The night breeze drifted gently through the mountain forest.
Xiao Fan sat on a branch, feeling the breeze brush over him, a wine flask in his hand. He was not trying to look cool; he simply had never truly relaxed like this since arriving here.
These recent days in the Magical Beast Mountain Range could count as the most carefree time he had enjoyed since transmigrating.
Right after transmigrating, he had become Yao Lao's disciple alongside Xiao Yan and trained bitterly for a year. Then he had immediately left Wutan City, remaining especially vigilant along the way for fear of falling victim to some underhanded trick.
Even after entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he had kept training, either practicing his Dou Techniques or honing his alchemy skills.
Speaking of Dou Techniques, Xiao Fan still had not practiced the Purple Cloud Wings he and Xiao Yi Xian had seized from the stone chamber. Flying Dou Techniques were rather rare, after all, and their training methods were fairly complicated, so he had kept putting it off. Now he would have to master it as soon as possible; at a critical moment, it could be a means of saving his life.
These past few days with Yun Zhi had been a rare comfort.
Perhaps because his strength had improved, even though he was some distance from the lake now, his trained physique still allowed him to hear the clear sound of water being scooped up from it. Like a kitten, that sound scratched at Xiao Fan's heart.
I'll just sneak one little look. She probably won't notice, right? Xiao Fan murmured inwardly.
Pretending it was an idle movement, he turned to sit sideways, leaned against the thick branch behind him, and took a sip of wine to conceal his intentions.
Using the drinking motion as cover, he quietly glanced toward the middle of the lake.
What met his eyes was a beautiful back, as flawless and white as polished jade.
Her hair, originally gathered atop her head, had already fallen loose, slipping just so over her shoulders. A few strands clung to Yun Zhi's back with the moisture.
Yun Zhi's slender fingers slowly scooped up the cool lake water and poured it over her head. It rolled down her dark tresses before falling back into the lake.
Half of her delicate waist was hidden beneath the gently rippling surface, while the other half swayed above it, twisting slightly as Yun Zhi washed herself.
Gradually, Xiao Fan became entranced. He stayed frozen in his drinking pose until wine spilled from the flask and ran down the corner of his mouth, finally breaking his daze.
He hurriedly put away the flask. As though to prove he had not been peeking, Xiao Fan turned his back to the lake again, but the splashing that drifted over still disturbed his attention despite himself.
Just as Xiao Fan's thoughts were running wild, Yun Zhi's startled cry suddenly rang out from the lake behind him.
"Ah!"
Xiao Fan snapped back to his senses, his gaze sharpening. In an instant, he shot off the branch and headed straight for the lake.
He had only himself to blame. He had caught plenty of fish from the lake recently and had already investigated it, finding no powerful magical beasts within. Thus, he had not thought to check it again just now, never imagining that this one lapse would put Yun Zhi in danger.
With her cultivation sealed, Yun Zhi was no different from an ordinary person. Her only slight advantage was perhaps that years of being tempered by Dou Emperor-level Dou Qi had made her body somewhat stronger than most.
Just as Xiao Fan approached the middle of the lake, Yun Zhi had already submerged. He had also readied his Dou Technique, intending to plunge straight beneath the surface.
"Eight Extremes Collapse!"
Unable to see what was happening underwater, Xiao Fan could not simply take out the Thousand-Flame Spear and stab downward. Instead, he chose Eight Extremes Collapse, the technique he knew best. That way, even if something unexpected happened, he could react and adjust in time.
At that very moment, however, Yun Zhi suddenly emerged from the water again. There was even a smile on her face, with no sign that she had been attacked.
There was no time to react, and Xiao Fan could no longer alter his course. Afraid of hurting Yun Zhi, he hurriedly withdrew the Dou Qi in his hand. The reversal of his Dou Qi jolted the vortex within his body, sending a wave of tingling numbness through him.
His swift charge became a forward tumble, and the arm with which he had been preparing to unleash Eight Extremes Collapse landed directly on something soft.
Then his entire body crashed against Yun Zhi, and the two fell uncontrollably into the water.
The silky softness beneath his hand set Xiao Fan's heart ablaze, and the scene he had just witnessed surfaced in his mind once more.
The faint fragrance reaching his nose only made the hormones throughout his body erupt.
After finally managing to suppress the fire of desire within him, Xiao Fan took a white robe from his ring and wrapped Yun Zhi in it with a turn.
Only then did he speak awkwardly. "Uh... I heard you cry out and thought you were in danger..."
Yun Zhi, meanwhile, was utterly bewildered, her large, innocent eyes smoldering with anger. Halfway through her bath, she had suddenly felt something slippery against her foot. It was one of the Golden Fish they usually ate, so she had tried to catch it, only for it to bite her. It had not broken the skin, but the fright had made her cry out involuntarily.
Startled by Yun Zhi's cry, the fish had tried to dart into the depths of the lake. Yun Zhi had therefore gone after it to catch it and teach it a lesson, never expecting that the moment she surfaced, Xiao Fan would take liberties with her.
On the lakeshore, a bruised and battered Xiao Fan was now smiling ingratiatingly beside Yun Zhi. Having already peeked at her bathing, and with this incident on top of that, he could only apologize to her.
The two tidied themselves up a little beside the lake before hurrying back to the Mountain Cave. These were dangerous times. If they stayed outside and their unfamiliar human scent grew too strong, those magical beasts might find this place.
To be safe, after watching Yun Zhi return to the bed and lie down, Xiao Fan went out for another circuit and scattered medicinal powder around the area to keep magical beasts with keen noses from sniffing them out.
Only after finishing all of this did Xiao Fan return to the Mountain Cave.
Inside the Mountain Cave, Xiao Fan added a few small pieces of firewood to the fire, quietly stealing glances at Yun Zhi on the stone bed.
Yun Zhi had her back to Xiao Fan, whether out of anger or embarrassment, he could not tell.
After all, a boy so much younger than her had not only seen her completely naked, but had even touched her...
Although much the same thing had happened when he applied medicine to her a few days earlier, had Yun Zhi not been unconscious then? Whether that faint had been genuine was another matter, though. It had come at such a timely moment, after all, easing the awkwardness between them.
Neither spoke another word that night, and the two passed a difficult night in the silence.
Xiao Fan had seen Yun Zhi's body, and being a hot-blooded young man, he naturally could not sleep. Yun Zhi, too, seemed to be plagued by wandering thoughts because of his recklessness, and only gradually fell asleep because her body was weak.
Early the next morning, by the time Yun Zhi woke, Xiao Fan had already prepared the food. Do not ask why he was behaving so well; if asked, he would say he simply enjoyed helping others.
The two ate a hasty breakfast. Xiao Fan planned to use this time to study the Purple Cloud Wings carefully, striving to learn the Dou Technique before going to pick a fight with the Amethyst Winged Lion King. That would improve his ability to protect himself as well.
Before you continue