The Two Girls

Xiao Ling stared at the little head poking out from inside his tent and froze for a moment. Then, on reflex, he covered her mouth and darted into the tent with her.

"Shh!"

"Don't make a sound, or I'll have my way with you."

Xiao Ling put on a menacing act as he looked at Xiao Yi Xian from up close.

To be honest, he was in a bit of a predicament.

It wasn't that he really planned to do anything to Xiao Yi Xian. He was wondering how to handle what was happening tonight.

After all, it was suspicious for the girl to show up in his tent at this hour.

He hadn't failed to consider that it might have something to do with Xiao Zi. But what girl would come to his tent in the middle of the night to look for Xiao Zi?

That made no sense, no matter how he looked at it.

Could it be... this little angel likes me? Well, I do have average looks, but my talent is good enough to make me a dominant force in the Jia Ma Empire...

"Mmm..."

Xiao Yi Xian looked at the domineering White-robed Youth in front of her and nudged him with her hand, signaling that she wanted to speak.

Seeing that, Xiao Ling finally came to his senses. He looked at their current position, and a rare blush of embarrassment appeared on his young face.

"Ahem..."

He cleared his throat, hoping to ease the awkwardness, and quickly let go of the little angel in white.

"Um... Xian'er, sorry about that just now. I..."

"It's okay. You... just be a little gentler next time..."

Xiao Yi Xian had also calmed down by now, and she spoke gently.

Looking at her soft, lovely face, Xiao Ling grew even more embarrassed. For the first time, he awkwardly scratched his head, a rare trace of guilt showing on his face.

That was because he had just heard Xiao Zi's report. He hadn't expected the girl to plan to spend the night in his tent, so no one would suspect she was missing.

But that could also make people wonder whether something was going on between her and him. He didn't mind, but it would ruin her reputation and invite gossip...

"Xian'er, I was just nervous. I won't hide it from you: I came here because I heard there was an elder's cave dwelling in this area."

Xiao Ling hadn't concealed anything from her. After all, the little angel had gone this far for him; keeping it from her any longer would weigh on his conscience, scant as it was...

At his words, a sweet feeling welled up inside Xiao Yi Xian. She gazed at the White-robed Youth with gentle eyes and said,

"All right, I don't mind. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

Hearing the little angel in white, Xiao Ling nodded. Then, under her surprised gaze, he gave her a gentle hug before letting her go.

Before long, daylight broke, and a clear voice came from outside the tent.

"Master, are you awake? Would you like some breakfast?"

"I'm coming."

Xiao Ling opened his eyes, a glint flashing through them.

He planned to get himself into peak condition, then break through to Da Dou Shi in seclusion as soon as he got home. This time, while fully conscious, he would sense how his constitution consumed his lifespan.

At breakfast, Xiao Ling watched Yao Wan'er repeatedly edging closer to him, whether intentionally or not. He could feel Xiao Yi Xian's occasional glances from beside him, and the whole thing gave him a headache. He could only sit there with his head down, eating in silence.

Pay no heed to the world outside; devote yourself to the Sage Emperor's teachings.

After breakfast, the group quickly packed their things and set out again.

On the way back, they didn't encounter any attacks from magical beasts, which brought easy smiles to the mercenaries' faces.

Whenever they looked at the White-robed Youth in the middle of the group, their expressions filled with respect and understanding.

They weren't stupid. The fact that all those magical beasts had behaved themselves was enough to show, in its own way, how extraordinary Young Master Ling was!

Xiao Ling, however, paid it little mind. He was already barely managing to protect himself.

At that moment, he was caught between two girls, one on each side.

He looked at the two girls clinging to his arms. Well, one of them had quite a chest.

That was only natural. She was already fifteen or sixteen, and her strength was around One-Star Dou Practitioner. It was perfectly normal.

"Xian'er, Wan'er, can you two stop fooling around? If you keep this up, I'm going to get angry."

Xiao Ling was exasperated, his calm voice carrying a hint of irritation.

The two girls hurriedly let go of him. Yao Wan'er's alluring, innocent-looking face remained unchanged; in fact, she seemed a little pleased with herself. She simply didn't dare show it. But what kind of person was Xiao Ling? How could he fail to notice?

The whole way, it had been that girl causing trouble. What he hadn't expected was that a gentle girl like Xiao Yi Xian would get jealous over him, too. Still, he didn't make an issue of it with the alluring girl with the generous bust.

Otherwise, he'd have taught her a lesson for taking advantage of him.

A blush colored Xiao Yi Xian's cheeks. Her gentle eyes shot him a reproachful look, but before she could think any further, a teasing voice came from nearby.

"Well, well! Who do we have here? The famous Xiao Yi Xian, whose name is known throughout Qingshan Town!"

A burly, broad-shouldered man approached with more than a dozen well-trained mercenaries, each wearing an embroidered Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf insignia on his chest.

When the man reached them, he glanced left and right, then smiled at Xiao Yi Xian and the alluring girl with the generous bust. He completely ignored the White-robed Youth between them.

As far as he was concerned, what strength could an inexperienced kid possibly have? Mu She and the others had kept him in the dark. Otherwise, he'd probably be running faster than a rabbit right now.

Then again, if they hadn't kept it secret, who would join the Wolf Head Mercenary Group at a time like this?

That would be like an old man eating poison—asking for an early death.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Shi Ba, the current Third Regiment Commander of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. Would the two beauties care to visit my place so we can discuss life?"

At his words, even Xiao Yi Xian's gentle face showed anger. She took a deep breath, glanced warmly at the White-robed Youth beside her, then politely declined.

"No, I have something to do. Third Regiment Commander, please ask someone else."

Yao Wan'er, standing beside her, also looked disgusted.

But she held back and didn't make a scene. The strongest person in Wanyao Pavilion was her father, a Two-Star Dou Master. They simply couldn't compare with the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

After all, besides the group leader, Mu She, its Second Regiment Commander, Gan Mu, had reportedly also broken through to Dou Master.

Thinking of this, Yao Wan'er planned to politely decline as well. She had no intention of using the White-robed Youth beside her; she simply didn't want to leave him with a bad impression.

But just as she was about to speak, Xiao Ling's calm voice rang out from beside her, carrying through the area.