"I know," Xiao Yan said calmly.
He hadn't meant to do it. The time and place were hardly appropriate. Yet it had been a subconscious action—an instinctive male impulse he couldn't suppress, nor did he want to.
Xiao Yan wrapped one arm around Nalan Yanran's soft, boneless waist. His thumb gently brushed across her moist lips as he stared at her with burning eyes.
"Now, do you still doubt me?"
"You… you…"
Faced with Xiao Yan's intense gaze, Nalan Yanran was completely stunned. Her cheeks flushed crimson in an instant, her breathing grew slightly hurried, and her eyes darted around in panic, too embarrassed to meet his.
Seeing her reaction, Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Looks like this method works pretty well.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, "If you still don't believe me, I'll have no choice but to let you feel the sincerity in my heart."
Nalan Yanran's head snapped up. She stared at him, her eyes filled with panic and a trace of bewildered softness. "I… I believe you. Isn't that enough?"
Xiao Yan looked at her and laughed silently in his heart. It seems I still have a lot to learn from Tian Ge. I absolutely must.
After a few more intimate moments, Xiao Yan finally remembered the situation they were in. He was still being hunted, after all.
He gently released Nalan Yanran and said, "We should get back to business."
Nalan Yanran lowered her head, her face burning red. Her toe drew nervous circles on the ground as she spoke shyly, "No… it really isn't suitable here. Once we've dealt with everything and gotten out safely… then you can… do whatever you want."
Xiao Yan stared at her, utterly bewildered.
"Wait, what are you thinking?" He shook his head and clarified, "The 'business' I'm talking about is getting rid of those annoying pests. They've already lost so many Dou Zongs. It's time for us to launch a counterattack."
"Ah? Oh!"
Nalan Yanran's head shot up, her beautiful eyes widening in surprise, as if she had been suddenly yanked out of some enchanting daydream.
The blush on her cheeks had yet to fade. Hearing Xiao Yan's words, she became even more flustered, looking like a scalded shrimp as she frantically waved her hands. "I wasn't thinking anything! You… you just said the business was… fighting?"
Xiao Yan couldn't hold back his laughter. He reached out and gently ruffled her hair, his fingers threading through the soft strands as he spoke tenderly, "What else could it be? Did you really think I was going to… do that with you right here?"
"Xiao Yan!" Nalan Yanran stomped on his foot in embarrassment, her voice rising sharply, though her ears turned an even deeper shade of red. "Shut up! Hurry up and get to business! You misheard me!"
Xiao Yan laughed heartily for a moment before stopping his teasing. He carefully straightened her disheveled clothes and put on a serious expression. "Alright, alright. I won't tease you anymore."
"I'm going to wake Teacher up for help."
Nalan Yanran frowned slightly. "Can't we handle it ourselves? There's no need to trouble Teacher Yao, right? It will consume quite a bit of his soul power."
Normally she would call him "Teacher" like Xiao Yan did, but since she already had her own master, she added the surname "Yao" to distinguish them. Though calling him Yao Lao was also acceptable, it didn't feel quite right in this context.
"No need to worry," Xiao Yan replied. "I only want Teacher to help me locate them. His soul perception is far stronger and has a much wider range than ours."
"Oh, I see. Then it's fine."
Xiao Yan then began to awaken Yao Lao.
Yao Lao had been resting his soul on a branch of the Heavenly Enlightenment Peach Tree. At Xiao Yan's call, he woke up contentedly and even wiped the corner of his mouth, as if he had been drooling in his sleep.
After quickly sensing the situation outside, Yao Lao emerged from the ring. Both Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran greeted him respectfully.
Yao Lao looked the two of them over and saw that they were unharmed. "Yan'er, did you run into something you couldn't handle, so you had to wake your teacher?"
"There is indeed something I need Teacher's help with," Xiao Yan said. He then briefly explained everything that had happened recently.
After listening, Yao Lao stroked his beard and nodded. "That's no problem, but I won't take action myself."
Yao Lao was willing to help detect danger and locate enemies, but he refused to intervene directly. As an eight-star Dou Zong, he had full confidence in Xiao Yan's ability to handle the situation.
"Don't worry, Teacher. I only need you to find their location. I'll take care of the rest," Xiao Yan said, the corners of his lips curling into a cold, cruel smile. He planned to deliver them a very special "gift."
Yao Lao nodded, then closed his eyes. His vast soul power spread outward like a tide.
His soul body had become incredibly solid, looking no different from a living person. Thanks to Xiao Yan rarely using the Heaven-tier Dou Technique 'Ghost Possession,' constantly providing soul-nourishing ingredients, and the constant nourishment from the Heavenly Enlightenment Peach Tree, Yao Lao's soul had already recovered to nearly eighty percent of its peak strength.
Xiao Yan still remembered how startled he had been the first time he saw Tian Ge take out a peach wood stick, thinking the other party intended to exorcise Yao Lao or Venerable Skyfire. After all, in the world he came from, peach wood was famously used to deal with ghosts and evil spirits.
Only after Xiao Jietian's explanation did he understand that this particular peach wood was completely different—it actually possessed tremendous benefits for the soul.
A moment later, Yao Lao opened his eyes.
"Yan'er, they're located twenty li southeast of here. A large group has gathered in that area."
As he spoke, Yao Lao pointed a finger at the center of Xiao Yan's forehead, directly transmitting the scene he had perceived into Xiao Yan's sea of consciousness.
"Twenty li…"
Xiao Yan lowered his head and calculated quickly. For a sneak attack, the Void Piercer Art would be far more suitable. Three Thousand Lightning Movement created loud thunderous sounds when activated, making it easy for enemies to sense and prepare.
Although Xiao Yan had practiced both movement Dou Techniques, he used Three Thousand Lightning Movement more often in direct combat. The Void Piercer Art excelled at surprise attacks and kiting, allowing him to shift positions with each step so that enemies could never touch him.
His preferred fighting style, however, was close-quarters combat, where Three Thousand Lightning Movement's explosive mobility suited him best.
The two techniques perfectly complemented each other. When their strength was similar, he would close the distance and fight head-on. When the gap was too large, he would kite first before engaging.
The old Xiao Yan had been like a more refined version of Lin Dong—greeting everyone with the Eight Extremities Collapse.
The current Xiao Yan, however, had become much darker and more ruthless—like Ye Hei.
With each step now covering nearly five hundred meters, twenty steps would be enough to reach his destination.
Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with excitement. Let's do this!
He turned to Nalan Yanran and said, "Yanran, wait for me on that mountain over there. I'm going to deliver a gift."
Nalan Yanran was about to speak when she noticed the flickering flames in Xiao Yan's palm. She immediately swallowed her words and nodded. "Okay. I'll wait for you there. Be careful—and don't mess it up!"