"Your father is truly a talent; that idea was incredibly creative," Jun Moxie exclaimed with admiration that bordered on awe, though he privately scoffed. Even if someone were willing to sacrifice their life and ascend to the Yellow Springs to find the little thing's parents now, they likely wouldn't get a straight answer.

After all, the little thing's current condition had long surpassed the known history of the Iron-Winged Leopard. Even the progenitor of the Iron-Winged Leopards, or the most powerful one in history, couldn't explain what was happening to the creature now.

He looked again at the little girl before him. This girl was also a top-tier talent; her temperament was so incredibly unique. Just moments ago, she was furious with him—so angry that her eyes seemed misty with unshed tears. Yet, in this brief interval, upon thinking of something amusing, she immediately broke into a wide, unrestrained smile, skipping the entire puddle-to-rainbow transition. It was utterly charming.

"I thought so too. Once my father spoke, those who had designs on the creature fled faster than lightning. Everyone wants to take advantage, but nobody is interested in a benefit that requires risking one's life to obtain," Du Gu Xiaoyi laughed triumphantly. "I thought I’d have to spend a great deal of effort weaving an airtight lie for you, but it turned out to be completely unnecessary. My father has a mind for these things; my mother calls it 'great wisdom masked by foolishness'—a true hidden talent." Great wisdom masked by foolishness! Hidden talent!? To use those two phrases to describe the great general Du Gu Wudi… what a waste of two fine terms!

"So, that matter was dealt with just like that?" Jun Moxie felt a pang of emotion. No matter what, the little girl was purely thinking of him and didn't want to expose him. As for Du Gu Wudi, he was simply a barbarian who, by sheer luck, managed to solve a problem.

"Mmm, we've passed that hurdle for now," Du Gu Xiaoyi nodded. "Many people who planned to bid on Xiao Bai Bai today were sent away by me. Xiao Bai Bai is mine, and nobody can scheme for it. Besides, it's a witness to our bond." The girl’s voice grew softer until the last sentence was barely audible, certainly not reaching Young Master Jun.

After speaking, Du Gu Xiaoyi paused before turning her head to look at Jun Moxie, her voice low and delicate. "Our family received an invitation from your Jun family yesterday." "Oh?" Jun Moxie raised an eyebrow. "If we hadn't received the invitation, I wouldn't have known you made such a huge wager with my father." Du Gu Xiaoyi looked worried, then glared with a hint of anger. "You really dared to bet! I truly don't know what you were thinking. Ten thousand taels of silver for a jar of wine? That's utterly impossible! And you—! After my father received the invitation, he laughed heartily and said he could finally teach you a good lesson this time. Tell me, did my father force you into the bet?" "Finally teach me a good lesson, did he?! Huh?! What did you say? I'm not leaving! A bet is based on mutual agreement. Moreover, this young master possesses unyielding integrity and unwavering dedication; how could anyone possibly force me?"

Jun Moxie stroked his chin, a sharp glint in his eyes. The great General Du Gu definitely hadn't forced him, as he himself had engineered this bizarre gamble. Teach me a lesson?? Whether it was him teaching the other who was the master in the end was hard to say. Young Master Jun hadn't forgotten that if his wine auction succeeded, the Du Gu family would immediately owe him a debt of astronomical proportions! But what would the great general use to repay him then?!

"Are you sure you have a chance?" Du Gu Xiaoyi looked at him, her eyes filled with anxiety. Clearly, the young lady didn't want Jun Moxie to lose to her father; she would rather her own father lose the bet! "If you lose, it will be terribly embarrassing. How could you make such an unfair bet with my father?" "Well,"—Jun Moxie paused three times in his response, speaking with utmost solemnity—"whether it's fair or not is actually very hard to say." While his plan was foolproof in his mind, and any unfairness wouldn't be directed at Young Master Jun, there was still a possibility of losing if these bumpkins from another world didn't cooperate. What if, what if—there was always one chance in ten thousand! "How about I accompany Father tomorrow!" Du Gu Xiaoyi's beautiful eyes shifted in expression. Suddenly, she lowered her head, gritted her teeth, and made up her mind. "If he makes things difficult for you, I'll cry, I'll cause a scene, I'll—in any case, I won't let him bully you. You can rest assured!"

They say girls are outwardly strong, which proved true. The little girl's mind was entirely occupied with Jun Moxie. She couldn't let Brother Moxie lose, completely forgetting that if her father lost, her own family would instantly be saddled with a crushing debt—and not a small sum either...

Jun Moxie’s heart warmed again. For the first time in his life, his usually calm, cold, almost bloodless eyes held a trace of tenderness. The little girl's pure, innocent affection, her wholehearted concern for him—Jun Moxie wasn't a fool; how could he not feel that? Humans are not grass and trees; who can be without emotion! "Little girl, rest assured, I won't be at a disadvantage." Jun Moxie smiled with unusual warmth, reaching out a hand to gently stroke Du Gu Xiaoyi’s hair. He retracted it instantly, as if shocked. Subconsciously, closeness with women still felt incompatible with his identity as a mere youth. Though he had lived two lives, this was the first time he experienced such a subtle, complex emotion. Even though his identity in this current life wasn't that of an assassin...

Jun Moxie smiled faintly, stood up, and said softly, "I need to go." Du Gu Xiaoyi lowered her head, her heart pounding erratically. This was the first time he had initiated contact with her. Though it was just a brief touch of a single strand of hair, withdrawn immediately, Du Gu Xiaoyi felt her limbs go weak and her face flush. I've already done so much, why is he only doing this much? What do I need to do before he acts like that? What a blockhead!

However, she vaguely felt that this meeting was unusually different. Seeing Young Master Jun again, he lacked the usual slick talk and the pretentious, frivolous demeanor of before. Instead, he seemed preoccupied with weighty matters, his every action appearing grounded and steady.

"Mmm," Du Gu Xiaoyi softly acknowledged, standing up while keeping her gaze fixed on her toes. Her voice dropped again until it was barely audible, requiring the nearby Young Master Jun to strain to hear, "You... are you leaving already? I... I'm fine." The little girl had wanted to say, I only get to see you once in a while, but the words circled her throat several times before she swallowed them down. It sounded too embarrassing. After careful consideration, she ultimately kept silent.

Under the sunlight, Du Gu Xiaoyi’s face looked like translucent white jade, soft, moist, and fragile enough to break with a touch. A breeze drifted in from the window, gently lifting the fine strands of hair near her temples, letting them dance around her cheeks and across the bridge of her delicate nose. Her long eyelashes drooped quietly, occasionally fluttering as if startled. Her lips, rosy and full, sometimes pursed slightly, biting gently on her lower lip, her face etched with reluctance. The cautiousness and insecurity of a young girl experiencing budding affection, though forcefully concealed, became more obvious the harder she tried to hide it, making her even more lovely.

This startling beauty held the great master's gaze, making him stare. In his previous life, he had seen countless famous stars and every kind of beauty imaginable, but this pure, pristine coolness of the little girl was something he truly saw for the first time. An uncontrollable sense of pity and tenderness bloomed in his heart. For the first time, a thought surfaced: This girl is actually... so beautiful. She is in no way inferior to any renowned beauty.

For a moment, the great hall fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Only their shallow breaths rose and fell, creating an almost excessive stillness.

Seemingly sensing Jun Moxie's burning gaze, Du Gu Xiaoyi’s pretty face grew redder. Her small feet unconsciously drew circles on the floor with their tips. Touching the smooth fur of Bai Bai with her small hands, Du Gu Xiaoyi felt as if she were adrift in a fog. In this moment, heaven and earth seemed to vanish; only the two of them faced each other, the vast world reduced to nothing.

After a long pause, Xiao Bai Bai quietly sneezed, startling them both and breaking the unspoken silence. Du Gu Xiaoyi blushed slightly, raised her head timidly, and shot a shy glance at Jun Moxie, murmuring softly, "Idiot... Aren't you... leaving? Why aren't you going? Are you dense?"

Jun Moxie suddenly realized his lapse in composure, his mind completely captivated. This was the first major flaw in both his lives. He quickly regained his focus, laughed heartily, and said, "Seeing such a stunning little girl, I almost didn't want to leave. If you hadn't startled me awake, I might have turned into a pervert!"

Du Gu Xiaoyi let out a small huff, casting him a slight side-eye. "Hmph! As if I’d be afraid of your perverted self! Since you have business to attend to, then go attend to it." Saying this, she turned her back. Jun Moxie clearly saw that after Du Gu Xiaoyi finished speaking, even the back of her neck had turned red.

What was so significant about that sentence that made her blush again? Young Master Jun, having spent two lifetimes avoiding close contact with women, had no idea what was in the young girl's heart. Du Gu Xiaoyi had suddenly realized that her tone sounded exactly like a gentle wife giving loving instructions to her husband before he went out on a mission. Remembering how his mother spoke to his father before every campaign, she couldn't help but feel ashamed. That sentence sounded like she was telling him... like she was his wife in some capacity? His wife? The more she thought about it, the redder her face became, as brilliant as the dawn. She dared not lift her pretty little head again.

"Haha, beautiful, truly beautiful!" Jun Moxie exclaimed, suddenly reaching out and patting Du Gu Xiaoyi's lovely cheek. He pinched it lightly, tutting in admiration, "So smooth, so fragrant, haha!" Amidst his hearty laughter, his robes billowed, and his footsteps faded away.

Pretending a casual demeanor to mask his inner panic, the great killer Jun almost fled in disarray—feeling his heart pounding like a drum against his ribs.

Checking the schedule: Ah, food poisoning plus the flu... terrible luck, hitting two jackpots at once... Look at the timing selected for this... the final days of the monthly ticket sprint at the end of June, the major feature push in early July, the Sanjiang interview in mid-July... Good heavens, are you really trying to force me to fight to the death?