Your Hair Is Messy

After rescuing Xue Lan, Dan Zai, and the others, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian finally followed them into Shi Mo City.

The city in the desert, compared to the cities inside the empire, has a more rustic and profound feel. Perhaps because it is close to the Tager Desert, the defenses here are much stricter than those inside the empire. Fully armed taxi soldiers can be seen patrolling everywhere in the city.

However, it is smaller in area Wutan City and does not have an air transport facility.

Unlike Green Mountain Town in the Monster Mountain Range, Shi Mo City did not have any particularly powerful mercenary groups at this time. Therefore, everyone came together to form Mercenary Guild to help each other.

This situation will likely remain unchanged for several years.

With nowhere else to stay, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian, at the warm invitation of Xue Lan and the others, temporarily stayed at the Storm Mercenary Squad's base, in a courtyard of a decent size.

However, they seemed to have misunderstood something and only arranged a guest room for Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian.

However, this didn't matter. In the past ten days or so, Xiao Yi Xian had taken the opportunity to touch and pinch Xiao Yan quite a bit while wiping away his Blood Burning.

The two have become much closer, and they are not embarrassed at all when they hear that they are sharing a room.

Besides, Xiao Yan doesn't sleep at all; he meditates and cultivates at night, so there's no situation where they have to share a bed.

However, walking in the desert is indeed extremely monotonous, and without each other's company, they would probably have been affected by it.

So, after settling in, they didn't rush to cultivate. After saying goodbye to Xue Lan, they left the courtyard and went shopping in Shi Mo City.

Cultivation is certainly important, but physical and mental health is also extremely important.

If he were alone, Xiao Yan would naturally bury himself in cultivation, but with a female companion, he couldn't just be a block of wood, spending all his time cultivating.

Xiao Yan took Xiao Yi Xian for a stroll in the city, bought two pieces of clothing and some herbs, and ate some local specialties. As it grew dark, the two prepared to return home.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long, slender shadows of the two figures on the yellow bricks of the street.

The city, bustling all day, did not immediately fall silent. Many shops lit up, and the soft glow replaced the scorching heat of the sun. The cool night breeze made it quite pleasant.

"This dress... suits you quite well."

Xiao Yan turned his head to look at Xiao Yi Xian, who was half a step behind him.

She changed into a newly bought light blue gauze dress. The thin gauze swayed gently in the breeze, and through the dress, one could vaguely see her arms, shoulders, and slender waist. Unlike the white dress that concealed her more, this gauze dress had a hazy, semi-transparent beauty.

"Yeah?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian's lips curled up slightly, and a ripple of joy appeared in her eyes.

She raised her arm, her sleeve slipped down, revealing a section of her fair wrist, and gently touched Xiao Yan's arm:

"I think your black outfit is quite nice; the style of clothing for the desert is quite novel."

Her touch was light, yet it carried an air of intimacy, and the movement was quite natural.

Xiao Yan looked down at her, meeting her eyes, which remained bright even in the twilight. In her eyes, Xiao Yan saw only himself.

"Yes, as long as you like it."

Xiao Yan's voice softened, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He naturally slowed his pace, walking shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Yi Xian, their shadows gradually merging together behind them.

The street was rather narrow, and we encountered a group of mercenaries returning home, their sweat and laughter filling the air as they rushed towards us.

Xiao Yan almost instinctively reached out, not to grasp Xiao Yi Xian's hand directly, but to gently put his arm around her shoulder, using his body to separate himself from the crowded flow of people. The movement was natural and fluid.

Xiao Yi Xian felt the warm pressure and solid reliability coming from her shoulder, and her heart trembled slightly as if brushed by a feather.

She never intended to break free; instead, she took a half-step closer to Xiao Yan, a strand of her dark hair, blown by the evening breeze, slipping down her cheek.

Xiao Yan's gaze lingered on that strand of black hair for a moment. Perhaps it was the gentle twilight, or perhaps it was the faint medicinal fragrance emanating from the person beside him that made his heart itch. Xiao Yan raised his other hand and very naturally reached towards her temple.

Xiao Yi Xian was slightly taken aback, but did not dodge; she simply looked up at him.

His movements were very gentle; his fingertips carefully brushed through her hair, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Warm fingertips brushed against her earlobe unintentionally, leaving a slight tingling sensation.

"Your hair is messy."

Xiao Yan's voice rang in my ears, carrying a hint of gentleness that was barely perceptible.

This small gesture was far too intimate, exceeding the scope of "taking care of a fellow traveler."

A faint blush crept up the Xiao Yi Xian's ears, but fortunately, the twilight obscured it.

She lowered her eyelashes, her long lashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyes, fluttering gently like butterfly wings. She feigned reproach, letting out a soft hum:

"Hmph, why weren't you this attentive back in the desert?"

She was referring to the time when she was walking in the Tagor Desert, and her hair became even more disheveled when the wind and sand were strong.

"Hey-hey."

Xiao Yan could only feign ignorance. He explained that the atmosphere had created an opportunity for him to act without restraint. In the desert, his mind was focused on his surroundings; he hadn't paid any attention to whether Xiao Yi Xian's hair was messy or not.

With his limited strength, although the chances of him dying were slim under the protection of the Old Yao, he would definitely be injured. Besides, when his strength was insufficient, he really didn't have much time to indulge in romance.

Of course, you definitely can't say that out loud; it's too jarring and distasteful.

Seeing that Xiao Yan didn't answer, Xiao Yi Xian didn't press him. She simply glanced at her shoulder and said in a light, playful tone:

"My dear friend, how long are you planning to keep hugging me?"

"Ah!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan reacted slowly, quickly releasing his arm from Xiao Yi Xian's shoulder and giving an awkward smile.

Seeing Xiao Yan's somewhat awkward smile, Xiao Yi Xian couldn't help but laugh along.

In the twilight and the atmosphere of solitude, their banter was tinged with an indescribable sweetness, as the moonlight quietly climbed over the city walls, casting its gentle glow.

Unfortunately, this pleasant atmosphere was quickly shattered by some noisy cursing and swearing coming from a nearby alley.

"It's you again, you bastard! You're such an eyesore!"

"Brother Mo Xing, this bastard may be young, but he has Snake-Person Bloodline after all, so he'll probably taste pretty good. We brothers haven't been with a woman in ages. He might be a bit small, but he's not unusable..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan immediately realized that he had to take action. He narrowed his eyes and walked into the alley.