"Miss, someone's here. This old servant will take his leave for now."
Ling Ying said respectfully.
"All right, Elder Ling."
Xun'er waved her little hand. Her delicate willow brows arched slightly as she looked toward the door, where Xiao Yu and her younger brother were hurrying over.
Seeing them, a flash of anger crossed Xun'er's porcelain-doll face.
She rose and, in a few quick steps, reached the doorway, blocking Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning's path. In an even tone, she said,
"Brother Xiao Ling is cultivating. No one is allowed to go in and disturb him. You two should head back."
She didn't know why, but this pair of siblings always annoyed her. Still, she was polite when she needed to be—though that was as far as it went.
Xiao Yu looked past the little girl in front of her toward Xiao Ling's room. She saw the tightly shut door and sensed the familiar aura within.
Only then did she turn back to the little girl, a hint of defiance in her voice.
"Why should I go back? Brother Xiao Ling and I grew up together. I'm staying here until he comes out of seclusion."
After a pause, Xiao Yu glanced at her younger brother and snapped,
"Xiao Ning, go back first. And don't go spreading nonsense again, or I'll sew your mouth shut."
"Aw..."
Xiao Ning had just been about to protest, but swallowed his words in fright and hurriedly agreed.
Watching Xiao Ning leave, Xun'er turned her gaze back to Xiao Yu, matching her sharp tone.
"Cousin Xiao Yu, why are you still standing here? Brother Xiao Ling said no one could go in. That includes you."
The moment the words left her mouth, even Xun'er herself froze. She could hardly believe she'd said that. When had she ever needed to compete with someone over a man?
Still, it wasn't really her fault. Although Xun'er had a God-Tier Bloodline, she was still human. And she was only four years old. She might look mature, like a little grown-up, but that didn't change her actual age.
So it was only natural that Xun'er was showing signs of jealousy.
At that, Xiao Yu straightened up. Her long, shapely legs stood out, and a challenging glint appeared in her eyes.
"Cousin Xun'er, I'm older than you. Brother Xiao Ling is a normal man, so I suggest you give up. Don't compete with me. I'll buy you candy later."
Xiao Yu's words hit the mark. Anger filled Xun'er's beautiful eyes, and she pointed at Xiao Yu, managing to squeeze out just four words.
"Y-you shameless woman!"
Watching from the shadows, Ling Ying shook his head helplessly. As an old man, all he could do was stand by and watch. He couldn't help his young lady at all...
Meanwhile, as the older and younger girls bickered over Xiao Ling, he had reached a crucial moment in forming the pill.
His expression calm, Xiao Ling studied the pill's embryonic form inside the flaming Pill Cauldron. His slender fingers moved rapidly, forming one mysterious hand seal after another. Then, an astonishing sight appeared.
After a flash of white light, the pill inside the flaming Pill Cauldron suddenly split into two.
"Th-this really worked?"
A delighted smile appeared on Xiao Ling's usually calm face. He'd been practicing this hand seal for four years.
He'd never succeeded before. This time, he'd only tried it on a whim—and somehow, it had worked.
"Phew..."
After taking a deep breath, Xiao Ling lightly flicked the side of the cauldron. Two golden streaks flashed out and landed precisely in the Jade Bottle.
Staring at the pills in his hand, Xiao Ling fell into thought, replaying every detail of the hand seal he'd just used.
But after going over it dozens of times, he had no choice but to give up.
He had named the seal the "Fen Dan Seal."
He lit the fire and started refining pills again, planning to try a few more times... But perhaps Heaven had no intention of favoring him again. He refined more than a dozen batches, and not one succeeded.
It wasn't until dusk that Xiao Ling finally gave up.
Although he hadn't succeeded again, the day's pill refining had brought him back to peak condition.
He could feel that he would break through as soon as he willed it, but he didn't... After all, two little girls were still waiting for him outside.
To his surprise, the older and younger girls in the courtyard weren't bickering anymore. Instead, they sat together chatting like the best of friends. Women's hearts were truly hard to fathom.
Just then, the door creaked open. The two girls looked over in unison and saw their Brother Xiao Ling smiling at them.
They both ran toward him and threw themselves into his familiar embrace, one after the other.
Xun'er: "Congratulations, Brother Xiao Ling. You achieved what you set out to do."
Xiao Yu: "Congratulations, Brother Xiao Ling. Your strength has greatly improved."
"All right, all right, that's enough."
Xiao Ling looked down at the two girls in his arms, overwhelmed. He quickly changed the subject.
"Go sit over there, you two. I brought you gifts from my trip."
At that, the girls' eyes lit up. They exchanged a glance, then obediently sat down and gazed at him expectantly.
Xiao Ling couldn't help smiling. He took out two Jade Bottles and handed one to each of them.
"Here. These are treasures I found while I was away. They're called Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow and can change your cultivation talent. I've heard taking them could give you a chance to become an Emperor, though I don't know if that's true.
"But they're definitely extraordinary. Go back and refine them carefully. Perhaps one day, you'll have a chance to become Emperors too."
Xiao Yu didn't doubt him. She took the bottle and smiled sweetly.
"Yu Er thanks you, Brother Xiao Ling."
A flicker of shock passed through Xun'er's eyes, but she hid it well enough that her not-so-clever cousin didn't notice. She said brightly,
"Xun'er thanks you, Brother Xiao Ling."
Xiao Ling smiled at the two of them, then took out a scroll and tossed it to Xiao Yu.
"Yu Er, this is the gift I brought for you: a High Xuan Tier Flying Dou Technique, Eagle Wings. Keep it for now. When you're ready to cultivate it, I'll stand guard for you."
Surprise crossed Xiao Yu's face, and she asked in confusion,
"Brother Xiao Ling, what's a Flying Dou Technique? Is it the kind that lets you fly in the sky?"
He'd been ready for that question. Smiling, he nodded.
"Exactly. It lets you fly without having to form Dou Qi Wings."
Shock appeared on Xiao Yu's face. She quickly tried to hand the scroll back, speaking softly.
"I can't take this. Brother Xiao Ling would make better use of it than I would. Besides, I don't need to go anywhere."
Xiao Ling felt a warmth in his heart. He smiled and gave her a gentle flick on the forehead.
"You little rascal. If I give it to you, take it. Your Brother Xiao Ling already has one."
"Oh..."
Xiao Yu drew out the word, then obediently put away the precious Flying Dou Technique.
Once she'd put it away, Xiao Ling smiled and said,
"All right, you two should get to refining these. I'm going to cultivate too."
With that, he started toward the Back Mountain.
Before you continue