Chapter 228: Chapter 228: Don’t Waste the Wonderful Night

Xijing clutched his hand, his face etched with pain.

"Are you hurt? Let me see."

Xijing didn’t want to worry her, but when he sensed her concern, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.

"Yeah, I got a little scraped up fighting the beastmen from Tiger Beast City. But it’s not serious. I’m fine."

Qiao Xixi insisted, pulling up his arm to check. The wound was on his inner forearm, already turning white from being soaked in seawater. She hadn’t noticed it since they’d been underwater the whole time.

She quickly took out some Recovery Glue from her storage space and applied it for him. "If you get hurt again, you can tell me. I have medicine, and it works really well."

Xijing stared blankly for a moment, touched by her tenderness, then slowly nodded. "Okay."

Qiao Xixi wanted to go look for Xiya and the others immediately, but seeing Xijing’s pale face, she didn’t have the heart to say it.

"Let’s rest up ahead for a bit. Then we can pinpoint Xiya and the others’ location."

Xijing readily agreed. His attention remained fixed on Qiao Xixi, as if she possessed a magnetic charm that drew him in.

Qiao Xixi’s mind was completely focused on her cubs and Sunxiao, so she didn’t notice the change in Xijing’s mood.

She was thirsty, but she couldn’t just pull the Spiritual Spring water out of her storage space right in front of Xijing. She had to use the excuse of looking for fresh water.

"Xixi, I’ll go look."

"No need. I know where to find some. It’ll be quick, I’ll be right back."

"Be careful, then."

"Okay."

With a nod, Qiao Xixi turned and walked toward the island’s forest.

She didn’t actually intend to find a water source. Her plan was to grab a few large leaves to drink the Spiritual Spring water from. The water here couldn’t compare to the Spiritual Spring.

She walked into the forest, leaped up into a large tree, and plucked a few leaves. Just as she was about to jump down, she heard a faint noise from below.

Qiao Xixi’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly held her breath. There weren’t many large beasts on the island, but they weren’t entirely absent. Just as she shifted into an attack stance, she saw a pair of crimson eyes glowing in the darkness.

A familiar scent, mingled with the sea breeze, washed over her.

Joy surged through Qiao Xixi, and she leaped down from the tree.

"Sunxiao!"

Startled, Sunxiao spun around and pulled Qiao Xixi into a tight embrace.

"Xixi!"

As he breathed in Qiao Xixi’s familiar scent, Sunxiao’s calm heart began to race.

The reason he’d come this way was that after checking her location, he’d discovered Qiao Xixi was already on the island. He hadn’t alerted Feiyan and the others, who were already settling in. Instead, he used the excuse of going on patrol to search for her. He hadn’t expected to actually find her.

Qiao Xixi wrapped her arms tightly around Sunxiao’s neck, practically hanging off him. "Sunxiao, I missed you all so much! Is everyone okay?"

Sunxiao’s arms around her tightened. "Yes, we’re fine."

"It’s so good to hear everyone’s okay." Qiao Xixi wrapped her legs around his strong, firm waist. "I’m fine, too."

Sunxiao’s hands settled on her waist, gently holding her up. He tilted his head and brushed a kiss against the corner of her lips. "Jin Ling found the tiger cub and the merman cub by the shore."

Qiao Xixi looked up in surprise. "You found them?"

Sunxiao grunted in affirmation. "Jin Ling brought them back."

Qiao Xixi let out a huge sigh of relief. ’How lucky! My cubs actually ran into one of my mates. Thank goodness they’re all safe.’

"It’s so wonderful to have you guys here."

Qiao Xixi clung to him like a koala. Feeling her dependence and joy, a faint smile touched Sunxiao’s lips.

"Not wonderful enough. Otherwise, Xixi wouldn’t have been with that male merman."

Qiao Xixi’s eye twitched. ’Something about that doesn’t sound right.’

’He’s so jealous!’

"I’ll explain everything properly later. There is absolutely, positively nothing going on between Xijing and me!"

"Nothing going on, yet you produced a merman cub bigger than Sangqi."

His cool voice betrayed no emotion, but it made Qiao Xixi’s scalp tingle with dread.

Qiao Xixi: "..."

’No, wait, let me explain!’

"We’ll talk about that later. Let’s focus on something more important."

His crimson, serpentine eyes darkened, his gaze landing squarely on her face. "More important? What? This?"

The moment his deep voice faded, a cool kiss descended upon her lips.

Qiao Xixi didn’t pull away. Instead, she gently responded to his domineering yet tender assault until both of them were breathing heavily and Qiao Xixi’s rationality began to return.

"Sunxiao, I miss the cubs. Can you take me to them, please?"

His serpentine eyes locked onto hers, seeing the misty haze he had stirred within them. His pupils darkened. After a brief, gentle lick across her lips, he finally loosened his hold slightly.

"Alright."

"Stop! Let go of Xixi!"

Qiao Xixi was just about to suggest they get Xijing when his furious voice erupted from behind them.

Qiao Xixi turned to see Xijing’s hands transforming into sharp fins as he lunged at Sunxiao.

An icy chill flared in Sunxiao’s eyes as he carefully set Qiao Xixi on the ground.

Qiao Xixi tried to speak, but Sunxiao cut her off. "Be good. Don’t say a word."

"He’s Xiya’s father..."

"He won’t die."

The last word was still echoing in Qiao Xixi’s ear as the two figures blurred into motion, too fast for her to follow.

Out on the beach, Sunxiao swiftly shifted into his beast form.

Xijing could feel the immense power radiating from Sunxiao—he was clearly no match. But he would never give up easily.

Sunxiao, however, showed no intention of holding back. His attacks were ruthless.

The sounds of their fight quickly alerted Sangze, who was on watch. His mismatched eyes glinted with an enchanting light in the darkness. After waking Jin Ling, his figure vanished into the deep night.

Qiao Xixi, afraid they would seriously hurt each other, was about to shout for them to stop when she suddenly fell into a sturdy embrace.

Before Qiao Xixi could even react, all she could hear was the whistling of the wind.

"Sangze, where are you taking me? Put me down!"

"Oh? Does my little female want to do it in front of them?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"What?"

Sangze skidded to a halt, flopping directly onto the sand and pulling Qiao Xixi down to sit on top of him.

Qiao Xixi: "..."

"I’m tired. How about you take the lead?"

A hot, wet kiss suddenly landed on her neck, and Qiao Xixi shivered from the ticklish sensation.

"Can we do this some other time?"

His arms around her tightened. "Be serious, now. Be good. The sun will be up soon. Let’s not waste our wonderful reunion."

’That’s not what I meant!’

A kiss landed on her collarbone.

Qiao Xixi trembled, her resisting hands beginning to shake!

’Sangze is too cunning! He’s going straight for my weak spots, making it so I can’t even speak properly.’

"We only have half the night left. It’s a bit short, but it’s not a bad idea to let you have a little taste first."

With a single motion, Sangze rolled over, gently placing her on the sand as his body covered hers...