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At that time, Quan Shaoqing was carrying Quan Mo downstairs.

The little girl had woken up and seemed to have been terrified by the two strangers last time.

She hugged Quan Shaoqing’s neck tightly and pressed her little face against his chest.

"Alright, no one should blame themselves. As long as Xiao Mo is alright, that’s what matters," Quan Shaoqing looked at everyone, "This incident also reminds us to be vigilant when we are outdoors."

Quan Gui’s face was cold as he looked at Xiao Wu standing aside, "You were supposed to protect everyone, where were you at the time?"

Xiao Wu lowered his head; being able to turn invisible naturally had its lapses.

He had been momentarily distracted. When he realized that Xiao Mo was missing, he had searched all over the place.

Who would have thought that those two would hide a child inside a stuffed animal’s clothing and kidnap her?

"Mummy!" Quan Mo asked Gu Xiaoxi for a hug.

Gu Xiaoxi took Quan Mo from Quan Shaoqing’s arms and held her, comforting her, "Don’t be scared! It has been said, Mummy is very powerful and will protect everyone. Xiao Mo is fine now, right?"

"Yes! I’m not scared. Mummy is so powerful!" Quan Mo immediately smiled. It was just that being stuffed into a fuzzy toy had frightened her.

Seeing that Quan Mo was not too traumatized, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Quan Shaoqing, sitting beside Gu Xiaoxi, couldn’t help but praise, "It was your quick thinking that saved Xiao Mo. However, out of all of us, you are the one in the most danger."

Gu Xiaoxi personally caused Gu Feng to lose his throne, becoming a criminal condemned by the world.

He would be strange if he didn’t hate Gu Xiaoxi!

"Anyway, after today, we’ll be returning to the Military Department. Even if Gu Feng hates me deeply, he can’t do anything about me. Moreover, this incident has shown that he is still afraid to confront us because of our numbers." Gu Xiaoxi gently pinched her fingers.

She would break through to the Great Accomplishment Realm as quickly as possible. By then, she would not fear even Gu Feng.

After this incident, Quan Shaoqing was even more wary of Gu Feng.

Thus, Gu Xiaoxi survived a thrilling Christmas.

**

Elsewhere, Yun Xiao woke up early the next day, and sunshine poured through the windows, spilling onto her large bed.

The environment here was beautiful, and she could even watch the sunrise from her bed when the sun came out.

She loved this home.

She had a habit of morning runs, no matter how cold the weather was, she would get up to run.

The early bird gets the worm. She did not have the special constitution like Gu Xiaoxi, with boundless energy.

She was just an ordinary person with a bit of uniqueness.

If she couldn’t become stronger, stay in the army, she would be eliminated and lose everything she had now.

The cruel reality of the world’s rules, the rules of the powerful, were laid bare before her.

Therefore, she could not afford to slack off.

Although it was only six o’clock, the sun was already high. The sunlight accompanied her shadow, darting around the little garden.

The early-rising servants greeted her with smiling faces.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning!"

Everyone’s face was filled with bright smiles, indicating that they all wanted to maintain a good mood in the new year.

Yun Xiao’s attention was eventually captured by the scenery surrounding her home. Although it was winter, the South was still lush with green trees. Even during the cold of Christmas, some hardy little flowers continued to bloom.

Unconsciously, Yun Xiao found herself running up to the mountaintop graveyard.

When she got there, she couldn’t help but stop.

Three gravestones stood proudly on the dragon’s ridge, in an ideal location. Standing in front of the gravestones, one could see the valley bathed in the rosy glow of the sunlight.

Yun Xiao had never taken a closer look at this place, and of course, the main reason was that she simply didn’t have the time.

From her vantage point, she could survey the entire view of the Yearn Residence, including half of A city’s bustling market.

She liked it here...

She would leave in the afternoon, heading back to the military.

She just didn’t know when would be the next time she might see this place again.

Yun Xiao sighed, her face filled with helplessness.

On her way back, she was attracted by the flowers around her and picked many purple wildflowers from the roadside.

The beautiful blooms that were in full splendor hung on the branches, and fell to the ground...in patches, bunches after bunches...

She didn’t know how many more days she’d have the chance to see him again.

As the day for heading to the battlefield drew nearer and their separation loomed, she always felt the urge to take one more look at every blade of grass and tree here.

Perhaps in the future, she might never have the opportunity to see them again.

Yun Xiao, holding a bunch of flowers, walked happily back, meeting Ai Xiang in the garden.

He was wearing a white sweater and white casual pants, his tall figure slender, looking somewhat lazy due to just having woken up. Especially that silky, tousled hair, where each tip could be counted in the sunlight.

"Morning!"

"Morning!" Yun Xiao was surprised that he had actually taken the initiative to greet her.

"The flowers in your hand are pretty," said Ai Xiang, flexing her wrist and making a casual compliment.

Yun Xiao, however, immediately walked forward with joy and offered the flowers to her, "For you!"

Ai Xiang was taken aback!

A girl giving a boy flowers felt strange.

"Well! If you don’t want them, never mind. I can just put them in the vase in my room," Yun Xiao immediately withdrew her hand, her face filled with awkwardness! She felt she had been too abrupt just now. Could it be that he sensed something...

Thus, she turned to leave in low spirits.

Ai Xiang, looking at her downcast silhouette, instinctively called out, "Who said I don’t want them? The flowers in my room have just wilted, you can go and replace them with the withered ones."

Yun Xiao stopped in her tracks, pursing her lips, turned around with a brilliant smile blossoming at the corner of her mouth.

The sunlight spilled onto the earth, illuminating her beautiful face spectacularly at that moment.

Ai Xiang stared, taken aback for a moment. Just in an instant, the charm of her beauty eclipsed the natural scenery. It was as if, of all the things in the world, none could compare to the radiance of her turning back and smiling.

Yun Xiao turned around with a smile and looked at Ai Xiang, then strode towards the villa he lived in.

Although they often lived under the same roof, she had never been close to his bedroom.

Pushing open the door to the bedroom, the interior was also predominantly white, evoking the purity of winter snow, untouched by dust. The room was filled with a faint, elegant fragrance, which on closer sniff, seemed to be that of incense.

Yun Xiao didn’t dare look long, for even a glance made her feel like a bad person with impure thoughts.

She quickly scanned the room and found a vase on his bedside table.

A Butterfly Orchid was inserted in it, seemingly wilted for a long time with dust settled all over it.

Looking at the withered branches, Yun Xiao felt curious, "This doesn’t seem to be a plant from around here."

But this was something she had seen a lot as a child, especially in the mountains of Liangshan, there were many of them.

Yun Xiao accidentally touched a dead leaf with her hand, and immediately, the leaf disintegrated into dust.

Right then, she was startled.

How many years must an old object be left for it to crumble to dust at a single touch?

Just as she was about to discard the flower stem in her hand and insert the new flowers into the vase, she felt a whirlwind pass behind her.

The next second, a figure flashed by, snatching the flower stem from her hand.

Because of the forceful touch, the few frail petals on the branch instantly turned into dust.

"Who told you to touch my things?" A cold voice suddenly rang above her head. Like chilling ice, it made the air inside the room colder than outside.

Yun Xiao was startled, the bouquet in her hand already scattering on the floor.

She stood up, panicked and hastened to explain, "Wasn’t it you who told me to replace this bunch..."

"I was referring to the bunch on the windowsill!" Ai Xiang’s chilling voice seemed murderous.

Yun Xiao timidly looked up at him, and upon meeting his serious gaze, she felt as if she had been frozen in an instant.

So cold! Beyond the cold, there was fury and severity she had never seen before.

Yun Xiao forced herself to look towards the windowsill, and indeed there was a bunch of wilted wild chrysanthemums.

At once, she stood stiffly on the spot as if struck by thunder.

It turned out she had made a mistake!

At that moment, the servants, too, rushed over after hearing the commotion.

Everyone saw Ai Xiang in anger, and the butler also frightened into silence said to Yun Xiao, "Miss Yun, this bunch of flowers has been left here. We have never touched it. How could you take this? Because everyone knows it’s taboo, so no one touches it."

Only Yun Xiao was unaware!

The butler looked at Yun Xiao, who appeared innocent, and quickly explained to Ai Xiang, "I’m sorry, Young Master, it’s my negligence, I didn’t inform Miss Yun.

This is your most cherished item, it’s been over ten years, and no one is allowed to touch it.

Blame me, I forgot to tell Miss Yun, if you want to punish someone, punish me! "