Lin Yan: "If We Run Out of Money, We Can Only Sell the Dragon." Gu Yue: "Isn't This a Bit Too Soon to Burn the Bridge?"

Lin Yan lowered his head and glanced at the half-eaten chicken drumstick.

It was covered in glistening saliva, with several tiny teeth marks on it.

Then he thought about how this stupid dragon crawled around everywhere with her bare claws all day long.

She crawled over the stove, then the floor, then the windowsill. She had never washed her claws or brushed her teeth.

Her hygiene was no better than having a huge rat in the house.

"No need."

He looked away.

"You eat it yourself."

Gu Yue's claw froze in midair, still holding up the chicken drumstick.

When he said "no need," there was clearly no disgust on his face, but Gu Yue still felt rejected.

Awkwardly, she pulled the drumstick back and muttered, "Fine, don't eat it," before lowering her head and taking another small bite.

But the bite was completely tasteless.

Lin Yan sighed, unable to hide the exhaustion in his voice. "Sigh, we don't even have money for food anymore. If it comes down to it, I can only sell the dragon."

Gu Yue's scales instantly stood on end.

"Isn't this a bit too soon to burn the bridge?!"

She sprang up from the stove, still clutching the half-eaten drumstick tightly in her claws, trembling with rage.

"This King just exhausted all her Soul Power to turn the world's natural elements into a soul ring for you, and this is how you treat This King?!"

She wanted to smash the chicken drumstick onto the floor to demonstrate her unyielding dignity.

Her claw was already raised—then she lowered it again.

If she threw it away, she would have nothing left to eat.

All she could do was stuff the drumstick into her mouth, meat and bone alike. Her cheeks puffed up like a hamster's as she glared at Lin Yan with tearful eyes.

With the drumstick filling her mouth, she could not speak.

She could only make a string of "mmph, mmmph" noises from her throat to express her anger.

It roughly meant: Lin Yan, you're not human.

Lin Yan did not respond.

He walked to the stove, turned on the gas burner, and filled the pot with water.

Blue flames licked at the bottom of the pot as tiny bubbles slowly rose to the surface.

He tossed in two flatbreads he had just bought, then cracked two eggs into the pot.

The egg whites quickly solidified in the boiling water, turning into two white flowers that wrapped around the golden yolks.

Before long, two steaming bowls of noodles were placed on the table.

Gu Yue was still crouching on the stove.

In the end, she could not bear to finish that chicken drumstick.

She had picked every last shred of meat clean from the bone.

She still kept the bone in her mouth, chewing it over and over in an attempt to squeeze out the last trace of flavor.

Looking at her, Lin Yan could not quite describe how he felt.

The dignified Silver Dragon King, ruler of soul beasts, the World-Destroying Dragon that devoured worlds.

Yet after following him, she had ended up like this, unwilling to throw away even a chicken bone.

He pushed one of the bowls of noodles to the edge of the stove.

The moment Gu Yue saw the noodles, her eyes lit up.

She jumped down from the stove, her four little legs moving at lightning speed as she shot onto the table and sprawled in front of her bowl.

Just as she was about to bury her head in it and eat, she noticed the heavy expression on Lin Yan's face.

"What are you thinking about?"

Gu Yue lowered her head and took a bite of chicken, then slurped down a huge mouthful of noodles. Her cheeks were stuffed full, and her voice came out muffled.

This stupid dragon had a truly astonishing level of focus when eating.

Her mouth was full of noodles, yet her claws still refused to let go of the chicken drumstick. Her tail swayed leisurely behind her, making her look utterly carefree.

"I'm thinking about whether I should sell you to a rich family."

Lin Yan looked at her, his tone half-serious and half-joking.

"Maybe then you could live like a rich dragon and wouldn't have to go hungry with me."

He smiled.

Before, he had had no choice.

He had no soul ring, no cultivation, and could not even support himself. He could only clutch this stupid dragon like a lifeline.

But things were different now.

He had a soul ring and cultivation. Though he was still poor, he at least had a chance to turn things around.

There had never been any grudge between Gu Yue and him.

Although this stupid dragon spent all day plotting rebellion in her heart, she only ever plotted.

She had helped him steal instant noodles, helped him manage the world, and emptied her entire fortune to give him a god-bestowed soul ring.

He was not blind, nor was he truly an animal.

Since he had found another way out, there was no reason to keep tying her down.

Gu Yue paused, noodles dangling from her mouth.

She looked up at Lin Yan's faintly smiling face and suddenly felt as though something had gently tugged at her heart.

"I don't want to go."

Her voice was very soft.

She swallowed the noodles in her mouth, jumped down from the table, and stumbled over to Lin Yan.

Her two front claws tightly wrapped around his arm, while her tail twisted anxiously behind her. She looked just like a cat afraid of being abandoned.

"If you don't want to raise me anymore, just say so."

Her voice was muffled. She buried her face in his sleeve, not daring to look up.

"Son, at worst, Mom will become a rat and pick through trash to raise you."

"This King has invested so much divine power in you. Don't even think about abandoning This King. Even if you sell me, I'll run back."

Her words were a complete mess. One moment she called herself "Mom," the next she called herself "This King." Her logic was all over the place, and her nasal voice made it sound as though she were about to cry.

Even she did not know what she was saying.

She was just panicking.

Really panicking.

Seeing her like this, Lin Yan could not help but laugh.

He reached out, grabbed the plump dragon in one hand, spread his fingers, and gave her round belly a fierce rub.

Her belly really did feel exceptionally nice.

Soft, warm, like a squirming glutinous rice ball.

"You dead fat dragon, how much have you eaten to get this fat?"

Gu Yue let out cries of "Aang, aang, aang!" as he rubbed her, her four little legs kicking desperately through the air.

But the tip of her tail curled up slightly against her will and gave a small wag.

Her mouth protested, but her body was honest.

Only after Lin Yan had petted her to his heart's content did she break free from his clutches and flop onto the table, panting.

She raised her head and glared at him with those watery purple eyes, her face plainly saying, "Does this dragon not have any dignity?"

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you."

Lin Yan smiled and withdrew his hand.

His expression grew more serious.

"I've already found a way to make money."

Gu Yue rubbed her sore belly and looked up at him.

"One of us is the ruler of soul beasts, and the other is a rookie Creator God with twin god-tier martial souls. How could we possibly starve to death?"

His voice was not loud, but every word carried an unquestionable certainty.

"It's only a mere execution threshold. How could it possibly execute a god?"

Gu Yue stared blankly at the smile on Lin Yan's face.

The fading light of the setting sun streamed through the window and fell across his profile.

That impossibly perfect face, transformed by the evolution of his life essence, paired with that faint smile filled with youthful spirit.

Gu Yue's brain completely shut down at that moment.

She could hear her own heartbeat, thump, thump, growing louder and louder.

He smiled.

This animal who had worn a cold expression since the day they met, who casually held a kitchen knife to her neck, who regarded all living things as mere grass and dogs, had actually smiled.

And he smiled so beautifully.

Her face burned.

She hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to lick her claws, pretending that nothing had happened just now.