"...Thank you."
"Hm?"
Su Ye raised an eyebrow, unsure why Su Xingchen had suddenly thanked him.
"Thank you for the opportunity you gave me."
Su Xingchen turned her face away, the tips of her ears faintly red.
"Without you, I couldn't have reached the Ninth Heaven so quickly, let alone come to the Divine Realm..."
Now that she was in the Divine Realm, Su Xingchen understood all the more how important and precious the opportunity Su Ye had given her was.
"No need to thank me."
Su Ye's tone was calm.
"I didn't do it for you. If any other Dong Huang Martial Artist had been there, I would've helped them too. So don't read too much into it. If you really feel you owe me..."
He paused.
"Just listen to me on this trip."
Su Xingchen stiffened. She bit her lip, then finally nodded.
"...Got it."
The mood turned awkward for a moment.
Xia Zhiqiu hurried to smooth things over.
"Come on, we're all friends. Why talk like that? Oh, right, A'Su, you and Qiyue..."
He waggled his eyebrows at Xiao Qiyue.
"Finally met up? How does it feel to be reunited in the Divine Realm?"
Xiao Qiyue slipped her arm through Su Ye's without a hint of shyness and smiled.
"It feels great."
"Oho!"
Xia Zhiqiu let out a theatrical cry.
"Showing off your romance now? Picking on us single people, are you?"
Mu Wanrou gave him a light pinch.
"You're always fooling around."
"Ow!"
Xia Zhiqiu clutched his waist, looking aggrieved.
"Go easy on me, Wanrou... But come to think of it, I won't be single much longer! Once I come back with some merit from this mission, I'm going to..."
"Going to what?"
Mu Wanrou raised an eyebrow.
"Going to... go to your family and ask