Hearing Xiao Se's question, Xun'er didn't answer immediately. With a faint, gentle smile on her pretty face, she slowly walked toward him.
"Tell me, Cousin Xiao Se… do you think people can travel through time?"
Her voice drifted into his ears like heavenly music, soft enough to make one's heart melt.
Xiao Se frowned slightly. He didn't respond—he simply watched her quietly.
Xun'er's expression turned solemn. "Did you know? From when I was four until I turned six, there's a period of time that always feels… blurry. As if I forgot something important. Until… two years ago, when you hummed a children's song during the Xiao Clan gathering. Only then did something faint click in my heart. Let me sing it for you."
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star…"
By the time she finished humming, tears were already streaming down her cheeks.
A moment later, she wiped her eyes, still red with emotion. "I don't remember the lyrics very well… but that's the song you hummed back then, isn't it?"
Seeing her cry stirred something in Xiao Se's heart. He nodded gently, neither confirming nor denying.
Xun'er's smile softened as she continued. "Last year, when Cousin Xiao Se returned… when I heard your name again after a whole year, I suddenly cried. At that moment, I realized—I really had forgotten something important."
Xiao Se's heart jolted.
Could it be… had he somehow traveled into her body before?
No. Impossible. The person he once possessed was Bibi Dong. He was certain of that, and he had confirmed it thoroughly.
Besides, if he truly had taken over Xun'er's body at some point, then how would she have grown up so close to Xiao Yan? Given Xiao Se's personality, Xiao Yan wouldn't have even gotten within three steps of her.
As for the song—Xiao Yan also came from a parallel Blue Star. There was no reason he couldn't have been the one who sang it originally.
Thinking this through, Xiao Se lifted his head, gazing at the moon overhead, and said calmly:
"That song? I just heard it by accident. When I was four to six years old, I never went to the Xiao Clan."
"The mysterious Dou Huang who tested me last year was likely the one secretly protecting you. I know he's nearby even now. And you don't need to test me anymore, Miss Xun'er."
"Your identity is extremely unusual. So anything related to you—your secrets, your background—I won't touch them. I never have."
"It's late. Get some rest."
He turned and headed back toward the cabin.
Just as he reached for the door, a soft voice sounded behind him.
"Big brother…"
The moment those words entered his ears, Xiao Se stiffened.
His entire body froze in place. His dark eyes flickered with hesitation.
But then he remembered the way Xun'er—and all the other girls like Xiao Mei—used to gather around Xiao Yan. His gaze steadied. Without looking back, he raised a hand and pushed open the door.
Regardless of anything else, in Xiao Se's eyes, Xun'er liked Xiao Yan. That was an undeniable fact.
If a vague, unclear fragment of memory could make her switch affections, then such feelings were far too cheap.
After Xiao Se left, Ling Ying appeared, kneeling on one knee before Xun'er. "Miss, I—"
Before he could finish, Xun'er raised a hand.
"This isn't your fault. All I need to know is… it was him."
Inside the cabin, within the Hanhai protective barrier—
Xiao Se watched the little cat-girl, who had successfully condensed her Dou Qi vortex and had fallen asleep from exhaustion. A soft smile appeared on his face.
"Brother… that girl called Xun'er—is she like Sister Dong'er too? With you…"
A streak of blue light floated from the sword-mark on Xiao Se's right hand, landing on the floor and forming into Long Kui's graceful figure.
Xiao Se let out a deep breath. He took out the Azure Lotus seat, sat cross-legged, and applied the Qingling Purple Ganoderma ointment to his body.
"Maybe. I have my suspicions. But she's not like Dong'er. She already has her own life… and someone she likes. Since that's the case, something that shouldn't happen is better left not happening. No need to trouble ourselves."
The next morning, sunlight filled the sky.
When the first warm rays slipped through the window and into the protective barrier, Xiao Se slowly opened his eyes, emerging from his cultivation.
The moment he did, he found the little cat-girl sitting on the bed, cheek propped on her hand, quietly watching him.
"Awake?" she asked with a soft smile.
Xiao Se nodded gently and pulled her into his arms. Ever since returning to the Dou Qi Continent, he'd been busy—training, helping Xiao Yixian—and they'd barely had any time alone.
"Did you break through?" he whispered beside her ear.
"Mm."
She didn't resist. Leaning softly against him, she nodded, enjoying this rare moment of tenderness.
"I'm sorry, Zhuqing… I haven't been spending enough time with you. I promised to always protect you."
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "I know you're carrying a lot. Reviving Long Kui, helping Xian'er with her constitution, refining the Fusion Pill for Medusa—these are all life-or-death matters."
"I don't like how you attract so many girls… but from the beginning, I knew you were someone responsible. That's what makes you different from Dai Mubai."
"Xian'er, Long Kui, Sister Dong'er… they're all amazing girls. So… to stand beside you like they do one day, to fight alongside you, I'll keep working hard to catch up."
Hearing her words, Xiao Se couldn't hold back anymore. He lowered his head, and before the little cat-girl's shy, expectant gaze, he offered his first kiss of the morning.
It was the second time they had kissed. Zhu Zhuqing was still inexperienced, but no longer clumsy—she didn't bump teeth this time, nor bite his lip like before.
She tried her best to respond.
And Xiao Se—after his very real "practical experience" with Ya Fei, Xiao Yixian, and Hong Kui—had improved dramatically. Within moments, he had Zhu Zhuqing's heart racing and her gaze turning hazy.
As the kiss deepened, Xiao Se wanted more.
His hand wandered.
Passed through the petals…
And touched the budding flower beneath.
Zhu Zhuqing trembled. After a brief inner struggle… she let Xiao Se do as he pleased.
(End of Chapter)
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