The road to Suotuo City stretched over high mountains and far-flung valleys, and the journey was long.
To avoid the hardship of sleeping rough and eating in the open, Su Yu had waved a hand and spent a hefty sum to rent another spacious, luxurious carriage when he left Nuoding City.
Two purebred horned horses with glossy coats and boundless stamina pulled the carriage. Its exterior was built entirely of sturdy ironwood, carved with exquisite cloud patterns.
The inside was even more impressive. There was enough room for five or six adults to lie side by side.
A thick layer of snow-white Softbone Fox fur covered the floor, so plush it felt like walking on clouds.
In the middle of the carriage stood a small rosewood tea table, topped with several plates of fresh fruit and cool tea to quench their thirst.
The two horned horses galloped along the dirt road through the wilderness, pulling the luxurious carriage like a mobile fortress toward the Balak Kingdom in the south.
Inside, Su Yu leaned back comfortably against the soft cushions.
Several years had passed in the blink of an eye. Tang Wu, the timid little girl who had once followed close behind Su Yu, had blossomed into a graceful young lady.
Thanks to the complete transformation of her physique by the Top-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pill, along with the gradual awakening of her Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline, Tang Wu's skin had become as fair and smooth as white jade, with a lustrous sheen.
She wore a close-fitting, dark blue dress whose hem barely covered the tops of her thighs, showing off a pair of long, straight legs without a single flaw.
At twelve, her chest had already begun to fill out. The rounded contours stretched the fabric taut, rising and falling gently with each breath, radiating the unique youthful allure of a girl.
As she grew older, Tang Wu's possessiveness toward Su Yu became more and more obvious.
Like metal drawn to a magnet, she clung to Su Yu's side, hardly ever leaving him.
At that moment, Tang Wu sat pressed tightly against Su Yu's left side.
She curled her long legs slightly, letting the greater part of her weight rest without reservation on Su Yu's shoulder.
Her smooth, dark blue hair spilled loose over her shoulders, and a few mischievous strands brushed against Su Yu's neck, sending a tingling sensation through him.
"Brother Yu, have a grape." Tang Wu peeled a glistening grape with her pale fingers and carefully held it to Su Yu's lips.
Her deep blue eyes were filled with affection too intense to hide.
Su Yu opened his mouth and took the grape. His fingertips brushed Tang Wu's soft lips by accident.
A blush instantly spread across Tang Wu's cheeks. She didn't pull away; instead, she clung even tighter to Su Yu's arm, pressing her soft, developing chest firmly against it.
Just then, the carriage raced over the wilderness, and one of its wheels suddenly struck a deep rut.
The whole carriage lurched violently, tilting sharply to the right.
"Ah!"
Tang Wu cried out. Her body, already pressed against Su Yu, instantly lost its balance.
She pitched forward and landed squarely in Su Yu's broad, warm embrace.
To steady herself, Tang Wu instinctively raised both hands and clung tightly to Su Yu's neck.
The pose brought them as close as they could possibly be.
Tang Wu's exquisite little face was mere inches away. Her rosy lips were almost touching Su Yu's cheek; all he had to do was turn his head slightly to taste their softness.
The carriage was far from cool, and the sudden jolt had raised Tang Wu's temperature.
Tiny beads of sweat glistened along her fair, delicate collarbones. They slid slowly down their flawless contours before disappearing into the deep neckline of her dress.
The alluring scent of Blue Silver Grass mingled with the warmth of her body, seeping unimpeded into Su Yu's nostrils.
Tang Wu didn't get up right away.
She seemed to be savoring the unexpected closeness.
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze growing dreamy and hazy, as though it could drip with water.
Her breath smelled sweet as orchids, warm air brushing Su Yu's ear as she murmured in a voice so soft it could melt the bones.
"Brother Yu..."
Her call brimmed with affection, with an unmistakable hint of coyness. It echoed through the cramped carriage.
Xiao Wu, sitting on the other side of the carriage, saw the scene and gritted her teeth in fury.
Her ruby-red eyes widened, and the rabbit ears atop her head sprang up in irritation.
Over the past six years, she and Tang Wu had crossed swords more times than she could count, both openly and behind the scenes, over their places at Su Yu's side.
Now, seeing Tang Wu take advantage of the carriage's jolt to hang all over Su Yu, wearing that foxlike expression, Xiao Wu felt the vinegar jar inside her tip right over.
You little Tang Wu, how dare you pull a trick like that right in front of me! Xiao Wu cursed inwardly.
She refused to back down and immediately wriggled over like a nimble loach.
Xiao Wu wrapped both arms around Su Yu's other arm and pressed herself tightly against him, too.
Compared with Tang Wu, Xiao Wu's body had developed even more impressively, thanks to her reincarnation as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
Years of physical training had given her a figure that was outrageously voluptuous, with no shortage of curves where it counted.
She deliberately squeezed Su Yu's arm, rubbing the soft, full curves of her chest against it again and again.
Their astonishing softness and heat seeped through the thin fabric without end.
"I want a hug too! That bump nearly tossed me out of my seat. It scared me to death!" Xiao Wu blinked her big eyes and put on a pitiful expression, trying to forcefully claim Su Yu's attention.
A trace of hostility flashed in Tang Wu's eyes.
She turned and glared at Xiao Wu without the slightest courtesy. "You silly rabbit, you're the one who can't stay in your seat. Don't use that as an excuse to take advantage of Brother Yu. Let go before you crush his arm!"
"I won't! Why can you hug him, but I can't? He doesn't belong to you alone!" Xiao Wu raised her delicate chin. Rather than let go, she clung even tighter, making the soft contact all the more obvious.
"Have you no shame?"
"You're the one with no shame!"
The two peerless young ladies sandwiched Su Yu between them, refusing to yield in their verbal sparring as they secretly vied for the upper hand. Neither was willing to give an inch.
Su Yu sat firmly in place, feeling the astonishing softness and heat pressing in from both sides.
Two entirely different, yet equally captivating, scents lingered beneath his nose.
He didn't interrupt their jealous squabbling. Instead, he calmly enjoyed the intoxicating comfort of the journey.
Any man with even slightly less self-control would have been swept away by such a double embrace, his blood surging until he could no longer hold back.
But Su Yu's gaze remained deep and clear.
As he enjoyed the warmth and softness in his arms, his mind was busy working out his plans for harvesting in Suotuo City.
He had already cleaned out all the low-level cheat-system users in Nuoding City.
The butchers' and blacksmiths' systems had provided Origin Fragments that helped him build up his initial capital. But for his current appetite, they were nowhere near enough.
Shrek Academy, outside Suotuo City, was the heart of Douluo Continent's storm of fortune.
From what he had seen when he observed the area from a distance with his Eye of Truth, hundreds of thick strands of rule intertwined in the sky above it.
That meant a large number of transmigrators carrying high-level systems had gathered there.
Those hosts with sign-in, plundering, and many-children-many-blessings systems must be used to throwing their weight around. They rely heavily on their systems' Invincible Shields and instant-kill mechanics. Their bodies and combat instincts must have long since rotted into uselessness. Su Yu analyzed coldly in his mind.
He now possessed the advancement permission for the Conceptual Eraser, allowing him to forcibly sever the soul-link between a system and its host for a full second.
In a fight to the death, that one second of being "offline" was an absolute dimensional strike.
Once we reach Suotuo City, there's no need to start a massacre right away. First, I'll find out what those high-level cheat users are capable of and learn how their systems operate. I'll treat them like the fattest, juiciest leeks and harvest them one crop at a time. I won't just erase their systems—I'll devour every Origin Fragment they've accumulated as well.
A cold smile curled Su Yu's lips.
Those transmigrators who thought their cheat systems let them do whatever they wanted on Douluo Continent had no idea what kind of rule-controlling monster they were about to face.
The carriage continued rolling smoothly through the wilderness.
After several days of travel, the scenery around them began to change noticeably.
The desolate fields gradually gave way to broad stretches of fertile farmland, and villages grew more frequent along the road.
Caravans and travelers passed without pause, a sign of the prosperity that lay ahead.
Su Yu looked out through the carriage window.
On the distant horizon, the outline of a vast, prosperous city finally broke through the morning mist and came into clear view.
It was a sprawling city, its towering walls built from enormous blue-black stone blocks, like a steel behemoth crouched across the plain.
Banners fluttered atop the walls, and fully armed soldiers could be seen patrolling back and forth.
Tall buildings crowded the city, their varied structures arranged in orderly rows and brimming with life beneath the sunlight.
Suotuo City, the stronghold hailed as the granary of the Balak Kingdom, was finally close at hand.
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