Xia Yang stared blankly at Xia Lingxi, then cast a meaningful glance at Qin Hao.
Meeting Xia Yang's gaze, Qin Hao turned his head to look at Xia Lingxi beside him.
"It is better to bring him along. I can only accompany you for a month. After a month, I will leave. Following that, you will still need someone to protect you."
However, Xia Lingxi did not see it that way. "When you leave, I can just go with you! I do not have a home anymore anyway, so tagging along with you would be perfect."
Hearing this, the corner of Qin Hao's mouth twitched. Bringing such a clumsy burden along would only hinder his ability to take on assignments. He refused without hesitation.
"Impossible. In a month, we are definitely parting ways."
At Qin Hao's answer, Xia Lingxi pouted, a look of disappointment washing over her face.
Beside them, Xia Yang chuckled softly before speaking to Gong Jun.
"Gong Jun, I will have to trouble you then. Take good care of my sister, and I will surely reward you handsomely in the future."
Gong Jun nodded. "Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will."
Just like that, the three of them embarked on their journey to roam the world.
To make Xia Lingxi's travels smoother, Xia Yang gave her his own spirit boat. At the same time, he gifted her all the resources he had accumulated.
The interior of the spirit boat was magnificently decorated and incredibly spacious. As it cruised smoothly through the clouds, looking outside offered quite a beautiful scenery.
Qin Hao sat alone on a soft couch by the window, resting with his eyes closed. A fanged mask concealed his face, and his entire being exuded an aloof, unapproachable aura that warned strangers to stay away.
Xia Lingxi sat directly opposite Qin Hao, resting her face in her hands. She stared unblinkingly at him, a suspicious blush occasionally creeping up her cheeks. Who knew what she was thinking about.
The busiest among them was undoubtedly Gong Jun. Because he had previously been instantly defeated by a mere glance from Qin Hao, he was now hovering attentively around Xia Lingxi, trying to salvage the dignity he had lost in front of her earlier.
"Lingxi, here is your favorite Ice Crystal Jade Lotus Pastry." Gong Jun presented a plate of translucent, faintly fragrant pastries to Xia Lingxi.
Xia Lingxi glanced at the exquisite delicacies, subconsciously cast a peek toward Qin Hao, and then quickly took the plate, thanking him.
"Thank you, Brother Gong Jun."
Hearing how Xia Lingxi addressed him, a bright smile spread across Gong Jun's face. He thought to himself that Lingxi was finally willing to call him Brother Gong Jun again. It was well worth the effort he had spent specifically learning how to make this Ice Crystal Jade Lotus Pastry for her.
However, in the very next second, the smile on Gong Jun's face completely froze.
He watched as Xia Lingxi, after taking the Ice Crystal Jade Lotus Pastry from his hands, carefully carried the plate straight over to Qin Hao.
"Qin... Qin Hao," Xia Lingxi called out, her voice soft and carrying a hint of imperceptible nervousness and anticipation.
"This is the Ice Crystal Jade Lotus Pastry. It is really delicious, and it is made with thousand-year snow lotus, which can help calm the mind and soothe the spirit. Do you want to try a piece?"
"No need," Qin Hao replied flatly. He had no interest in pastries. Calm the mind and soothe the spirit? Possessing an Innate Dao Body and a Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart, he had absolutely no use for such effects.
But Xia Lingxi acted as if she had not heard his rejection, continuing to gaze at him with stubborn persistence. "Just try one piece. It is really good." Her tone carried a hint of coquettish pleading that even she herself had not noticed.
Gong Jun's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his expression turning rather ugly.
He had never seen Xia Lingxi act like this before.
As the little princess of the Great Cang Kingdom, Xia Lingxi had grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth. Spoiled by everyone around her since childhood, she had developed a rather willful and arrogant personality.
Although she had previously shown some affection toward Gong Jun, whenever they spent time together, she always spoke to him in the commanding tone of a haughty princess!
When had she ever, ever taken the initiative to speak to him in such a cautious, almost fawning, and coquettish tone?
Gong Jun stared blankly at Xia Lingxi. The girl before him clearly wanted to draw closer, yet seemed terrified of disturbing the other party. Her eyes flickered with a mix of anticipation and apprehension, and her voice was incredibly soft and gentle. Her entire demeanor exuded the innocent shyness and clumsiness of a young maiden.
This version of Xia Lingxi was completely foreign to Gong Jun! Yet, it was exactly the side of her he desperately wanted for himself!
An intense wave of jealousy and bitter resentment instantly surged into Gong Jun's heart. His fists clenched unconsciously. Taking a deep breath, he spoke up once more:
"Lingxi, Fellow Daoist Qin Hao is cultivating and shouldn't be disturbed. I prepared these pastries specifically for you, so you should eat them yourself."
However, acting as if she hadn't heard Gong Jun at all, Xia Lingxi pinched a piece of pastry and offered it right to Qin Hao's lips:
"Just take a little bite. These are my absolute favorite pastries, you might actually like them."
Slightly annoyed by her relentless persistence, Qin Hao helplessly opened his eyes. He parted his lips and accepted the pastry she was offering.
The moment his lips brushed against her fingers, a tingling sensation, like the gentle sweep of a feather, spread from her fingertips through her entire body.
"So soft... and just a little warm." Xia Lingxi's heart began to pound wildly out of control. She inwardly lamented that the moment had passed too quickly; if only the contact could have lasted a little longer.
As soon as the thought surfaced, she quickly pushed it away. Oh gosh, Xia Lingxi, what on earth are you thinking? Have you no shame!
Yet, her eyes refused to obey her commands. She cautiously studied Qin Hao with her amber gaze.
A mask concealed the majority of Qin Hao's face, revealing only his forehead, his closed eyes, his jawline, and his lips.
Staring at his eyes for quite a while, Xia Lingxi became somewhat entranced. In the past, she had always thought Gong Jun's bright, spirited eyes were extremely handsome.
But Qin Hao's eyes, even while closed, resembled a meticulously drawn ink wash painting, with every stroke falling perfectly into place.
Then, her gaze drifted downward uncontrollably, finally settling on his lips. That was where she had just touched. Did that count as him kissing me?
Qin Hao's lips were not particularly thin, but they were beautifully shaped. Looking at those elegant contours and their alluring color, Xia Lingxi actually found them somewhat sexy.
This thought sent a thrill of excitement through her heart. Filled with immense curiosity and a secret sense of anticipation, she desperately wanted to see exactly what kind of face lay hidden beneath that mask. Was he a hideous monster, or was he so devastatingly handsome that it defied the very heavens?
"Have you looked enough?" A flat, indifferent voice suddenly shattered her increasingly wild fantasies. Qin Hao had opened his eyes at some point and was now quietly staring back at her.
Seeing his eyes from such a close distance, Xia Lingxi felt entirely captivated: "So beautiful... these eyes are even more magnificent and dazzling than the stars!"
"Are they beautiful?" The corners of Qin Hao's lips curled up slightly, his eyes brimming with a playful, teasing amusement.
"!!!" Like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, Xia Lingxi jolted violently. She scrambled to her feet in a fluster, her panicked gaze darting everywhere:
"I, I wasn't... wasn't looking at you! I, I was looking at the clouds outside. Right! I was looking at the clouds. The clouds are really beautiful today, haha..."
As the romantic tension between Qin Hao and Xia Lingxi continued to rise, no one noticed that in a certain corner, the former number one prodigy of the Great Cang Kingdom was quietly shattering on the inside.