Little Chicken Nest Head!

Su Yu looked at her earnest little face, warmth filling his heart as he held out his little finger.

"Older brother won't lie to you. Let's make a pinky promise."

"Pinky promise!" Ning Rongrong immediately hooked her little finger around his and cried out brightly.

"Pinky promise, hang ourselves by the neck—no changing for a hundred years!"

Ning Rongrong happily held Su Yu's hand, then seemed to think of something and asked:

"By the way, older brother, if I start Sword Practice, does that mean Rongrong can go out and train by herself someday?"

"Wait until you're a little older and your Soul Power is more stable." Su Yu flicked her forehead.

"Right now, even if you ran into a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, you'd need Grandpa Jian to save you."

"I wouldn't!"

After Su Yu flicked her forehead, Ning Rongrong covered her little head and glared at him. Yet she could not help moving closer, her little feet gently swaying in the water and splashing fine droplets.

"Once I've mastered the sword, what's a Hundred-Year Soul Beast? I can chase them away with one hand!"

"Oh? What about a Thousand-Year Soul Beast?" Su Yu deliberately teased her.

"Then... then I'll bring Brother Su Yu along!"

Ning Rongrong's eyes spun as she tugged on his sleeve.

"When the time comes, we can go to the Star Dou Great Forest together. How about it?"

"I want to pick a Nether Spirit Flower there with my own hands. I heard they glow at night!"

Seeing the longing in her eyes, Su Yu's heart stirred slightly.

The Star Dou Great Forest... He recalled Qian Renxue's retreating figure when she left, as well as the Angel Token lying silently within the Immortal Slaying Array Diagram's space.

"Sure," he answered, his voice as light as the wind.

"When you can defeat a Hundred-Year Soul Beast on your own, we'll go."

"It's a deal!"

Ning Rongrong immediately held out her little finger, the seriousness on her face making her seem anything but joking.

Su Yu smiled and hooked his finger around hers. Their fingertips lightly touched, as if sealing a distant yet warm promise.

The sun gradually climbed higher, casting shifting patches of light upon the cliff through the mist of the waterfall.

After playing in the water to her heart's content, Ning Rongrong pulled Su Yu down to sit on the grass and chattered away about amusing things in the sect.

Which senior brother had fallen while practicing swordsmanship, which senior sister had made a joke of herself with her soul skill, and how sweet and fragrant the newly made Peach Blossom Crisps in the kitchen were.

Su Yu listened quietly, responding with a word or two now and then.

The Young Girl's voice was like an oriole in the woods, crisp and lively, scattering the lingering gloom in his heart.

He suddenly felt that days like this might not be so bad.

It was not until the sun had risen high and Ning Rongrong's little stomach rumbled that she stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.

"Brother Su Yu, shall we go back for lunch? I had the kitchen save some Osmanthus Cake!"

"Sure."

Su Yu stood and reached out to pull her up from the ground.

Barefoot, Ning Rongrong stepped over the soft grass. Her skirt brushed against the blades, stirring up the Faint Fragrance of fresh grass.

She went Bouncing Around ahead of him, occasionally turning back to call out:

"Brother Su Yu, hurry up!"

Her voice echoed through the valley, startling several resting birds into flight.

Su Yu followed behind, watching her cheerful back with a faint smile always lingering on his lips.

The sound of flowing water, the wind, and the young girl's laughter intertwined atop the cliff into a gentle song that lingered for a long time.

The sky had only just begun to brighten, and morning dew still clung to the grass leaves by the window lattice when Su Yu arrived outside Ning Rongrong's door.

He gently pushed open the door and saw the Young Girl curled up beneath her brocade quilt, her sleeping posture truly anything but proper.

One slender leg rested over the edge of the bed, while one arm stretched out far, as though she were trying to reach for a doll at the head of the bed.

Her head lay crooked on the pillow, and a faint smile still lingered at the corner of her lips. Perhaps she was having some sweet dream.

Su Yu softened his footsteps as he walked over. Looking at that small little figure, his gaze could not help softening as well.

He stood beside the bed for a moment before calling softly:

"Rongrong, it's time to get up."

The little figure on the bed shifted, frowned, and mumbled twice before burying her head deeper into the covers like a lazy kitten unwilling to wake.

"If you don't get up now, you'll be late."

Su Yu reached out and gently poked her exposed little cheek. It was soft and warm, with a trace of morning coolness.

"Mmm..."

Ning Rongrong finally opened her eyes groggily. Her Long Eyelashes trembled, and her gaze remained somewhat dazed. Clearly, she was not fully awake yet.

She glanced at Su Yu, then at the dim sky outside the window, and pouted.

"It's not even light out yet..."

"Grandpa Jian said Sword Practice starts at Mao Shi. If you don't get up now, you won't make it in time."

Su Yu picked up the clothes beside her. "Get up quickly. I'll wait outside."

At the mention of Grandpa Jian, Ning Rongrong jolted upright as if she had been pricked by a needle and rubbed her eyes.

"I'm up! I'm getting up right now!"

Seeing her frantically paw through her clothes, with her hair mussed into a messy bird's nest from sleep,

Su Yu could not help smiling. He turned and quietly withdrew outside, closing the door behind him.

The stone path outside was still damp, and several crisp birdcalls drifted over from afar.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist, tranquil and peaceful.

Standing beneath the corridor, Su Yu looked toward the distant waterfall and took a deep breath of air carrying the Faint Fragrance of Grass and Trees.

Before long, Ning Rongrong came out with a Little Chicken Nest Head.

"Brother Su Yu, let's hurry! Don't let Grandpa Jian get anxious waiting!"

As she spoke, Ning Rongrong tried to run toward the back mountain, but Su Yu scooped her into his arms.

She gave a startled cry, then obediently wrapped her arms around his neck, her little head still dizzy with sleep.

"You really are something. You even forgot to fix your hair. Older brother will take you there!"

Su Yu's fingers slipped through her tangled hair. Only then did Ning Rongrong realize it and touch her own hair, her little face flushing red.

"Oh no, I forgot..."

Su Yu laughed, deftly undoing the hair bun that had fallen to one side and combing it into two neat Double Buns.

His movements were gentle. His knuckles occasionally brushed against her ears, making Ning Rongrong shrink her neck.

"Don't move. It'll be done soon."

As he spoke, Su Yu took out a pink ribbon from his robes and tied a lovely bow at the end of her hair.

The Eight Spider Lances carried the two lightly over the courtyard. Morning mist streamed past them, while the distant mountains revealed only hazy outlines.

Ning Rongrong lay against Su Yu's chest and watched the Grass and Trees below race backward, her little face full of wonder.

"Brother Su Yu, your spider legs are so steady! They're much more comfortable than riding in a carriage!"

"Hold on tight."

Su Yu spoke softly. The spider legs dipped slightly as they avoided an outstretched branch, and after a few leaps, they had arrived near the waterfall at the back mountain.

The moment they landed, they saw Sword Douluo already standing at the cliff's edge with his hands behind his back, his white robes snapping in the morning wind.

"Master, your disciple has arrived!"

He turned around, his gaze passing over Su Yu before falling upon Ning Rongrong's neatly combed hair.

His sword-like brows twitched almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing. He merely said in a deep voice:

"Since Rongrong is here too, she can practice with us."

Ning Rongrong immediately stood straight and clasped her hands like Su Yu.

"Good morning, Grandpa Jian!"

Sword Douluo nodded faintly and drew the Seven Kill Sword from behind his back. In the morning light, a cold gleam flashed across its blade.