The aftermath of Sea God Pavilion Meeting has not yet calmed down in the hearts of all the elders. Xian Lin'er and Long Jinyu walked out of the solemn hall side by side. The golden glow of the setting sun shone on Sea God Island, coating the two of them with a layer of warm light.
Xian Lin'er's face was still flushed with the blush after the heated debate and the excitement of victory. She looked at Long Jinyu who looked tired beside her, and her heart was filled with gratitude and closeness - without this little junior brother today, it would never have been possible to shake those deep-rooted concepts so smoothly.
"Junior brother Jin Yu!"
Xian Lin'er stopped and said with an eager tone, "Thanks to you today! Senior sister, I really don't know how to thank you. Come on, I'll invite you to the best restaurant in the city. Let's eat and chat and celebrate!"
Long Jinyu rubbed his brows after hearing this and felt mentally exhausted. The continuous high-intensity negotiations exhausted his mind.
There was some apology on his face, he shook his head and declined. "Senior sister is kind, and junior brother appreciates it. It's just... I'm really tired today, and now I just want to go back and rest. And..."
He paused, his eyes softened a little unconsciously, and he looked in the direction of the Phoenix Perch Pavilion, "When I went home to change clothes at noon, I made an appointment with Sister Xiaotao. I want to go home for dinner, so I can't keep her waiting."
When he mentioned "go home" and "Sister Xiaotao", the sense of belonging that could not be hidden in his tone made Xian Lin'er slightly startled and suddenly understood.
She naturally knew that Long Jinyu and Ma Xiaotao lived together with the Phoenix Perch Pavilion and had a close relationship. She was also a person who had been there before, how could she not see Ma Xiaotao's barely concealed possessiveness towards this junior brother? And Long Jinyu's eagerness to return home at the moment explained everything.
Xian Lin'er smiled sarcastically, and the disappointment of rejection in her heart was instantly replaced by understanding and blessing. She patted Long Jinyu hard on the shoulder, so hard that he slightly bared his teeth. "Okay! It's time to go back! It's senior sister who didn't think carefully and forgot that there are people waiting at home. Let's go, senior sister will take you back!"
Without any explanation, Xian Lin'er reached out to grab his wrist again and took him flying towards the high-end accommodation area in the inner courtyard, sending him all the way to the door of the Phoenix Perch Pavilion's elegant courtyard.
"Arrived."
Xian Lin'er landed slowly, looking at the attic with warm lights lit in the dusk, a trace of envy flashed in her eyes. She turned to Long Jinyu, suddenly stepped forward, opened her arms, and gave him a solid hug.
"Thank you, junior brother! Senior sister is... really happy today!"
She whispered in Long Jinyu's ear, her tone full of emotion and excitement. This hug was warm and pure. It was the enthusiasm of the comrades in arms to celebrate their achievements, the expectations of the seniors who cherished their talents, and the most straightforward gratitude of a woman who had been alone for a long time to her confidant who lit up her hope.
Long Jinyu was caught off guard by this sudden hug. Xian Lin'er, as Super Douluo, was usually a "player" and had considerable strength. When he retracted his arms, he almost lost his breath. His cheek was firmly pressed next to the soul guidance belt on the collar of her blouse, and the smell of metal and vegetation lingered on the tip of his nose.
"Ahem... Sister, senior sister... it's too tight..." Long Jinyu's face turned a little red from holding back, and her hands were frozen in the air, not knowing whether to hug her back.
Xian Lin'er then laughed and let go of him, and rubbed the top of his soft hair vigorously. "Go in quickly, don't keep that girl Xiaotao waiting! Senior sister will have an appointment with you alone another day!"
After saying that, she turned around gracefully, her green hair drawing a sharp arc in the evening wind, her figure flashed, and she disappeared into the dusk after a few teleports.
Long Jinyu stood at the door, arranging his messed up hair and slightly messy clothes, with the reddish color from being "suffocated" still on his face. He shook his head and laughed. This senior sister's style was really... passionate, which was a bit overwhelming.
He calmed down and opened the door of the Phoenix Perch Pavilion with the key.
A scent of warm food and Ma Xiaotao's unique faint phoenix flower fragrance hit his face, instantly pulling him away from the intense high-level game and Xian Lin'er's passionate "raid", back to this warm and real little world that only belonged to him and her.
Under the warm Soul Guidance Lamp of the living room, Ma Xiaotao was facing away from him, busy in front of the stove in the open kitchen. Her long bright red hair was tied back casually, with a few strands of hair hanging down on her fair skin. The side of her neck glowed softly under the light. A plain apron strap was tied into a neat knot behind her slim waist, outlining her graceful back. There was Soul Beast bone soup in the pot, and the aroma was overflowing.
This sight made Long Jinyu stunned for a moment.
Ma Xiaotao wearing an apron, warm light...
Like what?
Just like the home he had quietly imagined in countless lonely nights at Blue Star. The ordinary happiness of "wife and children on the hot bed"... No, there are no children around here, only a "sister" who washes his hands and makes soup for him, or the appearance he once longed for in the second dimension.
My mood was complicated for a moment. System Treasure's initial warning was still ringing in my ears, and there was little hope of returning to Blue Star. What about sister Mu Yao? The feelings that have not yet been expressed but have been buried deep in my heart, How should we place it? But the real figure of Ma Xiaotao in front of us, her kindness to him, the intimacy and dependence that had been fostered by Evil Fire's oppression over and over again and had long transcended the boundaries of "sister and brother", how could they be false?
"You still know about coming back?"
Ma Xiaotao heard the noise, turned around, put her hands on her hips, and stared at him fiercely, but the concern and longing flowing deep in her eyes betrayed her completely, "I heard that you are in the limelight today, Dean Long? I had tea with Dean Xian, and ended up being dragged to participate in Sea God Pavilion Meeting? And you still 'battled with the Confucian scholars'? Do you really think you are invincible?"
Long Jinyu did not argue with a smile as usual, but stepped forward in a few steps. Under Ma Xiaotao's slightly stunned eyes, he stretched out his arms, gently wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his forehead on her shoulder.
"Sister Xiaotao..."
His voice was muffled, with a kind of exhaustion after all defenses had been removed, and a hint of hesitation that was not easy to detect, "Leave me alone for a while, I'm so tired."
Ma Xiaotao's body stiffened at first, and then completely softened. She had long been accustomed to the close contact between the two due to various reasons such as suppressing Evil Fire, but every time, it still made her heart beat faster.
She could feel the rare fragility of the boy in her arms. This was not physical fatigue, but more like mental fatigue after experiencing huge ups and downs. The small resentment she originally had because he was "homeless" disappeared in an instant and turned into full of love.
The bone soup on the stove was still simmering, making the living room even quieter. She put down the spatula, hesitated for a moment, and finally raised her hand, hugging him back gently with an almost clumsy tenderness. She patted his back gently, as if comforting a wronged child, "Rest when you are tired. Who told you to be brave and take everything on yourself? Those old guys in the Sea God Pavilion didn't make things difficult for you today, did they?"
Feeling the real touch of the warm and fragrant nephrite in his arms, and the comforting and calming hot breath coming through his clothes, Long Jinyu's tight heartstrings slowly relaxed. He greedily took a breath of the smell that belonged to Ma Xiaotao, and said in a low voice, "I'm not trying to be brave, and I'm not being embarrassed. It's just... A lot of things happened today, and I miss you a little bit. Please let me hold you for a little longer."
The straightforward words made Ma Xiaotao's cheeks slightly hot, but her heart felt as if it had been dipped in honey, so sweet Sisi. She forced herself to calm down and said softly, "Okay, okay, it's okay, just go home."
The two hugged each other quietly for a moment, and then Long Jinyu seemed to be fully charged, and raised her head, with a reassuring smile on her face again.
At the dinner table, Long Jinyu was eating the dishes carefully prepared by Ma Xiaotao while talking about what happened today. From the apology of "Jade Spirit" in the morning to the conversation with Bei Bei made a promise of revenge, then met senior sister Xian Lin'er late in the afternoon, and was shocked when Sea God Pavilion Meeting showed "Cinderflame Dragon Might"...
He omitted the core secrets of the system and Blue Star Transmigrator, but he did not conceal the past of "Dragon Valley".
"So, you just gave away such a precious 'Cinderflame Dragon Might'?" Ma Xiaotao's beautiful eyes widened when she heard this. Even though she was not Soul Guidance Department, she knew the value of Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell.
"Well, it won't be of much use if you leave it here. On the contrary, it might cause trouble. Giving it to Dean Xian can bring out greater value."
Long Jinyu nodded, his tone calm, as if what he was giving was just an ordinary gift. He paused, his eyes slightly reminiscing, and began to weave his past of "Dragon Valley Young Master", "... The elders of the clan gave 'Cinderflame Dragon Might' to me for safekeeping, originally hoping that it would protect Dragon Valley. Unfortunately, things have changed and people have changed. Using it to create a future for the college, I believe the ancestors will also be happy."
He showed just the right amount of loneliness, which was not all due to his acting skills, but also mixed with his unspeakable longing for Mother Jin and Mu Yao.
Ma Xiaotao keenly captured his depressed mood, and there was a throbbing pain in her heart. She put down her chopsticks, reached out and covered the back of his hand on the table, trying to convey some warmth. "It's all over... Now, you are at Shrek, there is a teacher, there is... there is me."
Long Jinyu held her slightly hot and soft hand with his backhand, and gently rubbed his fingertips on the back of her hand, causing a slight itching sensation. "Well, I know. As long as Sister Xiaotao is here, this is my home."
This small gesture of intimacy made the air between the two of them seem to heat up a bit, making them ambiguous and affectionate.
Ma Xiaotao was so disappointed that he saw her heart beating wildly. In order to change the topic and she was really curious, she deliberately joked in a teasing tone, "But then again, my Young Master Long, you used to be in Dragon Valley When I was a young master with such a noble status and such a... well, good-looking young master like you, how could it be that there were not a few beautiful bed-warming girls waiting on me when I went to sleep at night? Is it still too cold to fall asleep?"
"Bed warmer girl?"
Long Jinyu was stunned for a moment, thinking that sister Xiaotao was really imaginative, and then her thoughts were drawn back to Blue Star.
There is no such thing as a bed-warming girl... if I really want to say it, there is a sister who "needs" his bed-warming girl.
Thinking of Jin Mu Yao, his eyes couldn't help but become soft and complicated. When she was a child, sister Mu Yao would always confidently say that her electric blanket was broken again, and forcefully pull him into her fragrant bed, euphemistically calling it "mutual warmth."
The girl's soft and warm body pressed against him, with a sweet fragrance, and she muttered vaguely, "Xiaoyu is so warm...", then like a kitten, she unconsciously rubbed her cheek against his neck, and even nibbled his earlobe and cheek, making him restless in his sleep.
Because he was grateful for Mother Jin's adoption, he was almost obedient to sister Mu Yao. Even if he was occasionally kicked under the bed, he would only helplessly indulge. Until later, he was "caught and raped" by Mother Jin. "Bed"... Thinking of Mother Jin's "weird expression" that time when he was dumbfounded and had a bit of "My cabbage can actually feed a pig", Long Jinyu's mouth couldn't help but curl up with a hint of sweetness and bitterness.
That time when I was living under someone else's roof, but was tightly wrapped up in that overbearing and warm "possessiveness"...
Long Jinyu's stunned expression and the complex expression on his face completely changed in Ma Xiaotao's eyes.
He hesitated! He recalled! He smiled so... gently!
A sense of sour jealousy rushed into Ma Xiaotao's heart, but it was followed by even more intense heartache.
She misunderstood the meaning of Long Jinyu's expression, thinking that he was nostalgic for the carefree and luxurious life before Dragon Valley's destruction, accompanied by the "bed-warming girl".
Thinking that he was once a young master who was admired by all the stars, but now he is alone... How uncomfortable must he be? He actually made a joke about this, which is really inappropriate.
"I'm sorry, Jin Yu, I shouldn't have asked this..."
Ma Xiaotao's voice softened, apologetically, and she squeezed his hand, "Now... now that I'm here, you won't be cold."
Long Jinyu came back to his senses and saw the distress in Ma Xiaotao's eyes and the suppressed jealousy, which made him feel funny and moved at the same time.
He simply let go of his hands and feet and started his "coquettish healing therapy".
"Pfft~ How could I have any bed-warming girl before~ Dragon Valley has very strict requirements on the young master and needs to keep himself clean. How can he share the same bed with a woman at will?"
Like a large dog seeking comfort, he put his head closer and rubbed Ma Xiaotao's shoulder, "Sister Xiaotao is the best! Her cooking is the most delicious, Phoenix Perch Pavilion... is much warmer than Dragon Valley, it really feels like home!"
"And..." He raised his head and looked at her with bright eyes, with a hint of cunning, "I'm really tired today, I feel like Soul Power is not running smoothly... Sister Xiaotao, can you help me 'check' it tonight? Just like I did for you before~"
The so-called "inspection" is naturally a tacit and intimate soul-power blending between them in the name of suppressing the evil fire. Every time, it is almost a hug or even a closer gesture.
Ma Xiaotao was made blushing by his blatant "coquettishness" and hints, and her heartbeat was pounding, but looking at his tired brows and his complete trust and dependence, she found that she could not refuse at all.
"Eat your food!" She withdrew her hand in embarrassment and put a large piece of meat into his bowl. She tried to cover up her panic with a fierce tone, "We'll talk about it after eating! Also, this soup must be finished. I've been cooking it for a long time!"
"Yes, Sister Xiaotao!" Long Jinyu responded with a smile and began to work hard.
Seeing that he had finally regained his vitality and even seemed to be taking things a step further, the corner of Ma Xiaotao's mouth unconsciously raised. She liked to see him relying on her so much and loved the feeling of being needed and completely trusted.
As for whether he had any so-called "bed-warming girl" in the past... Well, that is all in the past. Now and in the future, the only one who can stand by his side and make him relax and rely on her like this is Ma Xiaotao!
In the Phoenix Perch Pavilion, the lights are warm and yellow, and the two people's cuddled figures are reflected on the wall, blurring the boundaries, leaving only the warmth in the room, wrapped in the feelings that are growing quietly and are about to burst.
PS: A kind of comic picture that is very popular recently, I will give you a version of the protagonist--