I Love A Stick of Wood! Dugu Yan Gave It!

"I'll have to resort to some underhanded methods!"

Dugu Yan was stunned: "Huh?"

Dugu Bo pulled a jade bottle from his robes and handed it over with a mysterious air.

"I Love A Stick of Wood!"

"Yanyan, tonight depends on you!"

Dugu Yan took the jade bottle, her face instantly flushing bright red.

"Grand... Grandfather... this..."

Dugu Bo patted her shoulder, his tone earnest.

"Grandfather can only help you this much!"

"The rest is up to you!"

Dugu Yan gripped the jade bottle tightly, head bowed, her face burning.

But the corners of her mouth curled up in secret.

Night fell.

Lin Jiang's room.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, preparing to cultivate, when a familiar chime rang in his mind.

[Ding, received one distribution count (annual)]

[Current distribution count: 5]

[Current subversion points: 156]

Lin Jiang hooked the corner of his mouth.

Not bad, the Shrek Seven Devils would be gathered soon; the show was about to begin.

He sensed the soul power within his body—he was about to break through to level forty.

And this was while playing whenever he was tired of cultivating, strolling whenever he was tired of playing, and lying down whenever he was tired of strolling.

After all, as a modern youth, he would never sit if he could lie down, and never stand if he could sit.

Just then.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Lin Jiang, I've brought you a midnight snack."

It was Dugu Yan's voice.

Lin Jiang's eyes lit up: "Sister Yanyan? Come in!"

Eating a midnight snack, how wonderful!

The door pushed open, and Dugu Yan walked in carrying a bowl of steaming tangyuan.

She was dressed particularly... well, beautifully today.

A purple halter-neck qipao, exquisite collarbones, a slender waist, the hem of her skirt swaying gently as she moved.

"Lin Jiang, cultivation is hard work." She placed the bowl on the table, her voice impossibly gentle.

Lin Jiang waved his hands: "Not hard at all, not hard at all, Sister Yanyan is the one working hard."

He picked up the bowl and ate without a shred of suspicion.

The tangyuan were soft and glutinous, the soup sweet.

"Hm? Sister Yanyan, the soup for these tangyuan..." Lin Jiang smacked his lips, "Why is it so sweet? It's so sweet I feel a bit feverish."

Dugu Yan watched him nervously: "Is that so? Maybe... maybe I put in too much sugar?"

Did I pour in too much?

Her hand had slipped earlier, and she had dumped in more than half the bottle.

Dugu Bo's room.

The old man was lying on his bed when he suddenly sat up.

"Oh no!"

He slapped his forehead.

"I forgot to tell Yanyan that this I Love A Stick of Wood is extremely potent; even a single whiff is enough to trigger it, and just a tiny drop is plenty!"

He lay back down, stroking his beard, a benevolent smile on his face.

"Still, with my medicine, the deed should be done!"

Lin Jiang's room.

Lin Jiang felt thirstier the more he drank.

After finishing a bowl of tangyuan, he felt a scorching heat spread throughout his body, his mouth parched and his breath turning scalding hot.

"Sister Dugu Yan... is there... something wrong with this soup?" He looked up, his voice raspy.

Then, he froze.

Dugu Yan stood before the table, her face flushed, her breathing rapid, and her eyes hazy.

She was looking at him, too.

Their eyes met.

At this moment, the two of them—

One a troublemaker, one a fool.

Just like that, on this quiet, late night, they partook in the Wutao Thick Tea.

That night, the medicinal power spread like a wildfire, burning away every shred of reason.

There was no pause, no respite.

From the moment the moon climbed above the willow branches until the east turned white with dawn, this absurdity lasted the entire night.

Lin Jiang slept for the entire day.

Outside the window, it was dark once again.

He opened his eyes groggily, feeling completely refreshed, as if he had been soaking in a hot spring all day long.

Beside him, Dugu Yan's complexion was rosy, her breathing steady as she continued to sleep soundly.

Her long, greenish hair was scattered across the pillow, and a satisfied smile hung at the corners of her lips.

Lin Jiang sensed the soul power within his body.

"Hiss..."

He drew a sharp breath.

His soul power flowed with incredible ease, as if a riverbed that had been blocked for years had suddenly been cleared, surging forward without end.

The bottleneck of level thirty-nine had loosened.

Level forty was right before his eyes!

"Is this the 1000% increase in cultivation speed from dual cultivation?!"

Lin Jiang's eyes widened, his heart shaken.

This was too intense!

He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Dual cultivation could make him stronger.

He rolled over and closed his eyes, feeling blissful.

"It seems I should do this more often..."

"It's enjoyable, and I don't have to toil away at cultivation~"

"Perfect."

Beside him, Dugu Yan turned over and snuggled into his embrace.

Lin Jiang stiffened for a moment.

Fine.

He would lie here a while longer.

Outside Heaven Dou City, at the stone pavilion.

The sky was pitch black.

Inside the stone pavilion, a solitary lamp flickered.

Xue Qinghe was still sitting at the stone table, gazing at the chessboard before him.

The black pieces had not been played today.

His fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop, his brows slightly furrowed.

Strange.

The black pieces were played every day, so why had they suddenly stopped today?

Had something happened?

Outside the stone pavilion, Porcupinefish Douluo let out a yawn and muttered under his breath:

"Who on earth is playing these black pieces every day? It's making the Young Mistress restless day and night."

Snake Lance Douluo glanced at him but said nothing.

Both of them could see that the Young Mistress had become increasingly preoccupied with this chess player lately.

She came to the stone pavilion every day, staring at the chessboard in a daze.

Today, the other party hadn't shown up, and she had already been sitting in the pavilion for six hours.

Qian Renxue stood up.

"Let's come back tomorrow."

She walked out of the stone pavilion, her voice indifferent, yet a trace of worry was hidden deep in her eyes.

Porcupinefish Douluo rolled up his sleeves: "If I catch whoever is playing those black pieces, I definitely won't go easy on him!"

Qian Renxue turned back and gave him a cold look.

Porcupinefish Douluo shrank his neck and immediately shut his mouth.

Snake Lance Douluo took the opportunity to speak: "Why not invite him to the East Palace? It would save the Young Mistress from having to run out here every day."

Qian Renxue ignored them.

She looked up at the distant night sky and whispered to herself.

"What on earth... has happened to you?"

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

Qian Renxue brought Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo to the stone pavilion.

She sat before the stone table, her gaze fixed on the chessboard.

The black pieces still hadn't moved.

Not yesterday, and not today.

One hour passed.

Two hours passed.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, shining down on the empty chessboard.

Qian Renxue tapped her fingers lightly against the tabletop, her brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

Outside the stone pavilion, Porcupinefish Douluo yawned, looking around in boredom.

Just then—

In the distance, a young man carrying a bamboo basket and holding a fishing rod walked over at a leisurely pace.

It was none other than Lin Jiang.

He walked skillfully to the edge of the stream, his usual fishing spot.

He set down his bamboo basket, baited his hook, cast his line into the stream, and then propped the rod against a Y-shaped branch. He sat down on a rock, waiting contentedly for a bite.

Porcupinefish Douluo noticed him.

He looked the boy up and down; a teenager, carrying a bamboo basket, clearly just a local villager.

"Where did this brat come from?" Porcupinefish Douluo strode over, waving his hand to shoo him away. "Go fish somewhere else!"

He didn't want some mountain bumpkin disturbing the Young Mistress's peace.

Lin Jiang looked up at him: "Hm? By what right do you tell me to go somewhere else?"

At this moment, Snake Lance Douluo walked over as well. He took one look at Lin Jiang and shook his head: "So it's just a kid; it seems he isn't the one playing the black pieces."