Xuan Yi stared blankly at the pill, which glowed faintly blue. Her fingers curled slightly, but she did not immediately take the green pill.
She had never imagined that Xiao Ling's pill refinement this time was for her own injuries.
For a moment, a feeling called gratitude welled up in her heart.
"Aunt Xuan," Xiao Ling saw that she was not taking it, so a pair of small wings appeared behind her, and she rose to her height, offering the pill to her mouth.
Xuan Yi snapped back to reality, looking at the warm pill in front of her and Xiao Ling's expectant gaze. She slowly opened her red lips and swallowed the pill.
"How is it? Is it useful for your injuries, Aunt Xuan? And I learned from Papa to add some sweet herbs that do not affect the medicinal properties so that it will taste a little better."
Xiao Ling said with a giggle, a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of deeper meaning flashing in her eyes.
Hearing her words, Xuan Yi was even more moved. She reached out and hugged her tightly. She knew that when refining pills, casually adding other medicinal ingredients could easily cause the cauldron to explode.
"It is useful, it is useful! I feel refreshed after taking it."
Xuan Yi caressed Xiao Ling's delicate cheek and smiled sincerely.
However, she caught a piece of information from Xiao Ling's words just now: Xiao Ling's alchemy skills were taught by Xiao Tian.
Recalling the Eighth Grade Pill that Xiao Ling and Meng Meng had told her about before, a guess involuntarily formed in her mind.
She turned her head to secretly glance at Xiao Tian, who was inside the Dou Technique protective barrier, guiding Xiao Meng in her Dou Technique cultivation.
And all of this fell into the eyes of Xiao Ling, who was in her arms. Her lips also began to curve slightly.
"Aunt Xuan, what are you thinking about?"
Xuan Yi collected her thoughts and looked down at Xiao Ling in her arms. "Aunt Xuan is thinking about how to repay you, Little Ling'er."
"Ling Ling loves Aunt Xuan the most, so I did this willingly. There is no need for any repayment."
Xuan Yi's body trembled uncontrollably. Her heart, which had frozen after her previous unsuccessful attempt to express her inner feelings, had already developed some cracks due to Xiao Tian's careful warmth and concern.
Now, it was melted open by Xiao Ling's pure, spring-like warmth, and finally collapsed.
A knowing smile appeared on her beautiful face, so natural.
This smile was also the ripples that naturally spread after her frozen heart lake melted.
"...Little Ling'er..." Xuan Yi's hand gently rested on Xiao Ling's fluffy, soft hair.
Her movements were very light, like brushing the softest down of a newborn chick.
As she caressed her, she seemed to feel the warmth radiating from Xiao Ling's body.
This warmth flowed rapidly through her cold fingertips, spreading throughout her limbs and bones.
"Aunt Xuan, you look so beautiful when you smile now, hehe..."
Xiao Ling pinched Xuan Yi's delicate cheek and said with a giggle.
"What, I did not look good when I smiled before?" Xuan Yi pretended to put on a stern face.
"You looked good before too, but I always felt like something was missing. Is there something that makes you unhappy, Aunt Xuan?"
Xiao Ling tilted her head, biting her finger, trying hard to think of how to describe it, but with their limited experience, it was naturally difficult for them to come up with suitable adjectives.
After thinking for a while, she stopped. She extended her small hand and patted Xuan Yi's shoulder:
"Aunt Xuan, let the past be the past. Do not think so many 'what ifs.' Papa said that there are not so many 'what ifs' in life. We need to live well in the present and the future, and not let unhappy and sad things happen again at the same time."
Xuan Yi understood what she meant. Reflecting on it, yes, the past was the past. So many years had passed, and she really should move on.
At this moment, she even felt as if a certain shackle on her state of mind and soul had been opened, and her mind gradually became clearer.
She even had a premonition that her Dou Technique and soul, which had not made progress for a long time, seemed to have become active, with hope for further advancement.
Meanwhile, Xiao Tian, who was instructing Xiao Meng, glanced at the two and the corners of his mouth subtly curved upwards, almost imperceptibly.
The arc was extremely small, as if it were just an illusion of light and shadow passing by, yet it carried a hint of calm that saw through everything.
Xuan Yi looked at Xiao Ling, who was patting her shoulder and lecturing her in an old-fashioned manner, with a serious expression of 'hating iron for not becoming steel,' and could not help but laugh softly.
She pinched Xiao Ling's baby-fat cheeks. Under this 'attack,' Xiao Ling's expression could not be maintained and instantly reverted to her adorable and innocent look.
The two looked at each other, both breaking into extremely happy smiles, and then began chatting in low voices. Xuan Yi occasionally laughed, and sometimes even glanced at Xiao Tian.
---
"Little Ling'er, what is this? It is so strange." Xuan Yi watched as the medicine cauldron transformed back into a bracelet and asked softly.
She had lived for nearly a hundred years and had never seen such an unusual item.
"This? This is Heavenly Dreaming Gold. It can change according to its owner's thoughts."
Xiao Ling manipulated the Heavenly Dreaming Gold to change. It continuously transformed in her hand, finally becoming a slender long sword.
Seeing the curiosity in Xuan Yi's eyes, Xiao Ling handed her the long sword.
Xuan Yi took it, reaching out to caress the sword body, feeling its strength and hardness. "Where did you get this from?"
Upon hearing her words, Xiao Ling thought: *The bait has been successfully laid.*
She said clearly, "This was researched by Papa and given to me. I do not know if Papa has any more."
Xuan Yi, hearing that this was something Xiao Tian had made, could not help but look at him in surprise, not expecting him to be able to create such a magical item.
Before she could think much further, she heard Xiao Ling speak again.
"Papa said that only those closest to him can use this; others cannot."
"The closest people?"
"That is right. Currently, besides Papa, only Meng Meng, Mom, and I have this."
After saying this, Xiao Ling silently added 'us' in her mind.
Xuan Yi instantly understood the meaning behind Xiao Ling's words. Her eyes flickered slightly, and finally, she handed the long sword back to Xiao Ling. "Do not casually take this out normally, lest it draw unwanted attention."
"Mm-hmm, Ling Ling knows that. I only took it out because I trust Aunt Xuan, and in Ling Ling's heart, Aunt Xuan is family."
Aunt Xuan looked at the sincerely smiling Xiao Ling and reached out to tap her head. "Your little mouth is as sweet as honey."
"Hehe..." Xiao Ling took the Heavenly Dreaming Gold, even manipulating it to constantly change.
Xuan Yi looked at her slightly show-off demeanor and could not help but helplessly rub her forehead. "Alright, alright, I know you have good things. No need to show off anymore."