"You... you...!" The female cultivator stared at Li Xiaoya in astonishment. Her calm expression gave way to overwhelming agitation, shock, and disbelief. Her lips quivered, and her entire body slowly began to tremble. Her eyes remained fixed on him, but even after stammering "you" several times, she could not say what she wanted to.
Thump... thump... thump... thump. Li Xiaoya felt as though his heart were about to leap out of his chest. His whole body was as stiff as stone, trembling faintly. His lips moved, but his mind was utterly blank.
"..." Seeing this, Li San quietly retreated a few steps, positioning himself directly behind Li Xiaoya. He slipped his hands behind his back, a trace of venomous resentment appearing on his face.
Suddenly-
Thud!
"Ow!"
Dong Santong, who had been riding on Li Xiaoya's back, suddenly fell to the ground with a thud and cried out in pain. He had been sleeping soundly when he was abruptly dropped. Normally, he would not have made a sound no matter how hard he was slammed down, but now he was utterly weak, his magic power nearly depleted and his entire body aching. The fall hurt enough to jolt him awake with a cry.
"What happened? Senior Brother? Are there enemies?" Dong Santong's fall snapped all three of them out of their stupor. He scrambled upright, shouting questions.
"Ah... ah!" Li Xiaoya finally came to his senses as well. He hastily turned toward Dong Santong and said, "No. Junior Brother, you're awake!" For some reason, he felt unable to look the female cultivator in the eye. Everything seemed like a dream. Over countless days, he had imagined countless times how he would react when he saw his parents. Perhaps he would burst into tears; perhaps he would fall to his knees