The Challenge

When Dugu Chen returned to the village, he found Ah Yin already waiting at the entrance.

The moment she saw him, Ah Yin happily hurried over.

She reached out and took his hand, tucking the strands of hair the breeze had blown across her forehead behind her ear. She looked at him with a gentle smile and said,

"Little Chen, where did you go just now? I thought..."

Dugu Chen flashed a brilliant smile and clasped her slender, fair hand in return. Looking into her eyes, he asked,

"Big Sister Ah Yin, you didn't think I'd left you behind and gone away alone, did you?"

"I... I didn't..."

Ah Yin answered in a slightly flustered voice, her cheeks turning crimson.

She recalled the happiness she felt whenever she was with Dugu Chen and finally understood that it was not the beauty of the scenery that brought her joy. That happiness came from Dugu Chen himself.

Whenever she was with him, she felt at ease and happy.

She always found herself unconsciously yearning for him, wanting to draw close to him and breathe in that sunny scent from him, like grass longing for the nourishment of sunlight.

Seeing Ah Yin's shy appearance, Dugu Chen revealed a sincere smile.

"Big Sister Ah Yin, as long as you don't drive me away, I will never leave your side. I'll do everything in my power to protect you and never let you suffer any harm."

Ah Yin watched as Dugu Chen firmly held her hand in his palm, his sincere and passionate words ringing in her ears. Her mind instantly went blank.

Her face was as red as a boiling kettle, as though steam were constantly rising from it.

Only after a long while did Ah Yin snap back to her senses. In a panic, she pulled her hand from his palm and lowered her blushing face.

"Mm, I won't drive you away."

"Come on, I made breakfast. Let's eat together." With that, Ah Yin stood beside Dugu Chen and walked shoulder to shoulder with him.

Breakfast was still simple porridge and steamed buns.

Though it was plain fare, Dugu Chen ate with great delight. From time to time, he cracked a few jokes and cheesy pickup lines to make Ah Yin laugh.

Their days were full and carefree.

In the blink of an eye, evening came.

After the first time, the second came much more naturally.

The two lay on the same bed again.

But this time, Ah Yin did not use the bedding to mark out a boundary between them. Instead, she lay beside Dugu Chen as naturally as could be.

When Ah Yin woke the next morning, she found the situation identical to the day before. At some point in her sleep, she had pulled Dugu Chen into her embrace again.

Perhaps it was simply her nature!

To her, Dugu Chen's sunny, warm, and dependable aura was like poison she gladly indulged in.

Like grass that naturally loved growing beneath the shelter of a great tree.

The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day...

As the number of nights they spent sleeping together increased, their feelings for each other rapidly warmed.

It was not only Ah Yin who was drawn to Dugu Chen's aura. Dugu Chen, too, had been completely melted by Ah Yin's gentle care, thawing the layer of ice deep within his heart.

Before they knew it, a week had passed.

Just as the two were immersed in this simple yet fulfilling life, the brothers Tang Hao and Tang Xiao came calling again.

The instant Dugu Chen saw them, a clear look of surprise appeared on his face.

Seeing that hint of surprise, Tang Xiao smiled faintly and cupped his hands in greeting. "Brother Dugu, we meet again!"

Dugu Chen put away his surprised expression, calmly glanced at the two of them, and slowly said,

"Don't tell me you two have been staying in the village because you never got the chance to spar with me?"

Tang Xiao laughed heartily and awkwardly rubbed his nose. "I can't hide anything from Brother Dugu. But that isn't the only reason. My brother and I will be leaving soon."

"We stayed here before because we wanted to rest up before setting out again."

"Now that we are about to depart, we came especially to challenge Brother Dugu and settle this wish of ours!"

Tang Hao stood to one side and nodded slightly. "That's right. My brother and I came specifically to challenge you today. Your strength is extraordinary, and we hope to gain some new insight by exchanging blows with you."

Dugu Chen looked at Tang Xiao, then at Tang Hao, and gave a wry smile.

"You two are determined to fight me, then?"

A solemn expression appeared on Tang Xiao's face as he cupped his fists in salute. "Brother Dugu, please do not hold back in teaching us."

"Fine. Then follow me. We'll go to the back mountain."

Dugu Chen's expression remained calm, but his gaze sharpened as he stared at them. "However, after this battle, I hope you will leave as soon as possible and stop bothering me."

Tang Xiao said, "Naturally."

Dugu Chen nodded, then turned to Ah Yin, whose face was tinged with worry. He reached out and took her hand, speaking gently.

"Big Sister Ah Yin, don't worry. I'm very strong!"

Ah Yin's face flushed slightly. After spending this time together, she no longer resisted physical contact with Dugu Chen.

Her beautiful sky-blue eyes quietly gazed at him, her eyes like faint ripples spreading across a pond after a stone had fallen into it. Her voice was exceptionally soft and gentle.

"Then be careful."

"Mm."

Dugu Chen gave her a bright smile.

Not far away, the brothers Tang Xiao and Tang Hao watched Dugu Chen and Ah Yin openly display their affection, and their faces could not help twitching.

Tang Hao's gaze, in particular, was fixed on Ah Yin, his eyes almost mesmerized.

"What a beautiful girl. What a pity her heart already belongs to someone!"

As Tang Hao watched Ah Yin gaze tenderly at Dugu Chen, regret suddenly welled up in his heart. If he had arrived in the village before Dugu Chen...

Would the outcome have been different?

However, there were no what-ifs in this world. What was missed was missed!

Half an hour later.

The four arrived beneath a cliff on the back mountain. The surroundings were flat and open, and even if they damaged the area, it would not affect the village's daily life.

Dugu Chen looked around and nodded in satisfaction.

It really was a fine place for a duel!

He looked at Tang Xiao and Tang Hao and said softly, "This will do. Which of you is going first? Or are you coming at me together?"

Tang Xiao shook his head, a faintly embarrassed smile appearing on his face. "Brother Dugu, you jest. As the elder brother, I'll go first. Please instruct me!"

With that, Tang Xiao saluted Dugu Chen.

The next moment, his body flashed as he retreated more than two hundred meters, facing Dugu Chen from afar.

"May I ask what your cultivation is, Brother Dugu?"

From the distance, Tang Xiao shouted to Dugu Chen.

Dugu Chen's voice carried a hint of magnetism. He cupped his fists toward Tang Xiao in salute, his voice ringing loud and clear. "Dugu Chen, martial soul: Radiant Sacred Dragon, level seventy-five Battle Soul Saint. Please instruct me!"

Upon hearing those words, both Tang Xiao and Tang Hao widened their eyes. A level seventy-five Soul Saint?

The two brothers had originally assumed Dugu Chen's cultivation would be no higher than Soul Emperor. They had never expected him to stand at the same level as them.

How old was he? At most, he was not even twenty.

A Soul Saint under twenty? What kind of monstrous talent was this? Even if he had started cultivating in his mother's womb, he could not possibly have cultivated so quickly!