"Exactly!" Ye Liuyun admitted without hesitation.

"Then... don’t you like me?" Lin Xiaoxiao pressed even more bluntly.

"I see you as a younger sister—don’t get the wrong idea! Besides, Liu Yunyao and I already have a private betrothal." Ye Liuyun had no choice but to use the princess as a shield.

Lin Xiaoxiao’s attention was instantly diverted.

"The princess? And you?" she asked, curiosity lighting up her eyes.

Ye Liuyun nodded in confirmation.

"But I like you! I don’t want to be just your sister! And you’re not even royalty—there’s no way you and the princess could end up together!" Lin Xiaoxiao blurted out.

"You just don’t know how capable I am," Ye Liuyun retorted. To prove his point, he briefly unleashed the pressure of his Dominator-level cultivation—just a fleeting surge before pulling it back, afraid it might overwhelm her.

"So you’re this powerful! And here I thought beast-taming was your only skill!" Lin Xiaoxiao’s boundless curiosity and eccentric train of thought quickly pushed her infatuation aside as she shifted topics. "If you’re this strong, why didn’t you show it on the battlefield?"

"Of course I fought," Ye Liuyun replied.

"I knew it! There’s no way the princess alone could’ve defeated the barbarians so easily!" Lin Xiaoxiao exclaimed, though her mind soon circled back to her own dilemma.

"But what about me?" she demanded.

"If you don’t mind, you can call me your brother," Ye Liuyun offered.

"Hmm... Maybe having a brother isn’t so bad! You said it yourself—no take-backs! From now on, I’m calling you Liuyun! And you’d better treat me like a real sister!" Lin Xiaoxiao mused. Since Ye Liuyun clearly had no romantic interest in her, she saw no point in forcing the issue.

After all, just being around him made her happy. Whether or not she became his woman someday—well, that wasn’t something she was hung up on just yet.

"Alright! Then hurry up and master the cultivation technique I taught you. Once you do, you’ll be immune to all poisons!" Ye Liuyun quickly agreed, hoping the training would distract her.

"Got it! Liuyun, I’ll listen to you!" Lin Xiaoxiao responded cheerfully, pulling out all the poisonous herbs and immediately starting her cultivation right where she stood.

"Whew!" Ye Liuyun let out a long breath, relieved that he hadn’t caused any trouble this time.

He stayed behind to guard Lin Xiaoxiao while she cultivated, sending the Falcon to assist Lei Ming and the Dragon Girl in capturing a few Dominator-level beasts—both first and second-tier—to prepare for Lin Xiaoxiao’s needs.

By the time Lin Xiaoxiao successfully cultivated her poison source and opened her eyes, she was greeted by a row of feral beast waiting for her to choose from.

"Liuyun, I want to pick more than one!" she cooed, batting her eyelashes at him. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Fine, you can have three. As long as you can afford to raise them!" Ye Liuyun agreed readily. The rest, he had reserved for Liu Yunyao.

Lin Xiaoxiao thought it over and realized that higher-tier beasts would indeed be too costly to maintain. Her father had once mentioned how terrifyingly resource-draining her previous brown lion had been!

"Hmm... I guess I really can’t afford that many after all," she admitted, frowning.

"You don’t actually need so many. My advice? Just pick one first-tier and one second-tier Dominator beast—that’s more than enough," Ye Liuyun suggested.

"Alright then! I’ll listen to you and save my father some resources," Lin Xiaoxiao conceded.

"Haha, good girl! Never thought you’d actually care about saving your father’s resources!" Her words made Ye Liuyun burst into laughter.

In the end, he helped her select two beasts and stored away the rest.

Then, Ye Liuyun instructed the Falcon to absorb this world into his spatial realm. Having served him faithfully for so long, the Falcon had earned Ye Liuyun’s trust—so as a reward, this world was now his.

Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun and Lin Xiaoxiao boarded the Falcon’s battleship and headed back to the royal city ahead of time, leaving the Falcon to catch up after completing the absorption.

On the way back, Ye Liuyun wasn’t in any hurry. He strolled leisurely with Lin Xiaoxiao, chatting as they went. Before they reached the royal city, the falcon caught up with them and was promptly stored away in Ye Liuyun’s spatial realm to rest.

Lin Xiaoxiao still clung to Ye Liuyun like a child, often throwing herself into his arms for comfort or wrapping her arms around his without any romantic intentions.

Ye Liuyun had reminded her a few times, and though she agreed readily, she always forgot soon after, continuing as usual.

When he consulted Liang Xue and the others about it, they guessed that Lin Xiaoxiao had lacked paternal affection growing up and simply craved physical reassurance. Since she didn’t seem to harbor any deeper feelings, they suggested Ye Liuyun treat her like a younger sister. Seeing that she never crossed the line, he eventually let her be.

Before entering the city, however, he made her promise not to reveal his involvement in the battle or his connection with Liu Yunyao, lest it cause trouble for her.

Lin Xiaoxiao agreed immediately—now, his words carried more weight in her heart than even her father’s.

When Ye Liuyun escorted her back to the Commandant’s residence, he explained the situation regarding Lin Moyu to Lin Fengzhi, who finally understood and repeatedly thanked him.

Upon learning that Ye Liuyun had taken Lin Xiaoxiao as his adopted sister, Lin Fengzhi was overjoyed. Having ties to someone of Ye Liuyun’s stature meant greater security for their family.

Lin Xiaoxiao then mentioned the poison-resistant cultivation technique and the two Dominator-level beasts Ye Liuyun had given her, which delighted Lin Fengzhi even more. He insisted on hosting a feast in Ye Liuyun’s honor and persuaded him to stay the night.

Lin Xiaoxiao, clinging to him as usual, added her pleas, so Ye Liuyun agreed.

But before the banquet could begin, Princess sent Hongling to fetch him.

Earlier, after Hongling reported that Ye Liuyun had intervened in the Lin family’s affairs, the Princess grew worried he might be swayed by Lin Xiaoxiao. Unable to interfere directly or track him—given his formidable strength—she stationed someone outside Lin Fengzhi’s residence to alert her the moment Ye Liuyun returned.

Thus, as soon as he arrived, she dispatched Hongling to summon him, citing urgent matters.

Ye Liuyun had no choice but to postpone the dinner and leave with Hongling immediately.

"I bet the Princess is afraid I’ll steal you away! That’s why she’s in such a rush to call you back," Lin Xiaoxiao remarked with uncanny feminine intuition.

"It’s alright. If that’s really the reason, I’ll go back and explain everything to her before coming to see you again!" Ye Liuyun reassured her with a gentle tone.

"Alright then! But you’d better keep your word!" Lin Xiaoxiao reluctantly let him go, knowing full well that if they accidentally provoked the princess’s misunderstanding, her entire family could be in grave danger.

"Absolutely, I promise!" Ye Liuyun replied firmly.

Yet when he returned to the palace and met the princess, he realized Lin Xiaoxiao had been right all along!

He had no choice but to explain himself to Liu Yunyao, even bringing her into his spatial realm where Liang Xue and the others helped clarify the misunderstanding before it was finally resolved.