Regardless of whether she won or lost the bet A Rou proposed, the ultimate beneficiary seemed to be himself. Yu Qing felt a mix of emotions for a moment, both a subtle sense of being "perfectly arranged" by his wife and an irrepressible, indescribable excitement and anticipation instinctive to a man.
"Ahem!" He finally gave two light coughs, breaking the slightly ambiguous and awkward atmosphere, and slowly stepped out from his hiding place.
Hearing that familiar voice etched into the depths of her Soul, A Rou instantly looked up. Her pink eyes burst with brilliant light; there was no worry or tension in her gaze, only endless longing and tenderness.
It's very pleasant to read selected Taiwanese novels in one's spare time.
"A Qing!" Her voice was soft, yet it contained boundless joy.
"Yeah, long time no see." Yu Qing smiled at her gently, his gaze lingering on her body. Only after confirming she was safe and sound did he feel slightly relieved. If not for Xiao Wu and a mysterious black-robed person being nearby, he probably would have already pulled his wife into his arms.
"I have already dealt with the enemies below," Yu Qing added in a flat tone, as if he had only done something insignificant.
"???"
As soon as these words were spoken, Fox Consort, standing behind A Rou, froze entirely. Her pretty face under the large cloak was filled with disbelief.
Dealt with? That Blood Demon Titled Douluo, whose Spirit was bizarre and unpredictable and who gave her a feeling of extreme danger... was just... dealt with? How much time had passed since they felt the battle break out at the foot of the mountain? Had it even been the time it takes to drink a cup of tea?
To what terrifying extent did this man named Yu Qing's strength reach?!
In stark contrast to Fox Consort's shock, there was no surprise on A Rou's face, as if all of this was only natural. She nodded gently, her eyes filled with unreserved trust and pride for her husband: "Mhm, I knew you would be able to handle it easily."
Yu Qing walked to A Rou's side, first squatting down to rub the head of Xiao Wu, who was blinking her big eyes and looking at him curiously. He laughed, "Yo, Little Rabbit, we haven't seen each other for a few months. Don't you recognize me?"
Xiao Wu tilted her head and studied him for a while, seemingly confirming his identity. Only then did she reveal a pure and innocent smile, saying crisply, "I recognize you! You are my first human friend!"
Yu Qing was amused by her childish words and lightly flicked her smooth forehead with his finger: "No respect for your elders. You have to call me Dad from now on, you know?"
"Dad?" Xiao Wu repeated blankly, appearing somewhat unfamiliar with the title.
Upon hearing Yu Qing's words, two clouds of crimson instantly rose on A Rou's exquisite cheeks. She gave Yu Qing a coy glare, but her heart felt sweet.
After teasing Xiao Wu, Yu Qing finally stood up and turned his gaze toward the mysterious woman who had been standing silently to the side, her entire body shrouded in a black robe. His eyes held just the right amount of curiosity and inquiry: "A Rou, this is...? Won't you introduce her?"
A Rou smiled slightly, reached out to gently take Fox Consort's wrist, and brought her forward a bit. She introduced, "This is Fox Consort. She was originally the ruler of the Forest of the Demon Fox within the Star Dou Great Forest, a hundred thousand years Three-Eyed Demon Fox. Now, she has also transformed into a human."
"A hundred thousand years Spirit Beast? A Three-Eyed Demon Fox?" A flash of surprise appeared in Yu Qing's eyes as he carefully studied Fox Consort (though most of her face was covered). "So, in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, besides Da Ming and Er Ming, there are other hundred thousand years Spirit Beasts hidden?"
"The forest is very large; there are always some ancient existences that choose to sleep or live in seclusion," A Rou explained softly.
Yu Qing reined in his surprise and showed a friendly and sincere smile, extending his hand toward Fox Consort: "Hello, Lady Fox Consort. It's our first time meeting. My name is Yu Qing, and I am A Rou's husband. Welcome to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Please take care of me in the future." His demeanor was proper and his tone gentle, showing no sign of abnormality or greed because the other party was a transformed Spirit Beast.
Fox Consort looked at the hand extended before her and hesitated slightly. The deep-rooted hostile relationship between human Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts made her instinctively wary. However, Yu Qing's clear and magnanimous gaze, his gentle attitude, and the terrifying strength he had just displayed made it impossible for her to refuse.
She eventually reached out and lightly shook Yu Qing's hand.
"I am Fox Consort." Her voice came through the veil, carrying a hint of natural, lazy, and magnetic Charm.
Just then, A Rou's voice transmission quietly sounded in her mind with a playful smile: "Remember our bet, Fox Consort~ You lost."
Fox Consort's slender body stiffened slightly, and her cheeks under the cloak instantly became burning hot. Her mood suddenly became incredibly complicated.
Although she generally didn't have much of a favorable impression of human Spirit Masters, the strength and mystery Yu Qing displayed (being able to quickly deal with the Blood Demon) forced her to take this human Spirit Master seriously. Moreover, for some reason, after Yu Qing appeared, she felt a faint, indescribable sense of goodwill and closeness toward him deep in her heart, as if some power in the dark was urging her to acknowledge and even... admire him.
(If Yu Qing knew her thoughts, he would surely give a knowing smile: the "Charm Halo" gifted by the System Spirit back then was exceptionally effective!)
"By the way, how did you get involved with that dog just now?" Yu Qing withdrew his hand, his tone becoming somewhat serious. For an Evil Path like the Blood Demon, who regarded human life as grass and relied on slaughter to improve himself, he directly called him a dog.
A Rou sighed and briefly recounted the events.
It turned out that after the three of them left the Star Dou Great Forest, they traveled north through the Balak Kingdom. As they were about to enter the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, they were unfortunately targeted by this Blood Demon. A Rou's strength was originally above the Blood Demon's, but the opponent's Spirit was extremely bizarre, seemingly able to absorb and transform blood and Qi power, which greatly countered a physical-oriented attack System Spirit Master like her. Additionally, having to be distracted by protecting the not-yet-mature Xiao Wu and the newly transformed Fox Consort, A Rou didn't dare to linger in battle. She could only fight while retreating at her fastest speed toward the Sunset Forest, hoping to rendezvous with Yu Qing.
Having understood the cause and effect, a cold light flashed in Yu Qing's eyes: "So that's how it is. Such an evil scoundrel deserved to die."
With a wave of his hand, a surge of soft spirit power enveloped the three women. With his figure flickering, he led them out of the Poisonous Miasma Zone and formally entered the range of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The moment she stepped into the valley, the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi that was so dense it almost materialized, along with that strange energy environment where ice and fire intertwined yet perfectly coexisted, instantly stunned Fox Consort, who was visiting for the first time!
She widened her eyes in disbelief, greedily breathing in the air that contained massive energy, feeling the comfort as every pore in her body cheered and jumped for joy.
"This... this place is..." Her voice trembled slightly; everything before her eyes completely exceeded her imagination. She had lived for tens of thousands of years, yet she had never seen such a miraculous cultivation Holy Land!
Looking at her shocked expression, A Rou couldn't help but chuckle. She patted her shoulder: "Stop dazing, Fox Consort. This is only the outermost area of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. If you get close to that spring at the center, the energy there is even more majestic but also more turbulent. Even I don't dare to stay there for long."
Fox Consort swallowed hard and asked with a dry voice, "How... how did you find such a legendary treasure land?"
A Rou shook her head, her gaze turning tenderly toward Yu Qing beside her, her tone filled with admiration and love: "I didn't find it; my husband discovered it. Moreover, he doesn't occupy this place alone. There is another Titled Douluo with the title 'Poison' who is also one of the masters of this place."
"Poison Douluo..." Fox Consort murmured, her evaluation of Yu Qing rising once again. Being able to share a treasure land with such a powerhouse spoke volumes about his ability and status.
Afterward, like a hospitable host, A Rou took the still-shocked Fox Consort on a brief tour of the valley's outer area. Looking at those thriving exotic flowers and rare herbs and feeling the pure energy everywhere, Fox Consort was in a state of excitement and agitation.
For her, by Cultivating here, the time to restore her strength and pass her Maturity Stage would be significantly shortened from the originally estimated twenty to thirty years to about ten years! This was simply a massive Opportunity!
At evening, inside Yu Qing's residence.
Dugu Bo strolled over as usual, intending to talk to Yu Qing about what was going on with that brief but intense energy fluctuation outside the valley today, and also to congratulate A Rou on her return.
However, when he pushed open the door and saw that besides Yu Qing and A Rou, there was an additional little girl, Xiao Wu, and a black-robed woman, he was instantly stunned.
Especially when he keenly perceived the hundred thousand years Spirit Beast aura from that black-robed woman, which shared the same source as Xiao Wu's but was even more enchanting and bizarre, Dugu Bo's eyelids twitched violently, and he almost pulled out his beard!
He suddenly turned his head to look at the calm and composed Yu Qing, his gaze seemingly saying: "Madman Ye! What the hell are you doing?!"
Receiving that gaze of inquiry from Old Poison that was almost spitting fire, Yu Qing smiled slightly and inconspicuously gave him a look that said, "Keep calm, I'll explain later."
Dugu Bo suppressed the stormy waves and countless questions in his heart. His mouth twitched as he forced out a smile that looked worse than crying, saying dryly to A Rou, "Heh... hehe... Lady A Rou is back. It's been a hard journey. This is... a new friend?"
His gaze, however, involuntarily drifted toward that mysterious black-robed woman and Xiao Wu, who was blinking her big eyes and looking at him curiously. He screamed inwardly: What the hell is going on?! Madman Ye, where did you kidnap these two hundred thousand years Spirit Beasts from?
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