Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

He took a deep breath, as if walking into an unknown battlefield, and stiffly strode to follow beside her.

Pushing open the heavy oak door, a warm breeze carrying the scents of expensive perfume and champagne wafted in.

Xilun walked in, every muscle in his body tense, ready to face any scrutinizing gazes.

However, everyone in the hall was busy with their own things, joking, drinking, and chatting, and no one deliberately turned to look at him, the simply dressed intruder.

This gave Xilen a slight sense of relief, but he still lowered his voice and asked like a new recruit who had strayed into enemy territory, "What are we going to do?"

Daisy casually picked up a glass of fruit wine from the tray beside her, took a sip, and said lightly:

"Don't worry about others, they won't care about you either."

Here, as long as you don't cause trouble, everyone is transparent.

She tiptoed and glanced at the crowd in the center of the hall, her eyes lighting up: "Look, they're all doing a square dance. Let's try it too."

Square dance is a traditional dance performed by four men and four women in a square formation. The movements are dignified and solemn, and it is usually used as the opening dance for large banquets.

It doesn't require overly complicated skills; it's more about ceremonial movement and interweaving.

Before Xilun could refuse, Daisy pushed her to the edge of the crowd.

This feeling is very strange.

Over the past few months, he has grown accustomed to silence and solitude.

But now, he needs to coordinate with the actions of many people around him, keeping his eyes fixed on the girl in front of him, to engage in a passionate and intense physical activity.

He moved his body, but his steps were extremely stiff.

With each step he took, it was as if he was going to stomp a hole in the wooden floor beneath his feet.

However, his terrifying physical abilities, enhanced by breathing techniques, allowed him to reach the pinnacle of balance and reaction speed, barely keeping up with the pace of others' movements and avoiding any embarrassing collisions.

Across from him, Daisy, dressed in a flowing pale yellow gown, moved back and forth with him politely and gracefully, like a light butterfly.

In a brief moment as she turned around, she leaned closer and asked with a smile, "How did it feel? Did you step on anyone's shoes?"

Xiren frowned, and a fine layer of sweat even seeped from his forehead. This was even more tiring than practicing shooting in the gravity chamber.

He answered with a straight face, "It's alright."

As the square dance ended, the crowd dispersed.

Daisy blinked, listening to the band switch to softer, more soothing music, a hint of eagerness flashing in her eyes: "How about we dance a waltz?"

Xiren's expression froze instantly. He turned to look at the men and women who were already waltzing in the center of the dance floor.

This dance is completely different from the square dance, where the dance partners are almost touching.

The man's hands should firmly support the woman's lower back. The two should be very close, moving close together, spinning, and undulating in the dance floor with a three-step rotation rhythm.

He subconsciously took a half step back and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "This is too close."

I can't control my strength; in case of an emergency, I'll instinctively throw you away.

Daisy ignored his resistance, her clear eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation:

"But it looks really interesting. I've never jumped over something like this before."

Xiren was stunned, looking at her with some surprise: "You come from a noble family, haven't you ever attended a banquet like this before?"

Daisy straightened her skirt, her tone tinged with a hint of helplessness:

This is also my first time participating.

My father used to be very strict with me. He thought that socializing would only make people vain and weak.

These past few days, because he's been sick and my mother has been busy chatting with people at the dojo, I've had the chance to sneak out.

She reached out and gently tugged at Xilun's sleeve, urging him like a child asking for candy:

"Come on, come on, just try it. If you're not even afraid of Ross, why would you be afraid of stepping on my foot?"

As she spoke, she leaned closer, but with great manners, she maintained a proper distance and did not let their bodies touch completely.

Xilun felt his breath catch for a moment.

He felt the hem of his rough black casual clothes gently brushing against and rubbing against her soft, fluffy yellow skirt.

This unfamiliar yet soft touch made him feel unprecedentedly tense, even more so than when facing the oppressive aura of the third-order aberrant Lund.

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

Looking into the girl's expectant eyes, Xilun finally felt a surge of courage within him.

He slowly extended his calloused, stiff, and cautious hand, finally gently supporting Daisy's lower back.

The delicate, soft touch seeped through the fabric, causing Xilun's fingers to tremble slightly.

Daisy naturally placed one hand on his shoulder and gently clasped his other hand.

The two of them awkwardly slid into the dance floor, following the three-beat rhythm around them.

Throughout the entire dance, Xilun's nerves were stretched to the limit.

He used his "far-sounding" talent to capture every vibration of Daisy's high heels hitting the ground, fearing that his feet, imbued with terrifying power, might accidentally step on her shoes.

He was like a steam differential engine performing precise calculations, carefully adjusting the amplitude of every movement and the exertion of every muscle.

He never dared to look directly into Daisy's eyes, but instead stared intently at the floor beneath their feet.

Seeing his tense expression, Daisy couldn't help but smile gently.

She followed his steps, letting his stiff yet absolutely steady strength guide her as she spun.

When the long, soothing waltz finally ended, Xilun let go of his hands with a sigh of relief, exhaling a long breath. He felt as if he had done nothing, yet also as if he had gone through a grueling battle.

The clothes on my back were even slightly damp with cold sweat.

Daisy stepped back half a step, her brows furrowing slightly, and bent down again to rub her ankle.

Xilun immediately noticed her unusual behavior, his tone carrying a tension he himself didn't realize: "What's wrong?"

Daisy straightened up and gave a wry smile: "When I was dancing just now, my attention was on the steps, so I didn't really feel anything."

Now that I've stopped, my feet hurt so much. These high heels are practically torture for my bones.

Seeing her slightly pale face, Xilun didn't hesitate at all: "Then let's go. We've experienced the banquet, let's go back."

……

Outside the mansion lobby, the night wind was even more biting than before.

The fog on the street was so thick that it was impossible to disperse, and a few dim gas lamps barely managed to create a yellowish halo in the fog.

The two returned to the clothing store where they had rented clothes, following the same route.

Daisy couldn't wait to go into the dressing room, change out of the beautiful but torture-like pale yellow puffy dress, and put back on her comfortable blue and white capri jeans and short-sleeved shirt.

When she came out, Xiren was no longer in the store.

Daisy looked around in confusion. Unable to bear the pain any longer, she kicked those damned high heels aside, put her bare feet on the soft sofa in the store where customers could rest, curled up like an injured cat, and gently massaged her ankles with both hands.

A few minutes later, the shop door with the copper bell hanging on it was pushed open.

Xilun strode in from outside, exuding a chill. He held a delicate little iron box in his hand.

"Where have you been?" Daisy looked up.

Xilun walked to the sofa and handed her the small tin box, his voice still calm but with a hint of seriousness:

"I saw a pharmacy that was still open when I passed by the street corner just now."

I bought a box of Extraordinary One ointment, which is used to relieve muscle tears and leg strains, and it works very well.

See if this works.

Daisy took the cool tin box, opened the lid, and a faint, refreshing scent of mint mixed with unknown herbs wafted out.

She used her fingertip to scoop out a little pale green ointment and carefully applied it to her injured foot.

Xilun stood to the side, not avoiding eye contact.

He looked at her feet. Her slender ankles, worn for a long time in ill-fitting high heels, were now noticeably red and swollen, with even faint bluish-purple bruises.

In front of the scar were ten delicate, snow-white toes, their nails neatly trimmed and beautifully rounded, looking like a flawless piece of porcelain under the dim light.

The sight of beauty and scars mingling together caused Xiren's gaze to linger for a moment.

Seeing the slight redness and swelling caused by a pair of shoes, he felt a strange emotion welling up inside him.

The ointment stung when applied, causing Daisy to gasp and grit her teeth as she muttered resentfully:

"It hurts so much... I really was incredibly stupid to attend banquets and wear high heels."

I'm never participating again, no matter what. It's much more interesting to stay in the lab alone doing formulation experiments.

As Xilen listened to her complaints, a faint smile flickered in his eyes.

He sat down on the single sofa next to him, restraining himself from looking out at the thick fog, and asked, "Are you still able to walk?"

Daisy tried to put her foot on the ground and applied a little pressure, and immediately winced in pain.

She thought for a moment, then sighed helplessly, "I guess we can't walk far. Why don't you go to the street corner and call a taxi?"

Xilun looked at the sky outside, his brows furrowed slightly, and his mind quickly recalled the regulations and rules around the dojo.

He thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It's already very late."

As the core business maintaining the church, Daewoo Dojo was under semi-martial law at this time.

Cars from outside can't even get into the inner circle of the dojo. Even if you call a taxi, once you reach the outer checkpoint, you still have to walk a long way back to your luxury suite.

Daisy hesitated for a moment. She knew that the church had strict rules, and even though she was the daughter of a viscount, she could not ask the guards to make an exception and let a taxi without a pass pass through at this time.

She leaned back on the sofa, looking somewhat worried, and said:

"What should we do? We can't just sit in this clothing store all night, can we?"

If my mother finds out I haven't gone home, she'll definitely lock me up in solitary confinement tomorrow.

Xilun tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, recalling the neighborhood layout he had noticed while buying medicine.

He looked at Daisy and offered the safest suggestion:

There's a hotel not far from here. It's not as nice as the suite you're staying in, but it's still quite clean.

Your current condition is really not suitable for forcing your way back.

I'll take you there and get you a room. You can stay for the night.

Let's see if things get better after it gets light tomorrow.

Daisy looked down at her ankle, which was swollen like a bun. Although she was extremely reluctant to spend the night outside, she knew that this was the only option at the moment.

She could only nod dejectedly, "Fine. That's the only way."

She picked up her original sandals and put them on with some difficulty, revealing her ten pinkish-white toes once again, which stood out conspicuously between the sandal straps.

Xilun stood up, walked to her side, and offered her a strong arm for support.

Daisy didn't make a fuss; she took his arm and slowly walked out of the clothing store.

In the thick fog, the two figures walked very slowly.

Xiren deliberately slowed his swift pace, using half of his strength to support the girl's weight.

Not far along, we saw the hotel with the wooden sign.

The gas lamps on the sign emitted a dim light, and it read "Oak Inn".

Xilun helped her to the counter, tapped on the table, waking the dozing owner: "Get a room."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized something, paused, and changed his words:

"No, I want two rooms, preferably empty rooms on the first floor, and they should be right next to each other."

The boss rubbed his sleepy eyes, took the shilling handed to him by Xilun, and deftly pulled out two keys with huge brass key tags.

After paying, Celen continued to help Daisy deeper into the corridor.

Daisy stared at the steep, narrow wooden staircase at the end of the corridor, imagining herself dragging her crippled leg up it. A wave of fear washed over her as she exclaimed, "My God, am I really going to have to climb this kind of staircase?"

Xilun pointed to the two wooden doors on the right and said calmly, "The room is on the first floor, no need to climb stairs."

Daisy finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Xiren helped her into one of the rooms and settled her down on the bed.

The room was simply furnished with a wooden bed and a set of tables and chairs, and the air was filled with a faint smell of dried wood and soap.

He stood in the doorway, not lingering long, but simply placed one of the brass keys on the table, pointed to the wall separating the two rooms, and instructed:

"I live right next door. If you need anything at night, whether it's a foot ache or thirst, just knock on this wall."

My hearing is very good; I can hear even the slightest noise.

After saying that, he handed her the key, then turned and closed the door.

Xilun went to the next room and opened the door.

The room layout was exactly the same as Daisy's.

He walked to the washbasin stand and simply washed his face with cold water. The icy water droplets dripped down his hard jawline and onto the ground, completely calming his brain, which had become somewhat feverish due to tonight's "unexpected activity."

He didn't even take off his coat before sprawling out on the somewhat hard wooden bed.

With his eyes fixed on the yellowish ceiling, his mind began to race.

If Daisy's foot is still too swollen to walk by tomorrow morning, then we'll have to find a way to spend more money to find some laborers on the street, rent a sedan chair or a cart, and carry her directly back to the dojo.

Otherwise, it would delay tomorrow's semi-final, which would be a real problem.

Outside the window, the thick fog of tonight had dissipated at some point, revealing a bright, clear moon.

With a bright moon and few stars, and no clouds to obscure the view, tomorrow will be a perfect day for battle.