Battle Through the Heavens: Oh no, I've become the succubus Xiao Yan!

More than a month has passed since Xiao Yan began to condense his Dou Qi.

For the past month or so, he has gotten up on time every morning, practiced the Fire God Visualization Diagram for a while, and then returned to his room to meditate and cultivate. His foundation at the first stage of Battle Qi has been solidified, and he is slowly advancing towards the second stage.

Besides his cultivation, he spent more time with his two older brothers. Xiao Ding had recently become obsessed with studying the family's collection of books. Although he couldn't recognize all the characters, it didn't stop him from reading them with great interest. Xiao Li, on the other hand, was as mischievous as ever. He had just been punished by Xiao Zhan for making him stand in the corner yesterday because he had stuffed a snake into Xiao Zhan's flowerpot.

"Third brother, you said earthworms loosen the soil, and snakes can loosen the soil too. I'm just helping Dad grow flowers." Xiao Li squatted on the ground, looking aggrieved.

Xiao Yan glanced at him: "You stuffed a snake into a flowerpot, I don't know if the soil will be loose or not, but your butt probably wants to loosen up."

"Third brother, your words are still too hurtful," Xiao Li said, clutching his chest.

Xiao Yan shook his head, ignoring his funny appearance, and turned to walk towards his room. In his four-year-old body, he spoke with such clarity that he didn't seem like a child. Xiao Zhan was already used to it, and the rest of the Xiao family had gone from initial surprise to exclaiming, "Truly a genius."

He pushed open the door, just about to sit down to meditate, when he suddenly stopped.

Footsteps sounded outside the courtyard, very faint, but Xiao Yan's soul perception picked them up. The footsteps were very light, as if they were deliberately concealing their movements.

"Another guest?"

  

Xiao Yan frowned. Over the past month, members of the three major families of Wutan City had made several trips to the Xiao family, ostensibly to visit, but actually to probe his abilities as a "four-year-old with Dou Qi." Xiao Zhan handled them with ease, but Xiao Yan was thoroughly annoyed.

Every time someone comes, I have to pretend to be "just an ordinary kid," which is quite tiring.

He walked to the window and looked out through the narrow crack in the window.

There were two people standing outside, a middle-aged man and a little girl.

The middle-aged man had a gentle face and was holding the girl's hand with his left hand.

The girl's expression was indifferent. She wore a light blue dress of excellent quality, yet it appeared somewhat frail in the morning breeze, making her look like a delicately carved porcelain doll. At the same time, a hint of curiosity shone in her eyes.

Are those Gu Yuan and Xun'er?

Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat.

He quickly straightened his clothes, pushed open the door, and went out.

.......

The Xiao family's main hall was much quieter than usual.

Xiao Zhan sat in the main seat, with a man in white beside him. The man appeared to be in his forties, with a gentle demeanor. But the moment Xiao Yan entered, his soul suddenly trembled. He felt a strange sense of crisis.

Very strong.

It was a feeling of unfathomable depth, like an ancient well, calm on the surface but with an unknown depth below.

His gaze passed over the man in white and landed on the little girl standing in the center of the hall.

The little girl looked about three or four years old. She wore a light green dress, and her hair was neatly combed and held up with a small jade hairpin. She was very pretty, like a porcelain doll, but her face was a little pale and her lips were pressed tightly together.

What's most striking about her are her eyes.

Those eyes were large and bright, but they lacked the innocence and naivety of a three- or four-year-old child. Instead, they held only unease, wariness, and a deep sense of helplessness.

She had just been sent away from her family and parents to a completely unfamiliar place. For a three- or four-year-old child, this was like the sky falling.

Xiao Yan's heart clenched.

"Yan'er, come here." Xiao Zhan beckoned.

Xiao Yan walked over and stood next to Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan introduced, "This is Uncle Gu, and this is his daughter, Xun'er. Xun'er will be living with our Xiao family from now on, so please get along well with her. Don't bully Xun'er."

"knew!"

Xiao Yan and his two brothers nodded, their gazes fixed on Xun'er.

Xun'er noticed his gaze, timidly raised her head, glanced at him, and quickly lowered it again. She shrank closer to the man in white, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes.

"Go play with your sister," Xiao Zhan said with a smile.

Xiao Yan walked towards Xun'er.

Xun'er shrank back, her little hands clenching even tighter. She looked up at the little boy in front of her, who wasn't much taller than her, her eyes full of wariness. But somehow, she relaxed again.

Xiao Yan looked at her and then reached out his hand.

"Hello," he said, his voice soft and clear, with the distinct tone of a four-year-old, but earnest. "My name is Xiao Yan."

Xun'er was stunned.

She looked at the small hand in front of her, then at Xiao Yan's face. His face wasn't particularly handsome, but it was delicate and pleasing to the eye, and there was still a bit of dust on the tip of his nose—probably from when he was squatting on the ground watching Xiao Li play.

But those eyes...

Those eyes possessed a fatal attraction, a gentle, reassuring quality. Like the winter sun, they weren't blinding, but undeniably warm.

Xun'er hesitated for a moment.

She stretched out her small hand and slowly placed it into Xiao Yan's palm.

Her hands were very cold, like a piece of jade just pulled out of a well.

Xiao Yan tightened his grip on her hand. The warmth of his Fire God Body flowed from his palm, like a warm current, slowly seeping into Xun'er's icy fingertips. That warmth was not ordinary heat, but a life-giving warmth that emanated from deep within her bones.

Xun'er's eyes widened slightly. She felt a sense of wonder, and at the same time, she had an urge to get closer.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked softly, her voice gentle and slightly uncertain.

"I'm not cold," Xiao Yan smiled. "I'm warm."

Xun'er felt the warmth emanating from her palms; it was the first warmth she had experienced since leaving the ancient clan. It wasn't the dry heat of charcoal fire, nor the stuffy warmth of a blanket, but a warmth that seeped into her bones from her skin, a warmth that made her want to get closer.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" she asked, her voice even softer. "...I'm so cold."

Xiao Yan tilted his head, as if seriously considering the question. Then he shook his head:

"Why should I be afraid of you? You're just a little cold."

He paused, then added, "From now on, I'll warm your hands for you."

Xun'er looked at him and suddenly smiled.

That was her first smile since arriving at the Xiao family. It was faint, like the first flower blooming in spring, a little timid, yet truly blossoming. When the corners of her mouth curved up, there was a small dimple on her left cheek.

Xiao Yan smiled too.

"Come on," he said, taking her hand and turning to walk out of the hall. "I'll take you to play in the yard. There are locust trees, a pond, and the candy my second brother hid there."

Xiao Li, standing nearby, grew anxious: "Hey! I hid that candy on purpose!"

"Give one piece to Xun'er," Xiao Yan said without turning his head, "and I'll give you half of mine from now on."

"……make a deal!"

The sunlight was just right in the courtyard.

Xiao Yan held Xun'er's hand and walked slowly on the grass. He walked very slowly, matching Xun'er's pace, and occasionally looked back to see if she was keeping up.

"This is a locust tree," he said, pointing to a large tree in the corner of the yard. "It blooms in the summer; the flowers are white and very fragrant."

"That's a rockery. My second brother often hides behind it to scare people. Be careful."

"This is a pond with red fish, but we're not allowed to eat them—father said they're for ornamental purposes."

Xun'er listened quietly, her little hand tightly holding his, not missing a single step.

Reaching the pond, Xiao Yan stopped, picked up a fallen leaf, and squatted down.

"I'll show you a magic trick," he said.

He placed the fallen leaf in his palm, closed his eyes, and his Vulcan Body stirred slightly. A faint warmth emanated from his palm, and the edges of the leaf began to curl slightly, emitting a soft "sizzling" sound, eventually transforming into the shape of a heart.

"This is for you."

Xun'er's eyes lit up.

"That's amazing... thank you," she whispered.

"I'll teach you later," Xiao Yan handed her the heart-shaped fallen leaf, "when you grow up, I'll teach you even more."

Xun'er took the fallen leaf and carefully held it in her palm, as if she were holding some precious treasure.

"Brother Xiao Yan," she suddenly called out.

Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment. This title...

"Will you always stay with me?" Xun'er looked up at him, her big eyes full of earnestness.

Xiao Yan looked into her eyes and recalled how she had waited for him for so many years in the original story, from Wutan City to Canaan Academy, and from Canaan Academy to Zhongzhou. That persistence and deep affection, even for him, a transmigrator, warmed his heart every time he thought of it.

"Yes," he said, his voice soft but every word clear. "I will always be with you."

Xun'er smiled, a smile that was more natural than before. She clutched the fallen leaf in her hand, as if she were holding onto some kind of promise.

On a rooftop not far away, an almost invisible shadow moved slightly.

Ling Ying—a Dou Huang powerhouse sent by the ancient clan to secretly protect Xun'er—was currently lying on the roof tiles, taking in everything in the courtyard.

His gaze lingered on Xiao Yan for a long time.

There was a strange aura about that child. It wasn't fighting spirit, nor soul power; it was something more primal, more fundamental. Like…fire?

What surprised him most was that when Xiao Yan held Xun'er's hand, the power within Xun'er was actually suppressed. It wasn't a confrontation, nor a cancellation, but a natural acceptance, as natural as the sun melting snow.

"Special physique..." Ling Ying thought to herself, her brows furrowing slightly.

He had never seen such a physique before. There was no record of it in ancient texts. But that aura was indeed ancient and powerful, quite strange.

"It might not be a bad thing for Miss to go with him..."

Ling Ying's figure flickered slightly on the rooftop before disappearing completely, merging into the sunlight.

That night, Xun'er was arranged to stay at the Xiao family's house.

The room was right next to Xiao Yan's, arranged personally by Xiao Zhan. The reason was simple: "Yan'er likes to play with Xun'er, so it's convenient for them to live nearby."

Xiao Yan lay in bed, listening to the faint noises from the next room—it was probably Xun'er tossing and turning, unable to sleep. After all, she was a child who had just left home, and her first night was bound to be uncomfortable.

After a while.

"Creak--"

Xiao Yan's door was pushed open.

Xun'er stood gracefully at the door of the room.

"Can't sleep?" Xiao Yan was a little surprised.

Xun'er nodded, her voice muffled: "I miss home."

As she spoke, Xun'er walked to the bedside, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Can I sleep with you tonight?" Just like Xiao Ding usually rubbed his head, he gently rubbed Xun'er's hair.

Looking into Xun'er's expectant eyes, Xiao Yan had no choice but to agree.

Upon hearing the answer, Xun'er climbed onto the bed and burrowed under the covers.

Xun'er peeked her little head out from under the covers, looked at him, and then rested her head on his shoulder, feeling the reassuring aura emanating from him.

The warmth of the Vulcan's body seeped through the thin clothing, like a small heater. Xun'er's tense body slowly relaxed, and her breathing gradually became even.

The moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the two small figures nestled together.

Xiao Yan looked down at Xun'er, who was already asleep, and a feeling of inexplicable tenderness welled up in his heart.

In the original story, Xun'er waited for Xiao Yan for so many years and gave so much, but she always missed him at crucial moments.

"Go to sleep," he whispered. "I'll take care of you from now on."

"Hehe, so warm," Xun'er murmured in her sleep.

The moonlight was very quiet.

The locust tree in the courtyard swayed gently in the night breeze, making a rustling sound, as if in response.