A Rou

Only when the sun had fully shone through the window did Dugu Chen yawn and let out a long breath of stale air.

He had lingered with Ah Yin for too long last night, causing him to miss even his morning cultivation...

I'll just consider it a day off!

Dugu Chen rose and stretched. As his arms spread and closed, a comfortable, warm force instantly flowed through his limbs and bones, while his joints crackled continuously like popping beans.

Huh?

Dugu Chen looked at his hands in surprise, somewhat dazed. The pain from his body's meridians being swollen by the energy after he began practicing the Dragon Transformation Art yesterday had vanished?

Could this be related to Ah Yin? Dugu Chen wondered.

He had not expected that doing such things with Ah Yin could bring benefits as well. It seemed he would have to try it more often in the future.

Dugu Chen licked his lips and walked out of the room with a smile.

Seeing the lovely figure busy in the kitchen, Dugu Chen grinned, silently stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Xiao Chen?"

Ah Yin's body jolted when she was ambushed from behind. Once she saw that it was Dugu Chen, she looked at him with faint resentment in her eyes.

Dugu Chen chuckled foolishly and hooked her delicate nose with his index finger. "Sister Ah Yin, I'm here to help!"

Ah Yin shot him a glare, her face flushing as she pressed down his mischievous hand and lightly spat, "Cut it out. You're trying to do something naughty again!"

"Come on, men and women working together never get tired!"

In the end, Ah Yin truly could not resist Dugu Chen and could only let him join in. It was just that their posture was really rather improper...

Once the meal was ready, Ah Yin, her face bright red, tidied up beneath her skirt before pulling him over to sit at the table and eat.

"Sister Ah Yin, what is your friend's name?"

At the table, Dugu Chen shoveled food into his mouth. Before he had even swallowed the rice, he asked through a mouthful of it.

Ah Yin brushed back the hair before her forehead, her gaze gentle as she said,

"Her name is A Rou. She lives in the Star Dou Great Forest and is a very good friend of mine!"

Upon hearing that name, Dugu Chen's eating motion paused.

That settled it. She lived in the Star Dou Great Forest and was Ah Yin's friend—could she really be Xiao Wu's mother, that transformed one-hundred-thousand-year-old Soft-Bone Enchanting Rabbit?

"A Rou? What a lovely name. It sounds a lot like yours, Sister Ah Yin!"

Dugu Chen stopped eating, looked at Ah Yin, and praised her.

"Mm."

Ah Yin responded, but she seemed somewhat absentminded, as memories of the past appeared to flood into her mind.

"By the way, Sister Ah Yin, how did you two meet?" Dugu Chen asked.

"That was a long time ago. I happened to pass through Star Dou, met my friend there, and that was how we got acquainted!"

Ah Yin scattered the thoughts in her mind and spoke softly.

Dugu Chen nodded slightly. So that was how Ah Yin had met Xiao Wu's mother. Fate truly was something wondrous beyond words.

His expression turned somewhat strange.

After breakfast, Dugu Chen used the storage ring on his hand to pack away Ah Yin's luggage, then they walked out of the house.

Looking at the small house where she had lived for several months, Ah Yin revealed a trace of reluctance.

"Let's go. Every place has its own memories. We still have a long time ahead of us to create memories that belong to us."

Dugu Chen reached out and drew Ah Yin into his embrace, speaking gently.

"Mm."

After taking one more look back at the small house, Dugu Chen and Ah Yin set off for Star Dou.

Since the village where they were staying was located on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, they had to head to a larger city and rent a carriage to travel faster.

Azure Wind City was located in the central-western region of the Heaven Dou Empire's borderlands. It was also the largest city along the Heaven Dou border.

After a full day of travel, Dugu Chen and Ah Yin finally arrived at Azure Wind City before sunset.

After completing the routine inspection at the city gates, Dugu Chen concealed his aura and slowly walked into this great border city while holding Ah Yin's hand.

It was nearing evening, and there were not many people entering or leaving through the gates.

After entering the city, Dugu Chen could clearly sense its age and ruggedness. The customs and temperament of its residents were also quite rough.

It was likely related to the city's location. This was a city built to guard the frontier.

Even the nearest major city of the Heaven Dou Empire was several hundred miles away, making the transport of resources extremely inconvenient.

The Star Dou Great Forest, where Dugu Chen and Ah Yin were headed, lay on the other side of the Heaven Dou Empire.

In other words, if they wanted to reach it, they had to pass through the central region of the Heaven Dou Empire, then continue straight ahead until they arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest.

Dugu Chen and Ah Yin walked along the streets of Azure Wind City. Along the way, the city's residents cast strange looks at them upon seeing how differently they were dressed.

When they saw Ah Yin's beautiful face, their eyes immediately lit up, revealing wolfish expressions of desire.

Under the naked stares of those gazes, Ah Yin's brows furrowed slightly, and she instinctively moved closer to Dugu Chen beside her.

Dugu Chen's eyes turned cold. A trace of terrifying pressure inadvertently leaked from his body and shot toward them like lightning.

In an instant, the residents who had been staring fixedly at Ah Yin clutched their eyes one after another, collapsing to the ground in agony as screams and wails rang out without end.

Ah Yin hugged Dugu Chen's arm and looked at him with gentle eyes. "A little punishment is enough. There's no need to take their lives!"

Dugu Chen nodded slightly, looking at Ah Yin with gentle eyes as a smile curled his lips.

"As you say. I merely taught them a small lesson, so they'll keep their eyes in check from now on. Otherwise, they might invite a disaster beyond measure."

Ah Yin let out a soft laugh and pressed herself closer to Dugu Chen's chest, a lovestruck smile appearing on her face.

As the two gradually walked away, the residents sprawled on the ground and wailing slowly returned to normal. Their bodies suddenly shuddered, and then they scattered in flight like startled birds.

Dugu Chen and Ah Yin continued deeper into the city.

As night gradually fell, the streets became brightly lit. The orange glow of large red lanterns shone upon them, making it seem as though they had been draped in a thin veil.

Before long, Dugu Chen and Ah Yin found an inn in a rather secluded part of the city.

As the two entered, the inn was so quiet that a falling needle could be heard.

Under the dim light, a middle-aged man with a faintly lecherous air between his brows sat behind the counter, eagerly reading an unknown dirty book.

Whenever he reached an exciting part, his eyeballs seemed ready to press into the pages.

The interior of the inn was dim, with only the light at the counter illuminating the place. Hearing footsteps enter, he hastily put away the book in his hands and looked toward the pair who had entered.

When he saw Ah Yin, an imperceptible flash of heat passed through the middle-aged man's eyes, and even his breathing became somewhat rapid.

But under Dugu Chen's icy gaze, the man quickly withdrew his stare, coughed twice, and said with a solemn expression,

"Are the two of you looking for rooms?"

Dugu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at the middle-aged man, then looked at the somewhat dilapidated inn before speaking calmly.

"Boss, please prepare one guest room for us."