Chapter 374: Praying for the Engraved Characters

Xie Yan softly let out an "ng".

He reached out and picked up the emerald-green jade gourd hanging at his waist, saying, "I can hear your voice from this gourd."

Yuan Yao's gaze also fell on his jade gourd; the vivid emerald green made his hands look even fairer.

His hands had distinct knuckles, were long and slender, and looked extremely beautiful.

"Thank you." She lifted her eyes to look at him.

The two locked gazes for a moment.

No one spoke; the cave was silent as a tomb, yet one could faintly hear the other's breathing and heartbeat—sounds like a melody played in the darkness.

【Target: Xie Yan, Awakening Value reached -20.】

【Target: Xie Yan, Awakening Value reached -15.】

【Target: Xie Yan, Awakening Value reached -10.】

Yuan Yao heard the system's announcement, her eyes flashing with surprise, and she couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking right now?"

How could the Awakening Value increase so much in an instant?

Xie Yan turned his head away and replied nonchalantly, "You guess."

"How would I know what you're thinking?" Yuan Yao let out a light hum, then leaned in to stand before him, her gorgeous face bearing a teasing smile: "But I know, whatever you're thinking about must be related to me."

Xie Yan lowered his eyes to look at her and said, "Aren't you being overly confident?"

Yuan Yao blinked and asked, "Then what you were just thinking about really has nothing to do with me?"

Xie Yan avoided her gaze, saying, "Unrelated."

"Alright, that really is me being overconfident." Yuan Yao sighed, then immediately asked, "Do you have anything else you want to say to me? If not, I'll be leaving."

Xie Yan pressed his thin lips slightly: "Will you participate in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition?"

Yuan Yao nodded.

Xie Yan: "Will you return to the Carefree Sect next?"

Yuan Yao: "Yes."

Xie Yan: "Will you stay in the Carefree Sect to cultivate?"

"Probably." She also wasn't sure if she would remain in the Carefree Sect indefinitely.

There was still over a year until the Immortal Sect Grand Competition began.

"If you leave the Carefree Sect to train elsewhere, let me know." After saying that, Xie Yan realized he seemed to be making a decision for Yuan Yao, he slightly frowned and added, "Can you let me know?"

Yuan Yao's lips curled slightly: "Why should I tell you?"

Xie Yan didn't give a direct answer, his tone casual: "Just out of curiosity."

Yuan Yao let out an "oh" and deliberately said, "So you sent me the jade tablet to make it easy for me to know where I've gone. Then this jade tablet is of no benefit to me."

Xie Yan gave her a cool glance: "What else do you want? You can also ask about my whereabouts."

Yuan Yao said haughtily, "I don't want to know your whereabouts at all."

As soon as her words fell, she felt a chill emanating from the person beside her, and she gave a light cough.

"I have to go back."

She hurriedly ran toward the cave entrance, but Xie Yan quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

Xie Yan braced his hands against the wall, encircling her entirely in his embrace, and lightly smiled: "Yuan Yao, today is your birthday; you should also give me a gift."

"Today is my birthday, why should I give you a gift?"

"Then give me compensation."

Yuan Yao looked astonished: "What compensation?"

Xie Yan slightly bowed his head and said, "I came all the way to the Eighth Continent to obtain a monster core, but you wouldn't let me take it, so I've truly come for nothing. Therefore, shouldn't you give me some compensation?"

His breath invaded her space, prompting her to instinctively raise her hand, quickly clamp his neck, and push him back.

Xie Yan's head tilted back, and he let out a muffled grunt from his throat.

Yuan Yao could clearly feel his Adam's apple violently throbbing against the skin of her palm, frightening her into hastily pulling her hand back.

"Xie Yan, you're a scoundrel."

She lifted her leg to kick his shin.

Xie Yan, however, reacted swiftly, using his hand to block her kick.

"How am I a scoundrel?" Xie Yan slightly furrowed his brows, lifted his eyes to her, and asked, "Is asking you for a gift being a scoundrel?"

"Isn't it?"

Xie Yan had no reply.

Yuan Yao stared at him and asked, "Do you accept everything I give you?"

Xie Yan let out a low "ng".

Upon hearing that, Yuan Yao took out a top-grade spirit stone from her storage space, grabbed his hand, and quickly stuffed it into his palm.

"Here, for you."

Seeing her so perfunctory, Xie Yan's brows furrowed tighter, he looked at her with a rather resentful gaze, and said sarcastically, "You're just giving me a single spirit stone?"

"Don't want it? Then give it back!" Yuan Yao raised her eyebrows, saying as she reached to retrieve that top-grade spirit stone.

Xie Yan quickly slipped the spirit stone into his bosom, lifted his eyelids slightly, and said solemnly, "I want it."

Yuan Yao had merely intended to brush him off, never expecting him to actually accept it.

This made her feel a little guilty.

Moreover, she couldn't possibly regift the items her senior brothers, sisters, and master had given her to Xie Yan.

Yuan Yao extended her divine sense into her storage space, searched for a moment, but found nothing suitable to give Xie Yan.

She ultimately produced a supreme-grade spirit stone the size of a pigeon's egg.

The top-grade spirit stone shimmered with dazzling light.

"What is this...?" Xie Yan looked at her, bewildered.

"Wait a moment."

Yuan Yao finished speaking, then had the Phantom Spirit take the shape of a grindstone; immediately she squatted down and rubbed the top-grade spirit stone on the grindstone.

Xie Yan stared blankly, then half-squatted beside her, tilting his head to look at her current profile.

The girl's appearance was earnest, her brows slightly furrowed, her eyelashes long and curled, her nose bridge high and straight, her lips pink and tender, her skin like jade with a faint glow; she tied her sparse, ordinary high ponytail, with a few stray black strands at her temples.

Xie Yan momentarily lost himself in her gaze.

He suddenly recalled that when he first met Yuan Yao, he had thought she was very beautiful, but he hadn't given it much thought.

Now, he actually felt she was beautiful enough to have left an outline trace in his heart.

After Yuan Yao ground the top-grade spirit stone into a round shape, she blew away the powder on it.

And she seemed to sense something, turning her head to meet Xie Yan's gentle gaze, her expression slightly pausing.

Yuan Yao asked, "Should I engrave a name for you? Should I engrave 'Xie Yan' or 'Xie Zixu'?"

"You want to give it to me?"

"Mm-hmm, would you like it more this way?"

【Target person Xie Yan, Awakening Value reaches -8.】

The corners of Xie Yan's mouth curled up beneath his mask, and he restrainedly nodded.

Yuan Yao: "Then which name should I engrave for you?"

Xie Yan gazed deeply at her, "Since you're giving it, it should bear your name."

"No." Yuan Yao immediately rejected.

How could she possibly give him a spirit stone engraved with her own name? If word got out, wouldn't many people think she had some improper relationship with him?

Yuan Yao's face turned stern as she refused again: "No, not possible!"

Xie Yan probed: "Then how about engraving just one character?"

Yuan Yao shook her head angrily, "No!"

She picked up the round top-grade spirit stone and shoved it at him, "You take it; I won't engrave anything!"

"It's my fault." Seeing her angry, Xie Yan apologized softly.

Yuan Yao turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

Xie Yan softened his tone: "Yuan Yao, help me engrave just one character— the 'yan' of rumors."

Hearing this, Yuan Yao found it strange: "Why do you want to engrave this character?"

Xie Yan gave a light cough and explained: "Because 'Yan' and 'yan' are homophones."

Yuan Yao thought he wanted to conceal his identity, so she believed him and let out a cold snort.

"Hand it over."

Xie Yan placed the top-grade spirit stone onto her palm.

Yuan Yao used the Phantom Spirit's transformed sharp pen to quickly engrave a crooked 'yan' character on it.

When Xie Yan saw her character, he fell into a strange and prolonged silence for a moment.

"Why aren't you speaking?" Yuan Yao asked, puzzled, seeing him stare fixedly at the top-grade spirit stone.