When Xuan Yi finished speaking, Xiao Jietian's expression remained calm, yet a faint gleam of understanding flashed through his deep eyes.
He had already pieced it together.
The Hall of Souls would never dispatch a Celestial Venerable on a whim. The inexplicable death of Old Freak Zhaixing—one of their nine great Celestial Venerables—was no small matter. It represented an unforgivable loss to that shadowy colossus.
Xuan Yi had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time: wandering the Southern Domain precisely when the Hall of Souls came sniffing for clues. With Pill Tower and Hall of Souls locked in centuries-old enmity—like oil and water, or rather, fire and ice—she became the perfect target of opportunity.
She believed the Third Celestial Venerable had merely stumbled upon her by chance and coveted her powerful soul for refinement. She never suspected she was collateral in a larger hunt.
What surprised Xiao Jietian most was that they had sent the Third Celestial Venerable himself.
According to Xuan Yi's account, this particular Venerable still lingered at the peak of ninth-revolution Dou Zun—yet to step into Half-Saint realm. Had he already broken through, even with her swift reaction, escape would have been near impossible after an ambush.
"Don't worry," Xuan Yi said softly, misreading the thoughtful look on his face as wariness. "Once I recover a little more strength, I'll leave at once. I won't drag you or your daughters into my troubles."
The Hall of Souls was one of the most dreaded names on the Central Plains—its influence vast, its methods ruthless. Few dared provoke them openly.
Xiao Jietian slowly lifted his gaze. His eyes met hers—clear, tranquil, yet carrying an unshakable weight.
A faint, almost careless smile curved his lips as he turned back to the dancing flames.
"You're overthinking it."
He spoke lightly, yet each word landed like an iron hammer on stone.
"The Hall of Souls? They aren't enough to make Xiao Jietian take even half a step back."
Xuan Yi's breath caught.
Her phoenix eyes flickered with astonishment. After a long moment of hesitation, words rose to her lips—only for Xiao Jietian to raise a hand in gentle interruption.
"I know what you fear," he continued, voice still calm, yet threaded with an absolute, immovable certainty. "The Hall of Souls… and whatever lurks behind it… yes, they are terrifying to most. But—"
He turned fully toward her then, the firelight carving sharp lines across his perfect features.
A smile—faint, yet carrying the chill of drawn steel—touched his mouth.
"I, Xiao Jietian, have never feared anyone in my life. I do not look at others' faces to decide my path. I simply do what I wish to do."
His eyes were deep as the abyss, yet utterly without retreat—like an unsheathed sword, or a sovereign gazing down upon the myriad creatures of heaven and earth. Nothing in this world could sway him even half an inch.
Xuan Yi opened her mouth… but no words came.
She suddenly understood: all her earlier concern had been utterly misplaced.
This man before her was simply not someone any force in the world could intimidate.
"…Such unshakeable confidence," she murmured, half to herself—whether praising him or sighing at her own earlier worry, even she could not say.
Xiao Jietian withdrew his gaze from the fire and looked at her once more.
"You should rest. I promised the two little ones I'd prepare something delicious for them today."
He rose smoothly.
Xuan Yi watched him, then spoke softly, voice carrying genuine concern:
"Be careful… and come back soon."
Xiao Jietian gave a light nod.
Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he turned back and instructed her seriously:
"Do not leave the cave. It is safest here. Not even a Half-Saint can sense this place's existence. Stay and rest easy. If the girls wake, please watch over them for me."
He feared she might suddenly feel melancholic—afraid of implicating them—and slip away quietly while he was gone.
If she vanished and his daughters awoke to find both "pretty auntie" and father missing, he would have another headache on his hands.
"Mm. Don't worry—I'll take good care of them." Xuan Yi nodded obediently. "You… come back soon."
Xiao Jietian said nothing more. His figure blurred slightly at the cave mouth, then vanished into the morning mist.
Xuan Yi remained seated, staring blankly at the flickering bonfire.
Five minutes passed.
"Mmm…"
A faint, sleepy grunt broke the silence.
Xuan Yi startled out of her reverie and looked toward the stone bed.
The two little porcelain dolls were rubbing sleepy eyes, small mouths pouting as they mumbled in unison:
"Daddy… Daddy…"
Xuan Yi rose at once and hurried to their side.
"Your daddy went out for a while. He'll be back soon."
"Oh—pretty auntie, you're awake!" Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng exclaimed in delight the moment they heard the unfamiliar yet gentle voice. Their large eyes lit up as they stared at Xuan Yi.
Xuan Yi was momentarily stunned by the address, then laughed softly.
"What 'pretty auntie'? You can call me Aunt Xuan Yi, or simply Aunt Xuan." She reached out and gently pinched Xiao Ling's soft, chubby cheek, marveling at the tender, childlike warmth beneath her fingertips. "And what are your names, little ones?"
"Aunt Xuan, you're so beautiful—just as beautiful as Mommy!" Xiao Meng praised sweetly, even as her small finger poked her sister's side in their secret twin code.
Because both girls bore the Fire Phoenix Divided Soul Physique, a faint telepathic bond existed between them. Xiao Ling instantly caught the subtle hint in her sister's words.
"Yes, beautiful enough to topple kingdoms and ruin cities," Xiao Ling added solemnly, nodding with utmost seriousness.
Xuan Yi's heart melted further.
"How did you and your daddy end up in this mountain range?" she asked gently, eyes brimming with affection. "And where is your mommy?"
Xiao Meng's little lip jutted out in an aggrieved pout.
"Mommy kicked us and Daddy out… We can't go back anymore, so we can only follow Daddy everywhere…"
Xiao Ling shot her sister a puzzled glance.
After a moment's thought, she realized—well, technically yes, the three of them had been expelled together. But "can't go back anymore" sounded far more tragic than the reality.
Xuan Yi's heart ached at once.
She drew both little girls into her arms, hugging them close.
How could any mother be so heartless? They're still so young…
Her thoughts then drifted to Xiao Jietian.
From everything she had observed, he was proud, strong-willed, a man who bowed to no one. Yet he had endured such humiliation—being thrown out by his own wife—and still maintained such gentleness, even saving a complete stranger like her.
How vast and resilient must his heart be?
A faint pang of heartache rose unbidden in Xuan Yi's chest.
"Then… will you tell Aunt Xuan how your daddy saved me?" she asked softly, changing the subject.
"Okay, okay!" The two little girls exchanged a quick glance and answered in perfect unison.
Xuan Yi looked at their flawless coordination and sighed inwardly in admiration.
Truly twins—heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul. Every movement, every thought… perfectly in sync.
She had already assumed they were twins from their near-identical appearances and ages.
What she sensed even more clearly now was the subtle yet profound complementary aura that flowed between them—like yin and yang, fire and water, two halves of a perfect whole.
Outside the cave, wind whispered through the pines.
Inside, two small voices chattered excitedly, recounting their heroic tale of "rescuing the pretty auntie in the bushes."
And somewhere in the distance, Xiao Jietian's figure moved silently through the mist—heading toward whatever fate, or vengeance, awaited.