Ling Xiaoyou lifted her little head and looked at Bai Shuanglian.
At this moment, Bai Shuanglian was smiling gently, softly stroking Ling Xiaoyou’s head, as if savoring this moment.
Ling Xiaoyou suddenly didn’t know what came over her.
She reached out her small hand and naturally cupped Bai Shuanglian’s cheek.
Bai Shuanglian was slightly stunned, clearly not expecting Ling Xiaoyou to do such a thing—after all, this was completely unlike her usual self.
Seeing Bai Shuanglian’s surprised expression, Ling Xiaoyou let out a triumphant ‘hmph hmph’, then strengthened her grip and began kneading Bai Shuanglian’s cheeks.
Bai Shuanglian hadn’t anticipated Ling Xiaoyou’s next move at all and didn’t react, allowing Ling Xiaoyou to knead her face as she pleased.
At first, Ling Xiaoyou only acted out of a sense of revenge.
After all, Bai Shuanglian had done this to her so many times—it was only fair to pay her back, right?
But after kneading for a while, Ling Xiaoyou suddenly realized something:
Oh, the feeling is actually pretty nice!
No wonder this fellow Bai Shuanglian always liked to knead my face—now I understand.
Ling Xiaoyou thought in surprise, unable to stop herself from continuing to knead Bai Shuanglian’s cheeks, enjoying the soft and bouncy sensation in her palm.
After a bit longer, Ling Xiaoyou finally let go reluctantly, looked at Bai Shuanglian, and let out a satisfied hum.
She said, “If you dare do that again next time, I’ll knead you too!”
Bai Shuanglian blinked, then pulled up Ling Xiaoyou’s small hand.
Under Ling Xiaoyou’s puzzled gaze, she pressed the soft little hand against her own cheek, rubbing it like a kitten asking to be petted.
“It’s actually fine if you want to keep going.”
“You…!”
Looking at Bai Shuanglian’s adorable actions, Ling Xiaoyou felt her heart skip a beat.
But she forced herself to suppress the urge, stared at Bai Shuanglian helplessly, and said, “Don’t always be so shameless!”
Seeing this, Bai Shuanglian chuckled softly, released Ling Xiaoyou’s hand, and said, “Alright, alright, I’ll stop joking.”
But even as she spoke, Ling Xiaoyou could tell that she wasn’t joking at all—she was completely serious!
Still, Ling Xiaoyou didn’t call her out.
After all, what if Bai Shuanglian got embarrassed and retaliated by kneading her face again?
Even though Bai Shuanglian wasn’t usually like that, it never hurt to be cautious!
Ling Xiaoyou pouted, but didn’t say anything else, instead asking, “So, what do we do next? Go to Xiaoyu’s place first?”
“Mm, that’s fine.”
Bai Shuanglian thought for a moment, then said, “It should be about the time Xiaoyu gets out of school now. By the time we arrive, she’ll probably just be getting home.”
“After we finish today’s course, we can begin your training project.”
Ling Xiaoyou nodded in understanding.
Then, as if remembering something, she placed her small hand on her own Space Ring and pulled out a thick stack of Plan Books, handing them to Bai Shuanglian.
She said, “Here, this is the training plan Sister Ling prepared for me. You can use it for reference when deciding how I should train.”
“Alright.”
Bai Shuanglian accepted the Plan Books, flipping through them with some surprise.
“But there are actually this many?”
“Of course!”
At her words, Ling Xiaoyou immediately lifted her smooth little chin proudly.
“After all, I’m a diligent person—there’s no way I’ll lose to you, Bai Shuanglian!”
“Yes, yes.”
Looking at Ling Xiaoyou’s childlike pose, Bai Shuanglian laughed and ruffled her hair.
“Xiaoyou is the most hardworking.”
“I told you, don’t treat me like a kid!”
Ling Xiaoyou shook her head, knocking Bai Shuanglian’s hand away.
Then she moved lightly behind Bai Shuanglian and began pushing her toward the door.
“Come on, come on—let’s hurry to Xiaoyu’s house!”
***
“Goodbye, sisters!”
With tonight’s lesson over, Xiaoyu leaned against the window, waving at the two as they walked away.
Then, as if she heard something, she quickly turned and began explaining to Aunt Liu, who was knocking on the door in confusion.
Ling Xiaoyou turned her head just in time to see this scene, then covered her mouth and spoke to Bai Shuanglian.
“Xiaoyu is kind of silly too. Even though there are other people at home, she still says goodbye to us.”
Bai Shuanglian smiled without saying anything.
In her opinion, Ling Xiaoyou could be pretty silly at times as well—but it was a cute kind of silly.
The two of them walked into the Dense Forest near Xiaoyu’s Villa—a place hardly anyone visited, making it a perfect hidden spot in the city.
Once inside the Dense Forest, Ling Xiaoyou stopped and looked at Bai Shuanglian.
“So, which training do we start with?”
“Then…”
Bai Shuanglian pondered for a moment, then extended her hand.
A golden flame flickered in her palm.
“Let’s begin with today’s Yang Flame resistance training.”
Seeing the blazing golden fire, memories from yesterday flooded back, and Ling Xiaoyou’s legs trembled as she instinctively swallowed.
“…Alright, then…let’s begin.”
Her words held a mix of fear, anticipation, and…excitement!
Ling Xiaoyou looked at the golden flame in Bai Shuanglian’s hand, then pulled out an Alchemy Pill from her Space Ring and swallowed it in one gulp.
That familiar tingling sensation washed over her body.
After that…
Ling Xiaoyou felt her legs going weak, like she could just collapse on the spot.
But not now.
Bai Shuanglian was right beside her—she couldn’t show any weakness!
Bai Shuanglian watched Ling Xiaoyou’s flushed face, her eyes shimmering like spring water, and asked with concern, “Are you okay, Xiaoyou? Maybe we should cancel today’s training?”
“I’m fine! I can keep going!”
Ling Xiaoyou was secretly glad that Bai Shuanglian didn’t fully understand these things—otherwise, if she realized what kind of state she was in, who knew how she’d tease her?
She steadied herself against a nearby tree, panting a few hot breaths, and glanced at Bai Shuanglian.
“Just let me rest a bit.”
Bai Shuanglian nodded, waiting quietly at the side, though she kept casting worried glances at Ling Xiaoyou, afraid she might suddenly collapse.
After a while, the overwhelming sensation finally faded from her body.
Ling Xiaoyou exhaled deeply and looked at Bai Shuanglian.
“Alright, we can start the next part of the training now.”