Surrounded by Beauties

"Teacher, I haven't seen you for a while, why did you change your clothes? They look really good, though; I've never seen you wear them before."

The previously calm and leisurely scene was suddenly interrupted by a small head popping up, followed by a chattering voice. A look of helplessness flashed across Li Yilin's face.

"Little girl, why did you climb up again? Can't you just use the front door?"

"But I wanted to see Teacher faster, and jumping up directly is quicker." Si Yao blinked her eyes and said as if it were only natural.

From Li Yilin's perspective, he could only see her small head, her hands resting on the railing, and a pair of white wings half-unfolded behind her.

"Besides, with my strength, climbing a terrace less than ten meters high is nothing; there's no danger at all." Thinking that Li Yilin was just worried about her safety, Si Yao seemed to want to prove there was no danger. She pushed off with her hands and nimbly stood up on the railing.

The large wings behind her didn't hinder her movements in the slightest; in fact, they made her look even more graceful.

Under Li Yilin's helpless gaze, she stood on the railing with her hands on her hips, looking down at him with a proud expression, as if to say: See, it's not dangerous at all.

Li Yilin: ----

Is this a matter of safety?

This is the palace where your teacher resides. You are a student, a junior, and you're climbing around like this—what kind of behavior is that?

Fortunately, Si Yao still remembered her status and didn't go too far. She quickly jumped off the railing, walked up to Li Yilin, and bowed obediently.

After the salute, she returned to her mischievous self. "Teacher, Sister Shuang Yue said you were looking for me. Is there something you need me to do?"

Li Yilin rubbed his brow, feeling a bit hesitant.

Si Yao was so naughty; would it be inappropriate to take her to meet Gui Jiao so rashly?

After all, it was only their first meeting.

But if he really went to Cloud Sea Planet, it would take at least a year to return. Ever since she became his student, she had never been away from him for so long. Would she be afraid?

At this moment, he seemed to have forgotten that his student was already a Planetary Level martial artist and was even twenty years old. If not for the long growth period of the Star Feather Race, which kept her in a juvenile stage and looking excessively young, she would have been an adult long ago.

Just as Li Yilin was lost in thought, Si Yao, who had been standing obediently in front of him, rolled her eyes slightly. They suddenly lit up, and a mischievous smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. She glanced at Li Yilin with ill intent, her toes quietly inching forward, inching, inching—

By the time Li Yilin regained his senses, she had already circled behind him. She was holding a flower she had plucked from somewhere—a blue-purple one with layered petals like a rose—and was in the middle of an action to place it on his head.

Li Yilin: ----

To have such a student, it really was his "blessing"!

Putting a flower on her teacher—she actually had the nerve to do it.

She was truly spoiled!

Seeing that Li Yilin had discovered her little trick, Si Yao didn't hesitate. She quickly raised her hand, firmly tucked the flower behind his ear, and then grabbed his arm, trying to get away with it.

"Teacher, what were you thinking about just now?" She pouted and said with a wronged expression, "You didn't pay any attention to Ah Yao, Ah Yao is so bored."

Li Yilin narrowed his eyes slightly. He wasn't in a hurry to remove the flower—it was just a flower, after all. He raised his hand and tapped her forehead. "Trying to shift the blame, are you?"

Si Yao covered her forehead and blinked, still looking innocent.

Li Yilin gave a light hum, glanced at her, and said, "I was thinking about whether I should take you with me to Cloud Sea Planet."

"Cloud Sea Planet?" Si Yao's eyes widened slightly. She naturally knew of Cloud Sea Planet; it was an important planet ranked in the top 100 within the territory of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. She had heard that the owner of the planet was a member of the Cloud Sea Family, one of the sixteen great families.

With a World Lord level master as its lord, Cloud Sea Planet was definitely more prosperous than Qiu Dragon Planet.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.

However, that wasn't the main point.

"Teacher, why did you suddenly think of going to Cloud Sea Planet?" The distance from Qiu Dragon Planet to Cloud Sea Planet was not short. Even taking an E-Grade Spaceship traveling at ten times the speed of light through the Dark Universe, it would take at least three months.

It wasn't that Li Yilin couldn't afford an F-Grade Spaceship, but F-Grade Spaceships were prohibitively expensive and not something a Domain Lord could possess. Even if one had the money, they wouldn't dare to bring one out.

Not to mention that spaceships of that level required a certain level of strength and status to purchase; they were restricted items, not something you could buy just by having money.

"I have a good friend on Cloud Sea Planet whom I haven't met yet, so I'm thinking of going," Li Yilin said with a smile. He pinched her fair, tender cheek, took the flower off his head, and, despite her dissatisfied look, tucked it into her own little head before continuing.

"Also, Liu Qing really wants to go out and play, so it's a good time to take a trip." Having stayed on Qiu Dragon Planet for quite a long time, it wouldn't be bad to change the scenery and relax.

Hearing its name, Liu Qing flew out from the Smart Optical Computer, lunged at Li Yilin, and hugged his arm.

"Master~" It called out in a cloying voice, "I really want to go!"

Si Yao's eyes darted around. Without thinking, she imitated Liu Qing and hugged Li Yilin's other arm, starting to act like a spoiled child. "Teacher, Ah Yao wants to go too."

With a little sprite on the left and another cute little sprite on the right, Li Yilin barely managed to keep his expression steady. He straightened his face and feigned seriousness.

"Why should I take you?"

"You don't listen, your strength hasn't improved in a long time, and you're so naughty, only knowing how to wreak havoc on the castle's flowers and grass all day long." His gaze swept over the purple flower on her head, and Li Yilin gave a cold hum before dropping one last sentence.

"What if I take you out and you end up embarrassing your teacher?"

Si Yao pouted and gave a light hum. "Teacher only suppresses me at times like this. You're just saying the opposite of what you mean. You called me over, so you must have already planned to take me. I don't care, I'm going."

She had finally realized it. She grabbed Li Yilin's large hand and shook it back and forth, her voice so soft and sweet it seemed like it could drip water. "Teacher, Teacher~"

"Take Ah Yao with you. Ah Yao will be very obedient and won't cause any trouble."

"Really?" Li Yilin, who was barely holding his ground amidst the continuous coaxing, asked in return.

"Really, really." Si Yao nodded repeatedly, her expression serious and her tone sincere, looking as if she would swear an oath to prove it if he didn't believe her.

After giving her assurance, she shook Li Yilin's hand again, her wings fluttering slightly behind her. "Teacher, will you take me or not!" The eyes she turned toward Li Yilin were glistening with moisture by now, and she was acting so soft and coquettish that she looked truly pitiful.

"I will, I will." Li Yilin could no longer bear to tease her, nodding repeatedly. "You are my student, if I don't take you, who would I take?"

Upon hearing the word "student," the smile on Si Yao's face stiffened for a fleeting moment, and a trace of sadness and disappointment flashed in the depths of her eyes. Her hand movements also paused involuntarily, but she quickly hid it before Li Yilin could look over.

When Li Yilin did look over, he only saw a brilliant smile on her face, and the moisture in her eyes had long since vanished.

"I knew Teacher was the best!"

One day later.

A low-profile black spaceship cut through the void, heading toward the universe.

Inside the ship, Si Yao leaned curiously against the console, watching Liu Qing operate the controls; she had never seen an artificial intelligence pilot a ship before.

But after watching for a while, she withdrew her gaze.

All operations were basically completed via virtual buttons, and Liu Qing, as an artificial intelligence, could execute a series of commands silently and seamlessly, with the automated system even including a step to confirm with the master.

Bored, she wandered around the control room and even climbed up to the cabin window to look at the scenery outside.

But the scenery was always the same, not to mention that after entering the Dark Universe, there was nothing to see except for those "dots of light."

Finally giving up on trying to relax, she sat cross-legged at Li Yilin's feet, leaning against one of the legs of the chair he was sitting on, and opened her light screen to study the secret technique information.

The student's closeness made Li Yilin squint his eyes in pleasure. He patted her little head and said, "There are chairs, why are you sitting on the floor?"

"I just want to lean on Teacher, it makes me feel very safe." Si Yao looked back at him, her eyes curving like crescent moons; she was clearly in a very good mood.

She smiled at Li Yilin, then lowered her head to continue reading the content on the screen with focus, her serious expression showing that she was not just putting on an act.

Li Yilin was stunned for a moment, then withdrew his hand, deciding not to disturb her.

The content of the Flash Moon Sword Art was dry and obscure, involving complex subject matter, and cultivating it required immense perseverance. Although Si Yao was mischievous, she always possessed great patience and perseverance when it came to cultivation; no matter how tired or upset she was, she had never once said she wanted to give up.

Although he was aware of this, he rarely saw it firsthand. Now that he truly saw her not delaying her cultivation even on the spaceship, he felt gratified, but also couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

He was immediately startled by his own thoughts.

If a student is too hardworking, it hurts the heart; if they aren't hardworking, it gives one a headache.

Is there always going to be something that hurts?