302. Extreme North

"Uh-huh."

Faced with Hu Liena's questioning, Qian Renjue couldn't deny it. He could only nod honestly.

Trying to settle things, he gave an awkward smile and said, "We're even now."

"Senior brother, you! How can something like this be considered even?!"

Hu Liena curled up in Qian Renjue's arms, her face even more flushed. She clearly remembered being caught in the act by her senior brother.

"You're right, it's not even," Qian Renjue changed his tone and nodded in agreement. "After all, that time, you saw me fully."

"Senior brother~"

Hu Liena bit her lip and stared at Qian Renjue with a mix of resentment and affection. She wasn't truly angry, though; rather, she didn't want to miss this chance for Qian Renjue to drop his restraint.

She bit her lip shyly and placed her hand on her shorts, whispering, "If senior brother wants to see everything, Nana... Nana can."

"No, no, I was just joking!" Qian Renjue quickly stopped her, looking helplessly at the shy little fox in his arms.

As they walked under the eaves, the purple aura in the sky had mostly faded. Qian Renjue tightened his grip around Hu Liena and whispered, "Alright, let's stop fooling around. Senior brother will take care of things properly."

"Mm."

Hu Liena obediently lowered her head, feeling a little disappointed.

Qian Renjue gazed at her with affection and gently kissed her on the cheek.

"Ah~ Senior brother?"

The warmth of his touch made Hu Liena squeal softly, her heart filled with joy despite her shyness.

"Are you satisfied now?" Qian Renjue looked up, meeting Hu Liena's eyes.

"Yes, yes," Hu Liena nodded repeatedly, her face glowing with happiness.

Smack!

She quickly kissed him back and then snuggled into his arms, smiling blissfully as she touched her cheek. This was the first time in her memory that Qian Renjue had kissed her.

"......"

Qian Renjue was momentarily surprised but quickly regained his composure. He lightly pushed off the wall and gracefully landed on the roof, holding Hu Liena by the waist as he sat down.

"Hurry up and sit properly. We're tight in time."

"Ah, yes, senior brother," Hu Liena responded, still not understanding why he was in such a rush. She quickly sat cross-legged, not wanting to upset him.

"Look at the purple aura in the east," Qian Renjue's voice, warm and firm, blew past her ear.

"Yes."

Hu Liena, sitting in his lap, felt her body burn with a heat the cool morning breeze couldn't extinguish.

Qian Renjue raised a hand, brushing the corner of her eye. "Focus on the purple aura, and follow my guidance to circulate your soul power."

Hearing his voice, Hu Liena was still a bit confused.

"Focus!"

Qian Renjue's brow furrowed as his tone sharpened.

"Nana understands!" Hu Liena quickly straightened up, staring intently at the eastern sky, afraid to let her mind wander.

Following his lead, she gradually drew in the purple aura from the horizon. Before long, Hu Liena was fully absorbed in her cultivation. In a short moment, the purple aura dissipated.

Hu Liena's eyes sparkled with wonder. "Senior brother, I think my vision has improved a lot?"

"This technique is called the Purple Demon Eyes," Qian Renjue explained as he stood up. "From now on, practice this every morning using the same method, understood?"

"Yes, Nana will remember," Hu Liena replied with a smile, quickly standing up and hugging his arm, her eyes overflowing with affection.

Qian Renjue adjusted his robe and gently tousled her hair. "Alright, I'll teach you more techniques later. For now, go downstairs."

"Thank you, senior brother!" Hu Liena nodded and, rising on her toes, kissed him on the cheek.

Smack!

After landing her kiss, she quickly jumped off the roof, her face flushed red as she ran toward the room. "Nana is going to freshen up and prepare breakfast!"

"Alright." Qian Renjue touched his damp cheek, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Pretending not to know doesn't help anyone."

He leapt down from the roof, heading toward Bibi Dong's quarters.

As he stepped inside, he saw that Bibi Dong was already awake, sitting by the bed. Her collarbone and shoulders were exquisitely delicate.

"Mom" Qian Renjue greeted softly.

Bibi Dong nodded slightly, her voice as melodic as ever. "Why are you up so early today, Jue?"

"I just went to teach Nana a self-created soul technique for cultivating mental power," Qian Renjue answered truthfully.

"A self-created technique for cultivating mental power?" Bibi Dong frowned slightly, never having heard of such a technique.

"Yes. If you want, I can teach you too," Qian Renjue smiled, sitting beside her and adjusting her fallen strap back onto her shoulder.

"Alright, we don’t have much to do this morning anyway," Bibi Dong agreed without hesitation, intrigued by the idea of a technique for mental cultivation.

She placed Qian Renjue's hand on her shoulder, indicating that she wanted him to massage it.

"By the way, about Gengxin City, how do you need me to help?" she asked.

"There's no rush on that matter. I need to prepare a few things first," Qian Renjue replied as he knelt on the bed, gently massaging her delicate shoulders.

"What you'll need to worry about is what happens after we annex Gengxin City."

"Don't worry, Jue will surely help mom, right? " Bibi Dong said with a soft laugh, leaning back against his shoulder.

"Of course," Qian Renjue smiled. It was his duty, after all.

——

The morning sun had risen.

In the courtyard filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, Bibi Dong had already gone to the Pope's Hall, leaving only Qian Renjue and Hu Liena behind.

Qian Renjue sat at a table under the pavilion, sketching something, while Hu Liena darted through the flowerbeds, occasionally leaving afterimages.

She was practicing the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

Qian Renjue glanced at the vibrating ring on his thumb, put away his drawings, and looked over at Hu Liena.

"Nana, practice on your own. Senior brother is going to the training room."

"Mm, Nana will work hard!" Hu Liena nodded seriously, watching him leave before continuing her practice among the flowers.

The self-created soul techniques Qian Renjue taught her were all practical, helping her overcome her weakness in close combat.

——

Qian Renjue stepped into the training room. Instead of heading to the Star Luo Empire, he remotely guided Zhu Zhuqing and, with time still on his side, decided to visit the Extreme North.

He didn’t want to risk staying out overnight again.

Buzz!

Not taking any chances, Qian Renjue immediately activated his martial spirit, transforming into a silver-haired, red-eyed form as the Evil God Hook swirled behind him.

A black vortex opened up and swallowed him whole.

——

The biting cold hit him first, followed by the blinding white light that made him squint.

It seemed like he was back in the cave he had visited last time.

Splash!

The sound of water splashing reached his ears, and Qian Renjue immediately turned around, his blood-red eyes locking onto the source of the noise.

He couldn’t help but frown. Was he going to have another confrontation with these chubby creatures today?