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"Sorry. I thought you could keep up."
Looking at her frustrated expression, Xie Xie spoke candidly, a hint of genuine embarrassment on his face. He had subconsciously assumed that as the human manifestation of the Silver Dragon King, her physical and elemental reaction speeds would naturally match his pace. He was clearly mistaken.
"You were so sudden... I definitely didn't react in time!" A wave of helplessness washed over Gu Yue's face. Keep up? He was using spatial teleports like they were walking steps!
"We're a team," she reminded him firmly. "You have to wait for your partner."
"Mm, I understand." Xie Xie nodded. He instinctively started to walk forward, but then he paused. Remembering her complaint, he stopped his spirit power circulation and reached out his left hand.
"Gu Yue, hold on tight."
"..."
Looking at the hand offered to her, Gu Yue was momentarily stunned. She nodded and took it, but her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She had researched human social dynamics in the Great Library of the Star Dou Forest to prepare for her bet with Na'er. She knew about physical boundaries.
This Xie Xie... there's no way he doesn't understand what this means, right? she thought. Holding hands—this was her first major breakthrough!
Despite her calculated intentions, the warmth of the boy's palm sent a strange sensation through her. It felt as if it wasn't she who had grasped him, but he who had claimed her. A faint blush dusted her cheeks before vanishing as quickly as it appeared.
"There aren't many powerful Spirit Beasts nearby anymore," Xie Xie noted, his mental perception sweeping the area. "Gu Yue, let's go find the others. If Zhang Yangzi and the rest are alone, they'll be fine, but if it's Xiao Yan, she'll be in real danger."
Xie Xie didn't notice Gu Yue's internal turmoil. He was genuinely worried. Xu Xiaoyan was an absolute control-system specialist, but her direct combat power and mobility were the lowest in Class Zero. In a forest crawling with predators, she was a prime target.
A cold glint flashed in Gu Yue's eyes. Her forced smile didn't reach her ears. "You really do care quite a bit about Xu Xiaoyan," she said, her voice dropping an octave.
As she spoke, her grip on his hand tightened significantly, as if marking her territory. She was furious. He was holding her hand, yet his mind was already wandering to another girl.
"Xiao Yan is different," Xie Xie explained, ignoring the crushing pressure on his knuckles. "This isn't a Riot Period, so she's the most vulnerable."
He silently sighed. Gu Yue was only playing a game for a bet, but Xiao Yan was his genuine childhood sweetheart. The bond was pure. If he weren't such a "shameless" person in this second life, he'd probably only have eyes for the little star-girl. But, well... he was a shameless transmigrator.
Gu Yue gritted her teeth. Xu Xiaoyan... it seems that little girl is the biggest obstacle to my wager.
Outside the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Long Hengxu and Wu Changkong stared at the monitor in shock.
"A thirteen-hundred-year Earth Devil Spider is one of the most lethal predators among thousand-year beasts," Long Hengxu stammered. "And Xie Xie just... one-shotted it?"
Wu Changkong remained silent, but his eyes betrayed his disbelief. At two rings, Xie Xie's explosive power was already off the charts. What would he be capable of at three?
"You two still know very little about Young Master Xie," Jiang Liu said with a calm smile. "This is a Tuesday for him. He has already personally defeated the guardians of our Elementary Platform."
"Guardians?" Wu Changkong asked sharply.
"A beast with a bloodline so powerful it rivals the dragons," Jiang Liu replied. "The supreme predator—the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear."
Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Under Xie Xie's lead, he and Gu Yue flickered through the forest. After dozens of short-range spatial jumps, Xie Xie finally spotted a familiar head of blue hair.
Xu Xiaoyan was crouched in the tall grass beneath a massive tree, her Star Wheel Ice Staff clutched tightly.
"Three bears to the north... eagles to the south... wolves to the west," she whispered to herself. "Okay, stay hidden. Wait for backup. Wait for Big Brother Xie Xie."
This was her strategy: bully ten-year beasts, ignore hundred-year beasts if there were more than one, and hide until the "Boss" arrived. It was thanks to Xie Xie "babysitting" her during a previous Riot Period that her rings had reached nine hundred years.
Rustle—
The grass parted. Xu Xiaoyan gasped, raising her staff. "Stars in the sky, sparkling bright—"
"Xiao Yan, it's me," Xie Xie's voice broke through the tension as he materialized in front of her.
"Big Brother Xie Xie!" Xu Xiaoyan's face transformed into a radiant smile. She lunged forward and grabbed his right hand. But then, she paused.
"Wait... your hand is warmer than usual today," she muttered, blinking in confusion.
Behind Xie Xie, Gu Yue stepped out of the shadows. Her face was stiff, her expression frozen. She looked at Xie Xie's right hand being held by Xu Xiaoyan, and his left hand still firmly grasped in her own.
Am I also a part of your play? Gu Yue thought, her heart turning to ice. Is he literally holding both of us at the same time?
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