[Su Miao's drowsiness surged up, and her eyelids grew heavy.
Zhunti remained motionless, lowering his head to watch her sleeping face. Once her guard was down, that face revealed a beauty that was almost fragile.
"She's still too young.
"The Prehistoric World is too dangerous, the Tribulation too profound. She's moving too fast, too urgently."
His arms tightened slightly. Su Miao gave a drowsy "Mm" and snuggled deeper into his embrace.
Zhunti's fingertips hovered above Su Miao's cheek. After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately only brushed the hair on her forehead with the back of his fingers, ever so lightly.
The movement was so gentle, as though he were touching a fragile dream.
Beyond the Auspicious Cloud, Chaos airflow continued to surge soundlessly.
Yet within this tiny world above the clouds, time seemed to have frozen.
The Saint held the sleeping girl, his fingertips absently combing through her long hair.]
In Yuxu Palace, the crisp sound of the bottom of Yuanshi's teacup striking the stone table rang especially clearly through the vast hall.
His gaze, as cold as ice, remained fixed on Zhunti's hovering hand within the Light Curtain, knotting Yuanshi's brows so tightly they nearly twisted together.
"Zhunti! You..."
Tongtian, however, was not afraid of making matters worse.
"Second Brother, there's no use putting on a cold face. He can't see you anyway.
"But honestly, the way that old bastard looks at the little one... something really is off.
"Zhunti may be irritating, but he really has kept her safe every step of the way."
Yuanshi's cold snort made the window lattice tremble twice. His tone was full of displeasure.
"Kept her safe? Since when was it his place, a Saint from The West, to protect a disciple of my Kunlun!"
Tongtian:
He wisely shut his mouth.
There