As time slowly passed—
The bright golden sunlight gradually dimmed.
Soon—
The evening sky became covered in soft orange and crimson colors as the setting sun slowly descended beyond the distant mountains.
A cool breeze quietly drifted through the courtyard.
The originally peaceful atmosphere became even warmer and more relaxing.
At this moment—
The four girls inside the courtyard had already begun preparing dinner together.
Especially Xiao Yu, Xue Ni, and Liu Fei—
All three already knew one thing very clearly about Xiao Feng.
He genuinely loved food.
Not merely eating for cultivation or energy recovery—
But truly enjoying different cuisines and flavors themselves.
Trying new dishes and tasting special foods had practically become one of Xiao Feng's favorite hobbies.
Because of that—
The moment they realized they would all be spending the evening together—
The three girls naturally decided to cook personally for him.
Meanwhile—
After learning about this from their conversation—
Even Ruo Ling quietly decided to join them.
For some reason—
She also wanted Xiao Feng to taste something she personally made.
At this moment—
The courtyard kitchen became unusually lively.
Several magical beast meat dishes slowly roasted over spirit flames while rich fragrance spread throughout the courtyard continuously.
Fresh vegetables and medicinal herbs were also prepared carefully into elegant dishes.
Liu Fei handled spicy roasted meat skillfully.
Xiao Yu focused more on grilled beast steaks and soup.
Xue Ni continuously moved around helping everyone while occasionally stealing small bites secretly.
Meanwhile—
Ruo Ling quietly prepared several elegant lighter dishes and wine side items with mature grace.
The warm atmosphere made the entire courtyard feel strangely like a family gathering.
After nearly an hour later—
The large stone table within the courtyard became completely filled with colorful dishes.
Rich fragrance spread everywhere instantly.
Even Xiao Feng himself became slightly surprised seeing the scene.
"You all made this much?"
Hearing this—
Liu Fei immediately raised her chin proudly.
"Hmph."
"Senior Brother Xiao Feng finally came to the Outer Academy after so long."
"Of course we had to prepare properly."
Meanwhile—
Xue Ni immediately pushed several dishes closer toward him.
"Quickly taste mine first!"
"No, mine first!"
"Senior Brother Xiao Feng should try this roasted meat first!"
Seeing the girls suddenly begin competing with each other—
Even Ruo Ling could not help laughing softly.
Meanwhile—
Xiao Feng helplessly sat down before beginning to taste each dish seriously one by one.
After every few bites—
He would calmly give honest feedback.
"This soup is good."
"The beast meat here is cooked perfectly."
"Liu Fei's seasoning improved compared to before."
"Ruo Ling-jie's dishes are lighter but the flavor balance is excellent."
Hearing Xiao Feng praise her personally—
Ruo Ling's beautiful eyes unconsciously brightened slightly.
Meanwhile—
Liu Fei became even happier after hearing compliments.
She practically looked ready to continue cooking another entire table immediately.
At this moment—
Xiao Feng suddenly looked toward the girls helplessly.
"You all cooked together too."
"Stop standing there and come sit."
Hearing this—
The four girls finally sat beside him together naturally.
Soon afterward—
Everyone gradually began eating and chatting casually.
The atmosphere became increasingly warm and relaxed.
Even Xiao Feng himself slowly relaxed completely after so long.
No faction matters.
No pressure.
No cultivation battles.
Only peaceful companionship.
After some time later—
The table was finally emptied almost completely.
Everyone leaned back slightly while resting comfortably.
The cool evening breeze gently passed through the courtyard once more.
At this moment—
Liu Fei suddenly seemed to remember something.
Her eyes immediately brightened.
Then—
With a wave of her hand—
She took out a large soft seating cushion wide enough for two people to comfortably lean against.
Afterward—
She carefully removed a beautiful crimson zither from her storage ring.
Seeing this—
Xue Ni blinked curiously.
"You even brought your zither?"
Liu Fei proudly raised her chin slightly.
"Of course."
Then—
She looked toward Xiao Feng with shining eyes.
"Senior Brother Xiao Feng likes relaxing music, right?"
Xiao Feng smiled lightly before nodding.
"I do."
Soon—
Liu Fei gracefully sat down before the zither.
Her slender fingers slowly brushed across the strings gently.
The next moment—
A beautiful refreshing melody quietly echoed throughout the courtyard.
The soft music combined perfectly with the evening atmosphere.
Even the surrounding breeze seemed to become calmer.
At this moment—
The others slowly became immersed within the relaxing melody.
Meanwhile—
Xiao Feng quietly listened for some time before suddenly speaking.
"Try changing the rhythm slightly here."
Then—
He lightly hummed several unfamiliar musical notes from memories deep within his previous life.
Although he could not perfectly recreate modern melodies through a zither—
The core rhythm and emotion still remained.
Hearing those strange but beautiful notes—
Liu Fei's eyes widened instantly.
Then—
She immediately tried reproducing them through the zither carefully.
Although not perfect—
The recreated melody still sounded surprisingly beautiful and unique.
The entire courtyard gradually became completely quiet afterward.
Even Ruo Ling looked genuinely shocked now.
Not only was Xiao Feng talented in cultivation and alchemy—
He even understood music deeply?
At this moment—
Liu Fei became completely addicted to the unfamiliar melodies.
"Wait, wait!"
"What comes next?!"
"And why does this rhythm feel so different?!"
"Senior Brother explain this one too!"
"Can this note connect into another section?!"
Question after question immediately bombarded Xiao Feng nonstop.
Seeing her excited expression—
Xiao Feng instantly regretted introducing those musical notes.
Now he could not even stop her anymore because he was the one who started this entire discussion.
Meanwhile—
The others could only laugh seeing Liu Fei almost turning into a curious student before him.
After calming Liu Fei slightly—
Ruo Ling suddenly stood up gracefully.
Then—
With a soft smile—
She took out a delicate jade wine container carefully from her storage ring.
Seeing this—
Even Xiao Yu looked slightly surprised.
"Instructor Ruo Ling…"
"You actually brought that out?"
Ruo Ling lightly smiled.
"It's a special relaxing spirit wine."
"I normally only drink it during important occasions."
Then—
She slowly poured wine into five small cups personally.
A faint fragrant aroma instantly spread throughout the courtyard.
The atmosphere became even softer afterward.
At this moment—
Xiao Feng politely accepted the wine cup.
However—
Just as he raised it near his mouth—
He suddenly stopped.
Seeing this—
Both Xiao Yu and Ruo Ling blinked slightly before asking almost simultaneously,
"Is something wrong?"
"You don't like alcohol?"
Meanwhile—
Xue Ni and Liu Fei also curiously stared toward him.
Seeing everyone's attention suddenly gathering on him—
Xiao Feng helplessly explained calmly,
"It's not that."
"I just…"
"Haven't really consumed alcohol before."
"Even in my previous life I only drank very light beverages occasionally" xiao feng thought to himself inwardly .
The moment those words entered their ears—
All four girls froze completely.
"You… never drank before?!"
Even Xiao Yu became stunned.
After carefully recalling their previous time spent together—
She suddenly realized something shocking.
Xiao Feng truly had never touched strong alcohol before.
At this moment—
Xiao Yu's lips slowly curved upward mischievously.
Then—
Before anyone could react—
She directly picked up her own wine cup first and drank it completely.
Afterward—
She suddenly grabbed Xiao Feng's untouched cup too.
The next moment—
Under everyone's shocked gazes—
Xiao Yu directly sat sideways onto Xiao Feng's lap like a queen claiming her throne.
"X-Xiao Yu?!"
Even Xiao Feng became slightly stunned now.
Meanwhile—
Liu Fei and Xue Ni instantly widened their eyes completely.
Even Ruo Ling became visibly shocked by Xiao Yu's boldness.
Although Xiao Yu herself was slightly embarrassed—
She still acted confidently because everyone present here was someone close to her.
Then—
Holding Xiao Feng's face firmly—
She brought the wine into her own mouth first before directly feeding it into his mouth herself.
The entire courtyard instantly became silent.
Even Xiao Feng himself froze briefly.
After forcefully making him drink several mouthfuls—
Xiao Yu finally pulled away slightly before staring directly into his eyes seriously.
"You are not allowed to use Dou Qi to remove the alcohol."
"You finally get to relax properly today."
"We're here."
"No one will harm us."
"You can stop carrying everything alone for one night."
Her tone carried unusual firmness.
Completely refusing any rejection from Xiao Feng.
Seeing Xiao Yu's fierce eyes and serious expression—
Xiao Feng could only helplessly nod afterward.
"Alright…"
"I won't use Dou Qi to remove it."
Hearing his answer—
Xiao Yu finally looked satisfied.
Meanwhile—
The spirit wine gradually spread throughout Xiao Feng's body.
At first—
He only felt a refreshing warmth flowing through his veins.
However—
Soon afterward—
A strange dizziness slowly began appearing inside his head.
His thoughts became slightly slower.
Even his usually calm eyes gradually softened.
Most importantly—
A faint redness slowly appeared across his handsome face.
Seeing this—
The girls immediately realized something shocking.
Xiao Feng's alcohol tolerance…
Was terrifyingly low.
Xue Ni instantly burst into laughter.
"No way…"
"Senior Xiao Feng is actually this weak against alcohol?!"
Meanwhile—
Liu Fei also stared blankly for a moment before suddenly becoming even more excited.
"Senior Brother looks so harmless right now…"
"Like some innocent young master being bullied by older sisters…"
Even Ruo Ling could not help covering her lips lightly while laughing softly.
Meanwhile—
Xiao Yu clearly had no intention of stopping with only one cup.
Before Xiao Feng could properly recover—
She directly fed him another mouthful.
Then another.
By the third cup—
Even Xiao Yu herself became slightly flushed from drinking, although compared to Xiao Feng, her tolerance was clearly far higher.
At this moment—
The entire atmosphere within the courtyard became warm and lively.
The girls also gradually began drinking together while casually chatting and laughing.
Meanwhile—
Xiao Feng's usual composed image had already completely collapsed under the alcohol influence.
His movements became slower.
His gaze slightly unfocused.
Even the calm pressure around him softened greatly.
Seeing this rare side of him—
The girls became increasingly bold.
Soon—
Xue Ni mischievously raised her cup toward him.
"Senior Xiao Feng!"
"One more!"
Liu Fei immediately joined in excitedly.
"Yes yes!"
"To Fire City's future!"
"To the Strong Ranking champion!"
Seeing the two girls suddenly teaming up against him—
Even Xiao Feng himself helplessly accepted several more drinks.
Meanwhile—
Ruo Ling quietly watched this scene with a soft smile in her beautiful eyes.
Because this current Xiao Feng…
Felt much younger and more relaxed than the legendary monster everyone constantly described.
At this moment—
Xiao Yu had already walked away briefly to grab more roasted meat and snacks nearby.
Meanwhile—
Liu Fei and Xue Ni completely surrounded Xiao Feng from both sides while continuously teasing him.
"Senior Brother Xiao Feng…"
"How many girls do you actually have?"
"Do you even remember everyone properly?"
"You look surprisingly cute when drunk…"
Hearing their teasing—
Xiao Feng only rubbed his forehead slightly while trying to maintain balance.
Unfortunately—
A few moments later—
His body finally leaned sideways slightly from dizziness.
Seeing this—
Liu Fei instantly reacted first.
"Careful!"
She hurriedly caught Xiao Feng before he could fall completely.
Then—
Almost instinctively—
She quickly took out a soft bedding cushion before gently letting Xiao Feng rest his head against her lap.
The moment Xiao Feng relaxed against her—
Liu Fei's entire heart began beating rapidly.
At this moment—
Looking down at Xiao Feng's peaceful sleeping face beneath the moonlight—
She suddenly felt unbelievably grateful for accidentally running into him earlier that morning.
If she had not followed him here today…
She would have completely missed this precious moment.
The more Liu Fei looked at him—
The warmer and softer her feelings became.
This man had changed her life completely.
Saved her brother.
Protected her future.
Given her freedom.
Respected her choices.
Even helped raise her status enough that her clan could no longer casually decide her marriage like before.
How could someone not fall for a person like him after receiving so much kindness and care?
At this moment—
Under the slight influence of alcohol and emotions—
Liu Fei slowly lowered her head unconsciously.
Then—
Before realizing what she was doing—
She softly kissed Xiao Feng's cheek gently.
The courtyard instantly became silent.
Only after several seconds—
Liu Fei suddenly came back to her senses completely.
Her eyes widened instantly.
Then—
She slowly raised her head—
Only to see the other three girls staring at her with stunned expressions.
"...!"
Liu Fei's face immediately turned completely red.
Especially after seeing Xiao Yu looking directly at her—
She instantly panicked.
"I-I…"
However—
No words came out.
In the end—
She could only lower her head quietly while continuing to hold Xiao Feng carefully.
At this moment—
Liu Fei honestly felt prepared for whatever reaction or punishment came next.
After all—
She truly did cross a line just now.
But strangely—
Nothing happened.
No anger.
No cold expression.
No accusation.
After waiting nervously for several moments—
Liu Fei slowly raised her head again carefully.
Then—
She saw Xiao Yu quietly staring toward her with an extremely conflicted gaze.
At this moment—
Xiao Yu herself also did not know what she should feel.
Because the emotions inside Liu Fei's eyes earlier…
Had clearly not been fake.
After remaining silent for a long moment—
Xiao Yu finally softly asked,
"Liu Fei…"
"Do you like Xiao Feng?"
The moment those words fell—
Liu Fei's body instantly stiffened.
Meanwhile—
Xiao Yu continued quietly.
"When did it start?"
"And…"
"You already know about Sister Xiao Yi Xian, Sister Qiao Lin, and Zi Yan…"
"If that's the case…"
"Are you really alright with all of this?"