Convergence of the Dragon Islands

Xiao Ling's words were like a stone cast into a placid lake. Though he had not said it outright, Zi Yan keenly caught the weighty seriousness in his tone.

She paused slightly, then raised her eyes. Pale tea steam drifted through the Glazed Pavilion, reflected in her clear gaze. Though she could not guess what Xiao Ling was truly planning, she clearly felt the concern and warning behind his words.

She nodded gently, and her tone immediately became incomparably serious, carrying the gravity of someone entrusted with an important task. "Don't worry, Xiao Ling. This concerns the future of the Ancient Dragon Clan and bears immense significance. How could I possibly treat it lightly or carelessly?"

Before her words had faded, she lifted her chin slightly. A few loose strands of hair by her cheeks swayed with the movement, lending her features both a young girl's lively charm and a seriousness that could not be underestimated.

A sly, faintly smug smile curled across her lips as she countered, "Do you still think I'm the sort who gets absentminded and careless whenever something important happens? Don't look down on me. This time, I've made thorough preparations."

Hearing this, Xiao Ling hurriedly waved his hand. A relaxed smile spread across his face, carrying a hint of reassurance. "That's not what I meant, Zi Yan. You're overthinking it."

As he spoke, he reached out. With an almost imperceptible gentleness, his fingertips lightly brushed across the back of her soft, warm hand, and his gaze softened with them.

"Still, knowing that you care so much and are taking this matter to heart does put me much more at ease. This involves far too much. We can't afford even the slightest carelessness. We need to give it everything we have and face it with our