Xiao Bai, coming back to his senses, gazed at Xun'er and gently touched her cheek, his eyes filled with endless tenderness and affection. Seeing her slightly surprised expression, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Xiao Xun'er looked at him, a bit puzzled at first, but as she listened to his laughter, she seemed to notice a change in him.
All this time, her Xiao Bai-gege had always carried a sense of solitude, as if he didn't quite belong in this world. Though he appeared warm and refined on the surface, treating everyone in the Xiao Clan with courtesy, his gaze was like that of a deity looking down upon mortals—detached and indifferent.
Aside from being slightly more affectionate toward her, he never truly opened his heart to anyone in the Xiao Clan.
Xun'er was familiar with such a gaze—she treated the Xiao Clan the same way. But she had a reason. She was a member of the Ancient Gu Clan, their esteemed Young Miss. One day, she would have to leave the Xiao Clan and return to her true home.
But Xiao Bai was different. He had grown up in the Xiao Clan, with a clear and ordinary background. So why did he carry this sense of otherworldly detachment, as if he existed apart from everything?
She didn't know.
It left her confused, worried, and even a little heartbroken. She had always wanted to pull Xiao Bai out of that state—at least when he was with her, she didn't want him to feel alone. She wanted to tell him:
"As long as I'm here, Xiao Bai-gege will never be lonely!"
Yet, for some reason, he had now broken free from that solitude on his own. This both surprised and delighted her.
Xiao Bai slowly reached out, wrapping his arms around her slender waist, gently pulling her into his embrace. His actions were soft and intimate. As he leaned closer to her fair ear, he whispered, "Thank you, Xun'er."
Xiao Xun'er instinctively wanted to struggle, her girlish modesty making her resist the sudden closeness. But the moment she heard his words, she stopped. A sense of helplessness filled her heart, and she could only murmur, "Xiao Bai… gege…"
Feeling the slight tremble in the girl's delicate frame, Xiao Bai gently let go.
As soon as she felt his hands withdraw from her waist, Xun'er looked up, and their eyes met. In an instant, a rosy blush spread across her exquisite face, and her gaze instinctively tried to flee.
Xiao Bai's eyes carried a hint of amusement as he cupped her small face in both hands, locking her gaze onto his.
"Xiao Bai-gege!" A trace of playful reproach flickered in Xun'er's eyes.
But Xiao Bai remained unmoved. Instead, the laughter in his gaze softened into something more serious. He spoke in a gentle yet resolute voice: "In this life, I will cherish you and walk hand in hand with you."
His warm and steadfast voice echoed in Xun'er's ears, and for a moment, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
She stared at Xiao Bai, dazed, her beautiful eyes shimmering with countless tiny stars. The warmth in them deepened, and her lips unconsciously curved into a smile. A hidden string in her heart had been plucked—hard.
She had thought he was simply teasing her, only to hear such a profound declaration instead.
"Xiao Bai… ge… ge…" she whispered, her voice as soft and lingering as if carried from the heavens, filled with endless affection.
Their gazes intertwined like two streams merging—gentle and clear.
Xiao Bai was the first to regain his senses. If they continued like this, Ling Ying might just jump out at any moment. He let her go.
"Let's go home."
Only then did Xiao Xun'er realize they were still on the bustling street. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red as she grabbed Xiao Bai's sleeve and quickly pulled him toward the Xiao Clan's estate.
Xiao Bai let her drag him along, watching her shy reaction with amusement. He couldn't resist teasing her:
"Heh, what's there to be embarrassed about? Look at me—I'm not blushing at all."
Hearing this, Xun'er turned and shot him a glare, her delicate face tinged with both shyness and reproach. Her flustered yet charming expression almost made Xiao Bai lose control.
It wasn't his fault—this world's Dou Qi cultivation was simply too good at nourishing the body. This girl might only be thirteen, but from the perspective of his past life, she looked every bit like a sixteen-year-old maiden.
"Sinful, sinful!"
Dating was fine, but anything beyond that was out of the question!
Not to mention, even if age weren't a concern, he couldn't touch her before she became a Dou Saint.
After all… she carried the Dou Di Bloodline of the Gu Clan!
Among the Eight Ancient Clans, their members were classified into ten tiers based on the purity of their inherited Dou Di bloodline—first tier being the lowest, tenth tier being the highest.
The bloodline reaching the tenth tier is called the Divine Bloodline. This bloodline is nearly identical to the bloodline concentration of a Dou Di. Even within the most prominent of the Eight Ancient Clans, the Gu Clan, hasn't seen such a bloodline emerge for nearly a thousand years.
A Divine Bloodline guarantees that, as long as the bloodline remains untainted and undiluted before reaching Dou Saint, the individual will at least become a high-level Dou Saint in the future.
Among the remaining Ancient Clans, the Dou Di bloodline has gradually thinned, and they are all eager to have more members with high bloodline concentrations in their families, ensuring their strength and the continuation of the Dou Di family legacy.
The Hun Clan, in particular, has taken drastic measures to ensure the continuation of their bloodline, using the Nihility Devouring Flame to target and eliminate other Dou Di families.
If Xiao Bai dared to act against Xun'er now, her future father-in-law, Gu Yuan, would undoubtedly take up a blade and kill him.
It had taken the clan over a thousand years to produce a Divine Bloodline, and it was his daughter. This brat would not get away with ruining it.
Whether as a clan leader or a father, Gu Yuan would crush him into dust.
Even if Xun'er begged him to spare Xiao Bai, the other members of the Gu Clan would find a way to eliminate him.
Thinking of that scene, Xiao Bai couldn't help but shiver. The slight restlessness in his heart immediately settled, and his mind became calm like still water.
Xiao Xun'er continued pulling Xiao Bai back to the Xiao Clan, arriving at the entrance of Xiao Bai's courtyard.
She gazed at Xiao Bai tenderly for a moment, noticing his slightly weary expression, and said softly:
"Xiao Bai-gege, you should rest well today. I'll come find you tomorrow!" With that, she turned and quickly walked away.
Xiao Bai watched her retreating figure. From her walking posture, he could tell that this girl was in an exceptionally good mood.
He smiled and turned to enter the house, feeling like he couldn't keep his eyes open. He longed to get some good rest.
---
In a brightly lit hall in Wu Tan City, the high-ranking members of the Jia Lie family gathered. After listening to Master Wang recount the events of that day, the Great Elder Jia Lie En, filled with anger, slammed the table and shouted: "That boy dares to look down on our Jia Lie family?"
"Wasn't that boy Xiao Bai supposed to be stuck at the ninth level of Dou Zhi Qi and unable to advance? How is it that he was able to defeat a three-star Dou Master now?" asked the Fourth Elder.
"Probably a smokescreen by the Xiao family to confuse the forces in Wu Tan City and protect their own genius. But young people are impulsive, and he finally revealed his hand," said the Third Elder with a wise expression.
After listening, the Great Elder calmed down and said with a cold smile:
"I didn't expect the Xiao family to be so reserved. Could it be that Xiao Yan is the same?"
"Clan leader, if that's really the case, our Jia Lie family must prepare soon, otherwise, if the Xiao family grows stronger, we will have no place in Wu Tan City."
Sitting at the head, Jia Lie Bi listened, and his eyes showed a flash of dark concern, not only because his nephew had been beaten and his legs broken, but also because the words of the clan elders reflected his own worries.
Among the three great families of Wu Tan City, the Jia Lie family is the weakest. On one hand, due to issues with cultivation techniques, the Xiao and Ao Ba families have Intermediate-level Xuan Class techniques, while the Jia Lie family only has Low-level Xuan Class techniques.
Moreover, the other two families have connections with the three great families of the empire. It is said that the Xiao family is related to the Nalan family, and the Ao Ba family has always been very close to the mayor's residence, and the mayor comes from the Miteer family, one of the three great families.
If the Xiao family is really as suspected, with two geniuses who have not had problems, but have been used to confuse everyone, how will the Jia Lie family be able to maintain its position in Wu Tan City in the future?
But Jia Lie Bi still had some doubts. If the two from the Xiao family had no problems, wouldn't it be better to send them to the Jia Nan Academy or the Yunlan Sect? Why hide them in Wu Tan City?
He thought for a while, but couldn't understand, and finally shook his head and sighed.
"Ten years, Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi, how come the Jia Lie family doesn't have one? The Xiao family is really lucky, suddenly having two."A hint of jealousy rose in Jia Lie Bi's heart, followed by a sinister thought.