Qian Daoliu: Do You Like Him, Xiaoxue? Qian Renxue: Grandpa, Don't Talk Nonsense!

Early the next morning.

Bibi Dong swiftly headed to the Pope Palace to find Qian Xunji.

She had long prepared an impeccable reason—she planned to go out and train, seeking an opportunity for a breakthrough.

At first, Qian Xunji was naturally reluctant. After all, Bibi Dong had only returned from training in the Capital of Slaughter a few months ago.

But Bibi Dong had come prepared. She directly used Qian Renxue as a shield.

With a cold expression, she stated that Qian Renxue had apparently gone mad lately, running to the Saintess Palace every day and making her so restless that she could not cultivate in peace at all.

She urgently needed to go out for a while—out of sight, out of mind.

To make her case more convincing, Bibi Dong even deliberately released a trace of barely suppressed killing intent as she spoke, putting on the appearance of someone on the verge of losing control.

That left Qian Xunji completely speechless. For Qian Renxue's personal safety, he could only yield and agree.

However, Qian Xunji still laid down a strict requirement: she had to return to Spirit City within half a year.

After all, she was now the Saintess of Spirit Hall. She could not keep wandering outside like some unaffiliated cultivator.

Bibi Dong naturally agreed without hesitation, then turned around and returned to the Saintess Palace to pack her things.

Nan Feng was lazily lying in a hammock in the garden, soaking up the sun.

The moment Qian Renxue received the news, she hurried over.

"Mom... is going away?" Qian Renxue's eyes were filled with disappointment.

"Yeah." Nan Feng rested both hands behind his head. "She said you've been hanging around in front of her every day and annoying her, so she's planning to go out and get some peace and quiet."

Qian Renxue froze, looking utterly aggrieved. "I... I followed the pitiful-act strategy you taught me exactly!"

"That's exactly because you've changed too much lately, you little brat!"

Nan Feng rolled his eyes irritably. "She's too sharp. The moment she saw you acting all fake and delicate like that, she immediately suspected me. She figured I had to be the one behind the scenes feeding you ideas and stirring things up!"

Nan Feng sighed faintly. "So this time, not only is she going out to get some peace and quiet, she also plans to pack me up and take me with her. She's calling it giving me proper training outside."

The moment Qian Renxue heard that, she felt even guiltier. She twisted her little hands together. "I'm sorry... I dragged you into this again."

"It has nothing to do with you." Nan Feng waved a hand. "I brought this on myself by running my mouth. I can't blame anyone else."

Qian Renxue stared fixedly at the small figure in the hammock and bit her lip.

Suddenly, as if she had gathered immense courage, she hurried forward, lowered her head, and planted a loud kiss on Nan Feng's fair cheek.

"Thank you."

Nan Feng froze. Covering his face, he stared at her in bewilderment. "What are you doing?"

Qian Renxue's pretty, fair face instantly flushed crimson. Her gaze darted away, too afraid to look at him. "I-I'm just thanking you for always helping me lately... and keeping me company."

"...Miss, that's quite a unique way of saying thanks."

Nan Feng helplessly wiped his face. "Besides, I didn't even help you much. I just ended up dragging myself into it."

Qian Renxue hesitated, then quietly suggested, "How about... I go find Father and ask him to step in and keep you here? You're only six. Training outside with Mom, sleeping rough and living off whatever you can find, will be very hard."

"No, no, no!" Nan Feng jumped in fright. "If you really go tattling to the adults, what do you think Little Dongdong will think of me? Will she still pay attention to me afterward?"

"Forget it. I used to sleep rough all the time when I was wandering outside anyway. I'm used to it. I won't starve to death."

Qian Renxue looked at him, still unable to bear it. "Then I... I'll apologize to Mom. I promise I won't annoy her anymore, and I won't go over there anymore. Then you won't have to leave."

"Enough, stop fussing over it. She also thinks making no progress while staying cooped up in Spirit City is too slow. She wants to go out, seek some excitement, and find an opportunity for a breakthrough. I'm just going along with her to get some fresh air. It's fine."

Nan Feng sat up, leaped down from the hammock, and patted his backside. "Little Dongdong has probably finished packing by now. I need to head over. Take care of yourself in Spirit City. I don't know when I'll be back."

Hearing words that sounded like a farewell, Qian Renxue's eyes reddened. Biting her lip, she stepped forward and suddenly wrapped Nan Feng in a tight embrace.

Because of their height difference, Nan Feng's face hit her chest with a thump, right on target.

Feeling that bony contact, Nan Feng's eye twitched slightly.

She had started developing already, but... she was still as flat as a board.

Damn, that hurt!

But to maintain the dignity of their surface-level brotherhood, Nan Feng still raised his little hand and gently patted her back.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Take care of yourself."

Qian Renxue reluctantly let him go, her eyes full of attachment. "Goodbye."

"See you." Nan Feng waved casually and walked toward the front courtyard without looking back.

Qian Renxue quietly stood where she was, watching that small figure gradually disappear from sight, her emotions tangled to the extreme.

This... was the first real friend she had ever made in her life.

Just then, a breeze drifted past.

Qian Daoliu's upright and imposing figure appeared silently behind Qian Renxue at some unknown moment.

"If you really can't bear to part with him, Grandpa can speak to Bibi Dong and bring him over for you."

Seeing his granddaughter's dejected appearance, Qian Daoliu said kindly, "Let him stay in the Elder Palace and keep you company."

Over the past few months, Qian Daoliu had watched Qian Renxue's interactions with this child from the shadows.

That brat had a venomous tongue and often angered his precious granddaughter to the point of tears.

But there was no denying that this was the first time he had seen the happiness and liveliness a child her age should have on Qian Renxue's face.

That child named Nan Feng was indeed very interesting.

He clearly looked like nothing more than a snot-nosed little brat, yet his head was filled with shocking and unconventional ideas.

And yet, those seemingly heretical notions of his were all the truest rules of survival he had distilled from struggling at the bottom.

You could say his way of thinking was dangerous and deeply wrong, but you could never argue that he was mistaken.

Qian Daoliu had lived for over a hundred years, yet this was the first time he had seen his proud and arrogant granddaughter feel such intense attachment and dependence toward someone her own age.

Moreover, from his secret observations, this child not only possessed monstrous intelligence, but also seemed to hide terrifying talent and secrets.

He was qualified to be Qian Renxue's friend, perhaps even... something more.

Hearing her grandfather's words, Qian Renxue shook her head and softly refused. "No need, Grandpa. If you force your way in, Mom will be angry. And he definitely wouldn't be happy about being treated like an object to be claimed and passed around."

"Besides... they're only going out to train for a while. They'll be back soon."

Qian Daoliu lowered his head and looked at his granddaughter's slightly flushed profile, his tone carrying a hint of deeper meaning. "Xiaoxue, do you... like that boy?"

Qian Renxue instantly bristled. Her whole face turned bright red, and even her neck took on a rosy tint. "L-Like him?! Grandpa, don't talk nonsense! How old are we?"

Seeing Qian Renxue's intense reaction, Qian Daoliu's expression immediately turned somewhat strange. "I never said what kind of liking I meant. When children get along well and like each other enough to become friends, that's friendship."

"But the way you're blushing... isn't that a little strange?"

Qian Daoliu raised an eyebrow. Could it be that his tender, precious cabbage, raised in a greenhouse, had actually developed that kind of affection for that little brat with a belly full of bad intentions?!

Although soul masters generally developed physically earlier and faster than ordinary people due to cultivating Soul Power and absorbing Spirit Rings.

As the inheritor of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, Qian Renxue's physical and mental development far surpassed that of her peers.

But... wasn't this far too early?!