Lin An couldn't be bothered to correct her anymore.
He'd corrected her a hundred times, but the silly dragon still called him that.
The two words "hubby" seemed etched into her instincts.
She was even more adept at it than she was at controlling the elements.
He wasn't in the mood to deal with this right now.
Although Gu Yue had dealt with the Evil Spirit Master's dream invasion just now, the lingering mental shock remained.
His temples throbbed faintly.
His head felt as if it were stuffed with cotton, leaving him groggy and muddled.
After finishing two pieces of pastry, Gu Yue couldn't sit still anymore.
She reached over to the bedside table and picked up Lin An's communicator.
She cupped it in her hands, turning it over and over as she examined it.
The screen lit up.
The Spirit Net interface popped up, displaying rows of neatly arranged app icons.
Social media, news feeds, online courses, the Spirit Master Forum.
And a few colorful game icons.
Gu Yue's eyes lit up at once.
"Wow..."
Her fingers swiped across the screen.
She opened a game, then exited it.
She opened a video app, and the content recommended on the home page began playing.
Her violet eyes brimmed with curiosity.
"Hubby, this thing is amazing!"
She looked up at Lin An, her eyes sparkling, undisguised envy in her voice.
"Is this humanity's cutting-edge technology? You can learn everything happening in the world without even leaving home?"
Her fingertips swiped rapidly across the screen.
One piece of information after another streamed by, at astonishing speed.
With the mental power of the Spirit Origin Realm, processing all this information was effortless for her.
But she was still stunned.
This was completely different from the world she remembered.
In the tens of thousands of years she'd been asleep, humanity had advanced from primitive tribes to this.
Spirit Guidance Technology, Spirit Net communications, artificial intelligence.
Even at the height of their power, the Dragon Clan had never possessed anything like this.
"Hubby, buy me one, please."
Hugging the communicator, Gu Yue turned to look at Lin An.
Her voice softened.
She rested her chin on the edge of the communicator, her violet eyes filled with anticipation, like a little animal waiting hopefully to be fed.
"Buy me one, buy me one—"
Lin An didn't even lift an eyelid.
He rolled over and pulled the quilt over his head.
His muffled voice came from beneath the covers.
"I gave you the communicator so you could study, not play."
After a pause, he added,
"And... don't look at my browsing history!"
Gu Yue pouted.
"Stingy."
She muttered under her breath, but obediently exited the app and found the study materials.
Forging Materials Science.
The gold-embossed title on the cover lit up on the screen.
Gu Yue opened the table of contents.
Dense chapter headings filled the screen.
She swiped a few times.
Page after page of terminology, formulas, and energy circuit diagrams flashed before her eyes.
Her expression shifted from curious to solemn.
From solemn to dazed.
And finally to utterly despondent.
What was all this?
Why was there so much of it?
She couldn't understand why she had to study this stuff, either.
As far as she was concerned, at her peak she'd been a First-Level God, while the technological ceiling of this human world was only at the level of a Third-Level God.
What was the point of learning all this?
But...
Gu Yue stole a glance at Lin An.
The young man was bundled up in the quilt, with only a small section of the back of his head showing.
His hair stuck up a little from sleep, making it look soft and fluffy.
The corners of Gu Yue's mouth curled up without her realizing it.
Oh, well.
She'd just think of it as keeping her hubby company.
Besides, with her mental power in the Spirit Origin Realm, never forgetting anything she'd seen was the most basic ability.
Though the material was dull, it wasn't difficult for her.
As long as she patiently read through it, she could memorize it all in no time.
She took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and began to study in earnest.
The air fell quiet.
All that remained was the faint hum of the communicator as its pages turned.
And Lin An's steady breathing.
Then a notification popped up.
Gu Yue's pupils suddenly contracted.
A new message notification appeared on the screen.
The sender's profile picture showed a woman in a moon-white qipao.
Red-feather patterns were embroidered along the collar.
Leng Yaozhu.
Her teacher.
The Spirit Pagoda's deputy master, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo.
Gu Yue's expression instantly turned cold.
Why?
Why was Lin An friends with her teacher?
Her relationship with Leng Yaozhu was that of teacher and student, but it was more like an exchange of benefits.
She needed a legitimate identity in the human world.
Leng Yaozhu needed a gifted disciple to strengthen her position in the Spirit Pagoda.
They each got what they wanted; there wasn't much affection between them.
But that didn't mean Gu Yue could accept—
Her teacher being in contact with her Dragon Queen.
Gu Yue bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then opened the message without a second thought.
"Young Master Lin An, the item you asked for is indeed available at our Spirit Pagoda."
"Space-Time Type Soul Beasts are exceedingly rare. Only the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger from tens of thousands of years ago had similar traits, but it went extinct long ago. The one we have is truly one of a kind in the world."
"If you want it, you're welcome to come to the Spirit Pagoda and discuss it in person."
Gu Yue read the three lines carefully three times.
Only after confirming there was nothing even remotely suggestive in them did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Her tense shoulders relaxed, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly again.
Thank goodness.
It wasn't that kind of relationship.
But then, a new thought occurred to her.
Was Lin An going to the Spirit Pagoda?
She wanted to go, too.
Would that count as... bringing her partner to meet the parents?
Gu Yue's face flushed bright red.
She stole a glance at Lin An.
Her heartbeat suddenly quickened.
Her ears began to burn.
All sorts of images uncontrollably surfaced in her mind.
"Hehehe..."
Gu Yue let out a silly giggle, then quickly covered her mouth, afraid she'd wake Lin An.
Her gaze fell on the small section of the young man's head poking out from the covers.
From his crown to his earlobe.
Then from his earlobe to the back of his neck.
Lin An's nape was thin-skinned, so pale it was almost translucent, with faint blue veins just barely visible beneath.
Gu Yue's gaze stuck to it, unable to move away.
She really wanted to go over and pull the quilt off.
Pull him into her arms and give him a thorough ruffling.
Ruffle his hair, then run her hands down his back.
And from his back to—
Gu Yue shook her head hard, flinging those dangerous thoughts out of her mind.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to turn her attention back to the communicator screen, continuing to read that damned Forging Materials Science.
Just then, Lin An's muffled voice came from beneath the quilt.
"There's something I want to ask you."
Gu Yue's fingers stopped on the screen.
"You have to answer honestly."
The young man's voice came from beneath the covers, muffled, tinged with hesitation and seriousness.
Gu Yue tilted her head.
"Hmm?"
"Are you a male dragon or a female dragon?"
Lin An's voice paused, then continued, quieter than before but even more serious.
"What exactly am I to you?"
Gu Yue froze.
She set down the communicator and looked seriously at the mound beneath the quilt.
After pondering for a while, she spoke.
"Among the Dragon Clan, the strong are revered. Gender isn't absolute."
Her voice turned serious, no longer soft and sweet like it was when she was usually acting spoiled.
"Only the strong can become male. My first incarnation is female, but if that's what you want..."
She paused, her face turning slightly red.
"Actually, it isn't absolute."
Before you continue