Untie the Knot

"Zi Yan, don't be afraid. I won't use this on you," Lu Yunxiao reassured her after placing the soul bond stone into Na Jie. He then took a couple of steps forward, holding Zi Yan's hand gently.

"Really?" Zi Yan glanced at Lu Yunxiao with a complex expression. She couldn't have anticipated that someone possessed something that could manipulate others' thoughts and actions. This revelation left her with mixed feelings. Furthermore, given how close she and Lu Yunxiao had become, the sudden appearance of such a device inevitably sparked jealousy within her.

"Of course, it's true. If I had any ill intentions towards you, why would I use it right in front of you?" Lu Yunxiao said, his tone sincere. He looked into Zi Yan's eyes and emphasized, "Zi Yan, I consider you my sister, and I'd never do anything to harm you."

Lu Yunxiao had his principles when it came to using the soul bond stone. He wouldn't hesitate to use it on enemies or other unimportant individuals, but for his friends and family, he would treat them sincerely and refrain from using the stone to control them. This was his conviction and code of conduct. The soul bond stone might be a powerful tool, but he wouldn't abuse it; he would employ it judiciously.

Listening to Lu Yunxiao's heartfelt words, Zi Yan bit her lip, her clear eyes fixed on him. She realized that his reasoning was sound. If he had malicious intentions, he wouldn't have demonstrated it so openly.

Moreover, she sensed his sincerity in his words. As the Taixu Gulong, she could detect authenticity quite well, and she didn't detect any falsehood in his statements. Consequently, even before she spoke, she had already come to trust him.

"Zi Yan, if you still doubt me, we can simply drop it. I genuinely see you as my sister, and I'll be part of your family from now on. You can trust me," Lu Yunxiao continued.

"Bah, who'd want to be your sister!" Zi Yan snorted and turned away, her sparkling eyes brimming with tears. Lu Yunxiao's words about becoming a family had touched a tender spot in her heart. She had been lonely since childhood, and the concept of family was foreign to her. However, it was something she secretly yearned for. Therefore, Lu Yunxiao's words had made her emotional.

This seemingly tough little girl was, in fact, quite sensitive inside.

"Why are you crying?" Lu Yunxiao leaned in and asked softly.

"Bah, I'm not crying," Zi Yan controlled her emotions, turned her head, and wore a fierce expression. She bared her small tiger teeth at him, looking intimidating.

"Really? Why do I see tears? Even our little Zi Yan can cry," Lu Yunxiao teased with a smile.

"I'm not crying! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you up," Zi Yan warned, shaking her small fist.

"I'm so scared!" Lu Yunxiao raised his eyebrows, wearing an expression that said, 'come at me if you dare.'

"Ah, I'll beat you to death," Zi Yan exclaimed and pounced on Lu Yunxiao, teeth and claws bared.

The two of them instantly started wrestling with each other.

After their playfight, their clothes were somewhat disheveled. There was even a bite mark on Lu Yunxiao's arm, courtesy of Zi Yan.

"Alright, alright, stop messing around," Lu Yunxiao urged, hugging Zi Yan and restraining her gently.

Zi Yan snorted and held her head high, trying to maintain her defiant attitude.

"However, it's clear that the soul bond stone has completely erased any doubts or misunderstandings between us. Our bond is now even stronger," Lu Yunxiao said, examining Zi Yan's joyful expression.

"Zi Yan, be my sister, and I'll protect you," he continued.

"Hmph, I won't be your sister. How about you become my little brother? Sister Ziyan will protect you," Zi Yan countered with a snort, patting Lu Yunxiao's shoulder in a seemingly maternal manner.

As the leader of the inner courtyard, there was no way she'd become someone's younger sister. Even though her heart had unconsciously grown dependent on Lu Yunxiao, it wouldn't be possible to admit it. At least not verbally. Miss Zi Yan couldn't be easily subdued.

"You." Lu Yunxiao shook his head, refraining from pushing the matter.

He lightly flicked Zi Yan's snow-white face and smiled. "Little Ziyan, help me keep the soul bond stone a secret. Consider it our little secret, known only to the two of us, alright?"

While he was willing to show the soul bond stone to Zi Yan because of her innocent nature and lack of malicious intent, he didn't want others to know about it. The stone was far too mysterious and would likely arouse jealousy and greed.

He needed to be cautious.

"Is that okay? It's not okay. I won't do it," Zi Yan declared, rubbing her index finger and thumb together in a meaningful gesture.

"I'll give you another bottle of sixth-grade spirit wine."

"Not enough, at least five bottles."

"The lion is opening its mouth too wide. Alright, you'll get two bottles at most."

"Less than four bottles, and I'll talk."

...

Lu Yunxiao and Zi Yan entered into a heated negotiation. In the end, they settled on a price of three bottles of six-grade spirit wine, in addition to what he had initially promised. Lu Yunxiao would give Zi Yan a total of six bottles of Po Wang Ling wine.

Unfortunately, half of the fine wine had evaporated before it even left the cask.

"Praggogo." Zi Yan extended her small, snow-white hand, and with a flick of her little finger, the deal was sealed.

Lu Yunxiao shook his head, amused by the negotiation. He reached out with his right hand and hooked his pinkie finger with Zi Yan's.

"The hook shall remain for a hundred years unchanged," he said.

Zi Yan responded by giving a playful hook of her own, and then she withdrew her hand, wearing a contented smile.

"Let's go. We'll visit the Earth Core Essence Milk," Lu Yunxiao suggested.

Observing Zi Yan's delighted expression, he couldn't help but smile.