On the otherside
After parting with Xiao Ranyu under the setting sun, Ya Fei practically floated across the courtyard paths of the Xiao estate.
Her steps were light. Her heart even lighter.
The cool breeze brushed against her cheeks, still faintly warm from the kiss that had set her entire body aflame just an hour before.
> He really kissed me…
> And gave me… that.
She touched her chest softly, remembering the sensation of her body transforming, the warmth of his embrace… and the technique that now pulsed quietly within her meridians.
With a soft hum on her lips, she turned a corner—and arrived at a quiet courtyard nestled beside a rock garden.
Xiao Xun'er was there, watering a row of delicate spirit orchids with a bamboo ladle in hand.
The evening light shimmered across her long black hair, and her calm expression made her seem almost like an immortal painting.
She looked up—and instantly smiled.
> "So… it happened?"
Ya Fei didn't even try to hide it. She beamed.
> "Mhm~"
Xun'er chuckled and set the ladle down.
> "Congratulations," she said softly. "So, what happened?"
Ya Fei blushed deeply, fingers twirling a strand of her hair.
> "W-We kissed."
Ya Fei's voice was soft, like a confession laced with bashful joy.
Xun'er blinked.
For a moment, her expression remained perfectly calm, like she hadn't registered what had just been said.
> "Ah… I see. So, you…"
Another blink.
Then silence.
Her eyes subtly twitched.
The bamboo ladle slipped from her fingers.
Clack.
It hit the stone path with a dull thud, water spilling out and splashing onto her silk shoes.
She didn't even notice.
> "...Wait."
She finally turned toward Ya Fei, pupils shrinking slightly.
> "You what?!"
Ya Fei, who had been biting her lip with a shy smile, looked up innocently.
> "We kissed."
Taking a deep breath.Then with hope,
> "You mean a peck, right?" Xun'er asked, voice calm but slightly higher in pitch than usual.
> "Mm… It started as a peck," Ya Fei said thoughtfully. "Then deepened."
> "...Deepened?"
> "Tongues and all."
> "…"
Xun'er inhaled slowly. Then exhaled.
Her hand clenched into a fist at her side, but her expression remained eerily calm.
She bent down, picked up the ladle in slow motion, and returned it to the watering jar.
Ya Fei raised a brow, sensing the shift in atmosphere.
> "Are you… alright?"
Xun'er forced a sweet, plastic smile.
> "Perfectly fine. Totally calm. This is fine."
The air around her turned sour.
> "So… what else happened?" she asked, her voice betraying none of the inner storm brewing behind her eyes.
> Suppress. Breathe. Don't blow up. Be elegant. Be mature. You're the future matriarch of the Gu Clan—
Ya Fei hesitated.
Then, deciding not to hold back—she told her everything.
From the emotional moment… to the technique... to the body transformation.
By the end, Xun'er's expression froze.
> "Wait. He can give someone of the opposite gender a… special body?"
Ya Fei nodded.
> "Yes. He said it's a one-time ability. It comes with a matched cultivation technique too. He didn't even know what type it would be until it activated."
Xun'er stared at her silently for a moment.
Then slowly, very slowly, she lowered herself to sit on the edge of the flower bed.
> A body that can rival the talent of an Ancient Clan heir...
She clenched her fingers.
> Even if he doesn't know what that means… but I do.
The Ancient Clans—guardians of bloodlines from the age of legends, standing atop the pyramid of talent, history, and power.
She knew where she came from.
But Xiao Ranyu didn't. Or so she thought.
> Even if that inheritance body doesn't come from an Ancient Clan… it's terrifying.
> I thought I would be the only one who could walk beside him…
A strange sourness curled in her chest.
The air around her twisted slightly—subtle, but clear.
Ya Fei blinked.
> "...Are you sulking?"
Xun'er looked up, her eyes innocent.
> "Me? No~ Why would I?"
Ya Fei leaned closer and smiled playfully.
> "You're leaking vinegar. It's turning the flowers yellow."
Xun'er pouted. A rare, cute expression on someone normally so composed.
> "Hmph. Then I should go find him too and ask for my kiss."
She stood up, about to march off like a soldier with a mission.
Ya Fei immediately grabbed her wrist.
> "Don't."
> "Why not?" Xun'er frowned. "He's mine too."
> "Because he's leaving today."
Xun'er paused.
> "What?"
> "He said he's going for training. Real battle. Real growth. He probably hasn't even told you yet…"
Ya Fei's expression softened.
> "So let's not disturb him. Just wait."
She let go of Xun'er's hand and smiled again, mischievous but serene.
> "He'll definitely come to see you before he leaves. I'm sure of it."
Xun'er bit her lip, jealous fire still simmering under her graceful facade—but ultimately sighed and nodded.
> "Fine…"
Ya Fei gave her a wink and turned to leave.
> "I'll be at the Auction House. He knows where to find me."
As she walked away, Xun'er stood in place, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
She muttered softly.
>" You are going to training today "
> So I can't kill him yet.
>"Sister Ya Fei...."
> "I'll let you have this one… for now."
Then she glanced toward the distance—where a certain infuriatingly handsome boy was probably coming .
> "But when he comes back… I'm not holding back either."
---
On Xiao Ranyus side
When Xiao Ranyu stepped into Xun'er's courtyard, a strange sense of dread crept up his spine.
She was sitting beneath the blossoming moonlight tree, arms folded, legs crossed, and eyes calmly focused on the entrance—as though she'd been waiting for him the entire time.
He took one step in.
She didn't say anything.
Two steps.
Still nothing.
By the time he stood before her, her eyes hadn't blinked once.
> Why do I feel like I've walked into a trap…?
"Ahem… Xun'er."
He rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"I came to say goodbye. I'm heading out for training."
Xun'er blinked slowly. Her lips barely moved.
> "Oh."
That was all.
But the way she said it chilled his bones.
Just then,Xiao Ranyu's spiritual-grade soul subtly sensed movement—no, absence. The hidden guard in the shadow, Uncle Ling, had just left the area.
And as he vanished, Ranyu could swear...
> Did… did he just glance back at me with sympathy?
> Wait—why sympathy?
Before he could fully grasp the omen, Xun'er tilted her head.
Her voice was soft. Too soft.
> "How did it feel… kissing Sister Ya Fei?"
Without thinking,Xiao Ranyu answered honestly.
"Soft, warm, very fiery—wait."
His mind lagged.
His eyes widened.
His body stiffened like a statue made of ice.
He slowly—very slowly—turned his head toward her.
Xun'er was smiling.
But her expression was terrifyingly calm.
The aura around her twisted like a coiled serpent.
And then—
She exploded.
> "You kissed her before me?! I came first!"
Tears welled up in her eyes as she shot to her feet and began pounding her fists into his chest.
> "You! You stupid blockhead! You said you liked me too! You kissed her first! Are you a dog that forgets his first owner?!"
Xiao Ranyu didn't even resist. He just stood there, dumbfounded.
> So that's why Uncle Ling left... he knew this was coming.
> Ya Fei… you traitor. Couldn't keep your mouth shut for one day and wait for me to leave, could you?!
Xun'er kept hitting his chest, hiccuping now between words.
> "You're… you're not even denying it… jerk…"
Xiao Ranyu's heart ached. He didn't say anything.
Instead, he pulled her into his arms.
Before she could protest—
He kissed her.
Xun'er's eyes widened, her entire body going stiff in his embrace.
Their lips pressed gently at first.
Then the pressure deepened.
When their lips finally parted, her eyes were dazed.
"...Feel better?" he whispered.
She blinked.
No response
Xiao Ranyu sighed.
> "Then… I guess I have no choice."
He kissed her again.
This time, his tongue slipped past her lips.
She gasped slightly—but didn't push him away.
Her fingers clutched at his robes as she slowly rose on tiptoes, hugging his neck tightly and returning the kiss with clumsy effort.
They stayed like that for a long time, hearts pounding in sync.
When they finally parted again, Xun'er collapsed into his chest, breathless and dazed.
Xiao Ranyu licked his lips and said
>"Soft,warm and sweet"
Xiao Xuner blushed and glared at him, then said while taking deep breath.
> "You… You better take care of yourself."
She muttered against his chest.
> "And stay away from vixens while you're out."
Xiao Ranyu coughed lightly.
> Too late for that…
He nodded instead. "After five years, I'll be heading to Jia Nan Academy."
Xun'er looked up.
> "Then I'll go first and wait for you."
"Promise?"
She held up her pinky.
He smirked and locked his with hers.
>
"Deal."
---
Not long after, he waved goodbye under the reluctant, tear-glazed eyes of the girl he'd just kissed for the first time.
> Two girls in one day... I'm really asking for death.
But he wasn't done yet.
He had one more stop before he could leave Wu Tan City.
> "Time to go visit that vixen…"
He cracked his knuckles, heading straight for the Miteer Auction House.
> And maybe teach her a small lesson for almost getting me beaten to death.