Chapter 165 Xiao Xiao's Feelings.
The two soon found a stream and began deftly gutting the two wild animals. Their pelts had already been burned clean by Wu Xuan's azure flames on the way.
They took out the iron pot they had used earlier and tossed half of the vulture into it.
Two wooden sticks pierced the entire body of the Soft-Boned Rabbit and the other half of the Gray-Feathered Vulture. Amidst the crackling of the flames, the roasted rabbit and chicken slowly cooked, the rich aroma filling the air and wafting for miles.
Watching the sizzling roasted chicken and rabbit on the grill, Xiao Xiao's mouth watered.
"Alright, you can eat now." Wu Xuan tore off a leg from the Soft-Boned Rabbit and handed it to Xiao Xiao.
Ignoring the heat, Xiao Xiao took the rabbit leg and tore into it without any regard for her image. The crispy outside and tender inside of the rabbit meat filled her mouth, and Xiao Xiao felt a surge of happiness.
Seeing Xiao Xiao give him a thumbs up, Wu Xuan smiled slightly and tore off another rabbit leg. Although his cooking skills couldn't compare to Huo Yuhao's, as a fellow spirit-attribute soul master, how much worse could he be at cooking?
The Soft-Boned Rabbit, as a top-tier ingredient among rabbits, naturally had tender and delicious meat. Besides, high-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods; a little salt water and pepper are enough to bring out their richest flavor.
In a whirlwind, the two devoured the entire Soft-Boned Rabbit and half a roasted chicken. The chicken soup was almost ready, and even though they were already full, Xiao Xiao couldn't wait to ladle out the soup.
Although the Gray-Feathered Vulture was just an ordinary bird, the soup it made was incredibly fragrant. The aroma even made Elder Xuan, hiding in the shadows, pace back and forth several times, almost unable to resist rushing out. With the chicken soup empty, Xiao Xiao let out a satisfied burp without any regard for appearances.
"Brother Xuan! Is this really your first time grilling meat? I feel like your grilling skills are almost on par with Huo Yuhao's." The two chatted leisurely as they strolled along.
"Haha! Of course, as fellow spirit attribute soul masters, cooking is a piece of cake for me." Wu Xuan smiled slightly.
"Hmm~! It's a pity I'm not a spirit-attribute soul master, so it'll probably be difficult to make it this delicious." Xiao Xiao sighed.
"It's okay! I'll make whatever you want to eat later, we'll have plenty of time."
"Hmm~! Brother Xuan, it's so wonderful to be your girlfriend." As she spoke, Xiao Xiao affectionately took Wu Xuan's arm.
Seeing the girl's pure and innocent feelings for him, Wu Xuan took a deep breath and directly blocked Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Ice Emperor, who were preparing to watch the show in his spiritual sea.
"Ah~! Ah~! Little Wu Xuan, you're using me and then discarding me! What's wrong with letting me learn a few moves? I've helped you so much." Tianmeng Ice Silkworm suddenly burst into a piercing wail.
"Get lost! Useless trash, you're disturbing my peace." Ice Emperor's roar immediately frightened Tianmeng Ice Silkworm into whimpering silence.
"Sigh! The show's over." Recalling the previous scene, Ice Emperor said with some lingering satisfaction.
Wu Xuan's expression turned serious as he slowly said, "Xiao Xiao! I might not be as good as you think. Perhaps I can't give you the life you imagine for two. I..."
Before Wu Xuan could finish speaking, a pair of fair hands covered his mouth to stop him.
"Brother Xuan! I actually know everything. You don't need to feel apologetic."
"Xiao Xiao..." Looking at the girl's affectionate eyes, Wu Xuan was momentarily stunned.
Xiao Xiao smiled slightly, her words full of sincerity: "Brother Xuan, do you know? Actually, I've always felt very lucky because my mother was just an ordinary person, without the aptitude for Soul Master cultivation. But she grew up with my father, and because of this love, despite the opposition from the family elders, my father still married my mother without hesitation." Wu Xuan was speechless, his voice choked with emotion. He felt like he had heard this story somewhere before.
"Although my parents' love was very pure, my father, under pressure from the family elders, still married another woman of equal social standing who possessed cultivation aptitude. Only in this way did he not lose his status as the young clan leader."
Wu Xuan nodded slightly. It was only natural for the Xiao family elders to act this way; there was nothing wrong with it. How to maintain a proper balance in their relationships was entirely up to Xiao Xiao's father.
"Until after I was born, my father's new wife never suppressed or targeted my mother. My father handled their relationship very harmoniously, which is what I admire most about him."
"At six years old! I awakened my martial soul. Originally, the elders in the clan had never had any hope for me, but I astonished everyone. Innate full soul power, twin martial souls—I not only inherited the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron martial soul passed down through generations of the Xiao family, but I also inherited the almost extinct Nine Phoenixes' Auspicious Flute." Xiao Xiao spoke with pride.
"Then your father's genes are truly powerful," Wu Xuan commented truthfully.
"Hehe, of course, I look about 70% like my father," Xiao Xiao laughed.
Wu Xuan suddenly understood; no wonder he felt that as Xiao Xiao grew older, her originally youthful face had gained a touch of heroic spirit.
"And so, I completely entered the sights of the Xiao family's higher-ups. My father smoothly took over as patriarch, and the elders in the clan who had previously criticized my father's actions completely shut up."
"So, Brother Xuan! Even in a top-tier soul master family like our Xiao family, my father, as the young patriarch, couldn't be completely devoted to one person. Therefore, I never thought of possessing you exclusively. Just like my father and mother, you have me in your heart, and I have you in mine—that's enough..."
Seeing the girl express her most sincere feelings without hesitation, Wu Xuan slowly embraced her, his fingers running through Xiao Xiao's dark green hair, one hand naturally supporting her slender lower back.
The moment their lips met, Wu Xuan felt a slight tremor in his steadfast Dao heart; perhaps he really was about to fall in love with this simple, kind-hearted, and somewhat naive girl before him.
On the other side, Xiao Xiao, whose eyes had been sparkling, was breathing more and more rapidly. She was completely speechless, and flipped over to sit on Wu Xuan's lap, passionately kissing him.
"These young people nowadays, I can't bear to look, I really can't bear to look," Xuan Lao, hiding in the shadows, muttered and left, completely shutting out his senses.
"After a long time! Lips parted!" Wu Xuan regained some of his senses, ending their deeper kiss.
Xiao Xiao looked at Wu Xuan with somewhat dazed eyes, seemingly not understanding why he had stopped.
"Ahem! Xiao Xiao, this isn't a suitable occasion for us to continue, at least not here," Wu Xuan said tactically.
Hearing this, Xiao Xiao's face flushed red, and she began frantically straightening her disheveled clothes.
"Let's go! Let's go back to the academy first," Wu Xuan smiled slightly, reaching out to take Xiao Xiao's soft hand.
"Mmm~!" Without any embarrassment, Xiao Xiao immediately took Wu Xuan's arm.
The setting sun cast its last rays across the sky. Wu Xuan, who was flying hand-in-hand, suddenly slowed down and stopped.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Xiao asked curiously.
"About a thousand meters away on the straight road, nearly a thousand unfamiliar auras have suddenly appeared," Wu Xuan said, frowning.
"Nearly a thousand people? Could it be an army mobilized by the Star Luo Empire? Or some large merchant caravan?" Xiao Xiao guessed.
"I'm not sure. From what I sense, the auras of these nearly a thousand people vary too much. The weakest are even weaker than ordinary civilians, and the strongest aura is even that of a Soul Venerable with three Soul Rings. It's very incongruous. Anyway, they're not far away, let's go take a look together," Wu Xuan said.
"Okay!" Xiao Xiao took Wu Xuan's hand again, her eyes filled with barely suppressed joy. As long as she was with Wu Xuan, she felt she could go anywhere.
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