Return

Lu Heng looked at the pretty face so close to his own and said softly:

"Ya Fei, I'm back."

Those words—"I'm back"—shattered Ya Fei's strong outer shell.

All the worry Ya Fei had been holding back turned into the most instinctive impulse at that moment.

Without caring about appearances, Ya Fei sprang from her chair, wrapped both arms tightly around Lu Heng's neck, and threw herself into his embrace. It was not especially broad, but it was exceptionally solid.

"Bastard!"

Ya Fei buried her face in the hollow of Lu Heng's neck, her voice muffled and thick with tears. "You still knew to come back! Why didn't you just die out there?!"

Though her words were harsh, her arms held him tighter than anyone, squeezing his neck until it started to ache.

Lu Heng said nothing. He simply wrapped an arm around her slender, supple waist and gently stroked her back again and again.

The familiar, faint fragrance around Ya Fei filled his nose, finally allowing the nerves that had been taut for five months in the Magical Beast Mountain Range to completely relax.

"That wouldn't do."

Feeling the trembling person in his arms, Lu Heng smiled. "If I died out there, who would live off Ya Fei's generosity? I'm planning to live off you for the rest of my life. Whoever tries to take that from me, I'll fight them."

"Pfft."

Ya Fei was angered into laughter. Raising her head, her usually bewitching peach-blossom eyes were misty, with a tear still clinging to the corner of one eye.

She reached out and fiercely pinched the soft flesh at Lu Heng's waist, though the force was so light it felt more like a tickle.

"All you know how to do is eat! Are you a pig?"

Ya Fei sniffed, somewhat disgustedly rubbed her tears onto Lu Heng's shoulder, then stepped back half a pace and inspected him from head to toe.

Only after checking Lu Heng all over and confirming that he was neither missing an arm nor a leg did her tightly furrowed brows finally relax.

"You're darker, and thinner too."

Ya Fei reached out to touch Lu Heng's cheek. Her fingertips were slightly cool, and her voice was full of heartache. "The food in the Magical Beast Mountain Range must have been awful, right?"

"It was all right. I got sick of roasted meat." Lu Heng caught her hand and rubbed it in his palm. "That's why I rushed back to try Ya Fei's cooking."

Ya Fei smiled through her tears, and the capable air of a strong businesswoman returned.

"Wait here. Big Sis will have someone arrange it right away."

She pulled Lu Heng toward the door by the hand, not even bothering to spare a glance at the business worth several million Gold Coins piled on the table.

"The Miteer Auction House is closing for half the day today. Even if the sky falls, don't come bother me!"

In Ya Fei's small courtyard.

The stone table was covered with exquisite dishes. From steamed Bluefin Spirit Fish to braised Fire Cloud Chicken, it seemed the Miteer Auction House's chefs had brought out every last one of their signature skills.

Master Gu Ni stood at the courtyard entrance. Looking at the feast, then at Ya Fei constantly placing food into Lu Heng's bowl, he helplessly shook his head.

"Miss really is... raising that boy Lu Heng like a child groom."

Gu Ni stroked his beard and smiled faintly.

Lu Heng had returned. Miss would finally not be like she had been before.

Though the auction house's business had been good these past few months, it had always felt as if something was missing.

Now it was fine. That sense of security had returned.

Seeing Gu Ni standing at the entrance, Ya Fei called out:

"Uncle Gu Ni, why are you standing there? Come eat with us."

"No, no. This old man doesn't want to get in your way here." Gu Ni waved his hand and said with a smile,

"I'll go keep an eye on things out front. You two siblings take your time catching up."

With that, the old man considerately closed the courtyard gate, leaving the space to the two people who had finally reunited after so long apart.

"Here, eat more of this. It replenishes your energy."

Ya Fei placed a huge piece of tender stewed spirit beast meat into Lu Heng's bowl. The delicate little bowl was already piled into a small mountain.

"Ya Fei, if I eat any more, I'll burst."

Lu Heng looked bitterly at the "mountain of food" before him, but his hands did not stop as he shoveled mouthful after mouthful of rice into his mouth.

Over the past few months in the mountains, he had not lacked food, but how could that primitive life of eating raw meat compare to the fragrance of home-cooked dishes?

"Better to burst than starve."

Ya Fei rested her cheek on one hand. She did not touch her chopsticks, merely watched him eat with a smile, as though seeing Lu Heng eat filled her more than eating herself.

After several rounds of wine and dishes.

Lu Heng let out a satisfied burp, put down his chopsticks, and contentedly rubbed his stomach.

"Oh, right, Ya Fei."

Lu Heng picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. His gaze settled on Ya Fei, and after sensing her aura slightly, his eyes immediately lit up.

"Your aura... did you break through?"

At those words, an irrepressible look of pride appeared on Ya Fei's charming face.

She stood and circulated the Dou Qi within her slightly.

A faint pale-yellow current gathered in her palm. It was not yet particularly condensed, but it was undoubtedly a Dou Zhe's Dou Qi.

"Of course!"

Ya Fei raised her chin like a little girl who had scored a perfect mark and was waiting for praise from her parents.

"It was all thanks to the bottles of Yuan-Nurturing Powder you left behind. Just as you instructed, I took a small spoonful every day before cultivating.

"I could already feel my bottleneck loosening in the second month. Then last month, I pushed through in one go, broke through the barrier of Dou Qi, and condensed a Qi Vortex!"

As she spoke, Ya Fei's gaze became extraordinarily gentle.

Only she herself knew how much weight those words, "One-Star Dou Zhe," carried.

In this world where strength reigned supreme, she had endured all manner of control from her family because of her mediocre cultivation talent.

Although she had established herself through her business acumen, the desire for strength and the inferiority buried deep within her heart had never faded.

"One-Star Dou Zhe..."

Looking at the Dou Qi flickering at Ya Fei's fingertips, Lu Heng smiled even more happily than if he had broken through himself. "Congratulations, Ya Fei. From now on, we're proper Dou Zhe masters too."

"Stop talking nonsense."

Ya Fei rolled her eyes at him, withdrew her Dou Qi, and sat down again.

"I'm only a One-Star Dou Zhe. Before a little monster like you, I'm not even worthy of carrying your shoes.

"Oh, right. What about you? What did you gain from this training journey?"

Lu Heng smiled mysteriously.

Rather than answering directly, he extended one finger and lightly tapped the stone table.

"Buzz!"

An incomparably powerful wave of Dou Qi suddenly erupted from his body.

It was not the aura of an ordinary Dou Zhe. It was solid and heavy, carrying a faint scent of blood and an oppressive force that even made the bowls and chopsticks on the stone table tremble slightly.

Ya Fei's beautiful eyes instantly widened. Her rosy little mouth parted, her face filled with disbelief.

"Nine... Nine-Star Dou Zhe?"

Although Ya Fei herself was only One-Star, she could still sense Lu Heng's strength. After all, even if she had never eaten pork, she had seen pigs run.

But what shocked Ya Fei was that Lu Heng had only been six-star when he left five months ago, yet he had returned as a Nine-Star?

This was the Dou Zhe stage!

The further one progressed, the harder cultivation became. An ordinary person would thank the heavens to rise one star in a year. Was this really her little brother Lu Heng?