"All right, all right. Tomorrow it is."
Chen Doudou laughed helplessly. "Why all the mystery? It's not a Soul Tool in there, is it?"
"Of course not!"
Xiao Xiao stamped her foot. Her little romantic scheme had nearly been ruined by his comment about a Soul Tool.
She turned around and trotted a few steps, then glanced back at him. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "Good night, Brother Doudou..."
With that, she darted back to her tent.
Chen Doudou looked at the cloth bundle in his hand, then at Xiao Xiao's disappearing figure, and smiled helplessly.
"That little girl is making such a mystery of it."
He didn't open it, merely tucked the bundle into his robe and turned back toward the tent.
Inside the tent.
Jiang Nannan had always been a light sleeper. In truth, she hadn't fallen asleep at all.
Hearing Chen Doudou crawl into his sleeping bag, she cracked her eyes open.
In the faint moonlight filtering through the window, she happened to spot the little leather boots Xiao Xiao had left in the corner of the tent.
A pair of white socks should have been beside those delicate little boots.
But now, the socks were gone.
Jiang Nannan froze for a moment, then instinctively glanced toward Xiao Xiao's feet.
The little girl had her back to her and had just lain down to rest.
Her feet... were bare, without a thing on them.
"Hmm?"
Jiang Nannan furrowed her brow, puzzled.
Huh, where had Xiao Xiao's socks gone?
But she didn't give it much thought, assuming Xiao Xiao had washed up and changed them after going out earlier.
Chen Doudou rubbed his bleary eyes and crawled out of his sleeping bag. As soon as he unzipped the tent, he saw Jiang Nannan and Bibi Dong packing their things.
"Huh? Sister Nannan, where's Xiao Xiao?"
Chen Doudou instinctively looked around, but couldn't see the little figure who was always clinging to him and asking to ride Pegasus.
Jiang Nannan turned back with a smile. "You're awake, Doudou? Xiao Xiao said she didn't want to disturb your rest, so she left with her parents early this morning."
"She left?"
Chen Doudou froze, and an inexplicable sense of emptiness swept over him.
"Right, the present."
Only then did he remember the mysterious thing Xiao Xiao had slipped to him last night.
He instinctively patted his chest. The little cloth pouch was still there.
While Bibi Dong and Jiang Nannan were still finishing up, Chen Doudou found a quiet tree stump to sit on and carefully opened the pouch.
The bundle was light. There was no Soul Tool inside, nor any strange minerals.
There was only a pair of... white socks?
Chen Doudou froze, then turned the pouch inside out and searched it again and again.
But no matter how many times he checked, there was only that pair of white socks.
Was this right?
He unfolded the socks, intending to see if anything special was hidden inside, but then noticed a neatly folded little note tucked between them.
The paper was rough, as if it had been torn casually from a ledger.
Chen Doudou opened it curiously. In crooked, childish handwriting, it read:
"Brother Doudou, haven't you always wanted to smell my socks? They're yours now.
I'm a little reluctant to give them up, but since it's what you want, I'll give them to you.
Make sure you keep them safe!"
—Xiao Xiao (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
Looking at the crooked smiley face drawn on the note, Chen Doudou felt his mind go "buzz."
He froze in place, nearly dropping the socks in his hand.
This was bad.
He seemed to have been mistaken for a pervert.
Chen Doudou pressed a hand to his forehead, speechless, as the world spun around him.
Heaven and earth were his witnesses!
He'd really only been joking when he said that!
Who could have guessed the little girl would take him seriously?
If word got out, wouldn't his lifelong good name and the dignity of a god's descendant be ruined by a pair of socks?
"Doudou, why are you standing there with your head down? Did you find a Gold Soul Coin?"
Bibi Dong's voice suddenly came from behind him.
Chen Doudou jumped and hurriedly tried to stuff the socks and note back inside. In his haste, he nearly tore the cloth pouch.
Bibi Dong walked over with her toiletries in hand. Seeing Chen Doudou looking as guilty as a thief, she narrowed her purple eyes slightly, amusement in her voice. "What are you hiding? All secretive, aren't you?"
"N-nothing!"
Chen Doudou clutched the pouch tightly in his palm and hid it behind his back, forcing a laugh. "It's... it's just a little keepsake Xiao Xiao gave me."
"Oh?"
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow but didn't press him. She only urged him, "All right, stop dawdling. Since they've already left, we should pack up and get going too."
She turned and took a couple of steps, then glanced back at Chen Doudou and casually added, "By the way, I noticed that little Xiao Xiao was walking strangely earlier. She ran off barefoot. I wonder if her shoes didn't fit."
Chen Doudou: "..."
He looked down at the pair of white socks still warm from being held, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
It was over.
Completely over.
Now he couldn't clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
"Coming, Sister Dong."
Chen Doudou followed her with his head hanging, already wondering how he would explain this the next time he saw Xiao Xiao.
He absolutely couldn't make jokes like that again...
Once they had packed their belongings, Bibi Dong quickly led Chen Doudou and Jiang Nannan out of the Great Star Dou Forest, heading straight for Qingfeng City.
Since they were taking Jiang Nannan to Spirit Hall, it obviously wouldn't do to leave her mother behind here alone.
After all, Spirit Hall had always treated its own people well.
Jiang Nannan's mother was an open-minded woman, and it took almost no effort to persuade her to agree.
Then the four of them and Pegasus set off together.
Their destination: Spirit City.
The Divine Realm, Sea God Hall.
A faint, lingering trace of amorousness still hung in the air.
Tang San tied his belt, panting hard, fine beads of sweat on his forehead. A smug smile tugged at his lips. "Phew... It's been three minutes, Xiao Wu. How was I? Wasn't I amazing?"
"Mm, you were great, Third Brother. I knew you were the best!"
Xiao Wu smiled brightly as she helped him straighten his clothes, but inside, she felt miserable.
It wasn't as good as when she used her hand.
It wasn't even as comfortable as when Doudou suckled her breasts...
Tang San had just stepped out of Xiao Wu's room. His face was pale, and his steps were unsteady.
He had still been basking in the satisfaction of his post-climax bliss, but then his gaze happened to sweep across the crystal ball floating nearby.
At just one glance, he froze.
"Damn it! Why has the Million-Year Soul Beast that should have belonged to the Child of Destiny suddenly vanished?!"
"Who's been messing with things?!"
A moment later, Tang San's eyes turned bloodshot with rage. He panted like an enraged bull and flew into a fury.
"Let me find out who did it, and you'll have earned your death!!!"
Inside the room.
Xiao Wu was startled by his sudden outburst and thought to herself, What's wrong with Third Brother? Why's he getting angry again? Does he think three minutes is too short? Maybe I should add a little more medicine to Third Brother's meals from now on.
Ah... I'll ask Zhuqing later.
Before you continue