Douluo Continent: The Eternal Dawn

Chapter 102 An Unquiet Night
Zhang Lexuan's personality is like this; although she was puzzled by the strange behavior of the others, she did not take the initiative to ask.

She looked up and glanced at the sky through the gaps in the tree canopy, then said in a low voice, "Judging from the surrounding environment, we should now be in the middle of the mixed zone. Nighttime is not conducive to movement and searching for targets. Before it gets completely dark, let's find a suitable campsite and rest here tonight."

"Yes, Sister Lexuan," Ye Xixuan and Vina replied in unison.

Ma Xiaotao, however, was already blushing with embarrassment and remained silent, clearing the way for others. Feeling guilty, she wished she could bury her head deep in her chest.

Fortunately, she had Vina's shared spirit detection skill, which allowed her to observe her surroundings at all times without using her eyes.

However, the shared mental detection system can also clearly show everyone's every move.

Every time Ye Xixuan and Vina exchanged glances or engaged in intimate physical interactions behind her, Ma Xiaotao felt uneasy, her heart growing increasingly anxious.

"Won't Princess Vina tell that brat what happened at the bottom of the lake that day?! If that brat finds out, how will I ever face him again?" It's foreseeable that if things really come to light, forget about maintaining her image as a good senior in front of Ye Xixuan; her image will probably collapse instantly.

"Ugh! This is so annoying!" Ma Xiaotao was so frustrated that she was on the verge of going crazy, with a belly full of anger that she had nowhere to vent.

However, Ma Xiaotao was not the only one who felt uneasy.

Through Vina's mental detection and shared soul skill, Ye Xixuan was naturally able to notice the movements of his senior sister Zhang Lexuan behind him.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but although Zhang Lexuan's gaze encompassed a large area in front of her, it seemed that there was always a sliver of her attention falling on him and Vina.

Thinking about his behavior towards Vina last night, Ye Xixuan felt extremely guilty. He had actually considered, more than once, treating his senior sister the same way he had treated Vina when he was alone with Zhang Lexuan.

However, due to the senior sister's imposing presence, he had never dared to take any action, not even having the courage to bring it up himself. After all, Zhang Lexuan had been guiding his cultivation since childhood, and his feelings for her were actually quite complex.

She is a teacher, a mother, and a sister, yet deep down she harbors another kind of longing.

This ordeal lasted for about half an hour. By then, it was completely dark. Zhang Lexuan stopped at a relatively high place and gestured to the crowd.

"Everyone, let's rest here tonight. I just carefully sensed the area, and there shouldn't be any particularly powerful soul beasts claiming this area as their territory."

Vina's mental detection soul skill is effective, but its coverage area is only 300 meters in diameter.

Given Zhang Lexuan's cultivation level and spiritual power, her perception is sufficient to cover an area of ​​several kilometers, so everyone has great faith in her judgment.

Even the usually proud and arrogant Ma Xiaotao nodded obediently, her eyes flashing with crimson light. Her soul power surged, and the vegetation within dozens of meters around her instantly turned scorched yellow, then silently turned to ashes.

A relatively flat and open area appeared amidst the low, dense shrubs.

During this time, Ye Xixuan and the others nearby did not feel the terrifying heat emanating from her at all, which shows just how amazing Ma Xiaotao's control over her own martial soul had reached.

Level 70 truly is a major hurdle in the cultivation process of a Soul Master. Reaching the seven-ring Soul Saint realm means one can be considered a high-level Soul Master. No matter where on the continent one is, one will receive absolute respect.

In the original Douluo Three Kingdoms region, the city lords of major cities were mostly only at the level of a seventh-ring Soul Saint.

Zhang Lexuan felt that Ma Xiaotao was acting strangely today. When did she become so well-behaved, earning her the nickname "Flame Maniac" from the inner courtyard disciples?

If it were Ling Luochen or other female students from the inner court, Zhang Lexuan wouldn't be surprised.

"Xiao Tao, what's wrong with you today?"

"N-nothing, Senior Sister," Ma Xiaotao replied subconsciously, but her evasive eyes clearly revealed that she was not telling the truth.

Zhang Lexuan shook her head helplessly and said, "Alright, you should go meditate and recover your condition first. Anyway, your martial soul ability is too conspicuous at night, so it's not really suitable for night watch. Let the three of us take over the night watch."

"Yes, Senior Sister." Since Zhang Lexuan said so, Ma Xiaotao was naturally happy to oblige. Anyway, as long as she didn't have to face Ye Xixuan and Vina, she would do anything.

She immediately sat down cross-legged on the spot, closed her eyes, and began cultivating.

Zhang Lexuan then turned to look at Ye Xixuan and Vina on the other side.

“Vina, you’ve been using your soul skills the whole time, so your soul power consumption is the highest among us. You should recover as soon as possible. The night watch duty for the first half of the night will be handled by me and Ye Xixuan. We’ll discuss things again in the second half of the night.”

"Hmm." Vina glanced at Ye Xixuan beside her, then smiled sweetly at Zhang Lexuan and sat down next to Ye Xixuan.

Unlike Ma Xiaotao's attempt to cover up her actions, she calmly took out a food box and a water pouch from her storage soul tool. "Sister Lexuan, let's eat something first."

As she spoke, Vina generously shared the exquisite pastries from the wooden food box with Zhang Lexuan. The four sat facing each other, with Zhang Lexuan opposite Vina and Ma Xiaotao, who had already entered a meditative state, opposite Ye Xixuan.

Zhang Lexuan smiled and nodded, took a piece of pastry from the food box that Vina handed her, and politely took a bite.

"Xi Xuan." Vina handed another piece to Ye Xi Xuan before resealing the food box and placing it at Ma Xiao Tao's feet.

"Let's save the rest for Sister Tao. She can eat something to replenish her strength after she finishes her cultivation."

One has to admire the princess's character and conduct; no one could find any fault with her.

At this moment, Ye Xixuan noticed that Ma Xiaotao's crystal earlobe trembled slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

It turns out that this person was eavesdropping on their conversation while cultivating.

"Cough—" Thinking of this, Ye Xixuan suddenly choked a little, and Vina immediately handed him the water bag.

"Xi Xuan, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Ye Xixuan took the water pouch and drank a mouthful, finally swallowing most of the pastry he was chewing.

Vina was relieved and picked up her white square pastry from her lap again. Because of her earlier action of turning to hand over the water pouch, some cream from the pastry had stained the front of her dress.

Seeing this, Ye Xixuan completely lost his temper. He mixed the pastry and water that he hadn't fully swallowed and sprayed it directly onto Ma Xiaotao's face.

"puff--"

"Ah! You brat, when will you ever stop?!" Ma Xiaotao suddenly widened her eyes and screamed, feeling extremely ashamed and indignant as she reached out to touch the food crumbs on her cheek, her whole body trembling with anger.

"I just want to cultivate in peace for a while, is that so hard?! You brat, are you doing this on purpose?!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sister Xiaotao." Ye Xixuan immediately admitted defeat, fearing that he might anger her again.

"I really didn't mean it."

"Alright, Xiaotao, wipe yourself first." Zhang Lexuan handed over a towel at just the right moment, giving Ma Xiaotao a way out.

Ma Xiaotao had only intended to vent her emotions to cover up her guilty conscience, and in the end, she just glared at Ye Xixuan with annoyance. After cleaning her face, she still seemed not to have completely calmed down, and viciously picked up the pastries from the food box and put them into her mouth.

Ye Xixuan lowered her head, wanting to laugh but not daring to, while Vina held the pastry between her right index finger and thumb, and wiped her clothes with a handkerchief in her other hand.

Their eyes met unintentionally, and a charming blush rose on Vina's cheeks.

Ye Xixuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, especially when Sister Xiaotao wiped her face with a towel with a look of disgust. He felt as if some strange fetish had been developed in him.

Although Vina was gentle and tolerant enough, she lacked emotional fluctuations for him.

"I don't think I have that kind of inclination," Ye Xixuan muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Vina beside him and Ma Xiaotao opposite him.

"Hmm, probably not. Sister Tao's personality is too violent; I couldn't handle it."

After this incident, the strange atmosphere among everyone finally eased considerably.

Ma Xiaotao and Vina then continued their meditation, while Ye Xixuan and Zhang Lexuan kept watch over their surroundings.

From Zhang Lexuan's eyes, Ye Xixuan knew that she had many questions in her mind. The reason she hadn't asked was that she was waiting for him to take the initiative to confess.

Ye Xixuan understood Zhang Lexuan's personality; her extraordinary composure only increased his awe of this senior sister.

The forest was quiet at night, just as Zhang Lexuan had said before; this area wasn't occupied by any powerful soul beasts. However, this also meant that soul beasts might be appearing in very dense numbers.

Only half an hour later, three completely black wolf-shaped soul beasts appeared in Ye Xixuan and Zhang Lexuan's perception.

(End of this chapter)