Chapter 18: Believe it or not, I can break your fingers!

Xiao Mingxuan made a decision quickly. It was just a national academy. If he had this little girl, maybe it wouldn't be so boring.

"Great!" Xihe immediately smiled happily, opened her arms and hugged Xiao Mingxuan tightly, lowered her head to his chest, feeling his heart beating.

Hey, why does it feel like the little brother’s heart is beating so fast?

Xiao Mingxuan coughed twice, moved his fingers, and didn't know where to put them for a long time.

Although he was not used to the little girl throwing herself into his arms, he had no intention of throwing her away.

Forget it, just follow her lead. What if she starts crying again?

Xihe was full and satisfied with the answer, so he felt a little drowsy. He lay in Xiao Mingxuan's arms, his consciousness gradually faded, and soon he could hear the sound of regular breathing.

"Xihe?"

Xiao Mingxuan carried the little girl to the inner room, put her on the bed, and turned to leave, but the little girl pulled her sleeves and refused to let go. She was still asleep, but she was still mumbling: "Little brother, don't leave, sleep with me, Xihe is scared."

The little girl seemed to have had a nightmare, her brows slightly wrinkled and her whole body half curled up.

Xiao Mingxuan frowned and did not move for a long time.

Yun Hui, who was guarding the outer room, softly responded, "Your Highness the Ninth Prince, please forgive me. Our little princess suffered some injuries in her childhood and is not used to sleeping alone. Your Highness, rest assured, I will never tell anyone about what happened today."

Xihe never dared to sleep alone. When she was in the cold palace, Yunhui accompanied her. Later, in Yuanyang Palace, Emperor Jingyuan accompanied her. After being raised by Concubine Chen, Concubine Chen held Xihe in her arms every night. Occasionally, when Concubine Chen was away, her brother, the eldest prince, would sleep with her. Besides, the little princess was only five years old, and the ninth prince was only a little over nine. There was no need to talk about gender discrimination.

Xiao Mingxuan glanced at Yun Hui outside with a meaningful look, "You are really reassuring."

Yun Hui was stunned for a moment, said nothing for a long time, and retreated silently.

Xihe's body was trembling slightly, and there was a hint of pain in her expression. Xiao Mingxuan sighed and moved the little girl a little further inside.

As soon as he lay down, Xihe seemed to sense it, and a small ball came up like an octopus, not giving Xiao Mingxuan any room to move.

Smelling the faint milky aroma coming from his nose, Xiao Mingxuan pursed his lower lip tightly, his face flushed several times, and he took several deep breaths.

He wanted to drag the person away, but when he saw Xihe's relaxed brows, he resisted the urge to do it.

Just hold him like this, it’s his fault for eating other people’s pastries.

Perhaps because he ate too much, Xihe didn't sleep for long and woke up about half an hour later. After waking up, he didn't get out of bed. Instead, he poked Xiao Mingxuan's face, as if he had found something interesting.

"Zhao Xihe, are you looking for a fight? Do you believe I can break your fingers?"

When Xihe heard the voice, she didn't show the expected fear, but instead giggled and threw herself into Xiao Mingxuan's arms, "Little brother!"

The summer heat was getting worse, and there was no ice in Mingyue Palace to cool down. The wind at noon added a bit of restlessness, making people feel more like they were in a dream, unable to distinguish between reality and falsehood.

The little girl said "little brother", but when she heard it, it became "brother Xiao".

I have never thought about it before. It's just a homonym, which makes people think a lot.

Xiao Mingxuan had just woken up and hugged him tightly. The sweet smell hit him in the face, and his temper disappeared. His voice was a little hoarse, as if he was half awake: "Aren't you going to take a nap? Why don't you sleep?"

Xiao Mingxuan's voice was already lower than that of an ordinary person, and it was a little hoarse. When it reached his ears, Xihe inexplicably felt as if a certain part of his heart was hit, sore and numb, as if it was blocked.

What a strange feeling.

Xihe was lost in thought, her mind wandering, and she said casually, "I can't fall asleep again after waking up."

"This is not a reason for you to bother me." Xiao Mingxuan had a secret bad temper when waking up. He was woken up by the little girl, but he suppressed his anger by not getting angry.

Xihe chuckled, "Because little brother smells so good, Xihe wants to smell it."

Her small body lay on top of Xiao Mingxuan, her head tilted upwards with misty eyes. The two of them were extremely close. Her chin was on his neck. The moment their eyes met, Xiao Mingxuan could clearly see her eyelashes, as dense as a palm leaf, and her thin lips with a hint of moisture and luster, which seemed to have a magical power to draw her eyes down.

Xiao Mingxuan quickly looked away, but when he turned his head, the blush on his ears was exposed.

"Nonsense! There's no fragrance at all. You're smelling the wrong thing."

The little girl pouted unhappily, her face full of suspicion, and three big words clearly written on her face: "You lied to me."

Given that Xiao Mingxuan had a precedent of deceiving children and seemed to be in a good mood, the little girl suddenly became bolder and started to pull off his clothes while Xiao Mingxuan was not paying attention.

He had taken off his outer clothes before going to bed, leaving only his inner clothes and middle clothes. Without paying attention, Xiao Mingxuan felt a chill on his left shoulder. A large area of ​​skin was suddenly exposed to the air, and the totem tattoo on his shoulder also fell into the eyes of the two men.

Xiao Mingxuan pushed Xihe away and quickly pulled up his clothes. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and the cold light rushed straight towards him. A strong murderous intent spread between the two of them.

"Is it Kui?"

Xiao Mingxuan hit Xihe very hard. After being thrown out, she hit the bed. I'm afraid her entire back is red now, but she is still in a daze, recalling the tattoo that flashed by.

She was not mistaken, it was "Kui".

Its light is like the sun and the moon, and its sound is like thunder.

Xiao Mingxuan narrowed his eyes slightly, and there was no trace of bullying in his low voice. His icy eyes made people feel no warmth at all. "Do you recognize it?"

Xiao Mingxuan had already developed murderous intentions. Once the news of the totem tattoo got out, he would definitely not survive, and everyone behind him would be slaughtered by Emperor Jingyuan.

To avoid any more trouble, killing Zhao Xihe at this time is the best solution.

Xihe pursed her lips and hesitated.

That was the mount of the Thunder God, of course she recognized it, but if she told the truth, Xihe would probably be chopped off like a monster the next second.

Xihe didn't speak for a long time. Xiao Mingxuan half leaned on the bed and looked at the little girl in front of him. After a long time, he said in a deep voice: "A secret that cannot be told?"

Xihe suddenly looked up, hesitated for a moment, and nodded, "I can't say."

The Lord God has passed away, and any accidents beyond this world will have immeasurable consequences.

The strong impact on Xiao Mingxuan gradually dissipated. He stared at Xihe with a half-smile, "Then why don't you make up a lie and fool them?"

Everyone has things they can't express, so most people just make up some half-truths and let it go. Only this little girl before me wasted no time.

Xihe pursed her lips, her two small hands constantly rolling up the hem of her dress. After a long while, she whispered, "I don't want to lie to you."

Xihe's initial subconscious reaction was to act coquettishly to get away with it, but when the words came to her lips, she couldn't say them.

Secretly, she didn't want to lie to the person in front of her.

Xiao Mingxuan was stunned for a moment, his eyes moving, a strange light flashed in his eyes, his lips trembled slightly, and he chewed on these words.

There are so many false opinions and hypocrisy that when you see sincerity occasionally, you will be confused.

After a long moment, he laughed, "Zhao Xihe, you really are..."

"Little brother, if you don't want me to, don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Seeing that there was room for maneuver, Xihe immediately took advantage of the situation, "But you can't..."

The words were not yet finished, but the meaning was clear.

Shared secrets, allies.

Xiao Mingxuan lowered his head and laughed, "You little bitch, I haven't said anything yet? You dare to negotiate with me? You don't have enough bargaining chips."

You could say she had no brains, but she was able to keenly detect her own attitude. Or you could say she had brains, because she actually showed her true colors.

Well, there is brain, but not much.

Xihe was a little distressed for a moment, but suddenly her eyes lit up, and she leaned over and kissed Xiao Mingxuan on the cheek, smiling at the petrified person opposite her, "Little brother, does this count?"

Xiao Mingxuan rubbed his face uncomfortably, and his expression changed slightly the next second. "Zhao Xihe, remember this: you can't kiss others like this, okay?"

"Father, Mother, and Big Brother can't do that too?"

Xiao Mingxuan pondered for a moment, "They... can do it now, but no one else can. Remember?"

Seeing that the little girl was still in deep thought, Xiao Mingxuan pinched her face and emphasized it again in an angry voice.

"I know, don't be mean to me."

The little girl lowered her head in grievance. The thought of not being able to kiss someone else she liked suddenly filled her with worry. However, due to Xiao Mingxuan's coercion, she still obediently agreed.

Big Bad Wolf is so scary!

"Okay, from now on we are people who share a common secret." Xiao Mingxuan touched the little girl's black head and said softly, his eyes wandering into the distance.

The agreement of a play invisibly brought the two parties closer together.

Xiao Mingxuan knew he was gambling, but he was surprisingly certain that the person in front of him would not betray him.

The moment their hands touched, a brilliant blue light burst out from the space inside Xihe's body, dispersing everywhere and nourishing the seedling. The faint light at the tip of the seedling lit up for a moment, and soon returned to its original appearance.

But Xihe could clearly feel that his body had become lighter, and his bones were much stronger than before. The space within his body shifted, and a thatched hut slowly appeared on a flat ground. Inside, the bookshelves were filled with medical books and seeds of precious medicinal herbs.

It’s over. How did she move the Medicine King’s medicine cabinet here?

When Xihe was still a little god, she followed the Medicine King to learn medicine, but later due to the chaos in the spiritual world, she left.

Although I haven't watched it for a long time, it is not difficult to understand. Instead, it feels like a familiar old friend.

There is still a day when these half-baked medical skills can be picked up again.

In the afternoon, there was a martial arts competition, so Xiao Mingxuan changed into a set of tight-fitting black clothes, which made him look taller.

Thinking that the time was about right, Xiao Mingxuan took the little girl out and met Shi Jian waiting in the corridor with a cat in his arms.

Xihe saw the creamy yellow ball at a glance and wanted to hug it excitedly.

Seeing Xihe was only inches away from the cat, Xiao Mingxuan suddenly pulled her back and said, "Let's talk about it next time. If you don't go to the martial arts arena now, it will be too late. Your eldest brother is still waiting."

The little girl woke up as if from a dream, "Oh, right, maybe next time. Little cat, wait for me, I'll bring you some delicious dried fish next time."

Dahuang meowed and licked his lips, as if agreeing.

Xiao Mingxuan took Xihe away. Before leaving, he turned his head and glanced at Shijian indifferently, then distractedly looked at Dahuang's exposed claws. The warning in his eyes was self-evident.

Shi Jian's face changed and he lowered his head and retreated.

As soon as Xihe arrived at the entrance of the martial arts arena, she saw the eldest prince who had been waiting for a long time. She ran over and opened her arms, "Big brother, hug me~"

"Brother's little darling, you are finally here."

The eldest prince had no intention of lowering his voice. He was so proud that his tail was raised to the sky, attracting everyone to look.

A pink glutinous rice dumpling came towards them, attracting everyone's attention and making them quite envious.

"Brother, I brought you some delicious cakes." In order to make up for it, Xihe quickly waved to Yunhui and asked her to bring the prepared cakes.

"Brother, eat~" The little girl took a piece of cake and handed it to the eldest prince's mouth. Her bright eyes seemed to have some stars in them, which made people unconsciously relax their vigilance.

The eldest prince took a bite of his sister's hand, and immediately felt sweetness in his heart. He thought that today's pastries were extremely delicious.

He is truly the happiest brother in the world.

"So this is the sister that the eldest prince always talks about. Seeing her today, she is indeed so beautiful. No wonder you think about her so much every day."

The little girl is soft and cute, and speaks in a sweet and tender voice. Who wouldn’t want such a soft sister?

"Chengyuan, are you envious? Hey, you just don't have it!"

The Chengyuan mentioned by the eldest prince is the eldest prince's study partner from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, the mother's family of Concubine Chen.

For unknown reasons, the Zhenguogong Mansion has always had more sons than daughters. The previous generation had eight sons but only one daughter, Concubine Chen. This generation is all boys, and even Concubine Chen's children are all princes. They have been hoping for a girl for a long time.

But ever since the Sixth Princess was raised by Concubine Chen, Xu Chengyuan had long wanted to meet this little girl whom the eldest prince talked about every day.

The eldest prince was in a playful mood and held his sister in front of Xu Chengyuan. After receiving the other party's envious look, he took Xihe back without hesitation.

"Hey, Cheng Ning, let me hold your sister. If you let me hold her, I will let you shoot three arrows and make you the champion."

Xu Chengyuan had long been attracted to this baby, with eyes as clear as grapes and a soft face that made him want to touch it.

"Get lost, do I need you to give way?" The eldest prince looked disgusted and took two steps back, holding his sister, away from Xu Chengyuan, the stubborn fool. "Besides, the second son is here today, and there's no telling who will be the winner."

The second prince, Zhao Jinyuan, is the son of Concubine Xian. He is the best rider and archer among the princes. He is the only one who can compete with Xu Chengyuan, who comes from a family of military generals.

When Xu Chengyuan heard that Zhao Jinyuan was coming, he immediately wilted.

With this brother around, what role does he have?

"Big brother, is the second brother coming?"

Xihe habitually put her hands in her mouth when she was thinking about something, and the eldest prince Zhao Chengning took a picture of her when he saw it.

"Yes, Jin Yuan has returned from the Jingjiao Camp, so it's a good opportunity to meet him this time."

(End of this chapter)