A Gift from Xun'er

Upon hearing the name Little Doctor Fairy from Xiao Yuan's inner voice, Xun'er's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

Who was this Little Doctor Fairy?

Could it be that Brother Xiao Yuan was planning to go find her?

She knew that this Little Doctor Fairy must also be one of those so-called plot characters.

If she could, she would not want Xiao Yuan to leave her to go find that woman.

But that was impossible; she knew she could not change Xiao Yuan's mind and could only heave a helpless sigh in her heart.

Brother Xiao Yuan, what a heartbreaker!

Thinking of this, Xun'er glared at Xiao Yuan, cheeks puffed out in anger, leaving him completely confused and utterly bewildered.

[What did I do? Why is she looking at me like that?]

Hearing his inner voice once again, Xun'er huffed and turned her head away, refusing to look at him anymore.

Xiao Yan, meanwhile, was immersed in a wave of emotion.

Even though he had been dragged into the trouble with Nalan Yanran just yesterday, he hadn't expected Xiao Yuan to lend him so much money today without any conditions or questions asked.

Thinking back on the encouragement and comfort he had received over the past three years, while he had only acted like a hedgehog...

At this thought, Xiao Yan felt his nose sting.

Truly, aside from his father and his two brothers who had long since left the Xiao Clan, only this cousin adopted by his father treated him with such unconditional and unreserved kindness.

He didn't know how to express the gratitude in his heart.

So, he gripped Xiao Yuan's hand tightly and said solemnly:

"Cousin Xiao Yuan, I will keep this kindness of yours etched in my heart! I, Xiao Yan, swear that if I ever achieve anything in the future, I will never forget you, Cousin Xiao Yuan! As for this money, I will find a way to pay you back!"

To be honest, since arriving in this world, this was the very promise Xiao Yuan had been waiting for from Xiao Yan.

If there were a favorability meter, Xiao Yan's would likely be maxed out by now.

Yet for some reason, he couldn't feel happy at all; instead, he felt rather awkward.

"That... I know you're not the type to be ungrateful, Cousin Xiao Yan, so the money... you really don't need to worry about it so much..."

[More than that, I really want you to let go of my hand!!!]

Xiao Yuan's inner wail was heard by Xun'er, every word of it. When the young girl turned back to meet his gaze, she caught the look of desperate pleading in his eyes.

Xun'er's mood instantly brightened.

She immediately spoke up to break the tension:

"Cousin Xiao Yan, Xun'er understands how you feel right now, but please let go of Brother Xiao Yuan's hand, otherwise, Xun'er will get jealous~"

A lighthearted sentence, but it immediately broke Xiao Yan out in a cold sweat.

He quickly released Xiao Yuan's hand and explained:

"That... Cousin Xun'er, don't misunderstand, I was just... just a bit too excited."

Xiao Yan knew all too well how formidable this little girl could be.

He remembered a few years ago, when a reckless clansman had pestered Xiao Yuan, pursuing him relentlessly, only to be taught a harsh lesson by this very girl.

From then on, no one in the Xiao Clan dared to harbor any ideas about Xiao Yuan.

To ease the awkwardness, Xiao Yan added:

"Right, I'm going to head to the market in a bit, do you two want to come along?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan was still pondering the plot regarding the Xiao Clan's market when he heard Xun'er answer: "Sure."

Immediately after, a fragrant breeze drifted over.

Xiao Yuan felt his arm being hugged, and a soft, slight pressure pressed firmly against him.

Looking down, he saw Xun'er's eyes curved into shallow crescents, smiling playfully at him:

"Brother Xiao Yuan, you'll definitely come with me, right?"

"Alright, alright, I don't have anything else to do today anyway, let's go take a look."

With things having reached this point, what reason did Xiao Yuan have to refuse?

Besides.

Who could possibly refuse a Xun'er who was cold and aloof to others, yet sweet, adorable, and clingy in front of him?

Having received his nod, Xun'er's mood became even brighter.

Although she couldn't change Xiao Yuan's mind, it didn't mean she would just let go; instead, she would cherish the time spent with him even more.

Wutan City.

Although it is located in a remote area adjacent to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, it must be said that it remains one of the large cities governed by the Jia Ma Empire.

Even under the scorching sun, the streets were still bustling with activity, the crowds surging, and one could even occasionally spot members of exotic races.

Perhaps because of Xiao Yuan's company, Xun'er had become much more lively since leaving the clan.

She dragged him around, darting between various stalls, and occasionally Xiao Yuan would buy some small trinkets for her.

For instance, at this moment, he bought a white jade hairpin and gifted it to her.

Xun'er held the hairpin up to her hair, gesturing with it, and giggled:

"Brother Xiao Yuan, does it look good?"

"Of course it looks good. My Xun'er is naturally beautiful; how could it not look good?"

Even the stall owner chimed in, praising Xun'er's beauty and saying that she and Xiao Yuan were a match made in heaven.

This caused the young girl to let out bursts of light, delicate laughter, the sound as crisp and pleasant as silver bells.

It made the street, which was under the sweltering sun, seem to cool down just a little.

After Xun'er grew tired of playing, she suddenly pulled him toward a corner of the market.

"What's wrong? Why did you suddenly pull me here?"

Xun'er did not speak, only smiling at him before she extended a slender, jade-like fingertip to gently brush her storage ring, then flicked her finger.

A scroll made entirely of fire-red jade appeared in her hand, which she then held out to him.

"This is...?"

Xiao Yuan looked at Xun'er in confusion, and she whispered:

"This is a fire-attribute Earth-tier low-grade cultivation method: the Mystic Flame Art! Brother Xiao Yuan, you haven't had a suitable cultivation method since you reached the Dou Zhe realm, so I intend to give this to you."

"Brother Xiao Yuan, you don't need to feel embarrassed or refuse. I know you aren't the type to be overly pedantic, so you are not allowed to decline. Besides, I know that you must have sacrificed some precious treasures to help me back then, so consider this some compensation from me."

As she finished speaking, Xun'er forcefully shoved the scroll into his arms.

Xiao Yuan looked down at the scroll in his arms, then looked back up at Xun'er, and couldn't help but smile.

He reached out to affectionately pat her head and said softly:

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you, little rich girl."

It's just a pity that it isn't a higher tier... but Earth-tier low-grade is still pretty good. After all, this is a gift from Xun'er, so even if I don't practice it, I must treasure it well.

At this moment, he inexplicably felt as if he were seeing a return on his investment.

As for his inner thoughts, they were naturally heard by Xun'er, word for word.

However, Xun'er did not feel that there was anything excessive about it; she felt that Xiao Yuan's thinking was correct.

For a first cultivation method, naturally, the higher the tier, the greater the benefits. In her mind, only a Heaven-tier cultivation method was worthy of her Brother Xiao Yuan.

This also made her feel a bit guilty.

Because she had to return to her clan for the coming-of-age ceremony, she hadn't brought any particularly powerful cultivation methods with her when she first arrived at the Xiao Clan.

After all, cultivation methods were not like Dou Techniques; they were the foundation of a clan.

Even the inheritance methods of her own clan were not things she could simply take and dispose of as she pleased.

The Earth-tier low-grade Mystic Flame Art was already the best cultivation method she could provide.