Dugu Xiao Yi stomped her foot, puffing out her cheeks, looking like an angry little bunny.
"Give it to me! Right now!"
Jun Mo Xie chuckled again, finally holding the knife out for her to take.
"Alright, alright. It's yours."
Dugu Xiao Yi snatched it up instantly, clutching it in both hands like a priceless treasure. Her eyes sparkled brighter than the stars.
"Wow… it's so pretty…" She murmured, turning the blade over in her hands, admiring every inch of its craftsmanship.
Hmmmm, what's such a beautiful knife compared to that ugly piece of metal? I think that it's a good thing that the raw metal fell into Jun Mo Xie's hands.
A warm feeling bloomed in her chest.
Even though she had demanded it, even though she had thrown a little tantrum, this was her first gift from a boy.
And not just any boy but Jun Mo Xie.
Her face turned red again, and she quickly looked down, pretending to study the knife so he wouldn't see her flustered expression.
But Jun Mo Xie had already noticed and he smirked.
This girl… really was too easy to tease.
"The curvature, length, and weight of this knife are perfect for concealing it in your sleeves. Take a look and see if this suits your hands?" Jun Mo Xie gently handed the knife over to her.
"This is really beautiful. Do you really wish to give this to me?" Dugu Xiao Yi took the knife and started twisting and turning it over and over again. She held the knife in her hands for a while, then she twisted her head slightly and looked at Jun Mo Xie expectantly.
"Of course. Do you like it Miss Dugu?" Jun Mo Xie faintly smiled at her.
"Of course I do." Dugu Xiao Yi shyly looked down, "But you're giving me such a good knife, and I have nothing to give you in return..."
"I owed you this knife, so there's no need for you to reciprocate." Jun Mo Xie almost laughed out.
Dugu Xiao Yi bit her lips, her fingers clenching and unclenching nervously. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as she hesitated.
Finally, as if making a great decision, she took a deep breath and reached for the thin red thread around her neck. Her fingers trembled slightly as she pulled it over her head, revealing a small, delicate jade pendant.
The jade was smooth and flawless, glowing faintly under the light, as if holding a secret warmth within.
With a deep blush spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, she placed the pendant into her hands, hesitated for a moment, and then thrust it forward towards Jun Mo Xie.
"I... I... I'll give you this in return..."
Her voice was soft, almost like a whisper, but in the quiet room, it echoed like thunder in her own ears.
Her head remained bowed, her fingers twisting the hem of her sleeve, and her tiny feet grinding into the ground.
She didn't dare to look up. She didn't dare to see Jun Mo Xie's reaction.
This was her most precious item—a jade pendant she had carried with her since childhood.
And now, she was giving it to a boy.
Jun Mo Xie raised an eyebrow in amusement.
Was she shy? Was she nervous?
Her fidgeting was too adorable.
Without a moment's hesitation, he took the pendant, as if it was rightfully his, as if it was something he was destined to receive.
"Thank you," He said casually, his tone light and completely at ease.
Dugu Xiao Yi felt as if her heart had been snatched away.
H-Huh? That's it? Just 'thank you'?!
She had worked up so much courage to give him this! And he just accepted it like it was a piece of candy?!
Her fingers curled tightly into little fists.
She wanted to stomp her foot, but she was too embarrassed to do so. She peeked up at him, only to find him calmly examining the pendant, his face completely unbothered.
Her frustration grew, but so did her nervousness.
"Th-this jade... you, you..." She stumbled over her words, her voice growing softer and softer.
She wanted to say something, to explain why she gave it to him, but the words got stuck in her throat.
Why was it so hard to talk to him?!
Jun Mo Xie's lips curled into a teasing smile as he looked at her.
This girl... was too easy to fluster.
With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he asked smoothly, "Does Miss Dugu have something on her mind?"
Dugu Xiao Yi's blush deepened, her ears practically steaming at this point.
"I-I don't!" She blurted out, her voice an octave higher than normal.
Jun Mo Xie chuckled. "Oh? No? Then why does Miss Dugu look like she's about to explode?"
"I-I'm not!"
She totally was.
Jun Mo Xie twirled the jade pendant between his fingers, then suddenly shifted the conversation.
"Oh, and I presume that Miss Dugu must be very proficient in using knives?"
"H-huh?" Dugu Xiao Yi blinked, caught off guard.
Jun Mo Xie leaned slightly closer, his voice filled with mock seriousness. "Well, you insisted on receiving a knife from me. Naturally, I assumed you must be quite skilled with them."
"Knife? Uh, of course." Dugu Xiao Yi heard him say 'something on your mind', and couldn't help but blush. But since Jun Mo Xie had also questioned her skill, she got excited as said: "I will demonstrate for you to see."
She was already finding it very hard to stand in front of Jun Mo Xie after exchanging gifts with him, so she withdrew backward and raised her hand, brandishing the knife, and demonstrated her skills.
Although she had been trained using the conventional methods of this world, but her movements were far inferior to Jun Mo Xie's skillset. Even though the blade was accurately designed to suit the little hands of women, the blade appeared longer and heavier in her hands; in fact, the extraordinary knife suddenly seemed very normal when she used it to demonstrate her skill.
Jun Mo Xie watched her practice and then sighed.
In the past two years, Jun Mo Xie had realized that the people in this world gave too much importance to the cultivation of their Xuan Qi, and barely paid any attention to their skills in general.
Obviously, as long as the Xuan Qi of a person was higher than their counterpart, they'd be able to overpower the enemy with brute force, but would still be vulnerable in a way since they weren't very well equipped to handle tricky opponents.
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