**Chapter 281: Are You Afraid That We Will Bully Your New Love?**
Xiao Jietian reached out and gently stroked Han Yue's soft, silvery long hair.
"Yue'er, have you encountered any problems with your cultivation recently?"
"No, and my sisters usually guide me very patiently."
Han Yue replied with a genuine, radiant smile, her emotions plain on her face.
Now, not only had her strength improved by leaps and bounds, but her entire fate had been rewritten. Everything she possessed today was bestowed upon her by the man standing before her. Her gaze toward Xiao Jietian became even softer and more tender.
"What? Are you afraid we'll bully your new favorite?"
Yun Yun looked at Xiao Jietian with playful eyes when she heard his concerned tone.
"Sister Yun, please don't tease your little sister…"
Han Yue's cheeks instantly flushed red. She buried her face against Xiao Jietian's chest, too shy to lift her head.
"How could I possibly?" Xiao Jietian said helplessly. He reached over and gently pinched Yun Yun's cheek. "With me, there is no such thing as 'new favorite' or 'old love.' You are all my treasures, the darlings of my heart. I treat every one of you equally."
Ever since she became pregnant and gave birth, Yun Yun had shed her former aloof demeanor. She had become noticeably more playful and mischievous.
Could it be that she had picked up bad habits from a certain someone named Medusa?
Medusa (in the distance, probably): *Are you blaming everything on me???*
"Ohhh, Young Master, how cheesy!!"
Qing Lin covered her cheeks and pretended to have a toothache, but her eyes were filled with sweetness.
After chatting and laughing with them for a while longer, Xiao Jietian walked over to where Xiao Zhan and the others were gathered.
The moment Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng saw their father approaching, both little ones immediately stretched out their tiny arms, making eager "hug me" gestures.
Xiao Jietian's face broke into an uncontrollable, foolish grin.
Beaming from ear to ear, he carefully took his two daughters from Xiao Zhan and Xue Lan's arms.
"Look at that—Little Brother Jietian is truly a hopeless 'daughter slave.' His mouth is practically splitting from how wide he's smiling!"
Ya Fei watched Xiao Jietian's expression and immediately teased the other three women, her tone brimming with happiness.
The rest of the women all nodded in strong agreement. They even began imagining what Xiao Jietian would look like in the future whenever his daughters acted coquettishly, and they couldn't help bursting into laughter.
While playing with his two daughters, Xiao Jietian's gaze suddenly landed on the calm and collected Xiao Ding. His eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Big Brother," he said with a grin, "when will you let me hold a little niece?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Xue Lan became so shy that she nearly buried her head in her chest. If there had been a crack in the floor, she would have crawled into it immediately.
Xiao Ding, hearing his little brother's teasing, shot back playfully:
"I'm not in a hurry. Xiao Li Zi and Xiao Yan Zi aren't even married yet."
Xiao Jietian paused.
For some reason, those words sounded strangely familiar—like the sentence had been subtly reversed.
Afterward, the people in the hall continued chatting and laughing, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.
…
Jia Nan Academy, underground magma world.
Xiao Yan, who had been quietly familiarizing himself with the Fallen Heart Flame, suddenly felt an itch in his nose. He rubbed it and muttered under his breath:
"Is someone thinking about me?"
Nalan Yanran, resting her chin on one hand, heard the faint murmur and asked with concern:
"Xiao Yan, what did you say?"
"Nothing, just sighing a little."
Xiao Yan stood up, stretched his body, and rubbed his lower back with a wry smile.
"Beauty truly is a boning knife."
Having tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time, the two of them had been completely unrestrained these past few days. Moreover, Nalan Yanran had far exceeded his expectations—she was nothing like the aloof, cold image she usually projected.
Xiao Yan sighed inwardly.
He felt extremely fortunate that he was an alchemist who cultivated the Burning Technique, and that he had the assistance of Heavenly Flames to constantly strengthen his body.
His thoughts suddenly drifted to his big brother.
*He himself already found one so difficult to handle, yet Tian Ge had five, six, seven, or even eight…*
*Next time, I must definitely go find Tian Ge for advice.*
Xiao Jietian (somewhere far away): *You and I are different. I possess extraordinary talent.*
*(System rewards = my extraordinary talent, right?)*
"You stay here for now and don't wander around. I have something I need to do."
"Hold onto this weapon—don't put it into your storage ring."
Xiao Yan gave Nalan Yanran a simple instruction, then prepared to leap down into the magma world below.
Nalan Yanran immediately moved to his side and hugged him tightly. She didn't ask what it was about; she simply said in a voice full of concern:
"Okay, I'll listen to you. Please be careful. I'll wait for you here."
Xiao Yan turned around, kissed her gently on the forehead, then carefully removed her arms. Emerald-green flames erupted across his body as his Dou Huang aura surged. With one powerful leap, he plunged downward.
"Plop!"
He vanished from Nalan Yanran's sight.
Nalan Yanran gently touched the heavy xuan ruler in her hands, her eyes filled with worry.
Guided by the Fallen Heart Flame, Xiao Yan dove deep into the magma.
He spent roughly twenty minutes submerged, consuming many Qi recovery pills along the way. He had come fully prepared for this descent.
Finally, with the Fallen Heart Flame's assistance, he located the skeleton of Venerable Skyfire—and the infant Fallen Heart Flame resting upon it.
Although Xiao Yan had entered the underground world earlier than in the original timeline, he still encountered the Flame Lizardmen. After a hard fight, he killed around ten of them and harvested many fire-attribute monster cores.
While being pursued by the remaining Lizardmen, he finally dashed into the protective light barrier surrounding the place where Venerable Skyfire had fallen.
The Flame Lizardmen chasing him immediately halted in the distance. They roared furiously at Xiao Yan but didn't dare take even half a step closer.
After roaring angrily for a while, the Lizardmen finally turned and left.
Xiao Yan let out a long breath of relief.
Then his gaze shifted to the infant Fallen Heart Flame hovering above the skeleton. A trace of joy appeared in his heart.
*Finally… I'm about to complete the task Tian Ge gave me.*
He had no intention of absorbing this Heavenly Flame himself.
First, it was still in its infant stage—even if he absorbed it now, it wouldn't provide much benefit.
Second, this flame belonged to Jia Nan Academy. He didn't want Xiao Jietian to break his promise to the Academy. The infant Fallen Heart Flame was exactly what the Academy needed most right now.
His big brother had once warned him seriously: if he failed to retrieve this Heavenly Flame, he would have to become the core "output tool" for a man-made Heavenly Flame Training Pagoda.
The mere thought of that terrifying scenario made Xiao Yan shiver.
He slowly stepped forward, palm slightly curved, ready to capture the infant Fallen Heart Flame.
Just at that moment—
A dazzling burst of white light suddenly erupted from within the skeleton!
Xiao Yan rapidly retreated.
Under his vigilant gaze, the white light slowly wriggled and coalesced, eventually transforming into a blurry, ancient figure.
The figure wore snow-white robes, had snow-white hair and beard, an aged yet dignified face, and calm eyes that flickered with faint brilliance.
This was none other than Venerable Skyfire—the Dou Zun expert who had once served as Xiao Yan's protector in the middle stages of the original story.
Xiao Yan immediately felt an overwhelming oppressive force emanating from the figure—far stronger than even Old Shui's aura.
Venerable Skyfire deliberately released a wave of power, casually manipulating the Fallen Heart Flame that Xiao Yan had already absorbed earlier.
After a brief display, the two formally introduced themselves and exchanged a few words.
When Xiao Yan learned that the other party had once been a genuine Dou Zun, his heart pounded fiercely.
After the introductions, the two began their negotiations.