Qian Renxue remained silent, unsure how to respond to Jin Yue'er, and simply stared intently at the three youngsters beside Ye Tian.
They appeared two or three years younger than Ye Tian. The red-haired one had dark skin and looked sturdy, while the white-haired one had a more delicate appearance.
What caught Qian Renxue's attention the most was the orange-haired girl holding hands with Ye Tian! They were clearly chatting and laughing together.
She remembered that whenever she or Yue'er got too close to him, Ye Tian would mercilessly push them away without hesitation! But now, this girl was clinging to his arm, sniffing intensely without letting go!
"Brother Ye Tian, you've become even more fragrant~" Hu Liena giggled as she held onto Ye Tian's arm, gently sniffing his Taoist Robe.
"Alright now, Nana," Ye Tian warned languidly. "If you keep acting like a hooligan, I'll have to push you aside again."
If not for Wang Ma's instruction to keep an eye on them and not let them get lost, he wouldn't have allowed Hu Liena to keep holding onto him like this. His palm was becoming sweaty from her grip.
"Haha~ Brother Ye Tian, don't say that. I'm not a hooligan," Hu Liena chimed brightly.
She had long grown accustomed to this kind of banter with Ye Tian and never took offense.
"If you're not, then am I?" Ye Tian asked with a smile.
"Neither, neither!" Hu Liena shook her head vigorously, bouncing up and down. "Brother Ye Tian is the best, how could he possibly be a hooligan?"
"Haha..." Yan and Xie Yue behind them couldn't help but laugh.
"Nana's right!" Yan declared fiercely, clenching his left fist with his right hand. "If anyone dares to call Brother Tian a hooligan, I'll take them on!"
"Tch~" Xie Yue curled his lip at Yan.
"Brother Ye Tian is a Soul Master now, so his enemies will be Soul Masters too. Yan, you should save your breath until you awaken a powerful Martial Soul."
"What's wrong with not having awakened a Martial Soul yet?" Yan retorted without backing down, puffing out his chest. "Even without a Martial Soul, I'd still shed blood and sacrifice my life for Brother Ye Tian!"
After saying this, Yan glanced at Xie Yue. "Unless you want to be a coward, Xie Yue?"
"Yan, joking is one thing, but don't joke about 'cowards'—we agreed on that!" Xie Yue's young face turned stern.
He remembered what Brother Ye Tian had once said about the difference between useless people and cowards.
A coward is someone who gets cuckolded right in front of them and doesn't even dare to make a sound. A useless person is someone who gets cuckolded, turns red-eyed and breathless with rage, charges forward, and gets instantly killed.
Therefore, a coward is always useless, but a useless person isn't necessarily a coward. Calling someone a coward is more serious than calling them useless!
"I didn't say you were one," Yan scratched his buttocks.
He naturally remembered what Ye Tian had said before too.
Xie Yue explained unhappily, "Acting recklessly without strength will only become a burden to Brother Ye Tian..."
"Alright, you two should settle down now. If you really want to fight, you'll have plenty of chances to spar after you awaken your Martial Souls," Ye Tian turned back and said with a smile.
The words from Yan and Xie Yue naturally pleased him greatly. It showed that the time and effort he had invested in them over the years hadn't gone to waste.
"Brother Ye Tian is right. We should be united and friendly, and even when sparring, we should know when to stop~" Hu Liena also looked back at Xie Yue and Yan.
Pointing with an outstretched finger.
Watching Ye Tian chatting and laughing with Hu Liena and the others, both Qian Renxue and Jin Yue'er sensed a feeling of crisis.
Two different kinds of crisis!
Jin Yue'er, lying on the sand pile, turned her head to ask Qian Renxue beside her, "Sister Xue, should we go find Ye Tian?"
"Huh?"
Before Jin Yue'er could finish her sentence, she saw Qian Renxue suddenly stand up and run toward Ye Tian's direction.
"Ah? Wait!"
Jin Yue'er immediately reacted, scrambling forward before she had fully stood up.
Visibly, she evolved from a primitive four-limbed running posture to running on two legs.
"Sister Xue, wait for me—!"
Jin Yue'er's voice carried far.
Ye Tian, who was chatting with Hu Liena and the others, naturally heard her voice and couldn't help but stop in his tracks.
He looked in the direction of Jin Yue'er's voice.
"Brother Ye Tian, what's wrong?" Hu Liena tugged at Ye Tian's hand, confused.
"Ran into some acquaintances," Ye Tian smiled, watching Qian Renxue and Jin Yue'er running toward them.
Xie Yue and the others also noticed them.
"Acquaintances? Are they Soul Master friends of Brother Ye Tian?" Xie Yue inquired.
"The one in front is a Soul Master, the one behind hasn't awakened her Martial Soul yet," Ye Tian replied.
Upon hearing this, Yan nodded as if it were obvious. "So that's why. No wonder the one behind runs slower than me."
"And slower than me too!" Hu Liena raised her small hand.
As they spoke, Qian Renxue was about to reach Ye Tian.
But as she got closer, she suddenly didn't know what to say and had to slow down, turning back to wait for Jin Yue'er.
"Yue'er, hurry up."
"Co-coming."
Jin Yue'er's arms hung limply at her sides, stumbling along without even the strength to swing them.
"Brother Ye Tian, is she sick or something?" Hu Liena leaned close to Ye Tian, discreetly pointing at Jin Yue'er and whispering.
"Uh—" Ye Tian chuckled helplessly and explained, "Not exactly, just a bit physically weak."
"No wonder~" Hu Liena nodded slightly.
Seeing how hard Jin Yue'er was struggling to run, Ye Tian shook his head helplessly.
He took Hu Liena's hand and slowly walked toward Qian Renxue, with Xie Yue and Yan naturally following close behind.
By the time Ye Tian and the others approached, Jin Yue'er had already thrown herself into Qian Renxue's arms.
"Ah, Sister Xue, I'm exhausted!"
"Don't worry, Yue'er. With Ye Tian here, you won't die from exhaustion," Qian Renxue hugged Jin Yue'er, not minding the sand on her, while glancing sideways at Ye Tian as he slowly approached.
"Little Xue, are you two playing in the sand here?" Ye Tian stepped forward, looking curiously at the sand on Jin Yue'er's body and face.
"Y-yes!" Qian Renxue nodded, avoiding his gaze. "Yue'er said she wanted to build sand sculptures for a while, so I came with her. I didn't expect to run into you here."
"I see," Ye Tian didn't think much of it.
Under the astonished gazes of Hu Liena and the others, he materialized a Marrow Cleansing Pill out of thin air and offered it to Qian Renxue.
"For Yue'er."
"Thank you, Ye Tian! I love you the most!"
The moment the pill appeared, Jin Yue'er straightened up as if miraculously revived. Her movements to take and swallow the pill were fluid and seamless—nothing like someone who seemed on the verge of collapsing!
As soon as the pill entered her stomach, Jin Yue'er trembled all over and let out a sound of pure satisfaction.
Ye Tian couldn't help but smile, beginning to grow accustomed to Jin Yue'er's eccentric behavior.
"..."
Hu Liena and the others stared blankly at the young lady Jin Yue'er.
They felt this girl might be more than just physically weak.
Qian Renxue wore an awkward, somewhat embarrassed smile.
Moreover, the words Jin Yue'er had blurted out left her feeling a bit unsettled inside.
Even though she knew it was mostly meant as a joke.