Though he had his reservations, Xiao Yuan still didn't refuse Xun'er.
The two left the courtyard together, walking along a path scattered with stones.
Dressed in pale green, the girl looked even more graceful and lovely against the verdant willows. A gentle breeze stirred her waist-length hair and the purple sash around her slender waist, tracing the graceful lines of her figure.
Her steps were light and brisk, and with her hands clasped behind her back, she seemed less aloof and unapproachable, and more like the playful young girl she was.
When the breeze swept through the willows, it lifted the girl's long hair as well.
The ends brushed her cheek, and Xiao Yuan could clearly catch her delicate, unique fragrance.
[Does this girl use perfume or some kind of rouge? How does she smell so good...?]
[Wait, the Dou Qi Continent probably doesn't have perfume.]
[So this must just be Xun'er's natural scent?]
As a lifelong bachelor in both his lives, Xiao Yuan thought this was a subject worth investigating thoroughly.
"Ahem."
Xun'er's soft cough interrupted his wild thoughts.
Xiao Yuan glanced at the girl beside him, puzzled, and asked quietly:
"What's wrong? Do you have a cold?"
"A cold? What's that?"
Xun'er looked at him with slight confusion, the tips of her ears and her cheeks still tinged with a faint blush.
Right, Xiao Yuan had forgotten that people here simply didn't get sick.
When they cultivated Dou Qi, the energy of heaven and earth washed through their bodies, strengthening them to a certain extent.
So they basically never fell ill.
Especially not with something as minor as a cold.
They could even run around naked every day and be fine.
Xiao Yuan didn't know how to explain, so he awkwardly changed the subject.
"Anyway, the weather's nice today."
"Mhm, it really is."
Xun'er went along with him, and they both tilted their heads to look at the sky.
The sky was blue today, with not a cloud in sight.
But Xiao Yuan kept sneaking glances at the beauty beside him.
Sunlight filtered through the mottled shadows of the trees, falling just right on her long, jade-white neck, as if it were glowing.
[Tsk, no wonder she's the Ancient Clan's young lady. She's so captivating. Every gesture of hers could be turned into a painting.]
Hearing his thoughts, Xun'er's lips curved ever so slightly.
If she'd heard someone else say that, she would have brought out the Golden Emperor Incinerating Heaven Flame and burned the lecher to death.
But if it was Xiao Yuan...
She only hoped he'd say more.
Still...
"Brother Xiao Yuan, you're leaving the Xiao Clan and Wutan City, aren't you?"
Xun'er suddenly stopped and asked softly.
Xiao Yuan stopped as well, then turned to look at her.
Beneath the willow, the girl's delicate face was faintly flushed. She lightly bit her tempting red lips, her beautiful autumn-water eyes brimming with reluctance and longing.
But Xiao Yuan's gaze was full of confusion, with a trace of disbelief.
[How did this girl find out?]
"Xun'er guessed."
She blinked her bright eyes, trying to look playful and lively.
Unfortunately, she failed.
Just thinking about it made her feel dispirited.
But their silence lasted only a moment before Xun'er spoke again.
"Brother Xiao Yuan, Xun'er won't stop you from making any decision... Xun'er just wanted to ask how long you'll be gone. Will you come back?"
Her voice was soft, threaded with an inexplicable hint of pleading.
Seeing the girl's pitiful expression, as if she'd been abandoned, Xiao Yuan smiled warmly and affectionately brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.
"Of course I'll come back. My roots are here. If I don't come back, where else could I go? As for how long I'll be gone... I think about a year."
[The Jia Nan Academy entrance exams are next year. No matter what, I have to make it in time.]
[After all, that's where the story takes place, and the Black-Corner Region is full of exciting things.]
[Not to mention the Fallen Heart Flame, supposedly a cheat code for cultivation. That Heavenly Flame is the perfect tool for slacking off!]
[I just don't know if this body can withstand a second Heavenly Flame.]
[As for Zi Yan, she'll just be a bonus.]
Hearing his thoughts, Xun'er felt the tension in her heart ease.
But when she heard that name at the end, she suddenly felt a little gloomy.
Zi Yan. Just from the name, it sounded like another girl...
"Brother Xiao Yuan."
Xun'er suddenly called his name, interrupting his thoughts too.
The next moment, a fragrant breeze swept over him, followed by warmth and softness against his lips.
With her hands behind her back, Xun'er rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him.
It was only a light peck at the corner of his lips.
Like a shooting star, it vanished in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Yuan was left too stunned to react.
[I got kissed?]
[Wh-what is happening?!]
[Wasn't this part of the original story?]
[Wait, I'm not Xiao Yan. I'm Xiao Yuan. So why does it feel like I'm getting way better treatment than Xiao Yan ever did?]
Xiao Yuan's thoughts were a mess.
The Xiao Clan youths nearby were even more shocked by the sight, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads as they struggled to believe what they'd just seen.
Especially Xiao Ning, who was spying on them from a shadowy corner. He ground his teeth until they creaked!
The flames of jealousy in his heart threatened to burn straight through his reason.
Why?!
Why had he, Xiao Ning, done everything he could to win her favor, only to be ignored, while this brat with no parents had earned Cousin Xun'er's affection?!
He wanted to act, to snatch Cousin Xun'er back.
But remembering his grandfather's warning and Xiao Yuan's current cultivation, he had no choice but to give up, slowly unclenching his fists despite his resentment.
But no one cared to understand Xiao Ning's wormlike behavior and thoughts as he hid in the darkness.
Not even Xun'er.
She listened to Xiao Yuan's thoughts and raised a hand to cover her cherry-red lips, trying to hide her smile.
Her heart and eyes held only the young man before her.
"Brother Xiao Yuan, Xun'er will wait here for you to come back."
She rose onto her toes again, gripping the hem of Xiao Yuan's clothes with both hands, and leaned close to whisper in his ear.
But Xiao Yuan didn't say anything.
Once he came back to himself, he simply wrapped an arm around Xun'er's slender waist, pulling her body tight against his.
Then he kissed her cherry-red lips deeply.
The instant their lips and teeth met,
Xun'er's eyes widened slightly. Her body tensed, and she clutched the front of Xiao Yuan's clothes, her face so red it looked as though blood might drip from it.
Should she push him away?
The girl had no such thought. Instead, she wanted to keep leaning against this chest, not particularly broad, yet so warm.
She wanted to hear his heartbeat.
She didn't even dare breathe, afraid of disturbing the kiss.
As for Xiao Yuan, he was completely unrestrained, kissing her even more deeply.
[So what if I kiss her? As long as I don't lose my virginity before becoming a Dou Sheng, it's fine.]
[But come to think of it, does taking the back door count as losing your virginity?]
Xiao Yuan was lost in thought when, the next moment, his lips stung.
She'd bitten him!
Their kiss broke apart.
Xun'er glared at Xiao Yuan with her beautiful autumn-water eyes, then nestled against his chest, breathing softly.
It was her first kiss, and she hadn't expected it to be so intense.
As she caught her breath,
she heard Xiao Yuan's voice once more.
"Wait for me. I'll be back in a year... If I could, I'd really like to take you with me, Xun'er."
Those were Xiao Yuan's true feelings.
After all these years together, Xun'er was the one he couldn't bear to leave behind in the Xiao Clan.
But he had no choice.
Though he wanted to be a lazy salted fish, he had to grow stronger to be worthy of Xun'er, and to withstand the pressure and threats of the Ancient Clan and its Nine-Star Dou Sheng.
Xun'er understood, so she didn't answer.
If she did, she was afraid she'd lose control and agree to leave with Xiao Yuan.
But she couldn't.
Her father's mission remained unfinished, and the whereabouts of the fragment of the Tou She Ancient God Jade were still unknown...
Just then, Xiao Yuan's thoughts sounded again.
[Come to think of it, wasn't Xun'er sent to the Xiao Clan for the Tou She Ancient God Jade?]
[She probably never imagined that it was actually in the hands of every generation's clan head, serving as something like a clan leader's token.]
[But speaking of those ancient clans... It made sense that Hun Tiandi had Nihility Devouring Flame to help him, but what was that old man Gu Yuan thinking?]
[There were so many inheritance caves left behind by Dou Di, even if they were all in the Void Space. Why fixate on the hardest one of all, the Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion?]
His thoughts faded.
Xun'er's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
Had she just heard something incredible?!