The problem was, he was only seven now, while Hu Liena was already fourteen.
Did Yan think Hu Liena would fall for a junior brother so much younger than herself right now?
There was no telling about the future, but right now, Hu Liena clearly only saw him as a little brother.
She was just a little more affectionate in her behavior.
Hu Liena had actually noticed Yan's faint hostility, but she did not care.
She had already arranged to go out with Gui Yuan this time, only for Yan to insist on tagging along like a plaster that would not peel off.
And since her older brother was there too, all three had come together.
Hu Liena hooked her arm through Gui Yuan's and headed down the mountain.
"Junior brother, that barbecue place in the south of the city is really delicious. I guarantee you'll want more once you've tried it."
As she dragged him along, Gui Yuan glanced back.
Xie Yue and Yan followed silently a few paces behind.
Ever since earlier, Yan's gaze had never left the hand Hu Liena had looped around Gui Yuan's arm.
The fire in his eyes now was much like his Martial Soul's attribute.
He had been pursuing Hu Liena for a long time, but never mind linking arms-she had never made even a slightly intimate gesture toward him.
And at the academy, Hu Liena had never gotten too close to any other male students either.
Yet over the past six months, he had heard the name "Gui Yuan" from Hu Liena's lips almost every day.
At first, he had thought it was some genius their own age, only to learn later that it was the Pope's newly accepted disciple.
Every time Hu Liena mentioned this little junior brother, the delight in her voice gave Yan an intense sense of crisis.
Unable to help himself, he lowered his voice and said to Xie Yue beside him, "Xie Yue, don't you think Nana and that junior brother of hers are a little too close?"
Looking puzzled, Xie Yue glanced at the two ahead, then back at Yan.
"Aren't you being too sensitive?"
"Isn't Nana just treating Gui Yuan as her little junior brother?"
"They say this little junior brother is even more talented than Nana, and he has twin Martial Souls."
Xie Yue paused, his tone growing more serious. "Oh, right, he's the adopted son of the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Elders. His Martial Souls are exactly the same as theirs."
"Don't do anything stupid, or even your teacher probably won't be able to protect you."
Yan's teacher was a Titled Douluo in the Elders' Hall with a fire-attribute Martial Soul, and held considerable standing in Spirit Hall.
But his teacher really could not stand against the influence of the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Elders. Besides, most importantly, Gui Yuan's teacher was the Pope of Spirit Hall!
Yan gritted his teeth and said nothing more.
But his eyes remained fixed on the two walking arm in arm ahead.
Spirit City was neither particularly large nor particularly small.
After coming down Pope Mountain and passing through a few streets, they reached the south of the city.
The barbecue restaurant Hu Liena had mentioned really was good. The place was small but packed, and the aroma of grilled meat drifted halfway down the street.
The four took a table farther inside.
Gui Yuan sat beside Hu Liena, with Xie Yue opposite him and Yan on the outermost side.
The atmosphere remained fairly harmonious throughout the meal.
Hu Liena chattered to Gui Yuan about all sorts of amusing things in Spirit City, while Xie Yue occasionally chimed in to ask about Gui Yuan's recent cultivation.
Gui Yuan answered each question, his manner gentle and polite.
Only with Yan did his responses gradually change from "Brother Yan" to nods or an "Mm."
Yan tried to join the conversation several times, only for Gui Yuan to shut him down with the briefest possible answers.
In the afternoon, they strolled through several more streets and visited a few of Spirit City's landmark buildings.
Gui Yuan chatted and laughed with Hu Liena, and occasionally exchanged a few words with Xie Yue about cultivation.
But whenever Yan spoke, Gui Yuan either pretended not to hear or dismissed him with a single "Oh."
Yan's expression grew uglier and uglier.
Both Hu Liena and Xie Yue noticed all of this.
Hu Liena had not expected her little junior brother to have this side to him.
Someone who was usually so gentle and agreeable around her made his different treatment so obvious once he turned hostile.
During a stretch when Xie Yue and Yan were walking behind them, she pulled Gui Yuan a little closer and lowered her voice. "Little junior brother, I'm sorry."
"Don't mind Yan. That's just how he is."
Gui Yuan said flatly, "Sister Nana, even an idiot could sense his hostility toward me."
"Is he one of your suitors?"
"What on earth is going through his head? He doesn't think I have designs on you, does he?"
A vein popped on Hu Liena's forehead as she looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile. "What's that supposed to mean? Is your Sister Nana not pretty? And call me senior sister."
She had meant to give him a proper apology, but why did this guy have such a venomous tongue?
Gui Yuan looked perfectly serious. "Sister Nana, you are pretty."
"But you're my senior sister. I'm only seven, and you're fourteen. What sort of designs do you think I should have on you?"
"Just look at you. At this rate, I'll probably catch up to your cultivation before long."
"Romance is something for later."
Hu Liena was left speechless by his utterly serious manner.
He was clearly taking jabs at her, yet every sentence made perfect sense.
She opened her mouth, but in the end, all she managed was, "...Just shut up."
She thought her little junior brother was quite handsome when he kept quiet. Unfortunately, he had a mouth.
But to Yan, the sight of the two talking so close together was no different from flirting.
He had been holding back all along, thinking he should show Xie Yue and Hu Liena some respect.
But after enduring it all day, he had truly reached his limit.
Evening.
The four returned to the square in front of Pope Mountain.
The setting sun dyed the square's paving stones a warm gold.
Yan suddenly stopped and turned to Gui Yuan.
"Gui Yuan."
Gui Yuan paused and looked back at him. "What is it?"
Yan said, "I hear you're a food system Soul Master, and although you haven't attached any Soul Rings to your second Martial Soul, you've practiced a self-created Soul Skill."
"I'm curious and would like to see it."
"How about a spar with me?"
Gui Yuan raised an eyebrow.
Xie Yue frowned. "Yan, you're a Soul Elder, and you're challenging a seven-year-old child?"
Yan said indifferently, "It's just a spar. I'll hold back."
"Besides, since he could become His Holiness the Pope's disciple, surely he can at least accept a spar?"
Hu Liena's expression darkened. "Yan, stop making trouble."
"I'm not making trouble." Yan looked at her. "Nana, I just want to see how capable this little junior brother you're always talking about really is."
Looking at Yan's self-righteous manner, Gui Yuan suddenly felt a little like laughing.
He turned to Hu Liena. "Sister Nana, it's fine."
"If he wants to spar, then let's spar."
"I wanted to test the results of this past year's cultivation anyway."
Hu Liena wanted to say more, but when she saw Gui Yuan's serious expression, she ultimately held her tongue.
She stepped back twice and said quietly, "Be careful."
At that moment, Hu Liena also felt some regret. She should never have let Yan come along.
Now, a pink gleam flashed through her eyes. If her little junior brother was in danger in a moment, she would act immediately.