"Why is it different now?" Chu Feng asked, puzzled.
"Well… how should I put it? No matter what stage you reach, you can still talk to me just like this — without putting on any airs at all."
"But most people can't do that. The majority of them, once they improve even a little, become high and mighty. They even start distancing themselves from old friends," Xia Yun'er said.
"That kind of person is the minority, isn't it?" Chu Feng said.
"No, they're not," Xia Yun'er said.
"Doesn't matter — I'll never be like that. We're friends. Good friends are for a lifetime," Chu Feng said.
"Then since we're such good friends, give me a gift," Xia Yun'er said.
"Sure. What do you want? I'll go find it for you," Chu Feng asked.
"Just pick something random — as long as it's not something expensive, anything will do," Xia Yun'er said.
"Hmm, let me think." Chu Feng fell into deep thought, genuinely considering which of the treasures inside his Universe Bag would be most suitable to give Xia Yun'er.
"What's so difficult about giving me a gift? Here…" As she spoke, Xia Yun'er pulled the hairpin from her hair. "Just engrave your name on it."
"I can't do that — that wouldn't even count as a gift from me."
"Tell you what, how about I give you an Immortal Armament instead," Chu Feng said.
"Who wants your Immortal Armament? Just carve the name," Xia Yun'er said, holding the hairpin out in front of him.
With no choice, Chu Feng complied and engraved his name onto the hairpin.
"Here — this counts as a gift from you now," Xia Yun'er said. She didn't put the hairpin back in her hair. Instead, she carefully tucked it away.
"That's not really right, is it? This is clearly your own — how can it become my gift just because my name is carved on it?" Chu Feng said, perplexed.
"Look at you — you've grown so fast. If you keep growing like this, I'm afraid the Ancestral Martial Star Domain won't be able to contain you."
"That's exactly why you hold a special significance for me," Xia Yun'er said.
"What special significance?" Chu Feng asked.
"You still don't get it? You're my bragging rights."
"Someday, when I'm old and my face is covered in wrinkles and I've become some old lady, I can tell my grandchildren…"
"'You think that Chu Feng is impressive? When I first met him, he was only an Immortal — he couldn't even beat me.'"
"But they won't believe me if I just say it without proof. That's when I can take out this hairpin and show them that I really knew you."
Xia Yun'er tilted her small face upward, her little hands clasped behind her back, taking light, playful steps that set her skirt swaying gently. On her gorgeous little face was an expression brimming with pride.
Her whole demeanor radiated daydreaming — as if she had already pictured that scene and fully intended to make it happen.
"If they still don't believe you, just come find me. I'll tell them personally, and make sure they know just how dazzling their grandmother once was — how she captivated every man in the Upper Realm's myriad worlds," Chu Feng said with a grin.
"Oh, shut up." Xia Yun'er rolled her eyes at Chu Feng, but the corners of her lips curved upward despite herself.
Chu Feng laughed even more roguishly, continuing to envision how he would brag to Xia Yun'er's grandchildren someday.
"Chu Feng." Suddenly, Xia Yun'er called out in a serious tone.
"What is it?" Chu Feng turned toward her.
Whoosh—
In an instant, a wave of fragrant scent surged toward him, and a soft body threw itself into his arms.
It was Xia Yun'er. Not only did she throw herself into Chu Feng's embrace, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and pressed her small face against his chest.
Chu Feng didn't move — he stood perfectly still. He didn't push Xia Yun'er away, but neither did he reject her.
After a moment like that, Xia Yun'er finally let go on her own. She looked at Chu Feng as composedly as she could manage and smiled. "This hug is also part of my bragging rights."
"Haha, then I can brag even more — I'm the man who once embraced the Holy Maiden of the Starfall Holy Ground."
"No way — I can't brag about that one. I'd get beaten to death if I did," Chu Feng said with a grin.
"All right, let's go back," Xia Yun'er said. She turned around and began walking in the direction they had come from.
But now the Holy Maiden no longer flew through the air — she hopped along with a skip in her step. Gone was her usual cunning, replaced by something closer to a pure little girl, content and happy.
Watching Xia Yun'er like this, a small ripple stirred in Chu Feng's heart.
Chu Feng wasn't foolish. How could he not see through Xia Yun'er's feelings?
But from beginning to end, he had only ever regarded Xia Yun'er as a friend — he had never harbored a single other thought.