In the dead of night, the moon hung high above the branches.
As the night deepened, the lights in Dorm Seven were already out.
Inside Dorm Seven, some were fast asleep, some were sitting cross-legged in meditation cultivating, while others lay awake, their eyes open, acting sneakily.
In the darkness…
A pair of large pink eyes shimmered faintly.
Xiao Wu was quietly slipping out from her own blanket and moving toward her destination.
Carefully, she gently lifted the edge of Ye Qiu's quilt. First, she tested the water by slipping in her delicate feet, making sure not to touch Ye Qiu at all. Then her legs, hips, waist, and finally her upper body entered.
"Huu~"
Now fully transferred into Ye Qiu's bed, Xiao Wu lay flat. Before she could even catch her breath, Ye Qiu suddenly turned over and half of his body pressed down on her, their faces now touching.
Xiao Wu froze on the spot, her breath caught. Her face turned red as a tomato. Feeling Ye Qiu's breath so close, her heartbeat sped up wildly. She felt both nervous and… expectant.
Ye Qiu, seemingly dreaming of something, showed no restraint. He randomly tugged around a bit, then hugged her tightly like a human pillow. His legs clamped over hers like a koala, and he buried his face into her neck, lightly sniffing the sweet scent, scratching the itch in Xiao Wu's heart without knowing it.
Xiao Wu gritted her teeth hard. Though she felt a little guilty, she didn't dare make a sound or move.
It took a while before Ye Qiu finally settled down, wrapping his arms gently around Xiao Wu's slim waist and falling into deep sleep with his face buried in her chest.
Xiao Wu's face was still flushed, but as she felt how docile Ye Qiu was while in her arms, a maternal smile unconsciously crept across her face. She hugged him back and took in his scent deeply, her heart melting with sweetness like she had swallowed honey.
"Ye Qiu… Sister Xiao Wu really wants… really wants to just keep holding you like this forever…"
---
...
As the night faded, the morning sun rose.
From the horizon, streaks of purple energy appeared, drifting toward Dorm Seven.
"Ah~woo!"
Ye Qiu let out a long yawn, rubbing his drowsy eyes. Looking at the bunny who dragged him out of bed so early when it was barely light out, he complained, eyes half-shut:
"Hey, why are you pulling me up so early?"
Xiao Wu, her hair messy, kept her head lowered and said nothing. She glanced at Ye Qiu's thigh and blushed so hard her face looked like it was on fire.
Still dazed from waking up, the innocent Xiao Wu had come to intimately realize Ye Qiu's "strength." Overwhelmed with embarrassment, she had used her third soul skill to teleport and escape from Ye Qiu's "embrace."
"Huh?"
Seeing her stay silent, Ye Qiu opened his tired eyes. Only then did he notice her awkward, shifty gaze—sneaking glances at his… ahem… well-endowed presence.
"Ahem…"
Ye Qiu gave a couple of awkward coughs, pulled the quilt over himself to cover up, and asked confusedly, "Alright… what is it? Can you tell me now?"
Xiao Wu raised her hands, which had been nervously fiddling with her clothes. In her palms was a small comb. Looking at Ye Qiu seriously with a bashful and hopeful expression, she asked:
"Ye Qiu, can you help me comb my hair?"
Ye Qiu blinked, then quickly wiped away the little impatience from his face. He smiled and nodded cheerfully: "Sure. As long as you don't mind if my skills aren't very good."
"I won't mind. As long as it's done by you, I'll love it no matter what," Xiao Wu replied with eyes curved like crescent moons, smiling as she handed over the comb.
They sat by the bed.
Ye Qiu got up and carefully helped Xiao Wu comb her hair. Under her guidance, and after a few clumsy tries, he finally managed to tie her signature scorpion braid.
Fifteen minutes later.
Xiao Wu put the comb back into her soul tool. After saying goodbye to Ye Qiu, she walked out of Dorm Seven feeling a bit disappointed.
Ye Qiu hadn't kissed her goodbye like the heroes in the books did before their wives left on a journey.
"Hmph~ Does Sister Xiao Wu really have to make the first move?"
Xiao Wu playfully flicked her scorpion braid. Her face lit up with a sweet smile as she played with the braid Ye Qiu had personally tied, walking happily toward the academy gates.
Ye Qiu was no longer sleepy.
Stretching and watching Xiao Wu leave, he couldn't help praising himself:
"Ah~ looks like my hairstyling skills aren't too bad! Hmm?"
Suddenly, Ye Qiu noticed something odd. He sniffed his shirt, then lifted the quilt to take another sniff.
"Why does this smell like that pervy bunny?"
Raising an eyebrow, Ye Qiu seemed to realize something. He grinned smugly and patted Xiao Wu's now-cold bedding, confirming his suspicion.
He glanced around the dorm.
Besides Tang San's bed being empty, everyone else was still asleep.
Ye Qiu rubbed his chin, eyes gleaming.
With vision like a heat sensor, he peered through layers of obstructions and spotted Tang San meditating on a tree branch.
Sure enough, he was cultivating his Purple Demon Eye.
But Ye Qiu wasn't just interested in Tang San—he was also after his old man, the hammer-wielding rat (Tang Hao). Ye Qiu didn't believe for a second that Tang Hao would ignore his son's growth.
---
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
During this time, Ye Qiu occasionally caught glimpses of Tang Hao. But he never dared to stare too long—strong cultivators had frightening instincts.
Just confirming his presence was enough.
---
Knock knock!
The sun was shining brightly.
Outside Yu Xiaogang's room, someone suddenly knocked.
Sitting at his desk, copying ancient texts and organizing theories, Yu Xiaogang paused his pen and asked suspiciously:
"Who is it?"
Knock knock!
The knocking came again, slow and steady.
Yu Xiaogang frowned. At this hour, his godson should still be in class, right?
So it wasn't Tang San.
Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened. He put away his notes and walked to the door with a stiff face, opening it coldly.
Whoosh—!
The moment the door opened, a gust of foul, drunken black wind swept in.
Bang!
The wind slammed the door shut behind it, followed by a deep, raspy voice:
"Master, we meet again."
At the sound of that voice, Yu Xiaogang instinctively tensed up, his soul power involuntarily spreading across his body, ready to… defend.
Yu Xiaogang slowly turned around.
It was a tall figure in a simple black robe, messy black hair cascading over his shoulders. His weathered face was full of fatigue and age. His murky eyes looked as if he was at the end of his years.
Though he looked worse than a beggar, Yu Xiaogang dared not be careless. He quickly bowed and greeted respectfully:
"Yu Xiaogang greets Your Grace!"
This man was none other than Tang San's father—the Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao!
"Mm."
Tang Hao responded indifferently, turning his back and stating his purpose plainly. He clearly didn't think Yu Xiaogang would—or could—refuse.
With a deep, gravelly voice, he said:
"I'm here to ask you a few things."