"Ah!! What happened?" Hu Jia exclaimed. Her first reaction was the same as before—she immediately jumped onto Xiao Jietian's body.
"It's nothing. Just a small animal flew past, and we dodged it," Xiao Jietian replied with a straight face, spouting complete nonsense.
"Really? I thought we were about to fall." Hu Jia let out a long breath of relief and looked around. "Where is it?"
"Where's what?"
"The small animal."
"It flew away. I don't know either."
"Really? What kind of animal flies that fast?" Hu Jia asked, puzzled.
"What, do you want to catch it and keep it as a pet?" Xiao Jietian teased, watching her curiously glance left and right.
"No way. I have zero interest in raising small animals—it's too much trouble." Hu Jia lifted her head to look at him.
Their eyes met. After several breaths, Hu Jia's cheeks flushed faintly, and she quickly looked away.
She had no intention of getting down from Xiao Jietian's arms. She silently told herself, I'm just… simply afraid of falling.
"I'm going to speed up. Let's try to get there as soon as possible," Xiao Jietian whispered into her ear.
Hu Jia felt a warm breath against her earlobe. Her body trembled slightly, and her ears turned bright red in an instant.
Hearing his words, she immediately hugged him tighter.
Xiao Jietian felt the soft pressure against his chest, then supported her legs and accelerated forward.
The two turned into a streak of light, shooting into the distance.
"Ahhh!! Too fast!"
Feeling her body hurtling through the air, Hu Jia screamed again.
"Don't yell. Just get used to it. Once you adapt, you'll love this feeling."
Hu Jia immediately tried to adjust, constantly shifting her position to find balance.
After about a dozen breaths, she truly began to sense the thrill of flight.
After flying for a while longer, Hu Jia couldn't help cheering: "Woohoo! Is this the speed of a Dou Zun? It's so exciting!"
"Wahaha!"
Xiao Jietian smiled faintly, not interrupting her excitement. He watched her look around like an excited child, exclaiming in delight.
When the distant outline of Jia Nan Academy finally appeared, Xiao Jietian chose a relatively secluded spot in the Outer Academy to land.
He gently set Hu Jia down. "This is the Outer Academy. Go find your grandfather. I'll come back for you later."
"Okay. Thank you—and don't forget," Hu Jia stood in place, looking at him seriously.
Xiao Jietian reached out and pinched her cheek. "You and I don't need to be so polite. It was on the way anyway. I'll find you when I return. You haven't seen your grandfather in so long—go spend some quality time with him."
"You don't have to tell me that." Hu Jia swatted his hand away, then glared at him with her beautiful eyes. "Then I'm going. Be careful."
"With my strength, nothing can threaten me."
"I know you're strong, but still… be careful in everything you do. Don't get hurt."
Hu Jia stuck her tongue out at him playfully, then skipped happily into the Outer Academy.
Watching the cheerful Hu Jia disappear, Xiao Jietian chuckled softly. Then he tore open the space in front of him, stepped inside, and vanished.
Hu Jia turned back instinctively and found him gone. "Are all Dou Zuns this elusive? Gone in the blink of an eye…"
Fortunately, she hadn't seen him tear space—otherwise she would have grown suspicious.
Xiao Jietian, now at the Inner Academy via spatial tear, headed straight for the Great Elder's study.
He knocked on the door. It opened automatically, and he walked in.
"Why are you suddenly so free to visit the academy?" Su Qian looked at him kindly and laughed.
"How can you say that? I'm an honored elder—can't I come anymore?" Xiao Jietian sat down on the chair opposite him.
Su Qian ignored the jest and went straight to the point. "Tell me—what brings you here this time? If you had nothing to do, you'd rather stay home with your beautiful wives than come find this old man."
"Great Elder… you really are accurate at judging people!" Xiao Jietian was stunned for a moment before laughing. "This time I came specifically about Zi Yan."
"What's wrong with Zi Yan? Is there a problem? Or do you think she's too mischievous and want to send her back?" Su Qian's expression shifted slightly at the mention of Zi Yan. His hands clenched unconsciously, and worry flickered in his eyes.
But seeing Xiao Jietian's calm demeanor, he relaxed and even joked lightly.
Xiao Jietian shook his head. "Neither. I just plan to take Zi Yan back to the Central Plains."
Su Qian caught the word "back" and asked doubtfully, "Back to the Central Plains? Have you discovered something about Zi Yan's background?"
"Yes. Let me tell you about Zi Yan's true origin." Xiao Jietian gave a brief but clear explanation of Zi Yan's identity.
After hearing it, Su Qian was momentarily stunned. He had never imagined that the little girl he found in the forest carried such an astonishing background.
"I never would have thought… But then again, ordinary magical beasts aren't nearly as strange and terrifying as Little Zi Yan was."
Su Qian's thoughts drifted back to the day he found her—her pitiful appearance, and the countless days and nights she had longed to know who she really was.
"Good… good. Little Zi Yan will be so happy to finally know her identity—and to even have her own clan."
Su Qian's eyes reddened slightly. He was genuinely happy for her.
Seeing this, Xiao Jietian didn't interrupt. Su Qian had truly raised Zi Yan like his own granddaughter.
After about half a minute, Su Qian collected himself. "So you're taking Little Zi Yan back to the Central Plains to acknowledge her ancestors?"
"Yes. I came specifically to inform you. Once she returns, she might not be able to come back for quite some time. She'll need to formally receive the inheritance of the Void Ancient Dragon Clan."
Hearing this, Su Qian instead asked, "Will Little Zi Yan be wronged when she goes back?"
"Don't worry, Great Elder. The beast world values bloodline above all else. With Zi Yan's royal bloodline, who would dare bully her? And knowing her personality… it would be a blessing if she didn't bully others."
Su Qian recalled what Xiao Jietian had just said about her bloodline, patted his own forehead, and laughed. "I got anxious for a moment and forgot—haha. But you're right. Zi Yan is so mischievous."
"Then take her. It will be better for her future, and Zi Yan really wants to have family." Su Qian waved his hand casually.
"The Great Elder is also Zi Yan's family. She often talks about you."
"Hahahaha~" Su Qian burst into hearty laughter. Then he composed himself, looked at Xiao Jietian several times, clearly hesitating as though he had something to say.
Xiao Jietian was puzzled by his expression and spoke up. "Great Elder, if you have something to say, just say it directly."