Night fell.
The stars twinkled in the vast sky, and a bright moon hung high, casting a hazy veil over the land.
On the rooftop of Xiao Bai's small courtyard, a pair of figures sat closely together. The man was handsome, the woman charming.
"Little Mistress, how was my performance?"
The small golden dragon stood upright in the air, a smug grin on its face.
"Hehe… Brother Xiao Bai, where did you find this little troublemaker?"
Xun'er leaned against Xiao Bai's shoulder, her delicate face blooming with laughter as she looked at the small golden dragon and asked in a sweet voice.
Staring at the little dragon, Xiao Bai felt a bit puzzled. This guy was acting different today. Normally, it would open its mouth just to provoke others, yet in front of Xun'er, it was surprisingly friendly.
Hearing Xun'er's question, Xiao Bai briefly explained the origins of the small golden dragon.
"Golden lightning?"
Xun'er tapped her lower lip with her slender finger, deep in thought for a moment before shaking her head. She had no idea what was going on with this little creature either.
"Hehe… Little Mistress, could you spare a little 'gold' for me to taste?"
The small golden dragon grinned fawningly. It had long sensed an immense and unique energy within Xun'er—one that made it drool with desire.
"A taste?"
Xun'er was puzzled. She didn't understand what the little golden dragon was referring to.
"That fiery, scorching thing!"
The small golden dragon quickly explained.
"Oh! You mean this?"
A golden light flickered in Xun'er's eyes as she instantly understood what it was referring to.
"Scram!"
Xiao Bai's cold shout rang out as he waved his sleeve, sending the little dragon flying to the side. So this was why the little guy had suddenly changed its attitude—it was after Xun'er's Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame!
Then, looking down at Xun'er, who seemed a little hesitant, he firmly declared, "You are not allowed to give it to him!"
"Alright!"
Seeing the anger in his eyes, Xun'er's heart was filled with warmth. Her eyes curved into crescent moons as she obediently nodded.
Only then did Xiao Bai breathe a sigh of relief. He glanced at the bewildered small golden dragon, his expression softening as he said, "She can't use that energy right now."
Xun'er hadn't even broken through to Dou Zhe yet. If she tried to wield it now, she would have to endure the searing pain of being burned by a Heavenly Flame once again.
Although Xun'er didn't know that he was aware of her possessing the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, she had once told him when they were young that this pain would persist until she advanced to Dou Zhe and cultivated a compatible technique.
Xiao Bai didn't want Xun'er to force herself to endure that torment just because of him.
After a moment of thought, Xiao Bai summoned Xiao Yi. A flash of blue light appeared within the room below, and he waved his hand. "Go play with her."
Only then did the small golden dragon happily scurry off to find Xiao Yi.
"Brother Xiao Bai, this is the first time you've ever gotten angry at me," Xun'er teased with a playful smile.
"Sorry." Xiao Bai awkwardly rubbed his nose. He had been too anxious just now and hadn't paid much attention to his tone.
Xun'er shook her head and didn't continue teasing him. Instead, she reached out her small hand and gently traced the silver markings on his forehead, speaking with a hint of curiosity.
"Brother Xiao Bai, can you tell me about this?"
From the moment she saw him today, she had been curious about these markings. A year ago, he suddenly started wearing a headband, likely to cover this very thing.
In the Dou Qi Continent, markings on one's forehead were rare unless they were intentionally tattooed.
She understood Xiao Bai's personality. He wasn't the type to engrave something like this on himself for no reason.
"I don't know what it is either. It just suddenly appeared after I cultivated a technique."
Xiao Bai sighed in frustration.
He had even asked Yao Lao about it, but perhaps because Yao Lao's bloodline concentration wasn't high enough, he had an aversion to such things and didn't know much about it.
He never told Xiao Bai about the Dou Di Clans, only mentioning that he had seen people with similar markings before—but their designs were different.
Moreover, those markings carried a faint trace of bloodline power when carefully examined. But Xiao Bai's… had none.
Since Yao Lao didn't know and had confirmed that it wasn't a bloodline mark of the Ancient Eight Clans, Xiao Bai stopped trying to hide it. There was no need. His original intent in covering it was simply to avoid Xun'er misunderstanding.
"A technique, huh?"
Xun'er furrowed her delicate brows. She didn't recognize the marking. If it belonged to the Ancient Eight Clans, there would be records of it in the Gu Clan's archives.
But this didn't belong to any of the Ancient Eight Clans.
Previously, she had even entertained the thought that Xiao Bai might have a Dou Di bloodline awakening, which had given her a fleeting sense of joy.
She knew that Xiao Bai's inheritance wasn't simple, but she had no idea what heights he could reach in the future. If he had the support of a Dou Di Clan's bloodline, his path forward would be much smoother.
But now, it seemed… that wasn't the case.
"What's wrong? Xun'er is interested in this?" Xiao Bai looked at Xun'er with a hint of expectation. At this point, the only one who could help him understand this, besides Yao Lao, was the girl in front of him.
"Xun'er knows a bit about certain marks, but not this kind, Brother Xiao Bai!" Xun'er shook her head.
She had already sensed it earlier, and this mark didn't show any unusual signs. It wasn't the type of bloodline mark from a Dou Di lineage.
A flicker of disappointment passed through Xiao Bai's eyes. He had hoped that Xun'er might be able to help him understand, but…
However, it wasn't all for nothing. He had at least eliminated one possibility: this symbol wasn't something that came with him. It must have been brought about by the cultivation technique.
As for what it truly did, he would find out in time. There was no need to rush.
"But... Brother Xiao Bai, with this symbol, you look even more imposing!" The little girl cupped his face in her hands, examining him back and forth, and then said with a playful smile.
"Mischievous!" Xiao Bai lightly scratched her little nose, smiling affectionately.
"Hmph!" Xun'er scrunched her little nose and let out a soft humph.
"Brother Xiao Bai, tell me about the things you've seen on this journey! I'm really curious!" Xun'er suddenly spoke up.
A strange glint flickered in Xiao Bai's eyes as he sighed inwardly. *Here it comes...*
"What's wrong, Brother Xiao Bai, Are you hesitating?" Xun'er looked at him puzzled, her eyes full of confusion.
"No!" Xiao Bai quickly shook his head, then began telling her about the journey, leaving nothing out. The only thing he modified was the part about Medusa.
"Sigh..." Xun'er sighed lightly, causing Xiao Bai's body to stiffen for a moment.
Xun'er, seemingly unaware, gently spoke: "Brother Xiao Bai, promise me that you won't do anything so dangerous like attracting lightning again, okay?"
"You don't know… I'm really scared, so scared..." As she said this, Xun'er's voice faltered, and her eyes reddened.
"Okay, I promise you!" Xiao Bai gently embraced her, quickly replying.
Xun'er quietly leaned into his arms, no longer speaking, her gaze fixed on the bright moon in the sky.
She had originally wanted to scold him, to not speak to him for several days, but when she thought about the news from her clan that had arrived a few days ago, she fell silent.
Her clan had already sent word that she should return once she broke through to Dou Zhe, but she didn't want to leave.
She had always thought that she would stay with him like when they were children, never apart.
But now, thinking about leaving him, leaving him alone, especially remembering the words he said at the gate before, she couldn't bring herself to feel any resentment.
An unknown amount of time passed.
A muffled grunt sounded from the rooftop. Xiao Bai gritted his teeth and endured, not resisting in the slightest. He even relaxed the muscles around his neck to avoid accidentally hurting her.
*This bite definitely wasn't holding back!*
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