While she was immersed in her thoughts, suddenly Xiao Yi Xian's eyes widened in shock as she saw the blurry shadow in the mist walking towards her. She rubbed her eyes to confirm whether it was an illusion or not.
As the blurry figure got closer, she realized that it was not her illusion and joy appeared on her thin face. She figured who else could it be apart from Xiao Ning, who had been missing for a month.
A bright light flashed in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes, and she could barely hide her excitement. She was not worried that it might be someone else as they were the only ones present in the valley.
As his figure became visible, she stood up, rushed towards Xiao Ning, and hugged him tightly.
Xiao Ning, who had no idea that it took him a month to refine the trace of 'Bone Chilling Flame' and advance to Dou Grandmaster realm, had a touch of surprise and joy on his face as he felt Xi Yian's soft body embracing him.
Before he could speak, he felt her body shaking and heard soft whimpering. Xiao Ning was taken aback by this sudden change; he tightened his grip, and with his other hand, he softly patted her back.
In an instant, he connected the dots and understood the reason behind her current condition and couldn't help but blame himself. Xiao Ning softly whispered in her ear, "Xi Yian, I am back; everything is fine."
"Un," Xiao Xi Yian replied in a low voice; after feeling Xiao Ning's breath, her ears became hot, and her face became red. A sweet smile bloomed on her face as she buried her face on his chest.
All of the sorrow and pain in her heart washed away after she listened to his heartbeat.
Xiao Xi Yian's whole life had been full of traps and obstacles; a single mistake would have costed her life, and only by remaining vigilant at all times did she survive till present.
One can only imagine the struggles the little girl had to face alone to arrive at the present step, but after meeting Xiao Ning, everything changed. In Xiao Ning's arms, Xi Yian gained a sense of security.
Soon, Xi Yian's body stopped trembling, her breath became even, and she slept in his embrace.
After seeing this, various emotions surged within him, and Xiao Ning's eyes showed rare tenderness. He gently picked her, left the area, and walked towards the straw hut.
Xiao Ning entered the small hut; he glanced around and shook his head after looking at the messy surroundings. He gently placed Xi Yian on her bed.
Guilt arose in his heart after looking at her present state, and the next instant green-gold colored Dou Qi covered Xiao Ning's hands. He slowly started massaging her limbs, and at the same time, strands of Dou Qi passed through his hands and entered Xi Yian's body.
Xiao Ning's tyrannical Dou Qi became extremely gentle and slowly revolved in her Qi Pathways. Under his constant efforts, Xiao Xi Yian's body became warm, and a sweet smile appeared on her lovely face.
After seeing this, Xiao Ning looked satisfied; he picked the quilt and gently covered her with it. He stayed in his place and looked at her for a while before quietly stepping out of her room.
Xiao Ning exhaled deeply and calmed his surging emotions, 'everything in its time,' he thought to himself and walked towards his room. There were many things that demanded his attention. Moreover, he also needed time to adapt to his current strength to fight effectively.
'Growl!' His stomach made a sound. Xiao Ning tossed all the thoughts to the back of his mind and decided to eat something first.
He looked stunned after entering the room; unlike his imagination, the room was neat and tidy. Xiao Ning's nose twitched as he detected a familiar fragrance and a figure flashed in his mind.
'No way,' he thought to himself, but after feeling the slight warmth on his bed, Xiao Ning was sure that Xi Yian slept in his room, and he felt more guilty. He decided to make it up to her in the future.
Soon, Xiao Ning sat with a sumptuous meal in front of him and began eating; his hands quickly swept through the table and stuffed himself.
Over the last month, Xiao Ning always maintained his peak state and felt his head throbbing. He smiled wryly and scolded himself for being anxious. After eating, Xiao Ning laid on his bed and dozed off.
...
'The next morning.'
As the sun rose high in the sky, Xiao Ning slowly woke up and jumped off the bed. He lazily stretched; a bright light flashed in his eyes, and Xiao Ning never felt so refreshed before.
'Surely, timely rest is also required; training blindly won't benefit; instead, it might harm the body,' Xiao Ning thought to himself.
He prepared a wooden tub filled with freshwater; quickly freshened up, and changed into a new set of clothes. Soon, he stepped out of the room and walked towards Xiao Xi Yian's place.
Xiao Ning silently entered her room, and after looking at her for a few seconds, he quietly left without waking her. Xiao Xi Yian's body was more drained than he imagined.
Even after massaging her body with his Dou Qi, Xi Yian slept soundly and did not show any signs of waking up.
Xiao Ning blamed himself for being too arrogant, and at the same time, murderous intent grew in his heart. Fortunately, everything went well; otherwise, even a small mistake would have been fatal. He decided to let Yao Lao know the consequences of his actions.
The next moment, his expressions eased, and he contained his killing intent. Xiao Ning randomly found a stone and sat cross-legged on top of it.
He closed his eyes and began to feel the changes within his body. Xiao Ning felt shocked after seeing a unique black-gold colored Qi Pathway, different from the rest.
Xiao Ning could sense a wild but ancient aura from it. 'How did this happen?' He asked in his heart.