A max-level player in Jade Dynasty: Awakening the Innate Dao at the start.

Song Daren's snoring was deafening, like thunder, and it went on and on in the small room.

There weren't enough guest rooms on Tongtian Peak, so eight male disciples from Dazhu Peak squeezed into two rooms.

Zhang Xiaofan lay on the communal bed by the window, staring at the ceiling with his eyes open.

Moonlight seeped in through the cracks in the window, cutting out several pale, stark squares on the ground.

He turned his head to look at his senior brother.

Song Daren was fast asleep, his mouth open and his chest rising and falling.

Zhang Xiaofan suddenly remembered that in the original story, this honest and kind senior brother later married Senior Sister Wenmin—

If he snores like this on their wedding night, will Senior Sister Wenmin be so angry that she kicks him off the bed?

The image is kind of funny to think about.

But as I laughed, I felt a sense of emptiness inside.

It was a night like this, and it was also at Tongtian Peak.

In another world, a boy named Zhang Xiaofan once accidentally walked onto the Rainbow Bridge and stumbled upon Tian Ling'er and Qi Hao having a secret rendezvous under the moon.

The girl in red nestled beside the man in blue, her laughter crisp and sweet.

The boy in the shadows gripped the fire poker tightly, his nails digging into his palms, feeling as if a dull knife was slowly cutting into his chest.

The pain, even if you only remember it, is so clear that it makes it hard to breathe.

Thankfully, that doesn't happen anymore.

Zhang Xiaofan sat up, tiptoed over his senior brothers who were sleeping soundly in a haphazard manner, and pushed open the door.

The night wind suddenly rushed against my face, carrying the unique coolness of the mountains.

He walked down the stone steps and unknowingly arrived at the Rainbow Bridge.

Then he saw her.

Red coat.

Under the moonlight, it turned a dark red, like dried blood or embers about to burn out.

Tian Ling'er stood in the middle of the Rainbow Bridge, holding onto the railing, gazing at the churning sea of ​​clouds below.

The night wind blew through her hair and the hem of her clothes; her figure was so thin, like a leaf, as if she might be blown away at any moment.

Zhang Xiaofan stopped.

Tian Ling'er, however, seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, and without turning around, asked, "Can't you sleep?"

"My senior brother's snoring is too loud."

"I can't sleep either."

Tian Ling'er turned around, a smile on her face, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "Thinking about something."

Zhang Xiaofan walked to her side and leaned against the railing with her.

The sea of ​​clouds beneath the Rainbow Bridge churned slowly in the moonlight, like the breathing of some giant beast as it slept.

The distant mountains were dark and silent, piercing the night sky.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"I miss you," Tian Ling'er answered readily.

Zhang Xiaofan turned to look at her.

The girl's profile was gilded with a silvery edge by the moonlight; her eyelashes were long, and the tip of her nose was slightly upturned.

She's sixteen this year, and her face still has a bit of baby fat that hasn't completely disappeared.

Yet, her eyes already revealed a breathtaking allure.

"What are you thinking about me for?"

"I miss you when you were little."

Tian Ling'er also turned her head. The two were so close that they could see their own reflections in each other's pupils.

"Back then you were shorter than me, and you always acted like a show-off. I always laughed at you."

Zhang Xiaofan laughed: "Now it's the other way around."

"Yes," Tian Ling'er gestured with her hand.

"You're so much taller than me now."

Before, I carried you home on my back; now you can fly me on your sword.

She paused, then lowered her voice: "Back then, your arms were trembling as you held me around the waist."

"Is there?"

"Yes." Tian Ling'er's eyes crinkled into a smile.

"I still remember your scent, the smell of sweat mixed with the fresh scent of bamboo leaves."

Oh right, you also said back then…

She suddenly stopped, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Zhang Xiaofan looked at her: "What did I say?"

Tian Ling'er bit her lip, her voice barely audible:

"You said, 'Senior sister smells so good.'"

The night wind suddenly picked up, making their robes rustle loudly.

The sea of ​​clouds churned, and the moonlight flickered through the gaps in the clouds.

It was so quiet on the Rainbow Bridge that you could hear each other breathing.

Zhang Xiaofan reached out and ruffled Tian Ling'er's hair.

The movements were so natural, as if they had been done a thousand times before.

"It smells good now," he said.

Tian Ling'er's body stiffened for a moment.

She looked up at Zhang Xiaofan, her eyes flashing with an eerie light, as if something was churning and burning within them.

She suddenly grabbed Zhang Xiaofan's hand and pressed it against her chest.

Even through the fabric, you could feel the girl's heart pounding rapidly.

"And now?" Her voice trembled slightly. "Does it still smell good?"

Zhang Xiaofan neither pulled his hand back nor exerted any force.

He pressed gently, feeling the young heart beating beneath his hand.

Thump, thump, thump. Each strike was clear and powerful, as if something was being struck.

"It smells good," he said. "It always smells good."

Tian Ling'er's eyes suddenly reddened.

She let go, took a step forward, and bumped into Zhang Xiaofan's arms.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and a muffled sound came out:

"Hold me."

Zhang Xiaofan's hand paused in mid-air for a moment before finally landing on her back.

It was very light, like soothing a frightened kitten.

"Men and women should not touch each other."

He said with a laugh in his voice, "My master will scold me if he finds out."

"I don't care." Tian Ling'er hugged even tighter. "Are you going to hug me or not?"

What would happen if I hugged him?

"If I hug you... then you're mine."

She spoke with conviction, but her ears were already bright red.

Zhang Xiaofan could feel her body temperature and that familiar scent, a blend of sunshine and the fragrance of grass and trees.

It smells amazing, so good it makes you dizzy.

He took a deep breath and gently patted her back.

"Senior sister, you're only sixteen."

"So what if you're sixteen?"

Tian Ling'er raised her head, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Does being sixteen mean you can't like someone?"

"Yes," Zhang Xiaofan said, looking at her, "but some things will have to wait."

"What are you waiting for?"

"Waiting for you to grow up."

Zhang Xiaofan said,

"Wait until you truly understand what liking and loving are."

So that you won't make a decision you might regret later due to a momentary impulse.

Tian Ling'er stared at him, her lips pressed tightly together.

After a while, she let go and took half a step back.

"Zhang Xiaofan," she said, her voice tinged with grievance, "you simply don't understand."

"Don't understand what?"

"I don't understand my senior sister's heart."

She turned and ran after speaking, her red dress leaving a trail of afterimages in the moonlight.

But after taking only two steps, his body suddenly froze—

At the end of the Rainbow Bridge, beside the pool.

A huge black shadow slowly stood up.

It has the head of a dragon, the body of a lion, and is covered in blue scales.

The moonlight shone on the scales, giving them a cold, gleaming appearance.

Fangs protruded from the corners of their mouths, dripping with water droplets that gleamed coldly in the night.

The large, bell-shaped eyes stared at the two people on the bridge, their pupils vertical, churning with something ancient and violent.

Water Kirin.

The guardian spirit beast of Qingyun Sect has cultivated for a thousand years, and the demonic cultists it has killed could be piled up into a mountain.

It stared at Tian Ling'er, its nose twitching, and a low growl coming from its throat.

Tian Ling'er froze on the spot, her body beginning to tremble.

It's not the cold, it's the fear.

That kind of instinctive fear of apex predators that comes from the very core of one's being.

She tried to back away, but her legs felt like lead, and she couldn't move an inch.

The water unicorn took a step forward.

The hoof landed on the bluestone slab with a dull thud.

The ground trembled slightly, and the sea of ​​clouds beneath the bridge churned even more rapidly.

Then it saw what was behind Tian Ling'er.

No, to be precise, it sensed it—that faint, almost imperceptible aura that stirred a murderous intent deep within its soul.

Fire poker.

Zhang Xiaofan had already moved when Tian Ling'er started trembling.

He took a step forward to stand in front of her, his back to the water unicorn and his face towards Tian Ling'er.

"Don't be afraid," he said calmly.

Tian Ling'er's lips trembled: "Xiao Fan, it..."

"It's alright." Zhang Xiaofan turned around and shielded her behind him.

The movements were so natural, as if they had been practiced a thousand times, without the slightest hesitation.

He is now facing the water unicorn.

For a spirit beast of this size, a distance of ten zhang is nothing more than a light leap.

Zhang Xiaofan could see the patterns on its scales and smell the fishy smell mixed with moisture and blood on its body.

The pressure from the ancient mythical beast felt real; the air became thick and you had to exert effort to breathe.

Tian Ling'er grabbed his sleeve, her nails digging into his flesh.

"Xiao Fan, let's run..."

"There's no escaping it," Zhang Xiaofan said.

"If the Spirit Lord really wants to chase us, no one on the entire Tongtian Peak will be able to escape."

He paused, then glanced at Tian Ling'er.

"Besides, when something happens to a family member, a man should stand in front of them."

These words, though spoken softly, struck Tian Ling'er's heart like a hammer blow.

She stared blankly at Zhang Xiaofan's back, and suddenly realized that this junior brother she had grown up with had shoulders so broad they could cover the whole sky.

The water unicorn took another step forward.

This time, it wasn't looking at Tian Ling'er, but at the fire poker at Zhang Xiaofan's waist.

The murderous intent in his vertical pupils surged suddenly, and the gurgling in his throat turned into a low growl.

Its forehooves pawed at the ground, cracking the bluestone slabs and sending fragments flying everywhere.

Zhang Xiaofan placed his hand on the fire poker.

He knows why.

The Bloodthirsty Beads, capable of stealing souls. These two evil artifacts, forged from the fusion of the Demonic Cult's most precious treasures,

For a divine beast like the Spirit Lord, who had killed countless demonic cult members, it was as glaring as a fire in the darkness.

The hatred for demonic energy accumulated over thousands of years made it instinctively want to tear the stick and the person holding it apart.

But he cannot back down.

Behind him was Tian Ling'er.

She was the senior sister who would stand in front of him when he was bullied and blush as she asked, "Will you hug me or not?"

They are family.

The fire poker was burning hot in my palm.

Zhang Xiaofan could feel the restless, ferocious energy within the staff, like a wild beast enraged by its natural enemy.

They wanted to break free of their cage and fight the mythical beast on the other side to the death.

He suppressed the impulse.

Not yet.

Revealing the cultivation level of the Shangqing Realm and the true power of the Fire Stick would disrupt all plans.

He couldn't explain it to Dao Xuan Zhenren, nor to Wan Jianyi; the entire Qingyun Sect would regard him as a monster.

But what if the Spirit Lord really makes a move...

Zhang Xiaofan stared into the water unicorn's eyes, and the spiritual energy in his dantian began to circulate.

The cultivation of the Taiji Xuanqing Dao Shangqing Realm flowed through his meridians, and the golden light of the Great Brahma Prajna shone brightly deep within his spiritual platform.

The two forces, one yin and one yang, one hard and one soft, achieved a delicate balance within his body.

He was confident.

They can't win in a fight; the strength of the thousand-year-old divine beast far surpasses that of the Shangqing Realm.

But if we can stall for a while, we should be able to escape with Tian Ling'er.

In the worst-case scenario, Dao Xuan Zhenren will intervene.

The sect leader of the Taiqing Realm would never stand idly by and watch his disciples be injured by the Spirit Venerable.

This is Zhang Xiaofan's last trump card—he's betting that Dao Xuanzhen is stronger than Lingzun.

The water unicorn growled and took another step forward.

The distance was reduced to five zhang.

Zhang Xiaofan gripped the fire poker tightly, ready to fight.