Tang Ya's First Kiss

(A long chapter—two chapters combined into one.)

"Junior, your drinks are too expensive. I can't bear to spend twenty Copper Soul Coins on a cup of water."

Jiang Nannan brushed back the hair by her ear. Her cool, elegant face remained calm, and her bearing was poised.

She felt no shame over her empty purse.

Wang Xiao smiled. "Don't worry, Senior. It's free. Consider it my treat."

Jiang Nannan's willow brows furrowed as displeasure rose in her heart. Another man lusting after her body.

Filthy. Lewd. Men really were all the same!

Even though Wang Xiao's gaze was clear and his demeanor easygoing, he seemed just as disgusting to her as those men who deliberately tried to curry favor with her.

"No need. I'm not used to taking things for free." Jiang Nannan politely declined and turned to leave.

The moment Wang Xiao heard that, he knew she had misunderstood. "Senior, I think you misunderstood. I actually have something I need your help with."

Jiang Nannan looked back but said nothing, merely watching him calmly.

"I want to hire you to protect my stall."

Wang Xiao stated his request. "You saw tonight's conflict too. Although it started because of you, the potential danger is huge. Who knows, next time I might be the one in trouble."

"Because of me?" Jiang Nannan's pale forehead instantly developed several dark lines when she heard those words.

She began taking this junior seriously. His personality was rather uninhibited and his words casual, as though he was not worried about offending her at all.

"Aren't you with Tang Ya? With her and Bei Bei around, no one would dare cause you trouble," Jiang Nannan said.

Wang Xiao shook his head. "Sister Ya is going somewhere far away tomorrow, and Bei Bei needs to cultivate. He can't possibly look after us every night."

Another reason was that he did not want to owe Bei Bei a favor. He would rather solve things himself.

"Tang Ya is going on a long trip?"

Jiang Nannan's brows drew together, suspicion arising in her heart. Shrek had only begun classes today. Was Tang Ya not afraid that leaving the academy would affect her studies?

Seeing that she was tempted, Wang Xiao offered another incentive. "Senior, I won't let you work for nothing. How about half the net profits every day?"

"Half?" Jiang Nannan was slightly taken aback. She had not expected this junior to be so generous and decisive.

Still, she did not think a small stall could earn much in a single night.

Feeling underestimated, Wang Xiao brought out the wooden box holding the Copper Soul Coins and invited her to look at that night's sales.

Jiang Nannan was astonished. Her beautiful eyes widened at the box packed full of Copper Soul Coins.

"Do you believe me now? Each cup costs twenty Copper Soul Coins. I sold a hundred cups tonight, which means two thousand Copper Soul Coins—equivalent to twenty Gold Soul Coins."

If he had been better prepared and arrived earlier, Wang Xiao felt he could have sold even more.

"T-Two thousand Copper Soul Coins!"

Jiang Nannan covered her mouth with one hand, truly shocked this time.

She swallowed and suppressed her excitement. "Junior, how much did it cost?"

"All together, around ten Copper Soul Coins per cup. A fifty percent profit margin." Wang Xiao felt helpless. The milk and tea leaves cost too much.

"That's still quite a lot. A thousand Copper Soul Coins a day means thirty thousand in a month."

Jiang Nannan calculated the yearly earnings. She could receive at least eighteen hundred Gold Soul Coins. With that income, she would no longer need to worry about making a living.

At that moment, she was genuinely tempted. With that money, she could finally buy pills.

"So, Senior, are you willing to help me with this small favor?" Wang Xiao asked with a smile.

He had nothing to begrudge. By paying a few Gold Soul Coins, he could gain the goodwill of a prodigy. In the long run, it was absolutely worth it.

"Alright, I accept."

With the agreement reached, Wang Xiao wanted to shake her hand.

Jiang Nannan did not refuse. She felt that he probably was not trying to take advantage of her.

Wang Xiao was naturally not some lust-crazed wolf. He gave her hand a light shake before releasing it, showing great restraint.

"Senior, then I'll be relying on you from now on."

Jiang Nannan said nothing, but her favorable impression of him deepened a little.

"No, I should be thanking you. Half the profits are too much. I'll take at most thirty percent," she suddenly said.

At first, Jiang Nannan had not rushed to speak because she wanted to test whether this junior would go back on his word.

Wang Xiao's performance satisfied her. She had let her first impression mislead her and mistakenly thought he was another man trying to get close to her.

"Half is half. Senior, you don't need to test me. I have at least that much integrity." Wang Xiao was speechless. Could they not have a little trust between them?

Jiang Nannan froze, her beautiful eyes full of disbelief. What kind of thought process did this junior have?

Not wanting him to see her as a scheming woman, she hurriedly explained, "Junior, I... I wasn't testing you..."

"Alright, Senior. Explanations are just cover-ups. Let's leave it at that tonight."

Wang Xiao cut her off without letting her finish.

"I'm leaving first. We'll meet here tomorrow night."

He had already packed everything up and pushed his large cart away from the snack street.

"Hey... Junior! I really wasn't testing you..." Jiang Nannan wanted to chase after him but could not, and could only watch as Wang Xiao vanished from sight.

"Why couldn't you just listen to my explanation properly?" She stomped her foot in irritation, deciding that she had to make things clear the next night. She was not some scheming woman.

Elsewhere, at the Soul Fighting Arena.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi's duel had already ended.

Due to Huo Yuhao's spiritual interference, Xu Sanshi naturally lost the match, though he did not realize it himself.

The wager was a Mysterious Water Pill worth ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, but it was insignificant to him. His family's foundation was beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

"We really have to thank Yuhao this time. Xiaoya, how do you want to handle this Mysterious Water Pill?" Bei Bei asked as he approached with a wooden box.

Although he asked her, his gaze remained on Huo Yuhao, making his meaning obvious.

Tang Ya bit her lip lightly. She owed Wang Xiao far too much and dearly wished she could repay him with a present worthy of him.

But what Bei Bei said was true as well. Without Huo Yuhao's help, they could not have won the Mysterious Water Pill.

"Then give it to Little Yuhao." Tang Ya sighed softly.

Huo Yuhao accepted the wooden box with both hands. Having already learned the pill's effects from others, his breathing could not help growing rapid.

Once his Soul Power increased, he would be one step closer to avenging his mother.

"I'm a little tired. I'll go back and rest first." Distracted, Tang Ya left the two of them behind and walked away.

Watching Tang Ya's retreating back, Huo Yuhao asked in confusion, "Why does Sister Ya seem a little off?"

"Maybe she's tired. Little Yuhao, go back and absorb the pill first."

Bei Bei smiled with refined gentleness and did not think much of it.

That night, some rejoiced while others worried.

Tang Ya did not return to her dormitory. Feeling weighed down, she only wanted to clear her mind, and unconsciously wandered into the park.

She sat on a bench, looking at the pale moon in the sky, her thoughts in complete turmoil.

"Little Wang Xiao, you've helped me so much, but I don't even have a decent gift for you."

That night, Wang Xiao had whispered in her ear that he had already invited Teacher Zhang Lexuan to escort her to the Sun Moon Empire the next day, so she would not need to worry about danger.

Who was Cai Mei'er? A Titled Douluo expert from the Inner Court, with an incomparably noble status.

Tang Ya did not want to know how Little Wang Xiao had persuaded Teacher Zhang Lexuan, but she understood clearly that he must have paid a tremendous price.

He had not hesitated to sacrifice himself just to ensure her safety, because he did not want anything to happen to her.

Tang Ya did not understand why a little brother she had only known for such a short time could do so much for her.

"Why are you so good to me? Is it really worth it?"

Whenever she thought of everything Wang Xiao had given, while she could not offer him any gift in return, her heart ached. She felt like a bad woman.

"Huh, Sister Ya? Why are you here too?"

Wang Xiao had spotted a familiar figure from far away and followed her to the park, never expecting it to really be Tang Ya.

"Little Wang Xiao, why are you here?" Tang Ya hurriedly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, not wanting him to see them.

The sky was dark, so even if she had not wiped them away, Wang Xiao would have struggled to notice.

"I set up poison gas bombs in the dormitory, so I'm not going back."

He was not stupid. He knew Huo Yuhao was refining the Mysterious Water Pill, so the dormitory would surely reek that night. Why stay behind to suffer?

His nonsense immediately amused Tang Ya, and her mood inexplicably improved.

"Little Wang Xiao, could you take a walk with me?" she asked him with a smile.

"Of course."

Wang Xiao already had feelings for Tang Ya, so he naturally would not let such an opportunity pass.

If not for Bei Bei's presence, he would have followed his heart long ago.

A nighttime walk in the park, alone together—it sounded thrilling just thinking about it.

Thus, the two chatted as they walked, going from the park to outside the academy, until they unknowingly reached the shore of a lake.

The moon hung high in the night sky, its pure white light spilling across the lake. Mist lingered over the water, and shimmering ripples danced across its surface.

A gentle breeze blew. Sitting by the lake and watching the water softly ripple, even doing nothing at all, made one's heart gradually settle into peace.

After walking together for so long, Wang Xiao could tell that Tang Ya was not quite herself.

Even though it was late at night and there was no one around, so nothing would stop them if something really happened—

He still suppressed the restlessness in his heart and quietly sat beside Tang Ya, simply keeping her company.

The two sat quietly by the lake, watching the pale moon reflected in the water. No one knew how long passed before the tranquility was finally broken.

"Little Wang Xiao, tell me... can I really restore the Tang Sect's glory?"

Tang Ya gazed quietly at the lake, her eyes devoid of any ripples.

"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" Wang Xiao asked softly.

Tang Ya paused. "The truth."

"The truth is that it'll be very difficult. Nearly impossible."

Tang Ya's gaze dimmed. "Then what's the lie?"

"The lie is that I'll always stay by your side and work hard with you, doing my best not to let you fall." Wang Xiao spoke seriously.

Tang Ya's delicate body trembled, but she quickly concealed it and forced a smile. "So, is that the truth or a lie?"

"What do you think, Sister Ya?"

Tang Ya did not answer. She quietly looked across the lake, and only after a long time did she speak again.

"Little Wang Xiao, thank you. You've given me someone I can rely on again."

Tang Ya moved closer and gently rested her head against his shoulder.

Wang Xiao could feel that Tang Ya's emotions were running high. She might have lost some of her rationality, while her spirits were also low and she desperately needed comfort.

If he did not do something at a time like this, he would truly be an idiot.

Wang Xiao placed his hand on her fair arm. When she did not react, he grew bolder, slowly sliding down to her palm before interlacing his fingers with hers.

Tang Ya's delicate body trembled as she began to struggle faintly.

But Wang Xiao's large hand was like a pair of pincers, gripping hers tightly without letting go.

At the same time, she discovered that her blood was speeding up, her cells rejoicing, and her Blue Silver Grass resonating. It was as though she was not holding a hand, but a current of warmth that continuously flowed into her body.

With so many strange phenomena, no matter how foolish Tang Ya was, she understood that it was her Martial Soul's choice. Her body instinctively liked touching Wang Xiao.

Am I betraying Bei Bei by doing this?

Her thoughts were complicated. She knew this was wrong, yet her body wanted to touch Wang Xiao.

Thus, they sat by the lake hand in hand throughout the night. Not a word was spoken, yet it said more than a thousand words ever could.

Only when dawn arrived did Wang Xiao finally release Tang Ya's hand.

"Teacher Zhang Lexuan should be arriving soon. Sister Ya, take good care of yourself once you get there!"

Tang Ya remained silent.

Yet her heart was filled with countless chaotic thoughts as she made a difficult choice.

"Little Wang Xiao, why... why are you so good to me?" She did not raise her head, but her voice was choked with emotion.

Wang Xiao thought for a moment before saying, "There's no reason. I just want to help you, that's all."

He did not speak any sweet words. With Bei Bei between them, he ultimately restrained his urge to steal another man's girlfriend.

"No, you lied. If that were all, you wouldn't have held your sister's hand all night."

Wang Xiao did not refute her. How could he not know that his words were full of holes?

Was he not just as conflicted himself?

"Little Wang Xiao, you've helped your sister so much, yet I don't have anything with which to repay you."

Tang Ya suddenly raised her head, as though she had made some difficult decision.

She stepped closer and wrapped her two fair, lotus-root-like arms around Wang Xiao's neck. "I have nothing I can give you. The only thing your sister can give you is this."

Tang Ya's red lips were bright as she kissed Wang Xiao on the cheek.