(A beautiful picture of Ning Rongrong)
Ning Rongrong huffed. "Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has far more resources. We can give them all to you!"
Xiao Jue said softly, "Having you is enough."
The anger Ning Rongrong had felt in her jealousy vanished instantly. Her face flushed in a flash, red all the way to the tips of her ears.
Meng Shu roared with laughter and waved a hand grandly, his voice as loud as a great bell:
"Enough, enough! Xiao Jue, boy, the doors of my Peerless Dragon Snake Family are always open to you. Come see the girl whenever you like!"
At those words, Meng Yiran's face flushed red all the way to her ears, and even her neck turned scarlet. She stamped her foot and protested coquettishly:
"Grandpa! What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Meng Shu stroked his blue beard, smiling with a face full of affection, though his eyes gleamed like an old fox's:
"Hahahaha, Yiran, do you think Grandpa doesn't know what's on your mind? I'm helping you make a match!"
With that, he turned to Xiao Jue, his tone suddenly growing more serious. "Xiao Jue, if anyone dares make trouble for you in the future, they'll be making an enemy of my Peerless Dragon Snake Family!"
Chao Tianxiang also nodded with a smile, her gaze resting on Xiao Jue with undisguised admiration.
Xiao Jue cupped his fists, neither servile nor arrogant, a gentle smile on his lips:
"Thank you for your high regard, seniors Dragon Duke and Snake Granny."
By now, Meng Yiran's face was so hot she could have fried an egg on it. Wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, she grabbed her grandparents by the arms and urged them repeatedly:
"Let's go, let's go!"
Dragon Duke and Snake Granny exchanged a smile, then nodded to Xiao Jue before leaping into the air with their granddaughter.
After the three had gone some distance, Meng Yiran still couldn't help looking back. Her eyes shimmered like water as she gazed in the direction they had come from. "Xiao Jue, there's plenty of time ahead..."
Watching the three leave, Zhao Wuji exclaimed, "Xiao Jue, I never imagined you were this strong! I'd say Flender must have been blind to make you a cleaner. What a criminal waste of talent!"
Xiao Jue spread his hands helplessly.
Zhao Wuji had originally planned to find a pretext to teach the arrogant Xiao Jue a lesson,
but after what the Peerless Dragon Snake had said, Zhao Wuji had to weigh his options and no longer dared to make a move against Xiao Jue lightly.
Tang San stood among the others. Though he struggled to keep his face calm, towering waves surged in his heart.
He gritted his teeth, his fists creaking as he clenched them, his nails nearly digging into his palms.
Xiao Jue stole all the limelight!
Even Xiao Wu was gazing at Xiao Jue in a daze, her eyes unmistakably shining with admiration!
Tang San roared inwardly, Xiao Jue! You already have a way to die!
Zhao Wuji looked up at the sky. Dusk was closing in, and the first stars had appeared. He waved a large hand:
"It's getting late. Once Oscar finishes absorbing the Soul Ring, let's make camp here."
Everyone took tents from their Storage Soul Tools and began setting them up.
Xiao Jue had naturally brought his own tent.
The three girls squeezed into one tent, chattering and whispering among themselves.
The Shrek F4 shared one tent, Tang San, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Oscar all crammed together.
Zhao Wuji had a tent to himself.
Night fell.
The campfire gradually died down, and insects chirped all around.
Everyone took turns keeping watch...
Around midnight, it was Ning Rongrong's turn.
The area around the camp was silent, save for the occasional soft crackle from the fire.
Ning Rongrong sat beside the fire, her chin in her hands. Utterly bored, she poked at a half-burned branch, her gaze fixed on the dancing flames, though her mind was clearly elsewhere.
The firelight flickered over her fair face.
"Hmph..."
She suddenly pouted and began muttering to herself,
"Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing aren't the only ones fighting me for Xiao Jue. That Meng Yiran, who only met him today, actually... actually kissed him?!"
At that, the branch in her hand snapped in two, and she tossed it into the fire in a huff.
The flames leaped up, as if venting her displeasure for her.
"That Meng Yiran cozied up to him the moment they met, and she even invited Little Xiaozi to her family... as if he's going!"
The more Ning Rongrong thought about it, the angrier she became. Her cheeks puffed up like a little pufferfish, and she sprang to her feet.
"No! I can't wait any longer! I have to make my move as soon as possible!"
She clenched her little fists and swept her gaze around the camp before finally locking onto Xiao Jue's tent.
Ning Rongrong bit her lip. A determined yet somewhat bashful light flashed in her eyes, and she lowered her voice to encourage herself:
"Xiao Jue... you're mine! No one's going to steal you away!"
She took a deep breath and crept toward Xiao Jue's tent.
When she reached it, she crouched down, pinched the zipper pull between her fingers, and eased it down bit by bit, terrified of making even the slightest sound.
The hiss of the zipper sliding over its teeth was magnified tenfold in her ears. She was so nervous she held her breath.
After considerable effort, she opened a gap. She leaned close to it and called out tentatively in a hushed voice:
"Little Xiaozi? Little Xiaozi? Are you asleep?"
All was quiet inside. Only the sound of slow, even breathing came through.
Ning Rongrong breathed a sigh of relief, patted her chest, and silently counted herself lucky.
Using both hands and feet, she crawled through the narrow gap with her bottom raised. Her skirt nearly caught on the zipper halfway through, making her bare her teeth in alarm.
Once inside, she reached back for the zipper pull and zipped it shut with a swish. Only then did she fully relax.
The tent was pitch-black. Only a faint trace of moonlight seeped through gaps in the fabric, barely outlining Xiao Jue's reclining form.
Ning Rongrong crawled through the darkness to his side. By that meager light, she looked down at Xiao Jue's sleeping face and couldn't help blushing.
Asleep, Xiao Jue had shed his usual lazy, roguish air, revealing a touch of clean-cut, handsome youthfulness.
Ning Rongrong stared at him, a little entranced. Her heart pounded like a drum, so loudly she could hear it herself.
She quickly covered her chest and murmured:
"Little Xiaozi, you're so bad... You're in my head every day. I can't even settle my mind while I'm on watch..."
As she spoke, she blushed and slowly leaned down, aiming her soft pink lips at Xiao Jue's and drawing closer bit by bit.
The air seemed to freeze. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her breaths came quick and light.
Just as their lips were about to touch-
Xiao Jue opened his eyes!
Their eyes met.
Before Ning Rongrong could react, her lips had already pressed against his.
"Smack."
She kissed him squarely on the lips.
Seeing Xiao Jue's bright eyes looking straight at her, Ning Rongrong turned scarlet in an instant. Flustered, she braced herself with her hands and tried to pull away, mumbling through muffled whimpers:
"Y-you weren't asleep-"
But Xiao Jue had no intention of letting her go. He reached out, wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and pulled her into his embrace,
then leaned close to her ear with a smile, his warm breath brushing it. "Rongrong, I caught you, didn't I~"
Both embarrassed and annoyed, Ning Rongrong beat her little fists against his chest:
"Meanie! You were pretending to sleep! You did it on purpose, didn't you?!"
Xiao Jue smiled without answering and merely looked down at her.
Ning Rongrong's face was scarlet, and the hair at her temples was slightly disheveled. Because she was leaning over, the neckline of her dress had fallen slightly open,
and the moonlight fell just on that small patch of fair skin, on her delicate collarbones and the curve faintly visible below.
That sight was simply deadly.
Xiao Jue tightened one arm around her waist and gently placed his other hand on the back of her head, enclosing her in his embrace. His voice was low and tinged with laughter:
"Since you're here~ don't think you're getting away~"