Hu Jia was startled by the sudden voice. The teacup in her hand slipped and fell toward the floor.
A surge of Dou Qi instantly manifested, catching the teacup mid-air before it could shatter.
"Tsk tsk. When did Jia Nan Academy's Little Enchantress become so timid?"
Hu Jia turned her head and saw Xiao Jietian already seated nearby, looking at her with a playful, teasing expression. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Don't you know scaring people can scare them to death?"
"You were just spacing out, alright? I've been sitting here for almost a minute, watching you make all sorts of funny faces by yourself."
"What were you thinking about? You weren't secretly cursing me, were you?"
Xiao Jietian leaned closer, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he studied her face.
Hu Jia looked at the handsome features suddenly so near and, for a moment, her heart inexplicably skipped a beat. A faint trace of shyness—deeply buried—flashed across her face.
"Stinky man, don't get so close!" She reached out and pushed his face away, though her eyes flickered constantly, betraying her fluster.
As her hand pulled back, Xiao Jietian distinctly felt her fingertips sneak a light touch across his cheek.
But considering her usual hobbies, he immediately dismissed it as his imagination.
"Tiger Girl, why is your face so red? Were you thinking something naughty just now, and then got so startled you… you know?" Xiao Jietian exclaimed in feigned shock, eyes wide.
Hearing the nickname "Tiger Girl" again, Hu Jia felt no annoyance this time—only a secret, hidden delight.
Earlier, when he called her "Little Enchantress," she had inexplicably felt a sense of loss. That title was what outsiders secretly called her. Xiao Jietian had never used it.
But "Tiger Girl"… that was theirs alone—a private name only the two of them shared. Hearing it again after so long made it feel as though neither time nor status had created any distance between them.
"Scram! I wasn't! Put away your filthy mouth!" Hu Jia wasn't some pure innocent either; she vaguely guessed what he was implying and immediately retorted.
"I was asking if you got scared enough to pee yourself. What dirty thoughts were running through your head?" Xiao Jietian turned to look at her with exaggerated surprise, as though saying, I can't believe you're this kind of person.
"Get lost! Otherwise, this lady will bite you so hard you won't be able to take care of yourself for days!" Hu Jia bared her small tiger-like teeth and growled fiercely.
"Ohhh, I'm so scared~" Xiao Jietian reached out without hesitation and pinched her soft cheek.
Just as Hu Jia was about to explode, he smoothly changed the subject:
"How did your grandfather ever agree to let you come join me here? Normally he'd insist you stay at Jia Nan Academy and eventually take over his position."
Hu Jia was momentarily stunned by the sudden shift, then quickly regained her composure.
"My grandfather told me to come. He said I could grow better here. Besides… I also took a liking to your resources, so I came."
She spoke with deliberate nonchalance.
In truth, she had pestered her grandfather for a very long time, using every tactic of persistence and coquetry until he finally relented.
And it certainly wasn't just for the so-called resources.
Still—Boundless Heaven Hall's resources truly were abundant. Xiao Jietian had already granted her special privileges: unrestricted access to any Dou Technique or cultivation method in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.
She was currently cultivating a High-Tier Earth-rank technique from the hall and had only learned one Mid-Tier Earth-rank Dou Technique. She understood the principle of not biting off more than one could chew.
Anything higher would be useless to her now—she couldn't even execute it properly. Even her current Mid-Tier technique nearly drained her dry every time.
"That's fine. Use whatever resources you need here. After all, you've been following me since back then—you count as an early investor."
Hu Jia looked at him suspiciously.
Why did that sentence sound so wrong? Extremely wrong.
"I definitely won't hold back. Who told you to always tease me for no reason? Just wait—I'll bleed you dry."
She pretended to be angry.
Xiao Jietian almost laughed out loud at her stubborn act.
Her performance since joining had already been compiled into reports and sent to him. She was the most diligent worker imaginable. Despite the unrestricted access he had granted, she never took more than she truly needed.
Hu Jia had now risen to become an Elder of Boundless Heaven Hall—purely through her own effort and merit.
"Alright then. If anything comes up, just tell me. By the way… did you come here for something specific this time?"
"What? Can't I come if I have nothing to do?" Hu Jia retorted immediately.
"You'd come with nothing to do? I told you before that you could visit anytime, but you never once showed up. Do you even believe your own words?"
Xiao Jietian looked at her with clear annoyance.
"Uh… hehe, I've just been really busy lately," Hu Jia said with an awkward laugh.
"Do whatever you want. No need to feel constrained here. You can also get to know Meng Meng and Ling Ling—they love having more people to play with."
Xiao Jietian sized her up once more, always feeling like he was forgetting something important about her… but the memory simply wouldn't surface.
"Alright. This time I came to report to Vice Hall Master Yun Yun."
When Hu Jia mentioned Yun Yun, she couldn't help but recall Yun Yun's appearance—and the appearances of the other Hall Master's wives. Inwardly she cursed Xiao Jietian: Absolute lecher. Every single one is a peerless beauty rarely seen in the outside world, and yet he has several of them.
"Oh? Then why did you come looking for me?" Xiao Jietian asked, tilting his head.
"I… I don't have her message stone, so I came to find you first. Then I'll use you to contact her."
"Then why didn't you just ask the guard squad? Or come straight in? I already gave instructions."
Xiao Jietian leaned back in his chair casually.
"I saw they were busy, so I didn't want to disturb them. I figured I'd contact her directly through you."
Hu Jia's eyes darted around. In truth, she hadn't asked the guards at all—she had her own reasons.
"Then the two of you should exchange message stones later. It'll be more convenient. Next time just come straight in. Xiao Yu drops by sometimes too."
Seeing her evasive gaze, Xiao Jietian frowned slightly.
"Did someone make things difficult for you?"
"No, no! I came in directly using the token you gave me. I just… forgot to ask, that's all."
Hu Jia hurriedly shook her head, afraid he would misunderstand.
"Alright then. If anyone dares bully you, just tell me. You're one of my people—how could I let you suffer? Otherwise I, as the boss, would lose too much face."
Xiao Jietian took out his message stone, sent a quick transmission, then picked up a spirit fruit from the table. He tossed one to Hu Jia and took another for himself.
"Don't stand on ceremony here. I don't like that. Just be yourself—like how you used to be."
Hu Jia reached out and caught the spirit fruit, holding it in her palm as she fell into a daze.
"Hey, snap out of it. It's not like you've never eaten one before. You've eaten far more precious things. Why are you spacing out over a single spirit fruit?"
Xiao Jietian waved his hand in front of her face.
"This lady hasn't eaten nothing!" Hu Jia immediately took a big, defiant bite.
"Really? There's one thing you've definitely never eaten."
Xiao Jietian glanced at her meaningfully.
Just then, Yun Yun—who had received the message—walked gracefully into the hall.