Martial arts have become extinct worldwide, yet I am forced to have a large family.

Ye Huairou clung to Zhou Xiyan, burying her face in the crook of her shoulder.

There was not a trace of the arrogant genius he usually was.

In contrast, Zhou Xiyan, who was being held tightly, appeared much more composed.

"Huairou, I'm fine."

Zhou Xiyan gently patted her best friend's back, her voice clear yet warm:

"These past few days... I accidentally got a minor injury and also got lost in the woods."

"Thanks to Mr. Yang Xian... Mr. Yang Xi'an for his help."

"I never expected to run into you here."

Yang Xi'an?

Upon hearing this name, Ye Huairou suddenly snapped out of her excitement at the reunion.

She looked up and followed Zhou Xiyan's gaze.

When he saw Yang Xian's face, a strange sense of sourness and wariness welled up in his heart.

snort!

How dare they steal my Xiyan while I was away!

This guy is just as awful as that annoying old man!

Ye Huairou felt a deep sense of regret. She should have known better than to split up with Xiyan for the sake of efficiency.

Thinking of that stinky old man, Ye Huairou seemed to suddenly remember something:

"Oh, right, Xiyan!"

Do you remember that older man I mentioned to you?

"Just over ten days ago, a terrifying bolt of lightning suddenly struck this secret realm!"

"That domineering feeling is exactly the same as the lightning magic that uncle used back then!"

"I'm sure he's in this secret realm too!"

Upon hearing these words, Yang Xian, who was standing not far away, subtly took a half step, silently widening the distance between himself and Ye Huairou.

That time, it was outside the valley of the Acacia Tree.

With a single strike of the Thunder Prison Demon Suppression Technique, he blasted the three ignorant fourth-realm demonic beasts into dust.

At the time, I was only thinking about a quick victory, but now that I think about it, it seems like I made a bit too much noise. I even forgot that Ye Huairou was still wandering around in the secret realm.

Fortunately, in order to keep a low profile, he never used such a high-profile move again.

The thought had barely crossed Yang Xian's mind when he keenly noticed Zhou Xiyan's ambiguous smile.

Oops!

Zhou Xiyan has seen all of her own memories!

Of course, she knew that the mysterious and powerful "uncle" Ye Huairou mentioned was herself.

Xiyan, my dear Xiyan.

Please don't sell me out at this time!

Faced with Ye Huairou's expectant gaze, Zhou Xiyan spoke regretfully:

"Huairou, I think I saw that lightning bolt you mentioned too..."

"But unfortunately, I was too far away at the time and had no idea what exactly was happening over there."

On the question of "whether to love your best friend or your man".

Zhou Xiyan chose to love the man without any hesitation.

After all, through those memories, she had a clear "view" of their experience outside the city.

Although Yang Xian is a little bit cunning.

But in the end, he still saved Ye Huairou several times, and even took good care of her for so many days when she was seriously injured.

It's fair to say that without Yang Xian, the grass on my best friend's grave would probably be half a meter high by now.

Given Ye Huairou's straightforward and irritable personality, if she knew that Yang Xian was that "stinky old man," she would probably explode on the spot and definitely cause him trouble.

But Zhou Xiyan didn't want her man to get into trouble.

"Is that so..."

The light in Ye Huairou's eyes dimmed, and she pouted somewhat dejectedly.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiyan immediately changed the subject and suggested, "Huairou, since we've met, let's team up with Mr. Yang Xi'an and explore this mountain together."

"Okay~ whatever Xiyan says goes." Ye Huairou nodded obediently.

However, she immediately turned to Yang Xian, raised her chin, and looked him up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Hey, let me make this clear first, you're coming with us later, and you're not allowed to hold us back!"

"If you can't beat the monsters, then obediently hide behind us, understand?"

Yang Xian: "..."

Holding someone back?

Where did you get the courage to say such a thing?

In Yang Xian's mind, the image of Ye Huairou being seriously injured and unconscious, unable to even take care of herself, and relying entirely on him to serve her, involuntarily surfaced.

If you don't hold us back, we'll be lucky.

However, he still managed a smile:

"Okay... I promise I won't hold you back!"

------

The team resumed their journey.

The atmosphere just became a little strange.

"Hey! You surnamed Yang, hurry up! What are you dawdling for!"

Ye Huairou walked at the front, turning back every now and then to urge him on.

She deliberately pulled Zhou Xiyan to her side, intentionally or unintentionally separating the two.

Yang Xian and the two wolves followed behind at a leisurely pace.

Feng leaned close to Yang Xian's ear and whispered:

"Dad, Teacher Zhou has been stolen away by that wicked woman!"

"Let's hurry and get Teacher Zhou back!"

Ling, on the other side, succinctly expressed the same dissatisfaction.

"Bad woman!"

Yang Xian patted his two daughters' heads helplessly and whispered words of comfort.

Just then, several monsters appeared on the forest path ahead, gnawing on the remains of the carcasses.

"roar……"

The demonic beasts spotted Yang Xian and his group immediately, abandoning their food and letting out a low growl.

Angry eyes locked onto the uninvited guests.

"A demonic beast?"

Ye Huairou's spirits lifted, and a confident smile appeared on her lips.

Xi Yan!

You better watch out!

Who is your most reliable teammate?

Before she finished speaking, she had already drawn her bow and nocked an arrow, and energy quickly condensed on the bowstring into an incomparably sharp arrow.

"Whoosh—!"

The arrow left the bowstring with a whooshing sound, heading straight for the head of the foremost monster.

However, just a moment before the arrow was about to hit...

"Whoosh!"

An eerie ripple spread through the air.

Feng's figure suddenly disappeared from the spot, and the next second he appeared next to the monster, his sharp claws slicing open the monster's throat first.

Ye Huairou's energy arrow ultimately missed its target, embedding itself in a distant tree trunk.

"What?!"

Ye Huairou's pupils suddenly contracted.

How did they get there all of a sudden?

This speed is even faster than my Purple Star Arrow!

Just as the girl was stunned, Feng turned around and raised his chin at Ye Huairou, mimicking her previous tone.

"Hey, you bad woman!"

"Don't you dare hold us back!"