Three Years in the Blink of an Eye

Xiao Ce took the scroll from Xun'er's hands and looked it over.

"Whoa, they're all at least Xuan Class low-tier battle techniques. Little Xun'er really is a tiny rich girl!"

Battle techniques differed from cultivation methods. The higher their grade, the harsher the cultivation requirements and the greater the demand for abundant Dou Qi.

These five Xuan Class battle techniques were just right for him at his current stage.

If she had given him Earth Class battle techniques, he might not have been able to use them even after draining all his Dou Qi.

At the side, Xun'er's little face broke into a radiant smile.

"As long as Xiao Ce likes them."

Hidden in the shadows, Ling Ying felt his teeth ache at the sight.

"This brat from the Xiao Clan is really shameless. At such a young age, he already knows how to live off a woman. Is the young lady's support something a brat like you can accept?"

He was deeply conflicted over whether to report this matter back to the clan.

If he reported it, he would most likely be in for a punishment.

But if he pretended he had seen nothing, there would naturally be no immediate trouble.

Yet once the young lady grew up, considering her importance to the Gu Clan, if she fell for someone from the declining Xiao Clan under his watch...

The more Ling Ying thought about it, the worse his headache became.

If that really happened, those old stubborn elders in the clan would probably chop him into mincemeat.

At that thought, Ling Ying's scalp went numb.

"Xiao Ce."

"Hmm?"

"Now that Xun'er is supporting you, Xun'er orders you to spend the whole day playing with Xun'er tomorrow. Otherwise, Xun'er will take back all the battle techniques."

"Xiao Ce, you wouldn't want me to take back the battle techniques, would you?"

Hearing Xun'er's Japanese-style line, Xiao Ce froze for a moment before letting out a strange laugh.

"Hehehe, since little Xun'er has said so, of course I must obey."

The five battle techniques Xun'er gave Xiao Ce were the Xuan Class low-tier Mountain Crushing Fist, the Xuan Class mid-tier Flame Dragon Palm, the Xuan Class mid-tier Crimson Flame Shield, the Xuan Class high-tier Swallow Return Strike, and the Xuan Class high-tier Nine Turns of the Wandering Dragon. They covered attack, defense, and movement techniques, making them extremely comprehensive.

Besides his regular cultivation, Xiao Ce also devoted considerable time to practicing these battle techniques.

After all, a large part of his talent lay in battle techniques. If he did not make use of it, would that not be a waste of his gifts?

Moreover, Xiao Ce had previously mastered several Yellow Class battle techniques to perfection and had studied both fist and palm techniques.

With those foundations, cultivating techniques of the same type allowed him to draw parallels and learn by analogy.

Spring passed and autumn came. In the blink of an eye, three years had gone by.

In the back mountains of the Xiao Clan, the afternoon sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow across the ground.

Beneath a lush, leafy tree, a youth leaned against the trunk, reclining lazily.

He looked fifteen or sixteen years old. Dressed in a moon-white robe, he was tall and straight, with handsome features, fair skin, and a faint smile at the corners of his lips.

The youth was none other than Xiao Ce.

Three years had passed. He had grown much taller, and some of the boyishness had faded from his face, replaced by an unhurried, composed bearing.

At that moment, his hands rested behind his head. One leg was casually bent while the other lay straight, and his half-lidded eyes made it impossible to tell whether he was daydreaming or dozing off.

Everything was quiet and comfortable.

Just then, a slender figure quietly crept over from somewhere, silently poking her head out from behind the tree.

She was a girl of thirteen or fourteen, dressed in a pale purple gown. Her long black hair cascaded behind her, with only a few strands hanging by her ears and swaying gently in the breeze.

Her features were exquisite and her figure graceful. Though her cheeks still retained a trace of childishness, it was easy to see that once she matured, she would become a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms and cities.

The girl was naturally Xiao Xun'er.

She appeared behind Xiao Ce, a hint of girlish mischief appearing on her face. Then she held her breath and slowly stretched out her hands.

They were exceptionally beautiful hands, with slender fingers, jade-white skin, and a faint rosy sheen.

When her hands neared Xiao Ce, she suddenly sped up and covered his eyes.

"Guess who I am?"

Xun'er deliberately lowered her voice, as though she wanted to disguise it as a stranger's.

Yet no matter how she tried to disguise it, her young and immature voice was full of obvious flaws.

Perhaps Xun'er had never truly intended to fool Xiao Ce. She merely enjoyed the feeling of fooling around with him.

Under the tree, Xiao Ce did not move at all, but the corners of his lips curled upward slightly.

The instant Xun'er appeared, he had already noticed her. He had simply kept silent and played along with her.

"Hmm..." Xiao Ce let the girl's soft hands block his vision, deliberately drawing out his voice as though he were seriously considering it. "Let me guess."

Xun'er did not reply, but she bent down and leaned closer to Xiao Ce.

A delicate fragrance unique to a young girl immediately drifted into Xiao Ce's nose with the breeze.

"I think the person standing behind me must be the most beautiful, cutest, sweetest, and most considerate girl in the world."

"Isn't that right, Xun'er?"

There was a teasing note in Xiao Ce's voice. He reached out, caught Xun'er's slender wrist, and pulled her hands away before turning his head to see her exquisite cheeks, now slightly flushed.

Especially now, Xun'er had bent down and the two were very close. Thus, when Xiao Ce turned his head, they found themselves face-to-face, separated by barely any distance.

As their eyes met at such close range, the blush on Xun'er's cheeks swiftly spread outward, tinting even her earlobes pink, while her heart began to race.

Looking at Xiao Ce's increasingly handsome face and the teasing smile on his lips, the faint stirrings in Xun'er's heart became ever more apparent as she grew older.

"X-Xiao Ce, you only know how to say nice things to make Xun'er happy."

There was a trace of playful reproach in Xun'er's voice, but the joy in her eyes and brows could not be concealed.

"But... Xun'er likes hearing them."

After saying that, she walked around to Xiao Ce's side and sat down naturally. Hugging her knees, she looked at him with a blushing face, her eyes seeming to brim with starlight.

Seeing her joyful yet shy expression, tinged with the innocent emotions of youth, Xiao Ce could not help reaching out to ruffle her hair. The gesture was as natural as though he had done it hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

"I'm not just humoring you. I mean it."

Xun'er enjoyed Xiao Ce's caress like a kitten being stroked, content and relaxed, her eyes curved in a smile.