Chapter: Catching a Night-Walker

Deep in the night, the Xiao Clan was shrouded in a blanket of deep tranquility.

Xiao Qian walked out of Xiao Xun's room just as he always did, leaving the girl on the bed alone to savor the lingering aftershocks.

Who could have imagined that this so-called act of nurturing the meridians had unconsciously been going on for seven years.

In truth, using the word "perseverance" to describe it wasn't quite appropriate, for the process itself was simply too cozy and comfortable.

It's just that I'm getting more and more unable to control my hands...

Xiao Qian gently closed the door, looking down at his hands with a somewhat dazed expression and a heart full of inner conflict. Is it because of my age? Are hormones starting to affect my body?

This phase of a tug-of-war between reason and desire, where his upper half and lower half fought for control, made him feel utterly tormented.

My goal is a sea of stars, not a woman's body, not a woman's body, not a woman's body...

Xiao Qian returned to his room, lay flat on his bed, and muttered incessantly in an attempt to calm himself down.

"There are two things hindering my cultivation right now: one is the last two Dantians that haven't been unlocked yet, and the other is how to break through to a Da Dou Shi..."

The more he thought about it, the more vexed he felt, and under these circumstances, he grew increasingly afraid to easily invest his emotions.

Tossing and turning, Xiao Qian found it harder and harder to sleep, so he simply sat up, leaned against the head of the bed, and stared blankly out the window.

A nocturnal breeze blew into the room with a hint of chill. Tonight, there was no bright moon hanging high, only a scattering of sparse stars dotting the night sky, emitting a faint glow and bringing a touch of haziness to the darkened world.

Amidst the darkness, the youth's breathing gradually steadied, his heartbeat calm and powerful, as if he had reached some sort of tacit understanding with the heavens and earth in this silent night.

"I've never been someone who likes to wallow in internal conflict..."

Xiao Qian gave a low chuckle, got up, and walked over to the window, ready to close it.

Right at that moment, with a soft whoosh, a dark figure flashed across the eaves like a ghost, its form darting toward the outside of the courtyard with extreme speed.

Xiao Qian's expression turned stern, and he became instantly alert.

He knew that Ling Ying hadn't made a move, which meant this dark figure posed no threat to Xiao Xun'er; it seemed this person was heading for somewhere else within the Xiao Clan.

After a brief moment of reflection, he quickly retrieved a set of black clothing from the wardrobe to change into. Choosing not to go out through the door, he instead vaulted straight out of the window and gave chase in the direction where the dark figure had vanished.

"These two..." Ling Ying's figure remained concealed within the darkness as he watched the direction the two dark figures departed in, his mouth curling in a rather helpless twitch like a worried elder. "These little fellows really give an old man endless things to worry about day after day..."

That direction is... Xiao Zhan's dwelling?

The trailing movement technique Xiao Qian employed was hardly exquisite, for after all, he wasn't adept at that sort of footwork.

Yet the dark figure ahead moved through the Xiao Clan as if taking a stroll in a courtyard-familiarly and with seasoned ease, seemingly never having imagined they would be discovered.

As the Xiao Clan Chief, Xiao Zhan's residence was naturally extremely spacious and luxurious.

The two dark figures, one after the other, swiftly swept past the study, traversed a long corridor, and finally drifted all the way into Xiao Zhan's bedroom.

This back, this skill...

Wearing a mask, Xiao Qian's face turned exceptionally colorful.

This little girl was actually paying a nocturnal visit to the Clan Chief's house?

Interesting.

Come to think of it, I've never figured out what on earth she actually came to the Xiao Clan to do; this time, we might just uncover some clues.

At this thought, his interest was piqued. He quietly hid in the shadows, watching Xiao Xun'er's figure, wrapped in black clothing, darting back and forth across the room.

She started from a fixed position, searching carefully inch by inch without making the slightest sound throughout the entire process, just like a well-trained night-walker.

Good grief, she's marked where she found last time and is continuing the search from there.

Xiao Qian leisurely drifted over to the table and propped his chin in his hand, though his gaze involuntarily fell upon Xiao Xun'er.

The wrists she extended while searching for items were as white as frost and snow, and the curves outlined by her body when she bent over were as full and round as a harvest moon; that graceful posture possessed a sort of unique charm in the silent night.

For a time, the two of them went about their separate businesses, and the only sound in the room was Xiao Zhan's deafening snoring ringing out with regular rhythm.

"Sigh..."

With a soft, ethereal sigh, Xiao Xun'er finally straightened her body, her dual pupils filled with disappointment.

As expected, it's not so easy to find. Even if the Xiao Clan doesn't know what that thing is, they've definitely hidden it away as an ancestral sacred treasure.

She muttered silently in her heart.

"Let's call it a night for now. My crotch feels a bit sticky, so I'll head back to take a bath first... That bastard!"

A flush suddenly bloomed across the girl's face, a dazzling and vivid shade that stood out with stunning clarity in the darkness, leaving even Xiao Qian momentarily dazed.

Clack.

Xiao Qian failed to control himself for a moment; his hand slipped from the table and produced a faint sound.

Xiao Zhan's snoring paused abruptly, clearly disturbed by the noise.

Xiao Qian and Xiao Xun'er reacted almost simultaneously, both of them silently vanishing behind a folding screen.

As for Xiao Zhan on the bed, he opened his eyes right at that moment, hazily sweeping his gaze around the room.

Being a Da Dou Shi after all, even in his sleep he possessed the vigilance he ought to have.

However, he found nothing amiss and quickly closed his eyes once more.

Behind the folding screen, the two of them assumed postures that had grown thoroughly twisted and bizarre.

Because the hiding spot they chose was far too identical, their two bodies had nearly crashed into one another when they rushed over.

At that very instant, Xiao Xun'er reacted with extreme speed, sending one hand clawing toward Xiao Qian's neck while lifting a leg high in preparation for a fierce knee strike.

Xiao Qian's reaction wasn't slow either. He quickly clamped one hand over Xiao Xun'er's small mouth to keep her from making a sound, tightly grabbed her raised thigh with his other hand, and simultaneously leaned his body forward to catch the girl, whose footing had grown unstable under this bizarre posture.

Xiao Xun'er's eyes ignited with golden flames in that instant, flames that seemed to harbor some sort of mysterious power, yet they dimmed the very next moment as she merely stared at the detestable fellow before her with eyes full of vexation.

They were far too familiar with each other's scents; such intimate contact could simply not be concealed from the other.

For a time, the room grew so quiet that only the sound of each other's breathing could be heard, the atmosphere tense and subtle.

Xiao Zhan seemed to have entered a state of light sleep, and the slightest commotion would likely cause him to detect them.

Xiao Qian and Xiao Xun'er had no choice but to maintain this strange posture, unmoving and scarcely daring to draw a breath.

It feels really nice...

With his right hand controlling Xiao Xun'er's suspended thigh, Xiao Qian couldn't help giving it a gentle squeeze-this was entirely a physical, instinctive reaction.

The girl's bright pair of eyes locked onto him dead-on, as if issuing a stern warning, yet that detestable palm kept inching lower bit by bit, causing her body-supported by only a single foot-to sway back and forth until she could barely keep her balance.

Fortunately, the snoring inside the room gradually resumed, and both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"L-Let me go..."

Lowering her voice, the girl pleaded near his ear with a hint of delicate panting.

Xiao Qian looked down and, making use of the speckles of starlight, could see the jade-clear, flawless countenance of her face flushed with an alluring, drippingly tender blush. The look was truly adorable to the extreme, causing him to swallow hard.

He slowly loosened his grip on her thigh, and Xiao Xun'er let out a soft breath, cautiously withdrawing her leg to stand firmly once more.

"Mmph!"

Yet, at the very moment Xiao Xun'er let down her guard, Xiao Qian pulled her tightly into his embrace, lowered his head with a burning gaze, cupped the back of her head with one hand, and fiercely kissed her cool, soft lips.

It felt as though he were tasting the sweetest treasure in the entire world, and a sweet sensation spread between the two of them.

Xiao Xun'er raised her petite fists and lightly pounded against his chest, but her entire body had grown weak at this point, rendering her completely unable to break free.

She definitely didn't want to do this sort of thing in a place like this!

Regrettably, an intoxicated Xiao Qian could not hear her inner voice at all, and she herself quickly grew dizzy within this sweet kiss, as if floating among the clouds, unaware even of the soft moans unconsciously spilling from her lips.

The snoring inside the room paused once more, instantly causing their bodies to stiffen in terror as they dared not continue any further.

Their lips remained pressed tightly together. Groping around Xiao Xun'er's waist with one small hand, she seized a patch of flesh and viciously pinched it, then gave it a light twist.

The pain caused Xiao Qian's eyes to widen, and only then did he let her go.

The girl collapsed limply against his chest, panting without a sound, her cheeks burning hot.

I don't know how much time passed before the snoring rang out once again.

Daring not to act recklessly any longer, Xiao Qian bent down gently, scooped Xiao Xun'er up in a bridal style, channeled Dou Qi beneath his feet, leaped silently out the window, and swiftly departed across the rooftops.

Xiao Xun'er hooked her hands around his neck, her pair of eyes liquid and limpid, never once leaving his profile.

When did it all start? How did that handsome little boy from the past transform into the dashing and refined appearance he wore now?

Was it because they had grown too accustomed to each other's company? Being always together meant they couldn't feel the passage of time, couldn't feel each other's growth, and couldn't feel... that gradually uncontrollable romantic intent.