[Survival points: 6,050]
Looking at his survival point total, Zeng Shen felt delighted.
He had only done a ten-pull yesterday, yet he was already just 3,950 survival points away from drawing again.
"Just 3,950 survival points to go. Where should I farm them?"
Zeng Shen lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked up at the sky.
The sun was setting.
Darkness gradually enveloped the distant sky.
"It's almost dark."
"I've already triggered all the first-time rewards around here."
"Forget it. I'll go home and make dinner, then figure out how to earn more survival points tomorrow."
Having decided, Zeng Shen headed home at a brisk pace.
It took about forty minutes to walk from the Martial Arts Hall to Good Fortune Residential Complex.
Along the way.
Zeng Shen spent the entire walk video chatting with Li Yuqing, so he did not find it boring.
When he reached the foot of his apartment building, he heard the system's danger warning and thought of the little girl who was a third-tier curse deity. Without dwelling on it, he took the elevator straight home.
Although he was short on survival points.
Zeng Shen could not bring himself to lay a hand on such an adorable little girl.
As for the ten survival points from the pedestrian street behind the complex, and the ten from Li Yuqing's neighborhood.
He planned to give them up for today.
There was no helping it. It was too dark, and too far away.
After spending so long at the Martial Arts Hall, his feet felt sore, and he did not want to walk anymore.
Once home, Zeng Shen chatted with Li Yuqing for another hour before ending their WeChat video call. He quickly made himself something to eat, then focused his consciousness and appeared above his divine domain.
He lowered his head slightly and gazed down.
Soon.
His gaze pierced the layers of dark clouds and reached his divine domain.
It was nighttime there as well.
At the edge of the forest lay the area he had named Bastet Town.
Looking at the stump-shaped cat beds nestled against the trees and the cats inside them, he felt an unexpected sense of accomplishment.
Then.
Zeng Shen shifted his gaze toward the divine palace.
In front of the divine palace's entrance.
Xiao Bai lay beneath the canine statue, his big, round eyes occasionally turning toward the palace's closed doors, as though he expected Zeng Shen to emerge from inside.
Seeing this, Zeng Shen withdrew his consciousness, set the Divine Domain Gate's destination inside the palace, and teleported over. He opened the palace doors and appeared before Xiao Bai.
When Xiao Bai saw Zeng Shen emerge from the palace, he happily ran to his feet and barked.
"Woof, woof!"
"Missed your master, huh?"
"Come here."
"Look what I brought you."
Smiling, Zeng Shen focused his consciousness and took Xiao Bai's bowl and bed out of his backpack space. He placed them in front of the canine statue and said, "You can live here from now on."
"Woof!"
Xiao Bai barked as though he half understood, a note of happiness in his voice.
"Haha, looks like you really like it here." Zeng Shen laughed, took out a bag of dog food, and filled the bowl. "Have something to eat, then go to sleep."
"Woof, woof!" Xiao Bai barked twice, then started eating.
Zeng Shen turned and headed toward the edge of the forest.
Soon, he reached the forest's edge. Xiao Hei, who had been resting in a stump-shaped cat bed, woke at once. With a happy meow, he sprang out of Big Black Cat's embrace, ran up to Zeng Shen, and meowed softly.
"Haha, you missed your master too? Hungry, aren't you? Come on, eat something before you go back to sleep."
Zeng Shen smiled and stroked Xiao Hei's head, then focused his consciousness, took bags of cat food from his backpack space, and filled the cat bowls before him.
The other stray cats had also raised their heads to look at Zeng Shen the moment he appeared.
Once they saw him fill the bowls with cat food.
Their eyes lit up with a green gleam. Letting out meows that sounded like howling wolves, they scrambled out of their beds and ran to the bowls to eat.
"Haha, take your time, everyone. There's more when you finish."
Zeng Shen watched the cats eat with a smile for a while. Once he was sure they could eat no more, he refilled their bowls and headed to Jade Valley, where he personally chipped out a palm-sized piece of rock.
A piece of white-quality jade was embedded in the rock.
Zeng Shen made a special trip to the kitchen for a kitchen knife and cut a slit in the rock, exposing the jade inside. Then he left his divine domain with the jade-bearing rock, planning to turn in early tonight and pick up Li Yuqing tomorrow morning when she returned from paying respects to her ancestors.
The next day, the doorbell rang.
Zeng Shen opened his eyes groggily, left his bedroom, and looked through the peephole.
A young woman immediately came into view.
She wore a short white spaghetti-strap dress that traced the soft, shapely curves of her body.
Between her pale shoulders, her well-defined collarbones were fully exposed. Simple yet refined, the dress showed off her graceful figure while capturing both feminine softness and strength.
The sight left Zeng Shen's mouth dry.
Seeing Li Yuqing, Zeng Shen snapped fully awake and quickly opened the door.
Before his eyes.
Li Yuqing's long, fair legs emerged from the high slit of her short spaghetti-strap dress. Perfect as a sculpture, they lent her beauty a uniquely captivating dimension.
"Hubby," Li Yuqing said with a smile.
Zeng Shen stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her soft, slender waist. "Honey, how did you get back so early? Weren't you supposed to arrive at eight?"
"Hehe, guess."
"You left early."
"That's right. Are you planning to keep standing out here with me, hubby?"
At that, Zeng Shen swept Li Yuqing into a bridal carry, closed the door, and headed straight for the bedroom.
"Ah, hubby, don't! It's first thing in the morning, and you're already..."
Li Yuqing cried out.
One minute later.
[The host overcame a stronger opponent with extraordinary valor, subduing a third-tier Undead System deity in just one minute. Survival points +200.]
"..." Zeng Shen's face darkened.
[The host displayed tremendous might and defeated a third-tier Undead System deity. Survival points +200.]
Two hours later, as another notification sounded, Zeng Shen opened the system log and glanced at it in satisfaction.
"Two hundred survival points for subduing her, and another two hundred for defeating her."
"I never managed to verify it with Master Ma yesterday, but I ended up confirming it with my wife first thing this morning."
"I wonder if there are any other positions for earning survival points that I haven't explored yet."
At that thought, Zeng Shen immediately resumed his exploration.
"Ah, hubby, don't..."
An hour later.
Amid Li Yuqing's pleas for mercy, Zeng Shen finally stopped, disappointed at having gained nothing. He went to wash up, then began making breakfast.
By the time breakfast was ready, it was already noon.
"Honey, come out and eat."
Calling out, Zeng Shen walked to the bedroom door and saw Li Yuqing lying beneath the covers, her hands resting on top as she sent someone messages on WeChat.
"Who are you messaging?" Zeng Shen asked curiously.
Li Yuqing raised her head, the alluring blend of innocence and charm still lingering on her face. Parting her rosy lips slightly, she said, "Didn't you say you had some jade to sell, hubby? My uncle's asking when we're coming over."
"Let's go after we've had breakfast together."
Zeng Shen said after a moment's thought.
"All right. I'll take a shower. Go ahead and eat, hubby." As she spoke, Li Yuqing emerged from beneath the covers, revealing her lovely, naked figure, and headed for the bathroom.
[The host showed courage born of skill, resting safely for a night in an apartment building occupied by a powerful curse deity and her followers. Survival points +10.]
Ignoring the notification in his ears.
Zeng Shen walked to Li Yuqing's car and opened the passenger door. After letting her get in, he went around and settled into the driver's seat, then asked:
"Where's your uncle?"
"In the city center, at the World Trade Building."
"That far?" Zeng Shen opened the navigation app, located the World Trade Building, and promptly drove off toward it.
During the drive, Zeng Shen discovered a new way to farm points.
[The host drove swiftly through the pedestrian street without disturbing the other powerful deities staying here. Survival points +10.] [The host passed through Department Store Street without alerting any mutant beasts or the third-tier earth deity hunting here. Survival points +1,000.] [The host passed along Fuxing Avenue without alerting the mutant beasts here or the third-tier wood deity residing in the area. Survival points +1,000.] [The host passed by the botanical garden without alerting the powerful intelligent race lurking here. Survival points +1,000.]