Woo-hoo!!
As a divine beast who soars the skies, flight and speed held an immense, irresistible attraction for Ling Xiaoxiao.
Moreover, this was a rare chance for her to show off in front of Xue Ji. She was determined to leave a deep impression on her.
Finally dropping her usual act, Ling Xiaoxiao seized this rare opportunity to flaunt her skills before Xue Ji. She stomped on the accelerator; a thunderous roar scattered the birds nearby as the convertible sports car, after a brief burst of acceleration, shot straight up into the clouds.
From the ground, one might have only seen a red streak slicing across the sky.
If Xue Ji had been watching from below, she might have been utterly captivated.
Unfortunately, Xue Ji was in the car. And it was a convertible.
“Ling—Xiao—Xiao!”
“Why—Wah—!”
The intense wind pressure nearly ripped the face right off Xue Ji. She managed to force out those few words with all her might before her mouth was filled with the violent rush of air, puffing her cheeks up like balloons.
And what of Shaya, the mighty Wolf King?
The little one was hunched down in the back seat, hands clamped over her wolf ears, curled into a ball. The moment Ling Xiaoxiao floored the accelerator, it felt like she’d been struck by lightning.
The deafening roar of the flying car’s launch filled Shaya with utter panic, while the howling wind whistling past her ears was agony for her sensitive hearing.
‘Lunatic!’ Shaya was miserable, her pent-up fury with no outlet, so she could only curse Ling Xiaoxiao silently in her heart.
The moment they took to the sky, Ling Xiaoxiao let herself go completely. She wanted Xue Ji to experience the grandeur and vastness of the heavens, to feel the thrill of pure speed.
“This is awesome!” Ling Xiaoxiao shouted with exhilaration.
As a darling of the skies, even in her human form, the various resistances of flight could hardly touch her.
In the past, she could only wander the skies alone. This time, having someone in the passenger seat felt completely different.
Ling Xiaoxiao conveniently ignored Shaya’s existence.
The wind howled, the clouds whipped by chaotically. From this height, they could look down and see the entire City A spread out below them.
Ling Xiaoxiao turned her head excitedly, bubbling with enthusiasm, “Xiao Ji! Look, look at the view outside—”
She had indulged herself for a mere three minutes, but for Xue Ji and Shaya, it felt like an eternity.
It wasn’t until she saw Xue Ji’s face, grotesquely contorted by the wind, and the bulging veins on Xue Ji’s hands, that she realized she’d messed up again.
Ling Xiaoxiao snapped her fingers. A defensive barrier activated, instantly shutting out the gale force winds and pressure.
Xue Ji could finally breathe again, gasping in deep, heaving breaths. Her beautiful snow-white hair was blown into a completely disheveled, upright mess, looking utterly ridiculous.
Ling Xiaoxiao wanted to laugh, but she was afraid of making Xue Ji angry, especially since she was clearly at fault this time. So, she forced herself to stare straight ahead. But the image of Xue Ji’s appearance kept tempting her, and her eyes kept darting frequent, sneaky glances to the right.
“Pfft— Sorry. Hahahahaha!” Ling Xiaoxiao tried her best, but she just couldn’t hold it in.
“You’re still laughing!” Xue Ji’s wild, disheveled hair made her look like a vengeful spirit, her face a mask of pure resentment.
“Sorry, I really didn’t mean to, but… I just can’t help it. Hahahaha.” Ling Xiaoxiao casually formed a hand seal with her fingers, and the flying car switched to autopilot.
Freed up, she clutched her stomach, laughing hysterically.
…
The flying car carried the three of them to the mountainous region in the southeast of City A, heading straight for the tallest peak.
Xue Ji lifted her eyelids, glanced at the mountain ahead, said nothing, and allowed the car to continue its course.
‘Just gonna rest my eyes for a bit~’ With the protective barrier active, the interior of the car was perfectly smooth and stable, making Xue Ji drowsy on the way there.
Shaya, however, didn’t have such sharp perception. At first, she thought Ling Xiaoxiao was joking again, so she remained silent too.
It wasn’t until the flying car was a mere fifty meters from the mountainside—just two breaths away from a collision that would send them flying from the impact—that she reacted. Who knew who would end up impaled on the tree branches at the foot of the mountain then?
Shaya’s hair stood on end. She glared, teeth gritted, at Ling Xiaoxiao in the driver’s seat.
‘That Ling Xiaoxiao! She’d even risk her own safety just to mess with me!’ Shaya looked at Ling Xiaoxiao in the front seat with utter disdain, then turned to look at the motionless Xue Ji. ‘Even A Ji is scared stiff, and this lunatic is still pulling stunts!’
Shaya was furious now. First, Ling Xiaoxiao had deliberately let that thunderous noise assault them, and now she was trying to crash them into a mountain.
‘Oh, I see. Trying to be the hero and save the damsel, huh? Pulling another stunt where you bully Xue Ji and then take advantage.’
What Shaya was thinking of was that incident during the black magic storm outbreak, where Ling Xiaoxiao deliberately made a late entrance and then took the opportunity to glomp Xue Ji in a shameless bear hug.
She wouldn’t let Ling Xiaoxiao have her way every single time.
Just then, Ling Xiaoxiao sneakily turned her head, seemingly to check Xue Ji’s reaction.
‘Now’s my chance!’ Shaya seized the moment when Ling Xiaoxiao let her guard down. With a small burst of speed, she shot through the gap between the seats.
Under Ling Xiaoxiao’s bewildered gaze, she grabbed the steering wheel and yanked it hard. Surprisingly, Ling Xiaoxiao didn’t stop her—whether she hadn’t reacted yet or was stunned by Shaya’s sudden move, Shaya didn’t know.
Shaya leaned towards the latter explanation.
Relying on driving skills she’d picked up from who-knows-where online, Shaya wrestled with the steering wheel.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What’s happening?!”
Under Shaya’s control, the flying car tilted sideways and careened towards the mountain.
The vehicle shuddered violently. Jolted from her drowsy state, Xue Ji asked blankly, “What happened?”
Then, in the next second, she was thrown out of the convertible.
Shaya followed right after, limbs stiff, flying out straight as a board.
Ling Xiaoxiao, however, hovered in mid-air, seemingly waiting for the right moment.
“Waaaaaaaaah! Help!” Xue Ji, flying through the air, became utterly wide awake as the ground rushed up to meet her at terrifying speed.
And right as Xue Ji cried for help, Ling Xiaoxiao moved.
Xue Ji only felt a flash of light. When she opened her eyes, she was already lying safely in Ling Xiaoxiao’s arms.
“Don’t be afraid, Xiao Ji,” Ling Xiaoxiao’s eyes were soft and tender, brimming with gentle affection.
The instigator, Shaya, slammed into a tree, fell all the way down, and finally ended up dangling quite awkwardly, covered in a shower of leaves, right in front of Ling Xiaoxiao.
Under the calm gazes of Xue Ji and Ling Xiaoxiao, Shaya felt a chill run down her spine.
“Um, I, I, uh…” Shaya wanted to explain, but her current eloquence could only be described as tragic.
Seeing this, Ling Xiaoxiao shook her head and sighed. “I beg your pardon, but please get Shaya some elementary school textbooks.”
Xue Ji played along. “We’ll start from the first grade, Shaya.”
Dangling from the tree, Shaya felt like crying but had no tears. She’d mustered her courage for once, only to fail so completely.
Xue Ji gestured for Ling Xiaoxiao to put her down, then used her spiritual energy to pluck Shaya from the tree.
Looking at Shaya, covered in leaves and twigs and utterly disheveled, Ling Xiaoxiao did something very rare: she reached out and ruffled Shaya’s head.
“It’s alright, Shaya. It was just a momentary lapse in judgment. Don’t be so upset,” Ling Xiaoxiao said with a warm smile.
“You’re serious?” Shaya’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Of course I am.” Ling Xiaoxiao helped Shaya up, brushing the dust off her clothes.
Shaya felt a touch of emotion. Remembering how Ling Xiaoxiao had treated her to grilled skewers before, she suddenly felt that Ling Xiaoxiao wasn’t so detestable after all.
“You are my little maid, after all. You need to maintain a positive mindset~” Ling Xiaoxiao dropped this bombshell nonchalantly.
Shaya bristled, trembling as she asked, “What maid?”
Ling Xiaoxiao gave a thin, insincere smile and pointed into the distance at the flying car, which was still smoking.
“Ten million. Pay up, or I’ll send you back.”
“Urgh…” Shaya looked at Xue Ji with a pitiful, pleading expression, only to see Xue Ji turn her back on her.
“I… I’ll be your maid…” Shaya slumped to her knees weakly, tears of shame streaming down her face.