"Yes, Miss."
Ling Ying answered, then frowned slightly and glanced at the room where Xiao Yan was. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he vanished into the shadows with a flash.
"It must have been my imagination!"
Soon after,
Ling Ying appeared in Xiao Xun'er's room and respectfully bowed to her.
"May I ask what you wished to discuss with me, Miss?"
As Xiao Xun'er's bodyguard, he knew very well why the Ancient Clan had sent her to the Xiao Family.
But over the years, for some reason, Xiao Xun'er seemed not to care about the task Gu Yuan had entrusted to her. She hadn't seriously searched for that item at all...
And after all these years, he had long since come to regard Xiao Xun'er as family. So he had turned a blind eye to her slacking off.
Even when he sent reports back to the clan, he would simply say, "Miss is searching with all her might, but the Xiao Family has hidden it too well. She still hasn't found anything."
Inside Xiao Xun'er's room.
The girl stood quietly by the window. Moonlight streamed through the lattice and draped her in a hazy silver glow.
She wore a long purple dress, its hem swaying faintly and outlining her graceful figure.
Her dark hair fell like a waterfall to her waist, with a few playful strands resting against her forehead, making her breathtaking face look all the more pure and refined.
Her brows were like distant mountains veiled in green; her eyes, like rippling autumn waters.
Her eyes were clear yet deep, as if they held an unfathomable spring. One glance was enough to make anyone sink into them, helplessly.
She simply stood there, an air of cool serenity lingering around her, like a fairy from the moon palace, untouched by the mortal world.
Yet at that moment, the ethereal girl's brows were knitted with a trace of confusion and worry she could hardly conceal.
"Elder Ling."
Xiao Xun'er turned around, her gaze settling on the gray-robed elder standing respectfully before her. Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Do you know that Brother Xiao Yan..."
She paused, her voice carrying a hint of complicated emotion.
"Today, during the test, he had already reached the Dou Wang Realm?"
"What?!"
At her words, Ling Ying was completely dumbfounded.
His eyes widened as he stared at Xiao Xun'er in disbelief, looking as if he'd just heard the most absurd joke in the world.
"Xiao Yan?"
"That Xiao Yan, who's been stuck at the third stage of Dou Qi ever since his cultivation regressed?"
Ling Ying was visibly flustered, no longer showing any of his usual composure.
"He's only fifteen. How could he possibly be a Dou Wang?!"
"Miss, are you sure you didn't get it wrong?"
Ling Ying was truly shaken.
As Xiao Xun'er's bodyguard, he wasn't a member of the Xiao Family. But since she treated Xiao Yan so well, and Xiao Yan's talent had indeed been exceptional in the past, he had kept an eye on the boy from time to time over the years.
You could say that aside from Xiao Zhan and Xiao Xun'er, there was hardly anyone in the entire Xiao Family who knew Xiao Yan's background better than he did.
That was precisely why he found it even harder to believe!
That boy had never even cultivated a technique. How could he possibly become a Dou Wang?
It made no sense at all!
Seeing Ling Ying's reaction, Xiao Xun'er wasn't surprised.
She sighed softly, a complicated look flashing through her eyes.
In truth, if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes today, she would have found it hard to believe too. Brother Xiao Yan, who had always been seen as a good-for-nothing, had suddenly gained the strength of a Dou Wang.
After all, she was a prodigy of the Ancient Clan, with the purest bloodline in the clan, and she cultivated one of its finest techniques.
Yet even so, her true realm was only the Dou Spirit Realm!
And Brother Xiao Yan?
Fifteen years old, a Dou Wang!
What did that even mean?
Even with her talent, bloodline, and constitution, she was still far behind him!
It was simply too unbelievable!
Xiao Xun'er took a deep breath and spoke again, her voice more solemn than ever:
"Elder Ling, I'm not lying to you."
"Brother Xiao Yan really showed the strength of a Dou Wang during the test today. He even managed to manifest wings from Dou Qi."
"Everyone in the Xiao Family was there and saw it with their own eyes."
"What? It's actually true?"
Ling Ying stared at her again, his pupils filled with shock.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his throat was dry, and no words came out.
That boy...
What other secrets was he hiding?
How had he managed it?
A storm surged through Ling Ying's heart.
Though he was deeply reluctant to accept it, he knew perfectly well that Miss had no reason to lie to him.
Besides—
Manifesting wings from Dou Qi was the mark of a Dou Wang. There was no faking it!
"Damn it..."
Ling Ying felt a pang of regret.
He should never have gone out wandering today.
Though he was Xiao Xun'er's bodyguard, he didn't have to stay by her side every moment. Every now and then, he would stroll through the market and find some amusement to pass the time.
Today was the Xiao Family's talent assessment, and Miss wasn't likely to go out, so there was little chance of danger. That was why he'd gone out for a walk.
Who would have thought—
Such a major event would happen today!
That fool Xiao Yan had actually become a Dou Wang?
What kind of absurdity was that?
Even in the Ancient Clan, a fifteen-year-old Dou Wang would be an unparalleled prodigy, someone worth nurturing with every resource available!
He could rack his brains all day and still not figure out how Xiao Yan had done it!
Suddenly—
Ling Ying seemed to think of something.
His expression shifted again and again, uncertainty flashing in his eyes as he stared at Xiao Xun'er in utter shock and asked in a hushed voice:
"M-Miss..."
"Could Xiao Yan's sudden rise to the Dou Wang Realm..."
"Have something to do with the item the clan leader asked you to find?"
At that, Xiao Xun'er's lovely face changed slightly.
She knew exactly what Elder Ling meant—
the Tou She Ancient God Jade.
The legendary treasure left behind by a Dou Emperor, a chance at an inheritance!
If Brother Xiao Yan really had unlocked its secrets and obtained the Dou Di Inheritance...
Then perhaps he really could have reached the Dou Wang Realm at such a young age!
But...
If the people of the Ancient Clan found out, wouldn't Brother Xiao Yan be in danger?
Xiao Xun'er unconsciously clenched the edge of her dress, deep worry flashing through her eyes.
She looked at Ling Ying, took a deep breath, and murmured:
"Elder Ling, about this..."
"Could you keep it a secret for now?"
"Don't report it to the clan."
"Miss, this..."
Elder Ling looked troubled.
Concealing something this serious would have unimaginable consequences if the Ancient Clan found out.
This was a clue to the Tou She Ancient God Jade!
It was a task personally assigned by the clan leader, Gu Yuan!
If he kept it from them...
However—
When he saw the worry in Xiao Xun'er's eyes, the pleading in her clear gaze, his heart softened.
Over the years, he had watched Miss grow up in the Xiao Family. He had also watched her feelings for that boy deepen day by day.
Though Miss had never said it aloud, how could he fail to see what was in her heart?
So be it.
Ling Ying sighed inwardly, then finally nodded with resolve.
"Rest assured, Miss!"
"This old servant's life belongs to the Ancient Clan, but my heart is with you."
"However—"
He paused, his voice grave.
"This can't be kept secret forever. I hope you'll think it over carefully and make plans soon."
Xiao Xun'er nodded, gratitude flashing through her eyes.
"Thank you, Elder Ling."
Ling Ying waved it off and was about to take his leave.
But just as he turned, he seemed to recall something else and stopped in his tracks.
"By the way, Miss."
Ling Ying turned back, his expression a little strange.
"While I was patrolling outside earlier, I passed near Xiao Yan's courtyard and faintly sensed a trace of Dou Huang energy."
Before you continue