Lip Friendship

Lu Li nodded in agreement and said firmly, "That's right. It was Chixia's personality that drew me to her!"

Verina smiled and chimed in, "Lu Li and Chixia really are a perfect match!"

At that, Lu Li burst into laughter, a hint of smugness in his voice.

He looked down at Chixia in his arms, a mischievous smile on his lips, and agreed, "I think so too."

With that, he gazed suggestively at the bashful Chixia in his arms, and a sudden impulse welled up inside him.

Lu Li leaned down and gently kissed Chixia on the cheek.

The unexpected gesture caught Chixia off guard. Her face instantly burned, and her heart raced.

Chixia shyly raised her head and looked at Lu Li with a dreamy gaze.

Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still.

Their gazes revealed their feelings for each other, as though each could read the other's mind.

Lu Li felt the heat in Chixia's gaze, and his own heart began to stir.

Their faces drew closer in each other's eyes, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heated.

At last, their lips brushed together, as lightly as a dragonfly touching water.

Yet that fleeting contact sent a current through their entire bodies.

At the same time, a system notification sounded in Lu Li's mind.

[Ding! Chixia's intimacy has reached 90! Skill obtained: Blazing Fire]

[Blazing Fire: Heat surges through your body as you rapidly fire at nearby targets, dealing Fusion damage.]

[New Resonance Attribute obtained: Molten Rift (Fusion)]

[Ding! Achievement obtained: Lip Friendship]

[Weapon obtained: Yamato]

[Yamato: Incomparably sharp. Slaying demons is as easy as slicing paper.]

[Yamato skill: Judgment Cut. Distorts the space around the target, striking the target repeatedly.]

Just as Lu Li wanted to push his luck and go for a passionate French kiss, Verina interrupted them with a broad smile.

"Ahem!"

Verina teased, "Honestly, I'm still a little kid! How can you do something so embarrassing in front of a child?"

Lu Li said to Verina, "Thank you for the flowers. I'll take good care of them."

Verina smiled. "Good! I'll work out when they're due to bloom and come check on them then!"

Chixia paid no attention to what the two were saying. Her gaze remained fixed on Lu Li's face, as though she wanted to etch him into her heart forever.

Lu Li said, "All right, we should get going. There are still people waiting for us."

Verina said, "Mm-hmm! I need to head back to the Antique Bonsai Shop too. Hope everything goes smoothly!"

On the way to the Frontier.

Lu Li and Chixia walked with their fingers interlaced.

She seemed to have returned to her usual fiery, enthusiastic self.

She greeted every familiar face they passed.

The passersby smiled back, casting knowing glances at them.

Lu Li watched her fondly.

"We're here."

Lu Li looked ahead and saw that A Piao and Yangyang had already been waiting for quite some time.

A short distance away, A Piao noticed their clasped hands and narrowed her eyes.

Once they approached, A Piao said with a somewhat sarcastic edge, "Someone's quite the smooth talker, huh? You managed to win a girl over in just two days?"

Only after A Piao pointed it out did Yangyang notice their interlaced hands.

Yangyang gave Chixia a questioning look, but Chixia merely grinned.

Before Lu Li could answer, Chixia spoke first, sounding smug. "Looks like I, Jinzhou's Feathered Hero, still came out on top."

Clenched! A Piao's fists clenched tight!

A Piao strode forward menacingly, heading straight for Lu Li.

Chixia panicked. She could handle a little cheeky banter, but if this turned into a real fight, she was no match for A Piao!

"Hey, hey! A Piao! Don't do anything rash!"

Chixia stepped in front of Lu Li, but she failed to stop A Piao.

With a sweep of her arm, A Piao shoved Chixia aside, making her stagger.

Then she gripped Lu Li's neck with one hand and lifted him slightly, brushing his cheek with her fingertips.

"I remember someone saying back in Qichi Village..."

A Piao imitated Lu Li's voice. "A Piao, I'll always stand by your side..."

"And now? Hmm?"

If looks could kill, Lu Li would already have died countless times.

Lu Li's mind raced.

I let my guard down!

Chixia's little hand had been so soft that Lu Li had completely lost himself.

Lu Li's handsome face turned red as he struggled for breath, but he still managed a smile.

"A Piao, you've got it wrong. There's really nothing between Chixia and me. It's just lip friendship!"

At first, those words sounded like he was denying any relationship.

But only those involved could understand the hidden meaning.

At his words, A Piao loosened her grip on Lu Li's neck slightly, allowing him to catch his breath.

"Pure friendship?" A Piao stared at Lu Li skeptically, trying to spot a crack in his expression.

But with Lu Li's mastery of acting, how could he let her see through him so easily?

Chixia had also recovered by then. Her pretty face flushed slightly; she had clearly understood Lu Li's coded words.

She hurried forward and shook A Piao's shoulders. "That's right, A Piao! Lu Li and I just have lip friendship! Don't get the wrong idea!"

Chixia hadn't expected A Piao to like Lu Li so much, or to be so possessive of him.

Looks like I'll have to work even harder if I want Lu Li all to myself!

And I can't let A Piao find out before I succeed, or she'll definitely get in the way!

But the most important thing is keeping Lu Li in line. He's such a womanizer, after all!

She remembered her dad telling her that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach.

Hmm... why don't I make Lu Li my specialty, Champion Malatang, next time?

But Lu Li doesn't seem very good with spicy food...

Meanwhile, A Piao thought for a moment, then lifted Lu Li a little higher again.

"Then tell me, why did you come here holding hands?"

Before Lu Li could come up with an answer, Chixia thought of one first.

At that moment, her intelligence seemed to surpass Newton's and Einstein's, reaching a full two hundred and fifty!

"Oh, come on! You're always so calm and composed, handling everything with ease. We just wanted to see what you'd look like all flustered!"

"So we talked it over and decided to see how you'd react!"

A Piao considered that for a moment, then released Lu Li.

Still, the suspicion in her eyes hadn't entirely faded.

"Fine. I'll believe you just this once. Don't make jokes like that again."

Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief and secretly glanced at Chixia. They exchanged a smile.

Yangyang, who had remained a spectator throughout, covered her mouth and giggled.

Her sensitivity to frequencies made her equally perceptive of emotions.

She had picked up on something, but didn't expose it.

"All right, enough joking around. Let's get back to the matter at hand."

A Piao nodded, twisted Lu Li's ear, and pulled him to her side.

Then she took out the final token, the Sundial.