Chapter 22: The Young Dragon’s Allure

“Don’t worry. What they said just now was an excuse—they were trying to scare us into coming out. They wouldn’t dare make a big scene out of this.”

Behind Mo Xiao, her dragon tail reappeared, swaying lightly. Without turning around, her gaze remained fixed on the dense forest ahead.

“There’s still one more not coming out?”

Her cool yet youthful voice made Bai Yuan tense up again. There’s another one?

Hidden atop a large tree, the black-haired girl’s heart skipped a beat. Did she notice me?

Ye Rou had followed behind Dao’er all the way here, and she had witnessed the shocking scene earlier.

Without any warning, those people’s Book Spirits had suddenly died on the spot—it scared her so much she didn’t even dare look again.

She hadn’t expected to be discovered so long ago. A bitter smile tugged at her lips.

With a Book Spirit that powerful, why would she need my protection? Do the higher-ups really not understand Bai Yuan’s strength?

“The student hiding behind one of the trees—are you with them?”

Mo Xiao took a step forward. Black mist surged into her small hand, condensing into an ink-black sword.

In her previous life, she had most often used a longsword—her swordsmanship was exceptional.

Even though her current form had changed, her memories remained. So did her experience.

“W-Wait! I’m not! I just followed them to watch the show, haha… I won’t disturb you—I’m leaving now!”

Ye Rou didn’t dare reveal herself. Letting out an awkward laugh, she quickly jumped down from the tree and ran deeper into the forest.

A trace of confusion flickered in Mo Xiao’s eyes. She only saw a flash of black hair disappear among the trees—the girl had indeed left.

Of course, she didn’t believe her explanation. It was clearly stalking—but as for the purpose, that was uncertain.

“Forget it. I didn’t sense any hostility. She might really have just been watching.”

She dispersed the sword in her hand, and the sharp aura around her softened once more.

Turning around, her black gauze dress fluttered, twin ponytails swaying as she ran back to her master. A faint smile rested on her delicately carved doll-like face.

“It’s fine now. Let’s continue collecting spiritual materials.”

Bai Yuan didn’t respond. She simply stared blankly at the much smaller girl in front of her.

Mo Xiao had looked so cool just now—strong and handsome. That petite figure somehow gave off an unexpected sense of security.

“What? Don’t tell me you thought this dragon was incredibly cool just now and already want to throw yourself into my arms?”

Seeing her master’s dazed expression, Mo Xiao puffed out her slightly raised chest, her little face full of pride.

“Pfft—what are you even thinking? I just felt really safe with you just now.”

Snapping out of it, Bai Yuan laughed softly. She quickly reached out and tapped Mo Xiao’s small, upturned nose with her finger.

“Hmph~”

Mo Xiao lightly twitched her nose and let out a soft snort. A blush spread across her face as she shyly turned her head away.

“Is the little dragon girl embarrassed?”

Such a cute reaction. Bai Yuan felt like she had just discovered Mo Xiao’s weak spot—it was surprisingly enjoyable.

“As if! I—I’m going to catch fish. Let’s leave the secret realm sooner!”

Mo Xiao refused to admit she’d been teased into embarrassment. She walked past Bai Yuan toward the deep pool.

This time, she didn’t bother fishing—she had other methods.

The deep waters reflected her slightly flushed face… a scene that was also mirrored in someone else’s violet eyes.

“This little one is quite strong… but how could that person possibly control the authority of time? There’s definitely a secret here.”

Curled up on a soft bed, You watched a floating screen before her, which displayed everything Bai Yuan was doing in the secret realm.

She couldn’t enter the realm—but that didn’t mean she couldn’t observe it.

Some woman probably wanted to watch as well. Naturally, You had no intention of letting her see Bai Yuan, so she took action first and blocked her out.

And now, she had finally noticed something unusual about Bai Yuan’s Book Spirit. No wonder that person had been keeping an eye on her.

Bai Yuan herself was important—but that foul-mouthed little Book Spirit of hers was the real key.

Meanwhile, at the spiritual materials shop, Yi Lian’s face was ashen.

The floating screen before her had turned completely black.

Just when she saw the disciplinary committee finding Bai Yuan, the image cut off—so infuriating she nearly spat blood.

And she didn’t even need to guess who caused it. If she couldn’t watch, then no one would.

With a flick of her hand, a streak of white light shot into the dark screen.

A blinding white light suddenly burst from the screen in front of You, obscuring everything.

“Ah! My eyes! Damn old woman—so temperamental, must be menopause!”

You shouted angrily as her small figure vanished from Bai Yuan’s bed.

Not long after, the sky over Will City darkened. Low thunder rumbled continuously, and a torrential storm loomed.

Smack, smack—

“Wow—Mo Xiao, you’re amazing! What kind of sword technique is that?”

Bai Yuan clapped her hands in astonishment, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Instead of catching fish directly, Mo Xiao had conjured ten ink swords in midair and shot them into the water.

Moments later, the swords returned—each skewering over a dozen fish.

The dazzling display made Bai Yuan’s eyes shine. Having lived for a long time in the eastern continent, she had always loved flashy sword techniques.

And now, seeing such an exaggerated display right before her, admiration practically overflowed from her eyes.

“Just a small trick. Ordinary sword control.”

Mo Xiao waved her hand, dispersing the ink swords. The jade pool fish fell onto the shore, flopping about.

Bai Yuan leaned closer—yet there wasn’t a single wound on the fish. Their bodies were completely intact, with no visible injuries.

“How is that possible? There’s no damage at all—I clearly saw them get pierced through!”

She reached out and poked one of the fish.

“Ah!? It splashed mud on me!”

Startled, Bai Yuan let out a short, adorable yelp, quickly pulling back her pale fingers. Still, her white dress got splattered with mud.

“Hahaha! That’s hilarious! Master, how are you this hopeless?”

Seeing Bai Yuan’s panicked, squirrel-like reaction, Mo Xiao clutched her stomach and laughed uncontrollably.

“They’re already on land—you can do whatever you want with them. Don’t be scared. Go scrape the jade pool mud off their bodies.”

Wiping away tears of laughter, she gently comforted her master.

“Uu… Mo Xiao, can you help me collect it? I’ll do the next one myself…”

Bai Yuan whimpered softly, her cheeks slightly flushed. Pouting, she pleaded for help—she really didn’t want to touch the fish again.

“It’s not impossible… but I want something in return. Um… tonight, can Master hold me while sleeping?”

Mo Xiao turned her flushed face aside as she shyly voiced her request.

Her voice grew softer and softer toward the end, so much that Bai Yuan wasn’t sure she heard it right.

This arrogant little girl… wanted to be held while sleeping? No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t seem likely.

“N-Not okay?”

It was the first time Mo Xiao had made such a bold request. Nervously clutching her skirt, her golden slit pupils shimmered with moisture—her eyes full of unmistakable shyness.

Seeing her like that, Bai Yuan froze on the spot, as if under a spell.

Faced with such an adorable little dragon girl looking at her so timidly, she simply couldn’t resist.

She nodded blankly.