"What? Why are you talking with such a stutter?"
"I! Hmph. Never mind." Zi Yan stamped her foot in frustration. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't bring herself to say them. As soon as Xu Ran opened his mouth, that charming atmosphere vanished.
"I really don't know what Xun Er and the others see in you. You're completely like a block of wood, you don't understand anything at all!!!" Zi Yan strode off angrily, walking fast as if to shake off Xu Ran.
Ever since she'd met Xu Ran, she'd found it increasingly difficult to stay calm. Her prideful and somewhat tsundere personality was even more pronounced in Xu Ran's presence.
Especially when it came to her own feelings—unspoken and restrained—her inability to express them to Xu Ran was infuriating.
She had never felt this way before, feeling angry yet not knowing at whom. It seemed Xu Ran hadn't really done anything, but she couldn't help blaming him!
"All right, all right, you like me, don't you? I get it. For someone as outstanding as me, it's perfectly normal for you to fall for me. Who can resist my charm and strength? The only Dou Di on the continent, there must be countless women dreaming of getting into my bed..."
"Who likes you? You narcissist!"
"And thinking that other girls would line up for your bed, no chance!"
Zi Yan glared at Xu Ran fiercely.
However, she soon realized what Xu Ran had said could very well be true. Even though Xu Ran was boasting, she was the only one aware of his true strength. Dou Di—just those two words would be enough to send the entire Continent into a frenzy.
Just yesterday, Zhukun had told her.
The Ancient Emperor's Cave House they visited yesterday had been contested by countless forces for many years, and Zhukun was the first to enter, only to end up trapped there.
Just one cave house had driven countless powerful beings mad.
And Xu Ran, a true Dou Di…!!!
She feared as soon as the news was released, the mighty ones from the Soul Hall would come begging for forgiveness, and the other Ancient Families would flock to them.
And Zhukun had also instructed her not to reveal Xu Ran's Dou Di identity for the time being. Only their Taixu Ancient Dragon Tribe knew of Xu Ran's identity, and it was time to take the opportunity to nurture good relations. If other forces found out, soon there would be many around Xu Ran, and the interests of the Ancient Dragon Tribe would inevitably be affected.
Zhukun even hoped she would stay by Xu Ran's side, serving him and, if necessary, giving herself to him.
Although it was a blunt proposition, if she was truly intimate with a Dou Di, why would she worry about cultivation anymore?
"But I'm not by Xu Ran's side just for any benefits," she thought. Even if Xu Ran wasn't a Dou Di, after going through so much together, Zi Yan's feelings for him had deeply rooted themselves in her heart.
Xu Ran and Zi Yan played around in the Inner Court, their closeness causing the surrounding inner court disciples to stop in their tracks.
Not to mention, Xu Ran and Zi Yan's looks were simply too eye-catching.
Although Zi Yan still looked like a little girl, her youthful appearance and figure were quite sought after. Especially because Zi Yan could still grow a bit taller, there was a hint of "loli" appeal to her.
Fortunately, others didn't know that Zi Yan could maintain the physique of a young girl, or else the contrast in her transformation would have been even more tempting.
"Hey, I'm saying, you're not all that impressive in the Inner Court, huh. Seems like there aren't many people who recognize you," Xu Ran said, knocking on Zi Yan's head a bit too hard.
"Hmph. I, Zi Yan, am the top of the strength ranking in the Inner Court!"
"Almost everyone in the Inner Court knows my name. You just have to look at the strength ranking to see who I am. But I hardly show my face in the Inner Court. Those team missions in the academy seem too childish in my eyes. I can complete those missions by myself without needing any dead weight. Moreover, I don't even care for the rewards from those missions. The quality of the medicinal materials I secretly obtain from the medicinal herb store is much higher," Zi Yan said with fervor, then quickly covered her mouth realizing she might have let something slip.
She still cared a lot about the image she had in Xu Ran's mind. She utterly despised the black history of her past.
"Don't cover your mouth, I heard everything," Xu Ran said with irritation. Zi Yan might have been maintaining a "ladylike" demeanor around him for now, but old habits die hard. Xu Ran reckoned it wouldn't take a week before she reverted back to the capricious Inner Court witch she was.
Hu Jia was unruly in the Outer Court, but Zi Yan was unmatched in the Inner Court.
These two were truly the nightmares of Canaan Academy's students.
Especially the geniuses like Lin Xiuya, they felt deeply frustrated in front of Zi Yan.
But in the future, let alone Xu Ran, they would all have to learn how to behave themselves. The top five of the Inner Court, I'm afraid, would be...
"Heehee. It's not like no one in the Inner Court recognizes me. But those who do, their strength is at least at the Dou Spirit level, and they all have some fame in the Inner Court. Nobodies don't have the right to make my acquaintance." When it came to her status in the Inner Court, Zi Yan suddenly opened up. These days she had been tormented by Xu Ran, and now that it was her turn to brag, Zi Yan naturally wasn't going to let it go. Although she was far behind compared to Xu Ran, if you compared her to the other students of Canaan Academy, she was much superior.
"This is..."
Xu Ran and Zi Yan walked off into the distance, drawing some attention but causing no commotion.
However, the gaze of a young woman in a silver gown remained fixed on Xu Ran and Zi Yan and did not shift. The woman was tall, and although her cheeks were slightly gaunt, she had an exceptionally beautiful face, with fair skin like snow and features like a painting. The most surprising thing was that the woman had waist-length silver hair, a rare sight. The silver hair, matched with her silver gown, gave her an aloof and cold aura, making her seem approachable only from a distance and not to be trifled with.
Although Zi Yan was the number one on the strong list, the title of the number one beauty of the Inner Court was universally acknowledged as Senior Han Yue.
It's true that Zi Yan's beauty wasn't inferior to Han Yue's and was even deeper due to her noble and mysterious bloodline. But Zi Yan made few appearances in the Inner Court, and not many knew her. This extremely popular number one beauty of the Inner Court naturally had nothing to do with Zi Yan. Moreover, Zi Yan's current physique was too youthful. Although many harbored that kind of preference deep down, it was something one could only enjoy in secret; it would be too embarrassing to speak out. Who would dare to blatantly proclaim themselves a loli-con? That'd be social suicide, wouldn't it?