"Miss, are you alright?" Ling Ying frowned. This was the first time he had ever seen Xun Er cry. Even when the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame erupted, Xun Er had never shed tears.
"It's nothing, I just accidentally broke the cup," Xun Er shook her head absentmindedly.
"Miss, it seems like you were crying," Ling Ying hesitated to remind her.
"Crying?" Xun Er wiped her eyes, seeing the tears on her fingers. She lowered her head and fell silent. When she heard Xiao Se's name, she realized she had indeed shed tears.
Taking a deep breath, Xun Er spoke with a choked voice, "It's nothing, just the wind blowing into my eyes."
"Miss, Young Master Xiao Se seems to be heading to meet Xiao Yu soon, and he'll be passing by outside. Would you... like to see him?"
Noticing that Xun Er shed tears after hearing Xiao Se's name, for the first time, Ling Ying didn't refer to Xiao Se as "that boy" or "Xiao Se," but instead called him "Young Master Xiao Se."
Clearly, Xun Er's reaction was one of longing after hearing of Xiao Se's return. Though Ling Ying didn't quite understand why Xun Er would miss Xiao Se.
Hearing this, Xun Er froze for a moment and was about to walk outside, but she soon sat back down.
What was the point of going?
Xiao Se didn't care for her. She had noticed this the last time they met at the clan gathering.
But why did hearing Xiao Se's name make her cry? Was it just because of a silly childhood song?
Was it just because hearing his name triggered tears?
"Miss, you..." Ling Ying couldn't help but speak as he saw Xun Er looking pale, her mind heavy with thoughts.
"It's nothing, Ling Ying, you may leave. I need some time to think," Xun Er walked to the edge of the pavilion, her back facing Ling Ying, and spoke softly.
Ling Ying nodded slightly, bowed, and with a wave of his hand, collected the broken pieces of the jade cup from the ground. His figure slowly dissipated into the shadows.
Once Ling Ying had left, Xun Er gazed into the distant sky and murmured, "What exactly happened between the ages of four and six? Why are my memories from that time so blurry..."
(PS: Just to clarify, there won't be any plotline where the protagonist travels through time to stop Xiao Yan's misdeeds, only to deliberately erase Xun Er's memories to avoid changing history and ending up helping Xiao Yan.)
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Elsewhere, as Xiao Se passed by Xun Er's courtyard, Long Kui warned him that she had sensed Ling Ying again. Xiao Se resisted the urge to have Medusa attack him and hurried toward Xiao Yu's residence.
He opened the courtyard door and, familiar with the place, walked to Xiao Yu's room and knocked lightly. The response was an angry shout from inside, "Xiao Ning, if you knock one more time, I'll castrate you!"
"Uh..." Xiao Se twitched his mouth, a few dark lines appearing on his face.
"Brother, is this the childhood sweetheart you told us about, Xiao Yu? She's quite the fiery girl!" Long Kui's amused voice echoed in Xiao Se's mind, clearly enjoying the situation.
Xiao Se's mouth twitched again. He replied, "Long Kui, you're getting cheeky. Be careful, or I'll spank you later."
"Uhh..." Long Kui's face flushed with embarrassment, and she fell silent.
"Xiao Yu, it's me," Xiao Se knocked again.
Counting down in his mind: five, four, three...
Just as he reached one, the door creaked open, and a gust of fragrant wind blew in. The next moment, a graceful figure threw herself into Xiao Se's arms.
"You little rascal, you pervert! How could you run off all by yourself? If you had died, what would I have done...?" Xiao Yu sobbed, tightly wrapping her arms around Xiao Se's neck and wrapping her long, shapely legs around his waist, pressing her body against him.
"Uh... this is some heavy affection."
Feeling the softness in his arms and the faint fragrance of the girl, Xiao Se blushed slightly and whispered, "Um, Xiao Yu, maybe we should talk inside? You're a grown woman, and if someone walks in and sees this, it might not look good."
"I don't care! If you disappear like that again without telling me, I won't let you off," Xiao Yu held on even tighter as she spoke.
"Alright then!" Xiao Se smiled, shook his head, and carried Xiao Yu into the room. Seeing the chairs and tables that Xiao Yu had knocked over in her frustration, he had no choice but to place her on the bed.
"Wait, does he plan to..." Xiao Yu's mind raced with embarrassing thoughts, her face turning even redder. The moment Xiao Se placed her on the bed, she quickly let go of him, curled up under the blanket, and shouted shyly, "You pervert! You said we'd wait a few more years!"
"Oh, come on," Xiao Se rolled his eyes. As much as he might have desired her, he wouldn't act on it with Long Kui and Medusa watching. He explained, "What are you thinking? You messed up the chairs and tables, so I couldn't just leave you on the floor."
"..."
Xiao Yu was mortified!
After this little episode, the frustration Xiao Yu had felt worrying about Xiao Se seemed to vanish, and for a moment, it was as if the two had returned to their carefree childhood, their feelings pure and simple.
"Little pervert, you've been gone for a year, and now you've grown taller than me! Come on, be honest, what have you been doing all this time?" Xiao Yu lay on the bed as casually as she would in Xiao Se's room, with no reservations, resting her hands behind her head.
Xiao Se chuckled and shook his head. "Nothing much, really. First, I went to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, then the Tager Desert, and then wandered around a bit before coming back."
Hearing this, Xiao Yu frowned, reached out to pinch his waist, and scolded, "Don't joke around... I want the truth!"
"Alright then, I actually met a master who saw that I had great potential for martial arts and alchemy, so he took me as his apprentice. I spent the year training with him," Xiao Se replied casually.
Xiao Yu's eyes lit up. "So, you're an alchemist now?"
"Uh, more or less." Xiao Se couldn't help but feel that sometimes lies were easier to believe than the truth. He took out a jade box and a scroll and said, "Here, I figured you were close to breaking through to the ninth stage of Dou Disciple, so I asked my master to prepare this Qi Gathering Powder for you. I also got you a technique. Once you break through, see if it suits your attributes. If not, let me know, and I'll find a replacement."
The Qi Gathering Powder was something Xiao Se had crafted during his return journey, experimenting with four-grade pills with the help of the Green Lotus Core Flame. Despite several failures, he had eventually succeeded.
The technique was one of the three featured items he had purchased at the Miter Auction House. Since it was a high-level black tier technique and matched Xiao Yu's Dou Qi attribute, he bought it for her as a temporary measure.
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