...
Time slipped by unnoticed, and before we knew it, it was midnight.
The commotion at the Crown Prince's residence gradually subsided, and the girls all returned to their rooms to rest.
The night breeze was cool. Xuanhao led Na'er to the quiet grass in the backyard.
The two sat on the lawn, embracing each other, and looked up at the starry sky.
"How has Tiandou City fared during the year or so I've been away?" Xuan Hao asked casually, gently stroking Na'er's long silver hair.
Na'er nestled comfortably in his arms and reported softly, "It went smoothly, nothing went wrong."
"Tang San has already been transferred to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy by Xue Qinghe.
He's currently in the Royal Team One, spending all his time with Yu Tianheng and the others practicing team formation.
Oh, and his teammate Oscar was also recruited as a genius support-type Soul Master."
"As for Tang San's other issues, Aunt Yuehua is keeping an eye on things, so nothing has gone wrong. Yu Xiaogang is even quieter.
There hasn't been any news about him for a long time. He's been holed up in what used to be Blue Tyrant Academy.
Oh, it should be called Shrek Academy now.
That place was officially renamed a few months ago."
Xuan Hao nodded; the situation was basically as he had anticipated.
Na'er shifted to a more comfortable position and continued, "Also, as for Sister Yuehua... she actually misses you quite a bit.
Every time I go to Yuexuan, she subtly asks me when you'll finally emerge from your seclusion."
"Sister Erlong is the same. It's just that she's a bit more proud and can't bring herself to do things with us girls all the time."
At this point, Na'er's expression turned somewhat strange, and she couldn't help but chuckle to herself:
"However, Sister Erlong's intuition is quite accurate.
She seems to have noticed that there's something off about the relationship between Sister Yuehua and you.
In the past few months, the two of them have been interacting more in private.
After all, they are close in age and both are mature women, so they probably have a lot in common."
"As for us, things are pretty much the same as before.
Everyone continues their cultivation as usual, and goes out shopping as usual. Nothing major has happened."
After listening, Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow and suddenly asked, "You didn't argue, did you?
No... you guys got together, but you didn't start fighting, did you?"
Na'er rolled her eyes at him, her expression strange: "What do you think?
How could it not be noisy?"
"In this world, anything involving emotions is a powder keg that's most likely to ignite arguments.
Even though people usually get along well, there are still occasional frictions and grudges."
Na'er raised her delicate chin, a hint of smugness in her eyes.
"It's only because I'm such a clever peacemaker that things are going smoothly.
Otherwise, do you think someone as proud as Qian Renxue could get along so well with everyone?"
Xuan Hao immediately became interested:
"Oh? You were able to persuade Qian Renxue? How did you talk to her?"
Na'er puffed out her chest confidently: "I just confronted her directly!
I told her that if she insists on using her status to throw tantrums and make a mess of things at home...
Brother, in a fit of anger, you'll definitely find it too troublesome and won't want any of them anymore. In that case, you'll only want me as your sister!"
"Upon hearing this, she weighed the pros and cons and immediately fell silent."
Xuan Hao's expression turned strange upon hearing this.
"You've got some nerve! You're threatening her like that.
Aren't you afraid that angelic young lady will get so angry that she'll come out with a sword and stab you in the middle of the night?"
"She wouldn't."
Na'er shook her head. "She's a rational person; she knows exactly what she's doing.
If she were to actually kill me for something like this, you would absolutely become her mortal enemy!"
"She calculated that you might hesitate to kill her out of consideration for our past relationship. But she also knew that once you crossed her line, you would go insane and smash the Spirit Hall's Angel Clan to pieces, destroying all the power and foundation she cared about in this world!"
"She simply cannot afford the consequences, so she dares not gamble."
"Dealing with Rongrong and Xiaowu requires talking about feelings and emotional value, and you have to coax them; but communicating with a woman like Qian Renxue, who was born to be entangled in the vortex of politics..."
"We must put aside our emotions and focus on the coldest, most ruthless interests to exploit her weaknesses!"
"Didn't you teach me this?"
Hearing Na'er's confident retort, Xuan Hao looked at the pair of clear yet cunning purple eyes in front of him and couldn't help but reach out and pinch her fair and tender cheeks.
"You really know how to apply what you've learned!"
Xuan Hao shook his head with a sigh, "It seems that of all the things I've taught you over the years, only you have mastered the essence.
Even my core skills of acting silly and cute, and playing dumb to fool others, have been completely grasped by you."
"I remember when we first met, you were so naive and innocent, like a lost little rabbit, knowing nothing and believing whatever people told you.
Unlike now, you're full of cunning and have seen through all the twists and turns of human nature."
Na'er tilted her head back, her beautiful purple eyes looking at him with a watery gaze, her tone carrying a hint of pitifulness:
"What's wrong? Doesn't brother like me the way I am now?"
"What are you thinking? Of course I like it."
Xuan Hao smiled and shook his head, his eyes full of undisguised doting: "It's precisely because you've become so smart and insightful that I like you even more.
If you were still as silly and adorable as you were when you were little, and could be fooled by anyone, then I would really be worried sick about you every day when I'm out in the world."
As they spoke, the night dew grew heavy. Xuan Hao brushed the grass clippings off his clothes and stood up.
Na'er naturally took his hand and stood up as well.
However, the moment the two stood facing each other, Xuan Hao suddenly froze.
He stared blankly at the person in front of him, even subconsciously taking a half step back to re-examine her.
He then suddenly realized a problem he had overlooked for a long time!
Now, thanks to the continuous transformation of his Qi and blood power and the blessing of the True Dragon bloodline, his height has long since exceeded two meters, and when he stands there, he looks like a very imposing wall.
But... after Na'er stood up straight, her gaze was almost level with his!
Xuan Hao subconsciously glanced down at her feet.
Even though this girl is wearing heels today, her proportions are just too exaggerated!
Seeing Xuan Hao's shocked expression, as if he'd seen a ghost, Na'er couldn't help but roll her eyes playfully and complain:
"What kind of look is that? Does your brother still subconsciously see me as that immature child from back then?"
Na'er proudly straightened her posture, raising her chin like a proud white swan:
"I've grown up a long time ago, okay! I'm the tallest among all of us sisters now! Even Qian Renxue isn't as tall as me yet!"
Looking at the tall, slender, and beautiful silver-haired girl in front of him, Xuan Hao felt a sudden sense of disorientation.
He opened his arms and hugged Na'er tightly.
He used to be able to rest his chin on the top of her head, but now he can bury it in the hollow of her fragrant neck.
"I'm just a little caught off guard; I didn't expect this day to come so soon."
Xuan Hao gently stroked her silky silver hair, his tone carrying a hint of wistful emotion, as if from another world.
"My memory seems to be stuck in the past. I still think you are the little Na'er who used to follow me around all day asking for candy."
Hearing his words, Na'er nervously hugged his strong waist, her voice becoming somewhat hesitant:
"Then...did you prefer me when I was little?"
"How could that be?"
Xuan Hao chuckled softly, shook his head, and hugged the girl in his arms even tighter, feeling the incredibly real warmth and affection.
"It's fine as it is now."
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