Most of the many items were gifts from Liu Fei and others for the two little girls, and they came in matching pairs of the same thing.
"Of course they're different. Some of the colors don't match. The difference is huge," the two said in unison.
Xuan Yi looked at the toys, which seemed identical apart from a few shades of color, and could not help patting her forehead. Was this the torment of twins? Everything had to be one for each, and every pair had to be exactly alike. She regretted coming over. Now she had a headache.
Hearing the sounds from inside, Xiao Tian could picture Xuan Yi's utterly miserable expression, and held back his laughter, lest he be noticed later. "Good grief, she's walking right into the line of fire," he said to himself. He knew this well. Every time, he had to scratch his head until it was resolved, and it took enormous effort.
He rested his head on his hand, stifling his laughter, and let his gaze pierce the wall to watch Xuan Yi frown as she tried to work out how to solve the girls' problem. In the end, she took out some medicinal herbs, dissolved them to dye the toys, and made all the mismatched parts identical, settling the matter perfectly.
She wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. It was even more tiring than refining a pill that called down Nine-Colored Pill Lightning. It was simply a hell-difficulty dungeon. Next time, she would not set foot in here even if it killed her.
After all the items had been divided, the two girls happily kissed Xuan Yi on the cheek. "Thank you, Mother Xuan Yi."
Feeling their heartfelt joy and the touch of their kisses on her face, she suddenly felt that all the earlier trouble had been worth it, and even hoped there would be a next time. The moment the thought appeared, Xuan Yi hurriedly stamped it out. She had let her guard down and nearly fallen into a gentle trap. There must absolutely not be a next time. Who knew whether the next version would be even more outrageous?
"Eh, Mother Xuan Yi, why is your clothing torn here?" Xiao Meng asked, pointing to the spot just above the exposed waist on the right side of her qipao.
Xuan Yi already knew about the damaged spot. "This was torn 'accidentally.' I was planning to come back and change it!"
Xiao Ling poked her little head over and saw that the tear in the qipao ran almost to the armpit, practically splitting front from back. She pushed Xuan Yi toward the room. "Then go and change quickly, Mother Xuan Yi. You must be more careful next time. When we reach the next city, Meng Meng and I will buy you lots of pretty clothes."
Hearing that, Xuan Yi thought to herself that the advice to be more careful should really go to your bad daddy. "All right, then I'll wait for you to buy them for me," she said with a smile, gently stroking their heads. Then she walked into the room to change.
When she reappeared, she had changed from her white-and-purple qipao to a purple silk one. It was not a tender purple, nor a deep one, but a noble, hazy shade somewhere between the two. The close-fitting qipao outlined her figure beautifully. Her long, fair legs showed through the high slit of the skirt as she moved with light steps, like a walking lotus. The purple, it seemed, truly lent her more charm. Xuan Yi was already a woman full of charm, and now it was brought out to the fullest.
Even having seen Medusa's wild allure, Ya Fei's bewitching temptation, and Little Fairy Doctor's cool gentleness, one seeing Xuan Yi in this outfit, with this bearing, would still be dazed for a moment.
Xuan Yi caught Xiao Tian's expression. In the past, his gaze at her had been mostly love and tenderness with a hint of heat. But just now it had plainly been something primal, a possessive desire. A flash of joy crossed her heart. She had once overheard Xiao Tian say that purple lacked charm. Then, in Tianhuang City, she had seen this dress and bought it on a whim, though deep down she had only wanted to show it to him.
She looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile and walked slowly toward him. As she walked, her swaying figure seemed to be deliberately teasing him. She stopped before him and leaned close, her red lips almost touching his ear, her breath warm. "How is it? Do I look good?"
Her voice was low and soft, but it carried a hint of danger and a touch of confidence.
Xiao Tian looked at her. He could clearly see that she had tidied herself and dressed with care. He put an arm around her slender waist and pulled her into his embrace. Caught off guard, she pressed against his chest.
"Charging into someone's arms is a foul, you know." He held her waist with one arm and laid his other hand on her face, his fingertips tracing her flawless features, his eyes full of playfulness and earnest meaning. "No matter how good it looks, it can't compare to the thought you put into wearing it for me. But..." He deliberately drew out his tone, leaned close to her ear, and lowered his voice. "This dress really suits you. It isn't because the dress is pretty. It's because the woman wearing it is even more captivating than the dress."
Xuan Yi's eyes flashed, and a triumphant smile curled the corners of her lips. Just as she was about to speak, Xiao Tian leaned in and gently kissed her vermilion lips. Then he made to pull away.
Watching him, Xuan Yi narrowed her eyes. She suddenly grabbed his collar, wrapped her other arm around his neck, and pulled him fiercely closer. "You want to leave after kissing me?" Her voice was low and husky, but it carried an undeniable force.
As soon as she finished, she leaned in and kissed him herself.
Xiao Tian's breath caught. He had not expected Xuan Yi to make such a move. He could clearly feel that her kiss was bold and aggressive. She even bit his lower lip lightly, as if punishing him for his kiss-and-run. But Xuan Yi was a novice, and apart from the earlier passionate kiss, she had almost no experience. Xiao Tian quickly took the lead, deepened the kiss, and guided her. His arm locked around her waist, holding her firmly in his embrace, his fingertips caressing the soft curve of her waist as if declaring ownership. And Xuan Yi wrapped both arms around his neck.
While the two were kissing passionately, two little heads peeked out from the ship's cabin window.
"Wow, no wonder Mother Xuan Yi doesn't object anymore to what we call her. So it's already come true." Xiao Ling looked at the scene and spoke in surprise.
"Right. But I never expected Mother Xuan Yi, who usually looks so calm and elegant, to be so passionate." Xiao Meng clicked her tongue in wonder.
They were hardly strangers to such things. They had many mothers, after all, and every time, the feelings simply burst out.
"It's about time, isn't it?" Xiao Ling looked at Xiao Meng, who nodded. "Counting it up, it really is about time. It's time for them to come."