A Heart-to-Heart in the Dead of Night Reveals True Feelings

As she spoke, the corners of Zhang Lexuan's eyes trembled slightly. It was clear that she had never truly moved past the encounter in the forest; she was even a bit jumpy, to the point where Mu En was now hesitant to let Xuan Zi take the children out for soul beast hunting.

As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to have realized something. She let out a long sigh and sat down, leaning against an old tree. Seeing this, Su Qing also leaned against the same tree and sat right next to her. Their shoulders touched, and Zhang Lexuan leaned her head against him naturally.

"Sister Lexuan, do you want to sleep for a while again?"

After more than two years, seeing Zhang Lexuan make such a move again made Su Qing feel as if he had returned to the day he rescued Zhou Qing and the others from the Flame Demon Lizard.

Only, because Zhang Lexuan had stayed in the forest for so long that day and had gone through high-intensity combat, she didn't smell as fragrant as she did now.

"I've finally met someone I can rely on; can't you let me lean on you for a while?"

"Huh?"

Su Qing's body stiffened. What was going on? Why did Zhang Lexuan suddenly start being so direct today? The previous dynamic of equal footing and intense tension had suddenly turned into something straightforward, without any detours, buildup, or probing—words blunt enough to make one's heart stop. For a moment, he found it hard to handle.

This woman truly has formidable methods!

Su Qing, his face written with the realization of how terrifying she was, couldn't help but sigh. However, before he could figure out how to respond, Zhang Lexuan continued:

"When I first awakened my martial soul, my entire family was wiped out by evil soul masters. At the time, I was saved by someone. I had already lost the will to live because of the departure of my loved ones, but that person told me to look after a child for him. Later, I watched that child grow up and treated him like family. Later, he had someone else in his heart, and I lost my goal, not wanting to live in a daze anymore."

"So, I poured all my focus into cultivation and carrying out missions, hoping to numb myself through them. It worked well, until I took on that mission to lead a team for soul hunting. I thought that with an elder leading the team, the mission would go smoothly, but because we lost contact with that elder, we encountered a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and suffered heavy losses."

"Later, a little kid saved my teammates. That kid was very interesting; even at such a young age, he started learning to protect others. I don't know why, but I felt inexplicably at ease around him, a sense of security I had never experienced in the academy."

"He said I wasn't a jinx, and even said I was his lucky goddess. Hearing him say that made me very happy. I liked the feeling of him holding my hand while walking by Sea God Lake. Every time that happened, I felt a sense of happiness, but I didn't dare to express my feelings because that guy never took his own safety seriously. I was afraid that one day, because of some tragic news, I would lose the will to live..."

"But today, the heart-wrenching feeling I had when the news of him being in danger reached my ears made me suddenly realize that if some things aren't said out loud, they might rot in my heart forever..."

"Thump, thump, thump—"

Listening to Zhang Lexuan's endless stream of words, Su Qing's heart was pounding. If nothing went wrong, the next thing she said would likely be a confession. How should he respond? Should he agree immediately, or pretend to think it over for a while before agreeing? Would agreeing immediately seem too rash, but would considering it be seen as hesitation?

What should I do!

"I..."

Su Qing, whose emotions were stretched to the breaking point, heard the word "I" pop out of Zhang Lexuan's mouth and instantly exploded:

"I like you too, Sister Lexuan!"

Saying these words felt like it took every ounce of his strength. He was panting heavily, his heart still pounding. Rather than overthinking these things, it was better to confess and take back the initiative.

"Alright, I know."

Zhang Lexuan nodded expressionlessly. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Rather than painstakingly teaching this kid to put his safety first, it was better to give him something to care about in his heart. This way, he could truly learn to stay away from danger. After all, no one wants to make the person they like sad. As for why she didn't express her feelings directly?

That was, of course, because the meat that hasn't been eaten yet is the most tempting. In this way, her earlier display of true feelings wouldn't be in vain.

"?"

Su Qing was dumbfounded. So, the long story she just told was really just a story? Wasn't this treating him like a fool? He was serious for once, only to lose so miserably. Damn it!

However, Zhang Lexuan didn't let Su Qing down. She leaned close to his ear and whispered in a tiny voice:

"I like you."

Hearing this, Su Qing's face lit up: "Then, Sister Lexuan, do you want to..."

But Zhang Lexuan didn't wait for him to finish. She pressed her index finger to his lips to block him, then waved her finger in front of him, blinked, and said:

"Win the championship in the freshman assessment first."

"It's a deal!"

There was half a month left until the freshman assessment. Although Mu Jin had arranged two one-ring teammates for him to help more people pass the assessment, he wasn't worried about losing. After all, with his current strength, he didn't need teammates to clear the freshman assessment.

You must know that before coming to Shrek, his sparring partner was a fierce, 15,000-year-old golden lion with three eyes—the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. And it was basically all hand-to-hand combat. Thanks to this, he possessed the strength and stamina to fight above his rank. Dealing with those common one- or two-ring soul masters was as easy as pie.

"Your ambition is quite large. To test your strength, come here and give your Sister Lexuan a shoulder massage."

Seeing Su Qing so confident, Zhang Lexuan chuckled. She didn't know who it was that had been so flustered and red-faced just a moment ago. Since they had met, it was the first time she had seen him show such an expression. Hmph, so what if he's a savage? He still has to be handled by her, doesn't he? It's just that this kid is a bit of a flirt. He's so young, yet he can manage to keep things balanced between her and Xiao Xiao. What will he be like in the future?

However, she didn't mind this. After all, Su Qing wasn't the type to favor one over the other. She believed that this slightly greedy little guy wouldn't let her down.

But before she could enjoy the massage, Su Qing reached out and pinched her waist. A girl's waist is very sensitive when completely unguarded, and this made her face flush slightly, her previously calm and breezy expression vanishing in an instant.

"You brat! Are you getting a bit carried away?"

Su Qing was not one to be slaughtered easily. As soon as he finished pinching, he used Wind-Gathering Wing-Weaving to flee into the distance, but he still underestimated Zhang Lexuan's speed and was caught up to in no time.

And so, there was one more unlucky soul with a bump on his head at Shrek tonight...