What I Want Is Simple

In the inner region of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Xun'er had been boredly waiting alone for Gu Xia to return when she suddenly stood up. Her beautiful eyes fixed tightly on a spot slightly to the right ahead of her. Without drawing attention to herself, she took out the Green Lotus Sword from her storage ring and went fully on guard...

"Oh? I didn't expect anyone besides us to dare spend the night in a place like this. And it's even a little beauty..."

From the direction Xun'er was staring at, a group of five or six people gradually emerged from the darkness...

The one speaking was a thin young man with a sickly pale complexion. Anyone could tell at a glance that he had overindulged himself. Five more people followed behind him—three men and two women. Xun'er could not see through their cultivation, but she recognized the alchemist robe worn by the leading youth, as well as the badge on his chest bearing four lines, signifying his rank as an alchemist...

Xun'er guessed that the remaining men and women had likely been hired by that fourth-tier alchemist to enter the Magical Beast Mountain Range...

"Miss, I am Li Cailang of the Alchemist Guild. I missed the best time to leave the mountain because I was gathering herbs. Would you be willing to let us stay here for the night?"

The kidney-deficient youth at the front spoke again. His voice was somewhat effeminate due to his lack of vitality, and combined with his hypocritical pretense of being a gentleman, it made Xun'er feel sick!

"I'm very sorry, Alchemist. There is only enough room here for my husband and me. There is no extra space for any of you, so please leave..."

Xun'er's expression grew colder and colder. She was not actually worried that this group could do anything to her. Not to mention that Gu Xia, an immortal at the Dou Di level, would surely have left sufficient means to protect her, Elder Ling alone, who was always by her side like a shadow, could send this bunch of trash—with only one Dou Wang among them—straight to meet God...

"Miss, surely you must be joking. You are obviously alone here. There is no need to be so wary. We only wish to stay for one night. We will not do anything to you..."

Xun'er had only one response to words that even he himself did not believe: Yeah, right. Next time he tried lying like that, could he wipe away his drool first? His eyeballs were practically falling out, yet he was still spouting nonsense...

"She already said there isn't room for you. Was she not clear enough, or can you not understand human speech? Do I have to spell it out for you? Are you maggots with nothing but rotten filth in your heads? Or is that brain of yours, filled entirely with liquid, just for decoration? If you can't understand human speech, then learn how to be human again. Just because you wear human skin doesn't mean you think you're human. Trash!"

"Brother Xia!"

Just as Xun'er was about to say something else, a refined and gentle voice descended from the air.

Before the group could react, a massive palm came crashing down upon them from above.

"Remember this: in your next life, don't lose your legs at the sight of every woman. She is not someone you can touch. Don't even think about it!"

Immediately afterward, three Dou Wangs, one fourth-tier alchemist, and two cannon-fodder Dou Lings were wiped out by Gu Xia, who had happened to return just then, merely because they had entertained thoughts they should not have had. Not even ashes remained...

"Xun'er, are you all right?"

After erasing all six of them, Gu Xia collected their storage rings before returning to Xun'er's side and asking with great concern...

"Mm, I'm fine, Brother Xia. Did you make that move just now? Who were they?..."

Since Gu Xia had returned from behind those five people, he had still been some distance from Xun'er at the time. Xun'er had not seen how he flew back, and she did not even know whether Gu Xia had been the one to act! After all, there had been a fourth-tier alchemist on the other side. Surely he could not have failed to withstand even a single palm strike from a mere Dou Ling, right? That was why she asked...

"I'm not sure. They seemed to be people from the Alchemist Guild..."

Gu Xia did not answer Xun'er's earlier question, because someone would explain it for him. He had merely told Xun'er where that group came from... "Young Master, these are the storage rings of those people. Please inspect them..."

Just as Gu Xia finished speaking, an elderly man dressed in black robes emerged from the darkness. It was Elder Ling, who had always followed and protected them...

"Eh? Was Elder Ling the one who acted just now?"

Xun'er, who was holding Gu Xia's arm at the side, curiously examined the several rings resting in that somewhat aged, withered palm...

"It was indeed this old servant who acted just now, because Young Master had instructed this old servant to protect Miss well..."

Elder Ling did not "conceal" anything and directly admitted what he had done. He even gave Gu Xia a helpful assist in passing!

"Really?"

After hearing Elder Ling's words, Xun'er turned her bright, watery eyes toward Gu Xia. Her adorable expression was full of suspicion. She always felt that these two were hiding something from her...

"Ahem, of course it's true. Xun'er is my little treasure, after all. How could I not give you special protection? Don't you agree, Elder Ling?"

Gu Xia felt a little guilty under Xun'er's gaze and coughed twice. He then stopped looking at her lovely face and those lively beautiful eyes, instead kicking the ball to Elder Ling at the side.

"Uh... Young Master is right! In Young Master's eyes, Miss, your safety is the highest priority..."

Elder Ling, who had originally been planning to leave and continue watching the show, was directly kept behind by Gu Xia's roundabout maneuver. Looking at the eldest young master constantly gesturing at him from behind, Elder Ling felt that he was nothing more than a soulless assist machine...

After secretly giving Elder Ling a gesture meaning "Well done!", Gu Xia took over the conversation...

"Yes, Xun'er. You have always been the most important person in my heart. What I want is very simple: as long as time remains, and you remain, that is enough..."

Gu Xia adjusted his emotions. These words were a heartfelt confession, and they were also what he pursued in this life. If he merely endured in the world as a Dou Di, with no one by his side, then no matter how beautiful the world was, it would still lose all its color...

"Brother Xia..."

Upon hearing Gu Xia's deeply affectionate confession, Xun'er's gaze intertwined with his in the air. At that moment, they both understood each other's feelings and knew the place they held in each other's hearts. Only because they had found the courage to break through that layer of timidity could they stand here now, gazing at one another...

Sometimes, you can be a little bolder. Perhaps she—or he—secretly likes you too? Mutual love does not mean that from the very beginning, you knew the person you liked also liked you. It means that I happened to fall for you, while you had always liked me too... Such a perfectly timed meeting, such a perfectly timed coming together...

Elder Ling knew that his two masters were about to begin again. Skillfully, he withdrew to the side and silently blended into the darkness once more. He did not disturb what the two would do next. Only the moonlight wordlessly offered them its blessing...