Just as Xiao Jietian opened his mouth to reply, Xiao Meng's soft yet decisive voice cut through once more:
"Daddy, remember—when you roast the rabbit tomorrow, be sure to chop off the head first. And don't skimp on the fragrant spices and secret seasoning."
Xiao Ling and Xiao Jietian both froze, utterly stunned by the abrupt about-face.
Xiao Jietian turned slowly, eyeing his younger daughter with faint suspicion.
"Didn't you just say bunnies are too cute to eat?"
"That's true," Xiao Meng answered with utmost seriousness, blinking her large, innocent eyes. "But once the head is gone and it's covered in thick, fragrant seasoning… it won't look cute anymore. It'll just look delicious."
Xiao Jietian stared for a long moment.
Then he threw back his head and laughed, the sound warm and unrestrained.
"Hahaha—very well, very well. Daddy will personally prepare the most mouth-watering roasted rabbit in all the Central Plains for my two little gluttons."
The two girls immediately cheered in delight, throwing themselves against his arms and hugging tightly.
"Daddy is the absolute best!"
...
Chou hour (1–3 AM), deepest night.
Xiao Jietian rose quietly and approached the stone bed once more.
The woman's previously furrowed brows had smoothed considerably. A faint, healthy flush had returned to her cheeks; her breathing had steadied into the slow, even rhythm of true rest.
She was clearly on the verge of awakening.
After feeding her one final consolidating pill, Xiao Jietian turned his gaze toward the two little figures curled together beside the bed.
Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng slept soundly in each other's arms, small hands clutching the edge of the blanket, long lashes casting delicate shadows across their cheeks. Sweet, dream-soaked smiles curved their lips.
With utmost gentleness, Xiao Jietian drew the fallen blanket back over their shoulders. Then he extended a thin veil of protective Dou Qi, forming an invisible yet impenetrable shield around them—enough to guard against sudden noise or ill intent should the woman awaken violently.
Harbor no malice toward others, yet never let your guard fall completely.
Satisfied, he returned to the campfire. Several fine threads of soul perception unfurled into the night like invisible spider silk, blanketing the surroundings in vigilant awareness. Only then did he settle cross-legged, close his eyes, and sink into cultivation.
...
Morning light filtered faintly through the cave mouth.
"Mmm…"
A soft, barely audible whimper drifted through the stillness.
Xiao Jietian's eyes snapped open in an instant. His gaze flicked toward the stone bed.
The woman's long lashes trembled. Slowly, a slender slit appeared between them.
In her dazed vision, the world was bathed in soft, pearl-white luminescence—the gentle glow of moonstones embedded in the cave walls.
"Where… am I?" Her voice emerged faint and hoarse, like wind passing over parched leaves. "Or… have I already crossed into the Yellow Springs?"
Before losing consciousness, she had swallowed the last of her precious eighth-grade healing pills. Yet she had collapsed in a demon-beast-infested mountain range—any moment a passing magical beast could have devoured her. Death had seemed certain.
Her heavy eyelids lifted inch by inch.
The first thing she saw clearly was a pair of deep, ink-black eyes—vast as the night sky, yet carrying an indefinable trace of melancholy.
Consciousness returned like a surging tide.
Her vision sharpened. Rough, uneven stone ceiling. Moonstones glowing softly. The unmistakable scent of damp rock and faint woodsmoke.
A cave.
She sat up abruptly—only for a wave of soul-deep weakness and emptiness to crash over her. Her brows knit briefly in pain, but she was no fragile flower. Within moments she steadied herself, forcing calm back into her breathing.
She remembered fleeing through the forest. Now she awoke in a hidden cavern.
No panic flickered in her phoenix eyes—only cold, vigilant observation.
Before her gaze could sweep the surroundings, a gentle, magnetic male voice spoke beside her ear:
"You're awake?"
The woman did not answer at once.
She lifted her lashes slowly, turning toward the source.
By the low campfire in the center of the cave sat a man clad in flowing azure robes. His features were breathtaking—handsome as though carved by immortal hands, possessing both refined allure and unyielding masculinity. His bearing was noble, yet utterly at ease.
When his eyes met hers, there was no predatory hunger, no overt aggression—only a quiet, patient curiosity, as though he had known all along that she would awaken at this very moment.
The woman's breath caught for the briefest instant.
In all her long years traversing the continent, she had never laid eyes on a man so perfectly formed.
Her gaze lingered a heartbeat longer than intended, then withdrew. When she spoke again, her voice was low, hoarse from disuse, yet calm and measured:
"…May I ask, Your Excellency—who are you? Were you the one who saved me?"
Xiao Jietian raised a brow at her directness, then let a faint, amused smile curve his lips.
"One could say I saved you. But before inquiring after another's name, shouldn't the rescued party first offer her own?"
The woman's phoenix eyes flickered with self-reproach. She lowered her lashes briefly, then raised them again. Her voice softened further, yet remained clear:
"My apologies. I was discourteous."
She straightened her spine despite the lingering frailty in her soul sea. Raising one jade-white hand, she cupped it toward him in formal salute. Only then did she notice the azure sleeves draped across her arms. Her pupils contracted sharply for a split second—then she mastered herself.
"This one is called Xuan Yi. I offer my deepest gratitude to Your Excellency for granting me a second life."
The moment the name left her lips, Xiao Jietian's gaze sharpened. He studied her anew, swiftly confirming what he had already begun to suspect.
No wonder the familiarity had nagged at him so persistently.
He withdrew his scrutiny almost immediately. Pointing lightly toward the space beside her, he spoke in a gentle tone:
"Xiao Jietian. Rest assured—I did not change your garments. That was the work of my two little girls. They were also the ones who first discovered and insisted on saving you."
Following the direction of his finger, Xuan Yi looked down.
Lying against the stone wall beside her bed were two exquisitely beautiful little girls—like flawless porcelain dolls carved by the heavens themselves. Their features were strikingly similar, delicate and ethereal even in sleep.
Sweet smiles graced their lips; long lashes quivered faintly as though chasing pleasant dreams.
The sight melted something deep within Xuan Yi's chest. A soft, instinctive glow of maternal warmth rose unbidden in her eyes.
"Your daughters?" she asked quietly, glancing back and forth between the sleeping children and the man by the fire. The resemblance was unmistakable.
Xiao Jietian inclined his head in gentle confirmation.
Xuan Yi's hand lifted halfway, yearning to brush their cheeks—then paused. Whether out of fear of disturbing their dreams or because she sensed the faint but formidable Dou Qi shield enveloping them, she ultimately withdrew.
No wonder her voice had not roused them. Even in her weakened state, she could feel the terrifying protective power woven into that thin veil. The man before her… was far from ordinary.
She gazed at the two little angels a moment longer, eyes softening further, before slowly rising.
Dragging her still-frail body, she approached the campfire—perhaps to avoid waking the children, perhaps simply craving the warmth of the flames.
Xiao Jietian watched her approach in silence.
He did not rise to assist her. He recognized the proud, self-reliant spirit in this woman; any offer of help would only make her appear weak and pitiable in her own eyes—something she would never allow.
He simply gestured toward a broad, flat stone nearby.
Xuan Yi understood at once. She walked over and seated herself with careful dignity.
Then, steadying her weak frame, she bowed deeply toward Xiao Jietian.
"Lord Xiao Jietian… this Xuan Yi owes you a life. In the future, I shall repay this great kindness with all that I possess."
Xiao Jietian, idly stirring the campfire with a slender branch, lifted his gaze at her words.
When their eyes met once more, his look paused—subtly, almost imperceptibly.
In the dancing firelight, the mature beauty before him seemed to carry an additional layer of quiet allure: vulnerability veiled by iron will, gratitude wrapped in unspoken pride.
And beneath it all… the faint, lingering scent of a long-buried secret.