Holding Hands

"Father! How can you be so unreasonable!"

Nalan Yanran trembled with rage, her face turning from red to ashen. The frustration in her heart blazed like a raging fire, almost making her cough up blood.

She shouted at her father, her voice sharpened by anger and quivering in the air.

"Three sets of Fourth-Order Magical Beast remains-that was the payment I personally promised him for sparring with me! Even if you object to my using living magical beasts to fulfill that promise, I can buy them at auction myself. But why deliberately set us such a cruel challenge and put us in this humiliating position?!"

Nalan Su folded his arms and gazed leisurely at the sky, a smug smile curling his lips. "Hmph. As far as I know, the Mittel Auction House hasn't had any new Fourth-Order Magical Beasts up for auction lately. With the resources available to you, this Mighty Demon Bull may be your only way of resolving the problem right now. I've already given you a chance. That's as generous as I'm willing to be."

Nalan Yanran's chest heaved with anger. For a moment, she could not speak and could only glare fiercely at her father.

Her heart was as clear as a polished mirror: this was plainly her father's punishment, and his intentions were obvious-he wanted her to recognize the family's importance and put its interests first in everything she did from now on.

"Hah..."

Nalan Yanran lowered her head, her waterfall of long hair falling to conceal her face.

She drew deep, hurried breaths, trying to suppress the anger and hurt surging inside her like turbulent waves.

A trace of satisfaction flickered in Nalan Su's eyes, as though his gaze were saying, You little brat, you think you can fight me? I refuse to believe I can't bring you into line.

A gentle breeze brushed past, softly stirring the girl's long ponytail, its strands dancing in the wind.

Before her burly father, her slender figure looked like a delicate little flower, so frail that a slightly stronger gust seemed enough to topple her.

Xiao Qian watched the scene with interest from the sidelines. After spending this time with Nalan Yanran, he knew her temperament well.

Nalan Su was truly naive if he thought such a crude, heavy-handed method would make her submit.

If he kept pushing her like this, Nalan Yanran might well shout something like, "My fate belongs to me, not the heavens!"

"Xiao Qian, I'll find another way to get you the remaining Fourth-Order Magical Beast remains. Whether I have to work for rewards from the Sect or hunt magical beasts myself in the future, I absolutely will not break my word!"

Sure enough, before long, the girl forced herself to calm down and addressed Xiao Qian with a cold expression and resolute eyes.

"Now... let's go!"

Nalan Su's eyes widened in astonishment.

He watched as Nalan Yanran grabbed Xiao Qian's wrist without hesitation and turned decisively away, the entire movement flowing smoothly without the slightest wavering or delay.

For that instant, Nalan Su's mind went completely blank, as though his thoughts had stopped working.

Only now did he truly realize, deep in his heart, that the daughter who had displayed astonishing talent since childhood had really grown up.

She was no longer a little girl he could bend to his will, but someone with opinions and convictions of her own.

"Wait."

Xiao Qian, who had been quietly watching from the sidelines, saw that this father-daughter quarrel had no more entertainment to offer. Only then did he reach out to stop Nalan Yanran, speaking unhurriedly with an indifferent expression.

The girl froze for a moment.

Then, in an instant, she noticed an unfamiliar sensation in her hand.

She instinctively looked down, only to see that Xiao Qian had taken her small hand without the slightest reserve.

The warmth of their palms touching felt like an electric current, instantly coursing through her whole body and sending ripple after ripple across the lake of her heart.

D-did this count as her first time holding hands with a boy?

Nalan Yanran's mind went blank, leaving her completely at a loss.

"Since the head of the Nalan Family has set a challenge, naturally, I should try to solve it."

Xiao Qian, however, had no idea there was anything improper about his actions.

He released her hand, turned toward Nalan Su, and offered a cupped-fist salute.

His eyes shone brightly, like stars glittering in the night sky.

"If I kill this magical beast myself, its remains will belong to me, correct?"

Nalan Su had also been momentarily stunned by Xiao Qian's actions. Now, hearing his question, he could not help curling his lips into a mocking smile. "Correct, as long as you kill it through your own abilities."

He deliberately emphasized "your own," clearly intending to rule out any possibility of Xiao Qian calling in outside help.

"It's a deal."

Xiao Qian answered and turned his gaze toward the Beast-Taming Arena.

The magical beast had climbed back to its feet and was now charging furiously back and forth, as though determined to destroy everything around it.

A searing gleam flashed in Xiao Qian's eyes. Nothing set his blood boiling like challenging an opponent above his rank!

"Xiao Qian!"

Seeing that Xiao Qian really intended to enter the arena, Nalan Yanran finally snapped out of her daze.

She rushed forward and seized his wrist, her expression full of urgency. "That's a magical beast equivalent to a Dou Ling! There's absolutely no way we can kill it!"

Yet Xiao Qian merely brushed her small hand aside. Under everyone's astonished gazes, he leaped into the Beast-Taming Arena like a nimble bird, landing only a few steps from the Demon Bull.

"A Demon Bull? Nothing but a meal on my plate. What can a mere fourth-order beast do to me?"

Standing in the arena, Xiao Qian let out a bold laugh.

His laughter echoed above the Beast-Taming Arena, brimming with fearlessness and arrogance.

Nalan Su gave a quiet chuckle at the sight. "The boy certainly has courage. Unfortunately, he's far too arrogant."

"Elder Nan, let's keep an eye on him together. We can't let him actually die here, or the old man will skin me alive."

As he spoke, he called to Nalan Nan beside him. Together, they landed at the edge of the Beast-Taming Arena, their gazes fixed on Xiao Qian and the Demon Bull as they closely watched every movement within.

Meanwhile, Nalan Yanran nervously clenched her small hands and pressed her luscious red lips tightly together.

She stared unwaveringly at Xiao Qian as he faced the Fourth-Order Magical Beast alone. Her eyes held admiration for his extraordinary courage, but far more profound worry.

After all, this was a genuine Fourth-Order Magical Beast, neither shackled nor injured, its formidable strength rivaling a Dou Ling expert's. Xiao Qian's decision to face it was simply too reckless.

"Here it comes!"

Just then, the Demon Bull's huge, bronze-bell eyes finally noticed Xiao Qian's figure in the Beast-Taming Arena.

As far as he could sense, this human possessed no aura that could threaten him. Yet the human insisted on looking at him as though he were a meal on a plate, instantly flooding the Demon Bull's already simple mind with rage.

"Rooooaaar!"

The deafening roar seemed capable of bringing the entire Beast-Taming Arena crashing down. The Demon Bull pawed the ground with his four hooves, sending up clouds of dust, his eyes filled with savagery and murderous intent.

That furious roar swept toward Xiao Qian like surging ocean waves.