"I know," Xiao Yan said. He had not meant to; the time and place were wrong, but it was a subconscious act, an instinct born in every man that he could not control and did not want to.
He wrapped one arm around her soft, boneless body, his thumb gently stroking her moist lips, his gaze burning as he looked at her. "Now, do you still doubt me?"
"You... you..."
Looking into his fiery eyes, Nalan Yanran was completely stunned. Her cheeks flushed at once, her breathing quickened, and her eyes darted about in a panic, not daring to meet his. Xiao Yan could not help chuckling at her reaction. This method really did work, he thought.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "If you still don't believe me, then I can only let you feel my true heart."
Nalan Yanran suddenly looked up and stared at him, her eyes filled with a hint of panic and a bewildered softness. "I... I believe you. Isn't that enough?"
Xiao Yan looked at her and chuckled inwardly. He still had to learn more from Brother Tian. He had to, absolutely had to.
After a few intimate moments, Xiao Yan realized that this was not the right time. He was still being hunted. He gently released her. "We should get down to business."
"No, it really isn't suitable here. After we've dealt with this and gone outside, then you... you can do whatever you want." Nalan Yanran lowered her head, her face crimson, her toe tracing circles on the ground as she spoke shyly.
Xiao Yan looked at her, utterly bewildered. "No, what are you thinking? The business I mean is getting rid of those annoying fellows. They've lost so many Dou Zong already, and now it's time for us to counterattack."
"Ah? Oh!"
Nalan Yanran suddenly lifted her head, her beautiful eyes wide, as if she had been yanked out of some enchanting fantasy. The blush on her cheeks had not faded, and at his words she grew even more flustered, like a scalded shrimp, waving her hands wildly. "I wasn't thinking anything! You... you just said the business... was fighting?"
Xiao Yan could not help laughing out loud. He reached out and ruffled her hair, his fingertips passing through the softness of it, and said gently, "What else? Did you really think I would do... that, with you, here?"
"Xiao Yan!" Nalan Yanran stamped on his foot in anger, her voice rising several octaves, though her ears turned even redder. "Shut up! Hurry up and get to the business. You misheard me earlier!"
Xiao Yan laughed heartily, then stopped teasing her. He helped her straighten the clothes he had disarranged and put on a serious expression. "All right, all right, I won't tease you any more. I'm going to wake my teacher to help."
Nalan Yanran frowned. "We can still handle this ourselves. There's no need to trouble Teacher Yao, is there? It will drain his soul power."
She called Yao Lao "Teacher" the way Xiao Yan did, but since she had a teacher of her own, she added a surname to tell them apart. She could have called him Yao Lao as well, but that did not feel quite as fitting.
"No, I plan to ask Teacher to help me find their location. His soul is so much stronger than ours, and his sensing range is far wider."
"Oh, I see. Then it's fine."
Xiao Yan began to wake Yao Lao. Yao Lao had been resting his soul on a branch of the Heavenly Enlightenment Peach Tree, and he woke contentedly at Xiao Yan's call, wiping the corner of his mouth as if he had drooled. After sensing the situation outside, he came out of the ring. Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran both greeted him.
Yao Lao looked at the two of them and found them perfectly well. "Yan'er, did you run into something you couldn't solve, that you woke your teacher?"
"Yes, there is something I need to trouble Teacher with." Xiao Yan told him what had happened recently.
After listening, Yao Lao stroked his beard. "That's no problem, but I won't intervene."
Yao Lao could help Xiao Yan detect danger and perceive things, but he would not step in. He was an Eight-Star Dou Zong and was confident that Xiao Yan could handle it.
"Don't worry, Teacher. You only need to help me find their location, and I'll take care of the rest." Xiao Yan's lips curled into a cruel smile. He planned to deliver them a great gift directly.
Yao Lao nodded, then closed his eyes, and his vast soul power spread outward. His soul body was now extremely solid and looked no different from a living person's. Xiao Yan had hardly used the Heaven-tier Dou Technique Ghost Possession, and he had collected plenty of soul-nourishing medicinal ingredients for Yao Lao. He had not been stingy with Venerable Tianhuo, either. With the nourishment, Yao Lao's soul had recovered to eighty percent of its peak.
Yao Lao opened his eyes and spoke to him. "Yan'er, they are to the southeast, about twenty li from here. Many people are gathered there now."
He pointed a finger at Xiao Yan's brow and sent the scene he had just perceived into Xiao Yan's Sea of Consciousness.
"Twenty li." Xiao Yan lowered his head and worked it out. For a sneak attack, the Void Piercer Art would definitely suit better. The Three Thousand Lightning Movement came with thunderous sounds when used, and it was easy for people to guard against it. Xiao Yan had studied both movement Dou Techniques, but in battle he used the Three Thousand Lightning Movement more often. The Void Piercer Art suited sneak attacks and kiting enemies, since with every step he shifted, enemies could not touch him at all. But his fighting style favored close combat, and the mobility of the Three Thousand Lightning Movement suited it better.
The two movement Dou Techniques perfectly covered each other's shortcomings. If the opponent's strength was similar, he would close in. If the gap was too wide, he would kite first and then close in.
The old Xiao Yan had basically been a more cultured Lin Dong, greeting everyone with an Octane Blast. Now Xiao Yan was like Ye Hei: very dark.
Each of his steps now covered nearly five hundred meters, so twenty steps would get him there. Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, and he shouted in his heart, *Let's do it!*
He turned to Nalan Yanran. "Yanran, wait for me on that mountain over there. I'm going to deliver a gift."
Nalan Yanran was about to speak when she saw the flames in Xiao Yan's hand, and she swallowed her words at once. "Okay, I'll wait for you there. Be careful, and don't mess it up!"