Xiao Yan'er

"Hungry..."

The Griffin beside her was terrified and immediately spread its wings, preparing to take flight as it let out a piercing screech.

The little one grabbed the Griffin's wing, her tiny body forming a stark contrast with the enormous beast.

As though she possessed Super Strength, she held the Griffin firmly in midair, leaving it able to do nothing but howl miserably.

In a daze, the Griffin felt that its life as a bird was about to end.

Everyone else in the square was stunned by the purple-haired little girl, gesturing at the difference in size between the two. "Such a tiny body... can hold something that big..."

"Little Gold, behave..." The little girl raised her right hand and kept waving it.

Xiao Fan's mouth twitched. He could clearly see tears filling the Griffin's eyes; it was obvious just how deeply traumatized it had been.

Yet there was even more joy at their long-awaited reunion. "Xiao Yan'er..."

As if she had heard Xiao Fan call her, Zi Yan turned around. She saw him as well, the corners of her lips lifting as bright light flickered in her beautiful eyes.

Yet, in an unspoken understanding, neither of them went to the other.

Smack.

"Ow!" Zi Yan's head was heavily smacked.

Seeing who it was, Zi Yan pointed at him furiously and cursed, "Old Man Su, try hitting my head again!"

Xiao Fan also recognized the man Zi Yan called Old Man Su. He was Su Qian, the Great Elder of Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy.

"I already told you not to cause trouble. Look at the mess you've made."

"Tch." Zi Yan put her hands on her hips and haughtily turned her head away.

"Keep fooling around and I'll take you back immediately!"

Clearly, those words worked well on Zi Yan. She immediately put on an obedient, sweet smile. "Old Man Su~ I was wrong."

Both Xiao Fan and Su Qian froze. "This girl knows how to admit her mistakes?"

More like she knew she was wrong, but would do it again anyway.

Su Qian shook his head. "Enough, enough. I really don't know why you insisted on coming to Wutan City."

Zi Yan stuck out her little tongue and made a face. "Pfft... old man, mind your own business."

Su Qian was completely helpless. He had only come along because he could not withstand Zi Yan's relentless pleading.

Xiao Fan suddenly felt as though his memories were in disarray. Why would Su Qian and Zi Yan come to Wutan City at this point? Was it really for recruitment? That would be far too beneath them. If the people of Wutan City knew that the old man before them was a Dou Zong, they'd probably be shocked senseless.

At this time, Jia Nan Academy offered no backdoor entry. Like everyone else, Xiao Fan stood in line, and the long queue stretched beyond sight.

In truth, if Xiao Fan revealed that he was a disciple of the Xiao Family, he could easily move to the front. However, he had no intention of doing so.

Keeping his distance from the Xiao Family was also part of Xiao Fan's plan.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?"

Hearing the voice, Xiao Fan came back to his senses and looked ahead, only to find nothing there.

"Where are you looking?!"

"Hm?"

Xiao Fan lowered his head and saw Zi Yan looking up at him with undisguised disdain in her eyes.

Zi Yan was somewhat annoyed. She had deliberately come looking for Xiao Fan, intending to bully the current him a little. Yet who would have thought that even now, Xiao Fan was still taller than her?

"Hmph, did this guy grow this fast even when he was little?" Zi Yan grumbled unhappily.

"Xiao Yan... shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking someone else's name?" Xiao Fan nearly blurted out "Xiao Yan'er," but then remembered that they did not know each other yet, so he asked in a gentle tone.

"My name is Zi Yan." Zi Yan answered instinctively, but quickly realized that Xiao Fan could no longer push her around as he pleased. How could she answer so readily?

"Zi Yan, huh? What a lovely name. You're shorter than me, so how about I call you Xiao Yan'er?"

"Okay... no..."

Zi Yan punched herself in her heart. Why was her mouth always faster than her brain?!

Ignoring Zi Yan's expression, Xiao Fan habitually took several jade bottles from his Storage Ring. They were Sugar Pills he had unconsciously refined earlier while making medicine.

"My name is Xiao Fan. Nice to meet you, Xiao Yan'er. Here, this is a gift for you." Xiao Fan stuffed all the Sugar Pills in his hand into Zi Yan's arms.

One carefully prepared jade bottle after another was placed into Zi Yan's hands, quickly piling them full.

As he handed them over, Xiao Fan introduced them one by one. "This one tastes like honey candy. It's very sweet."

"This one is honey-flavored. It sticks to your teeth, so don't eat too much."

"This one is vanilla-flavored. It helps you grow."

"This one is five-kernel flavored. Uh, it tastes bad, so never mind."

"..."

As Xiao Fan chattered away without end, Zi Yan suddenly turned around, leaving him completely confused.

Only then did he remember that they were not close yet. Xiao Fan stopped and explained, "Uh... sorry. I was too forward."

Zi Yan looked at the jade bottles piled like a small mountain in her hands. Tears dripped down her cheeks, rolling over the bottles as she choked back sobs...

Zi Yan gathered up the jade bottles and ran away in a flash.

Xiao Fan inwardly cried out in alarm. His actions had indeed frightened Zi Yan.

It was like walking down the street when some strange adult suddenly asked, "Little girl, would you like some candy from uncle?"

You'd get arrested for that...

Or even sentenced to death...

Though it seemed legal?

Ahem.

Xiao Fan sighed. "Looks like I can only explain it to Xiao Yan'er later."

Sob, sob, sob...

Su Qian was utterly dumbfounded as he watched Zi Yan run back crying. He had always regarded Zi Yan as his own granddaughter, and it was the first time he had ever seen her this upset.

"Zi Yan, what's wrong?"

"Sob... I'm fine. I'm so happy..."

The words Su Qian had wanted to use to comfort her caught in his throat. Looking at Zi Yan's tear-streaked face, dirty like a little kitten's, Su Qian could not help asking, "Happy?"

"Mm, because I made a very, very good friend..."

Su Qian had not expected Zi Yan to be so happy just because she had made a friend. Then again, the girl had no friends at Jia Nan Academy, and the students reacted as though they had seen a ghost whenever they saw Zi Yan. Still, he was curious about who this very, very good friend was.

Zi Yan first put all the jade bottles into her Storage Ring, then took out a bottle of five-kernel-flavored Sugar Pills. Xiao Fan had once said that the five-kernel flavor was awful, that the chaotic assault of different tastes would make anyone want to spit it out.

But Zi Yan now thought it was delicious. After living through such a long stretch of years, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness were all flavors of five-kernel filling—bitter, yet with happiness found within.

After a long while, Zi Yan composed herself and found one of the recruitment instructors.

"I'll handle the next person's test."

Seeing the little girl before them, the person conducting the test, unaware of her identity, advised, "Kid, don't interfere. Go play somewhere else."

Seeing Zi Yan's small stature, they naturally had no way of knowing that the person before them was a Dou Wang powerhouse who had lived for several centuries, perhaps even longer.

The recruitment instructor was about to say something when a tremendous boom rang out.

Bang!

The stone tablet used to test strength shattered with a crash...

"Convinced now?"

Zi Yan looked at the person who had just looked down on her. That person's legs were already trembling, and an unpleasant smell wafted from their lower body.