"Let me check… You're not running a fever, are you?"
Xiao Se pressed one hand to his own forehead, then reached out and touched Xiao Yu's.
"What are you doing? I'm being serious here!" Xiao Yu shot him a sideways glare, her beautiful eyes flashing as she huffed in annoyance.
"Then what exactly are you expecting me to do? Start a harem?" Xiao Se shrugged helplessly. "You just saw it yourself. I was only a little close with you, and she looked heartbroken. And then there's Xian'er and Zhuqing… If it keeps going like this, won't she end up crying every single day? Besides, I can more or less guess what happened between us back then, but I truly don't remember any of it. The only reason I treat her the way I do is because of her identity. It's more respect than feeling. At least… for now."
If he had a choice, he honestly didn't want to provoke Xun'er at all. Just Bibi Dong alone was already more than enough—what a blessing that was.
Hearing him say that, Xiao Yu rubbed her forehead in frustration. Deep down, she didn't want Xun'er getting involved either. Little Fairy Doctor and Zhu Zhuqing had already secretly made her sad for quite some time. If another person joined in, she might actually burst into tears.
But this stalemate wasn't something she wanted either.
After a long silence, Xiao Yu let out a slow breath and said, "Then go talk to her properly. Clear things up. It's better than leaving it hanging like this."
Xiao Se blinked, then suddenly pulled her into his arms. He gently pinched the tip of her delicate nose and smiled. "Yu'er, I've noticed something. You've grown up… in more ways than one."
"Behave yourself, you little pervert!" Xiao Yu's face flushed crimson as she scolded him.
"Alright, alright. We'll deal with Xun'er in a bit." Xiao Se changed the subject and took a jade bottle out of his storage ring. "I came here not just to see you, but to give you this."
"What is it?" Xiao Yu asked curiously as she accepted the bottle.
"It's a medicinal solution refined from Earth Core Body Tempering Milk," Xiao Se explained with a grin. "Add it to your medicinal bath and absorb it slowly. It'll help you break through faster."
"Earth Core Body Tempering Milk?" Xiao Yu's eyes lit up.
Xiao Se nodded. "So you've heard of it. That saves me the explanation. With your current physique, even in a medicinal bath, you can't handle too much energy at once. Five drops per bath. That's enough. This bottle should be sufficient to raise you several star levels within the Dou Shi realm."
"Got it." Xiao Yu didn't refuse. After all, this was from her own man.
They chatted for a while longer. Xiao Se shamelessly stole a little advantage from her—sampling some sweetness and even tasting "strawberries"—before finally leaving her room, thoroughly satisfied.
"Cousin Xiao Se."
The moment he stepped out, he saw Xiao Xun'er standing at the end of the corridor by the window. Her eyes were slightly red—she had clearly been crying again.
"Let's talk somewhere else," Xiao Se said with a quiet sigh. After Xun'er had left earlier, his soul power—now at the level of a sixth-tier alchemist—had easily tracked her presence nearby. Since she hadn't gone far, he had already decided to speak openly with her. Perhaps he had been too rash back on the flying magical beast. At the very least, this time he didn't want either of them to be left with regrets.
"Mm." Xun'er wiped the corner of her eye, forcing a faint smile onto her pale, delicate face.
They went up to the pavilion rooftop. Xiao Se handed her a handkerchief Long Kui had once given him. "Here. Wipe your tears."
Xun'er accepted it and gently dabbed her eyes. Catching the faint fragrance lingering on the fabric, she gave a strained smile. "It's a beautiful handkerchief. Was it from Xian'er or Zhuqing?"
"No."
"Then… Cousin Xiao Yu? Though that seems unlikely. She doesn't seem like the type who would quietly embroider something."
"Neither." Xiao Se didn't elaborate. Instead, his brows suddenly lifted as he glanced toward the shadowed corner of the opposite pavilion. His voice turned serious. "Could you ask your guard to step away for a while? I don't like the feeling of being watched."
Xun'er nodded slightly, unsurprised that he had sensed Ling Ying. She gently raised her jade-like hand. In the next instant, Ling Ying's presence vanished from Xiao Se's perception.
The two stood facing each other in silence.
A gentle breeze swept across the rooftop. Xun'er's long black hair fluttered softly, strands dancing in the wind. The hem of her dress lifted slightly, outlining the graceful curves of her figure. Xiao Se's cyan academy robe and the fringe over his forehead swayed as well, lending him a quiet, restrained elegance.
"I—" ×2
"You—" ×2
"You go first." ×2
They paused, then both laughed softly.
"I'll start," Xiao Se said with a small smile.
"Mm." Xun'er nodded.
He sighed. "Last time, you mentioned those two missing years—from age four to six. I've had some guesses since then. About a year ago, I consumed something called 'Chew Wine.' It's said to allow one to travel through time and space. But when you sober up, you lose all memory of what happened during that journey. The familiarity you feel toward me… it might be because I once traveled into your body during that period. But now, I truly don't remember any of it. So… you understand what I'm saying, right?"
"No. I don't understand." Xun'er shook her head, biting her lower lip tightly.
Seeing her like this unsettled him. After a brief hesitation, Xiao Se stepped closer and gently wiped away the tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. He smiled softly. "Let's make a promise."
"What kind of promise?" Xun'er lifted her beautiful face and looked straight at him.
"If one day, we both fully recover those lost memories," Xiao Se said, "then we'll sit down and talk about everything properly. Until then… let's just stay friends."
"Friends…" Xun'er murmured. A faint trace of relief surfaced on her lovely face. Perhaps… this wasn't so bad after all.
Far behind Jia Nan Academy, within the endless stretch of mountains, a streak of red light shot across the sky.
Suddenly, it halted. The glow dissipated, revealing Xiao Se's figure.
"Following me all the way here? Come out," he said coldly.
As his voice fell, a cloud of black mist appeared in midair ahead. The mist swirled and condensed into a human shape.
Who else could it be but Ling Ying—the man who secretly protected Xun'er?
"Sharp senses, kid," Ling Ying said, crossing his arms arrogantly.
"You again?" Xiao Se replied indifferently. "What, do you still think I'm that small Dou Shi from back then?"
"Why don't we test it?" Ling Ying narrowed his eyes. "After all, you made my young miss cry."
"So we're fighting?" Xiao Se's voice turned cool. "Fine. I've wanted to deal with you for a long time. Even back in the Xiao Clan, I couldn't stand you."
With a flick of his wrist, the Demonic Sword appeared in his grasp.
A gust of wind passed. His bangs drifted lightly over his forehead. His expression sharpened. Without warning, Dou Qi surged explosively from his body. Forty percent sword intent flooded into the blade. His wings flared, and in a flash, he shot forward, arriving before Ling Ying in the blink of an eye. His sword descended in a fierce vertical slash.
"So fast! That speed is already on par with peak Dou Huang… Is it because of that strange flying Dou Technique?" Ling Ying was startled.
He raised both curved blades to block.
Clang!
Steel met steel in a piercing clash that grated on the ears. Sparks flew as blade and sword collided repeatedly. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air. Under the force of the exchange, both figures were thrown backward—Xiao Se retreated twenty steps; Ling Ying thirty—before finally stabilizing themselves.
After being tempered by Dragon Blood Grass, strengthened by two divine soul bones, the Evil God Wings and Evil God Hook external soul bones, and six powerful soul rings, Xiao Se's physique was already comparable to a sixth-tier magical beast.
From the very first exchange, Ling Ying had suffered a small but undeniable loss.
High above the mountains, the wind howled, tension crackling in the air like lightning waiting to strike again.
(End of Chapter)
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