly, she said, "Thank you, Brother Xiao Ling."

Seeing that Xiao Xun'er liked it so much, Xiao Ling smiled as well. The two left the shop, and as they walked, their hands found each other. The distance between their hearts also drew closer.