“Boring.”
Su Lixiao pulled a comb out of nowhere, found a stone to sit on, and began brushing her long, flowing hair.
The starlight poured over her, and her dark, glossy hair shimmered like a silver galaxy in the black night sky.
Even among the ruined walls and broken debris, the beautiful girl’s presence made everything around her shine.
Ye Lan was momentarily captivated.
He had originally wanted to ask why Su Lixiao had drawn her sword against Cui Yunfan at the end, but seeing this beautiful scene, he swallowed the question whole.
However, just because he didn’t ask didn’t mean Su Lixiao couldn’t guess.
She looked at Ye Lan, a faint smile playing on her lips, and said: “You probably have something to say, don’t you?”
Ye Lan replied: “Actually… I’m wondering if those last two shots of mine could have been skipped?”
Honestly, he really didn’t want to expose himself to such an important figure so early. With his current strength, patience was necessary.
“Because that Cui Yunfan guy wanted to send people to escort me, so you just had to show them who’s boss,” Su Lixiao said simply, without hiding her thoughts.
She looked serious: “Since you said you would protect me, I won’t let anyone interfere.”
“Alright then.”
Since Su Lixiao was acting based on that statement, Ye Lan had no reason to object.
It was just a minor increase in difficulty for the follow-up mission—not a big deal.
“And also~”
After finishing brushing her hair, Su Lixiao circled around to stand behind Ye Lan.
“What is it?”
Ye Lan could feel the fragrance of the girl’s breath behind him, making him a bit uneasy.
Then, the hastily tied hair on his head was gently undone by her delicate hands.
Su Lixiao scolded: “You can’t tie your hair like that.”
“I’m not a girl, so it doesn’t matter, right?” Ye Lan said.
“That won’t do. If you tie it poorly, you could easily lose hair. That goes for both boys and girls—don’t mess with it!” she warned.
Ye Lan felt his hair lifted and carefully untangled at the knots, while the stray strands were brushed smoothly.
A sense of calm washed over him, making him drowsy. He closed his eyes.
It was already midnight, and after a full day of running and fighting, Ye Lan’s body was exhausted.
Still, he forced himself to open his heavy, weighted eyelids.
“All done.”
Su Lixiao patted his back, signaling that her task was complete.
Ye Lan touched the back of his head and noticed that Su Lixiao had tied his hair into a low ponytail.
The neat, practical style actually suited a long-haired guy like him.
As long as it was better than letting his hair hang loose, which could hinder movement, it was fine.
As for why Su Lixiao’s hair, reaching all the way to her ankles, never affected her mobility… Ye Lan couldn’t understand. Perhaps that was just how girls were.
Su Lixiao put away her small comb and asked: “What’s your plan next?”
“Plan?”
Ye Lan gazed into the distance, where the sky shone brightly over the academy’s main campus.
They weren’t far from the main campus now.
They could travel overnight, but that would reduce their strength and reflexes the next day. Any unexpected situation could be disastrous if they were too tired.
It wasn’t far—resting now and continuing in the daytime was better.
Ye Lan suggested: “Shall we find a safe spot to sleep, and continue tomorrow?”
Su Lixiao nodded: “Fine, we’ll follow your lead.”
They found a nearby safe zone.
Although empty, shield generators and ceasefire devices were still functioning, diligently protecting the area and its supplies.
The heat from these devices made the safe zone comfortably warm.
Ye Lan found a bench.
When he sat down and closed his eyes, exhaustion from the entire day hit him like a tide.
The drowsiness pressed against his mind, and though his resilient spirit tried to resist, Ye Lan knew it was time to relax.
The string of a drawn bow must be released occasionally, or it would lose elasticity and effectiveness—rest was a necessary strategy.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt someone close.
Judging by the fragrance, it was undoubtedly Su Lixiao.
‘There are other benches…’ Ye Lan thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to protest.
By the time he let down his guard, sleep had already overtaken him.
Eventually, he fell asleep.
…
At dawn, when the sun just peeked over the horizon, Ye Lan woke.
Looking beside him, Su Lixiao was gone.
“Lixiao! Where are you?” He panicked briefly, fearing that everything with her had been a dream.
Then, he felt a light tap on the back of his head—like a soda can being flicked.
“Why such a fuss?”
Su Lixiao emerged from behind, carrying a small bag.
Ye Lan noticed it contained energy drinks, bars, and compressed rations.
Clearly, Su Lixiao had visited the vending machines in the safe zone, but she wasn’t satisfied with the options.
“This will be our breakfast. Make do with it.”
She placed the bag on the bench and pulled out a compressed biscuit.
High in protein and calories, it made her frown—but food was essential, and the day’s fighting had drained energy. She had no choice but to swallow it with the drink.
Ye Lan had no complaints.
For him, this type of quick, high-energy food was perfect for fieldwork.
After a few biscuits, Su Lixiao stopped and asked: “Does the academy only have food like this?”
Ye Lan replied: “Not exactly. There are free cafeteria meals and high-end restaurants for those willing to pay.”
To him, the difference didn’t matter—as long as protein, fiber, and vitamins were sufficient, taste was secondary.
“Alright, that’s fine then.”
Su Lixiao stood and began a post-breakfast walk around the safe zone.
Ye Lan noticed the two lightsaber hilts at her waist and asked: “Want to test them on some wooden dummies?”
“No need, I tried them last night.”
Shaking her head, Su Lixiao deemed it unnecessary.
She activated a lightsaber hilt: “Power is okay, but too light… not used to it.”
Pressing the button yielded no blade, leaving her puzzled: “Huh? Why isn’t it working?”
Ye Lan glanced at a device in the center of the safe zone: “The ceasefire device disables energy weapons here.”
“Alright then.” She reluctantly put the hilt away.
Though Ye Lan was curious about her remark “I tried it last night,” she clearly didn’t want to discuss it further, and he didn’t press.
After finishing breakfast, Ye Lan picked up his sniper rifle and said: “Alright! Let’s go.”
Su Lixiao asked: “Not sleep a bit more? It’s still early.”
It was barely dawn, and they had likely slept less than five hours.
Ye Lan smiled: “With this much caffeine, I’m not sleepy at all.”
And the earlier they reached the academy, the sooner the “LPB” would end. He wasn’t keen on wasting more time in these ruins.