"What?"
Xiao Xun'er quickly pulled back the little hand she had reached toward the black ring, then said with a look of utter disgust, "Brother Qing, why did you go and snatch Xiao Yan's ring? I don't want to look at his ring."
Stepping back two paces, Xiao Xun'er waved her hand, having completely lost interest in whatever was inside the ring.
"Sister Xun'er, I didn't snatch this ring; I picked it up."
Gu Changqing then recounted everything from beginning to end: how he had been lurking in the back mountain of the Xiao Family, heard Xiao Yan's angry roar, and picked up the ring that Xiao Yan had hurled away.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xun'er looked at Gu Changqing with a very peculiar expression. After a long moment, she stepped forward, gently pinched Gu Changqing's cheek, and playfully scolded, "Little rascal, have you been plotting this for a long time?"
From Gu Changqing's words, Xiao Xun'er could tell that he had been waiting for this day for more than just a day or two. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sneaked off to lurk in the back mountain, timing it so precisely.
"Hehe, Sister Xun'er is truly clever. Ever since Xiao Yan's Douqi started vanishing, I've been secretly keeping an eye on his physical condition."
"Later on, I indeed discovered his secret. I heard him say that he comes from another world and isn't actually a person from the Douqi Continent. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person, and because he has lived two lives, his soul is much stronger—which is also why his cultivation was faster than anyone else's when he was little."
"However, that's not the most important part. The most important thing is that I happened to catch his ring glowing in secret once. After that, I kept observing the ring on his hand and finally concluded that Xiao Yan's loss of Douqi was related to this ring."
"That left only two possibilities: either the ring itself absorbs Douqi, or there is a secret hidden inside the ring."
"I guessed that this secret wouldn't remain hidden forever and that one day the truth would come to light, so I simply waited for the day when Xiao Yan would willingly throw this ring away. Finally, today, I waited for that opportunity, and I never expected that what was hidden inside was the heritage of Honored Warrior Yao."
Without hiding anything, Gu Changqing directly exposed Xiao Yan's secret right in front of Xiao Xun'er.
Sure enough, upon hearing that Xiao Yan had actually been reincarnated and reborn, Xiao Xun'er appeared thoroughly shocked.
She stammered, "Brother Qing, is it true that Xiao Yan isn't from the Douqi Continent? Can someone really be reincarnated into another world after dying, and even keep the memories of their past life?"
Gu Changqing smiled and pinched Xiao Xun'er's delicate little face, saying, "Well then, Sister Xun'er, do you believe that I also have memories of a past life?"
"Brother Qing, you..."
Xiao Xun'er's pretty eyes suddenly widened as she stared in disbelief at the Gu Changqing before her.
"Alright, regardless of whether I have memories of a past life or not, you are still my Sister Xun'er. Let this Flame Mantra serve as your birthday gift in advance, and I wish that Sister Xun'er will grow up to become a mighty Dou Di powerhouse who can stand tall between heaven and earth."
Gu Changqing cradled Xiao Xun'er's small hand and gently placed the black scroll representing the Flame Mantra into her palm, speaking tenderly.
"Brother Qing..."
Xiao Xun'er pouted, moved beyond words, and suddenly pulled Gu Changqing into her embrace, holding him tightly.
However, Gu Changqing was already taller than her now, so although it looked like Xiao Xun'er was embracing Gu Changqing, it actually looked as if she was nestled within his arms.
A long while later, Xiao Xun'er finally released Gu Changqing, took out the Flame Mantra, handed it back to him, and said, "Brother Qing, since this cultivation method can evolve, you should practice it. As for the Heavenly Flame, Sister will help you take care of it!"
Xiao Xun'er looked at Gu Changqing with deeply affectionate eyes as she spoke."My dear sister, the Flame Mantra is of little use to me. I prefer to cultivate an omni-elemental technique and learn omni-elemental Dou Techniques. You should be the one to cultivate the Flame Mantra. In the future, I will help you find even more Heavenly Flames, making you the first powerhouse in a thousand years on the Douqi Continent to break through to the rank of Dou Di."
Gu Changqing held Xiao Xun'er by her shoulders, looking straight into her jewel-like eyes as he spoke with sincere earnestness.
"Brother Qing."
Xiao Xun'er wrapped her arms tightly around Gu Changqing's waist, pressing her soft frame against his chest. She tilted her head back, her breath sweet like orchids, and gazed up at him. "Why are you so good to me?"
Gu Changqing tapped her forehead and replied with a helpless smile, "Since you’ve been my sister since we were children, if I don't treat you well, who will?"
"Mmm..."
Xiao Xun'er buried her face in the crook of Gu Changqing’s neck, savoring this rare moment of tender intimacy between them.
However, after a while, she shook her head, took out the Flame Mantra, and offered it to Gu Changqing. "Brother Qing, you should still be the one to cultivate this Flame Mantra. Since it can evolve by devouring Heavenly Flames, it clearly possesses infinite potential. I happen to know the locations of several Heavenly Flames; when the time comes, I will take you there, and we shall obtain them all."
As the young mistress of the Gu Clan, Xiao Xun'er commanded a formidable intelligence network. Anywhere on the Douqi Continent where a Heavenly Flame existed, the Gu Clan could quickly track it down.
Currently, the known ones included the Three Thousand Burning Flames of the Pill Tower in the Central Plains, the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame of the Blazing Flame Valley, as well as several powerful Heavenly Flames held by the Yan Clan and the Yao Clan.
Given the capabilities of the Gu Clan, if they truly desired these flames, they would surely find a way to acquire them, even if it meant confronting the Yan or Yao Clans. Therefore, Xiao Xun'er’s promise to take Gu Changqing to retrieve them was entirely feasible.
"I don't want it. I have no interest in Heavenly Flames. My potential has long since reached its zenith, limitless and boundless. There is no need to gild the lily with a Flame Mantra. I’ll stick to my omni-elemental technique."
Gu Changqing waved his hand, stepped into his wooden slippers, and headed off to wash up.
Xiao Xun'er felt helpless; she could do nothing with this brother of hers. She felt both touched and frustrated by his lack of ambition. To think he would reject something like the Flame Mantra—she truly couldn't fathom what was going on in his mind.
Placing the Flame Mantra into her storage ring, Xiao Xun'er took off her outer robe and lay down on Gu Changqing's bed.
When Gu Changqing returned after washing, he saw the small mound beneath the quilt and sighed.
"Sister Xun'er, are you sleeping in my room again?"
Xiao Xun'er was perfect in every way, except for being overly clingy. Ever since they were children, she hadn't just loved sleeping in his arms; she also enjoyed tugging at his ears, cheeks, or mouth—even his hair. In short, whenever she slept with him, she always needed to be holding onto some part of him to drift off. It left Gu Changqing quite exasperated.
*Pat, pat.*
"The blankets are already warmed up. Tonight, I shall check to see if Brother Qing is smelly or not."
Xiao Xun'er lifted half the quilt, patted the space beside her with a slender hand, and looked at Gu Changqing with a beaming smile.
"You think I'm like someone who, upon having a little accident in bed as a child, tried to hide it by burning the sheets with fire?"
Gu Changqing chuckled, walked over, and naturally shed his clothes before lying down beside her.
"You naughty brother, I'm going to bite you!"
Xiao Xun'er blushed deeply, lunged at him, and began to nibble at him in playful retaliation.