Things had already been said to this point.
What else could he do but oblige her?
Zhang Yang smiled and nodded, calmly taking out a long xiao flute and bringing it to his lips.
Ever since gaining a musical talent and discovering that playing could boost favorability, he had expected this day to come.
He couldn't keep using Xiao Xiao's Martial Soul every time. If the girl wasn't around when he needed to make a move, things would get awkward.
So he had bought a few cheap xiao flutes in advance.
They weren't great, but he was a naturally gifted player.
Even an ordinary instrument could produce good results in his hands. It was enough to pick up girls.
The music wasn't loud. The lilting melody echoed softly, while silver moonlight shone over the earth, setting off Zhang Yang's figure perfectly.
Zhang Lexuan soon became immersed in it...
She didn't understand music, but she could feel the changes within it.
That was the effect of the [Law of Music]. Her emotions gradually calmed, and her smile deepened as she gazed at the one she loved.
Combined with the Charm God's Body Martial Soul and its max-level charm bonus, even the tactful and reserved Eldest Senior Sister couldn't help feeling her heart flutter.
[Zhang Lexuan favorability +10, current: 70 (cannot check in again)]
The system notification arrived right on time.
Zhang Yang gave a satisfied thumbs-up. His progress was quite good.
At this rate, he could max out her favorability during this trip to hunt for a Soul Ring.
"That was beautiful. Do you often use this trick to make girls happy?" When the song ended, Zhang Lexuan took the initiative to tease him.
"That depends on the girl. I only play for the most beautiful ones." Zhang Yang refused to be outdone, smoothly delivering the textbook answer.
Zhang Lexuan smiled without replying.
She naturally understood that sweet talk like that was half truth and half lie.
But it didn't matter. As long as she liked hearing it, that was enough. She was enjoying the atmosphere.
"Let's turn in early. We'll look around the Outer Zone tomorrow during the day. If you'd like, you can play another song tomorrow night."
Zhang Lexuan gazed at Zhang Yang, a hint of anticipation in her eyes. As she spoke, she rose from the campfire and walked toward her sleeping bag.
Seeing this, how could Zhang Yang not understand what she meant? Wasn't she saying she enjoyed the way things were between them and hoped they could continue tomorrow?
What a guarded mature beauty...
After muttering to himself, he prepared to turn in as well.
He had only just reached his sleeping bag when Zhang Lexuan, already tucked into hers, suddenly murmured, "You can come a little closer to me, so Soul Beasts won't bother you during the night."
Zhang Yang looked surprised.
Words like that were practically an invitation to start a round.
In the outermost reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest, even Hundred-Year Soul Beasts were hard to find. What threat could possibly slip past an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo?
Clearly, she wanted to snuggle up to Zhang Yang. But given Eldest Senior Sister's gentle temperament, snuggling was probably all she had in mind.
If his blood really boiled like a beast's and he rashly skipped the "preliminary plot" to enter the "final stage" straight away, her favorability would probably drop instead.
More haste, less speed. Zhang Yang understood that.
He hurriedly agreed, deliberately making his voice sound delighted.
He could just make out a very, very soft hum from Zhang Lexuan.
It didn't sound like dissatisfaction. It was more like apprehension and nervousness. For her, this was already a very bold move.
Zhang Yang dragged his sleeping bag over and laid it beside Zhang Lexuan's. He lay down and tucked himself in, the two of them right next to each other, pressed very, very close.
Of course, there were two layers of sleeping bag between them.
One was Zhang Lexuan's, and the other was Zhang Yang's.
Feeling each other's body heat was a bit of a stretch, but their breathing and heartbeats were perfectly clear.
He could distinctly hear the quick, hurried breaths coming from Zhang Lexuan's nose as she faced away from him. Anyone listening might have thought she was out for a nighttime run.
Zhang Yang decided to test the waters.
He took one hand out of his sleeping bag.
Through the fabric wrapped around her, he gently laid his hand on the surface, right where her waist was.
Although he couldn't feel her directly, their bodies were closer because of it. Her hair, which she hadn't particularly arranged, tickled his face from behind.
Zhang Lexuan's body trembled twice.
Her muscles stiffened. She took a deep breath and held it.
On the face Zhang Yang couldn't see, her pupils contracted in alarm, and her cheeks burned red as flames.
What is this little fellow trying to do? I haven't agreed yet. Is he really that bold? Isn't he afraid I'll get angry?
Wait... why has he stopped moving? He hasn't gone any further, and he hasn't explained himself either. Did he fall asleep?
A storm of thoughts raged through her mind.
Strange notions rose and fell in a jumbled mess.
Yet several minutes passed without Zhang Yang making another move.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or feel disappointed.
Using the keen spiritual power of an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo, she quietly probed behind her. The next second, her eyes widened.
You damn pig! I'm sitting here all nervous, and what do you do? You stir me up and leave me hanging? You really fell asleep?
Zhang Lexuan wanted nothing more than to kick him.
After checking carefully, she finally came to a helpless conclusion.
Zhang Yang wasn't pretending to close his eyes. He really was resting, and the quality of his sleep was enviable.
What else could she do...? After grumbling inwardly a few times, she could only try to calm down.
Unfortunately, her emotions weren't so easy to settle. She encountered no danger that night, but she really didn't sleep well.
As a result, when Zhang Yang woke the next morning, he found that the elegant mature beauty before him had dark circles under both eyes.
"Eldest Senior Sister, didn't you sleep well last night?"
He asked instinctively, then seemed to realize the reason.
Zhang Yang grinned, but he wasn't foolish enough to say it aloud.
Seeing that, Zhang Lexuan felt for the first time that even a face this handsome could sometimes be asking for a beating.
You still dare ask? If you hadn't deliberately reached out before bed and pulled me into your arms through the sleeping bag, how could I have slept badly?
"Get packed up. We'll leave after breakfast!"
The mature beauty had turned into a resentful woman. She glared at Zhang Yang as if in a huff.
With that, she began packing their things, dealt with the extinguished campfire, and took food out of her storage ring.
Zhang Yang felt wronged! Eldest Senior Sister, you've misunderstood! When I reached out last night, I never thought it would keep you awake.
Of course, it was best to keep those thoughts to himself.
It wouldn't be very polite to actually say them.
They soon cleared away the traces of their overnight stay and officially began their hunt, searching for a suitable Soul Beast.
During the Peerless Tang Sect era, the Star Dou Great Forest was divided into several rings, from the outside in: Fringe Zone → Outer Zone → Mixed Zone → Core Zone → Great Ferocious Land → Lake of Life.
The place where they had rested last night belonged to the Fringe Zone.
Now they pressed onward and came straight to the Outer Zone.
But they weren't stopping there. According to Zhang Lexuan's plan, their final destination was the border between the Outer Zone and the Mixed Zone.
Zhang Yang's Martial Soul had special attributes, and very few Soul Beasts met the requirements. The farther in they went, the greater their chances of finding a suitable one.
Along the way, Zhang Lexuan searched as thoroughly as she could.
But as expected, she found no charm-type Soul Beasts.
Even among the second-best option, the spiritual type, she saw only a few trash ones. In her view, they weren't worthy of Zhang Yang.
"Just as I thought, we'll have to go to the border between the Outer Zone and the Mixed Zone. Stay close to me later. Ahem, not too close, though..."