Liu Erlong, leaning on Ye Qiu's shoulder, clearly froze for a moment, tightening her grip on Ye Qiu's arm.
"Heh, Yu Luomian really lived his life for naught; his daughter is about to surpass him!"
Dugu Bo glanced at Liu Erlong, a smile spreading across his face.
Previously, when that brat Yu Tianheng was being unruly, he had often gone to that old dragon to take advantage.
Liu Erlong showed no reaction to his words.
She didn't want to say much about Yu Luomian, even though he was trying his best to compensate her.
"Alright! I'll help with this!" Dugu Bo drained the fragrant tea in his cup.
"Good! Then let's start now. With a bit of luck, we might find a suitable one today!"
Ye Qiu made a decisive move, immediately preparing to send them out of the Divine Might Space.
...
Outside, in the Star Dou Great Forest.
It was another golden dusk.
Looking up from beneath the trees, one could almost see scattered golden dragon scales.
"This spot is right in the middle of the Mixed Zone. Let's start from here!"
Ye Qiu and the two women were already standing atop a towering tree, gazing into the distance.
"Alright!" Dugu Bo nodded.
Liu Erlong held Ye Qiu's hand, following his every step.
For the Vermillion Dragon Spirit, an optimal spirit ring would naturally come from a sub-dragon Spirit Beast.
Moreover, a Spirit Master's eighth ring isn't as particular about its Ten Thousand Year limit.
The higher within the Ten Thousand Year range, the better!
But just the criterion of being a sub-dragon species alone…
…was enough to make one search for a very long time.
Because on the surface of the Douluo Continent, there seemed to be no more dragon Spirit Beasts, only some subspecies, or those with diluted bloodlines.
Time slowly passed.
The sun set in the west, its radiance completely gone, and in the east, a bright moon quietly appeared.
Under Ye Qiu's Sharingan, he did indeed find a fifty-thousand-year-old Spirit Beast with a dragon bloodline.
Unfortunately, it was a plant Spirit Beast, a Dragon Blood Vine.
Its age was a bit low, and its bloodline was also a bit thin…
After searching for another period, Ye Qiu looked at the already very dim surroundings.
He turned to Dugu Bo and said:
"Senior? How about we go back for the night? We can come back tomorrow morning to help Erlong hunt for a spirit ring!"
"No need, no need. Let's just find a place here!" Dugu Bo waved his hand, flatly rejecting Ye Qiu's suggestion to return to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for the night.
That old man couldn't stand the overly affectionate behavior of young people like Ye Qiu.
Just being under the same roof made him uncomfortable.
Moreover, when he was hidden in the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse today, although that brat sealed the opening,
those rather nauseating conversations were still too much for him to bear.
"Alright then!"
Ye Qiu turned to look at Liu Erlong; seeing that she had no objections, he agreed.
Soon, Ye Qiu and the others found a large tree hollow.
It seemed no Spirit Beast had lived there for a long time.
Ye Qiu turned all his Blue Silver Emperor red, thoroughly cleaning the large tree hollow.
Then, he used Blue Silver Fragrance to purify the air.
Finally, he took out a few luminous pearls he had "borrowed" from Qian Renxue and hung them from the ceiling.
...
In the dim Star Dou Great Forest.
From high above, one could still faintly see scattered points of firelight.
In such a vast forest,
many Spirit Masters who hadn't found suitable Spirit Beasts chose to set up camp on the spot.
Outside the tree hollow, a bonfire had already been lit.
Dugu Bo continuously popped peanuts into his mouth.
Ye Qiu picked up the kettle in his hand and refilled Dugu Bo's tea.
Liu Erlong, meanwhile, was turning the sizzling roasted meat, her eyes on Ye Qiu, occasionally glancing at Dugu Bo.
She wondered what she was thinking.
"Kid, what's that in your hand?" Dugu Bo looked at the blood-colored bead in Ye Qiu's hand, frowning, feeling as if he could smell a faint scent of blood.
"This? Oh, I got it from that Evil Soul Master."
Ye Qiu tossed the bead in his hand. He had completely forgotten about this item when sorting through the Spirit Bones this afternoon.
"It's definitely not a good thing." Dugu Bo merely glanced at it and then ignored it.
Ye Qiu, however, looked at the item and curiously observed it with his Sharingan.
Aside from a field of blood-red, he saw nothing else.
"There seems to be some spirit power fluctuation. Could it be a spirit tool?"
Ye Qiu suddenly gripped it tightly in his palm, his gaze intense.
Just as he was about to inject spirit power to test it—
"Ye Qiu, here!" Liu Erlong suddenly handed him a skewer of roasted meat.
"Thank you!"
Ye Qiu took it. Liu Erlong then offered another piece to Dugu Bo.
"Titled Douluo Dugu."
"Mm!" Dugu Bo lightly responded, taking the roasted meat without ceremony.
"Ye Qiu, what's wrong?"
Liu Erlong looked strangely at Ye Qiu, whose expression had turned grim after taking a bite of the meat.
Seeing that he didn't answer, she cautiously asked again.
"Did I not roast it well? Is it not to your liking?"
Dugu Bo looked at Ye Qiu's expression, then at the roasted meat he had just received.
He sniffed it lightly with his nose.
"It can't be, can it? It smells pretty good, doesn't it?"
"No, it's nothing. It tastes very good!" Ye Qiu snapped back to reality. Seeing the worry and fear in Liu Erlong's eyes, he quickly explained.
"Then why is your face so grim?" Liu Erlong blinked her somewhat flickering eyes.
"It's because of this bead!" Ye Qiu's expression turned solemn.
"This bead?" Dugu Bo snatched the blood-colored bead into his hand.
The older the ginger, the spicier it is; he immediately recognized what it was.
"This thing seems to be a spirit tool, doesn't it?"
As he spoke, he injected a bit of spirit power into it.
Suddenly, his body trembled, his pupils sharply contracted, and he looked at Ye Qiu in shock, as if seeking confirmation from him.
"This thing actually contains blood?!"
"Yes, you're not mistaken. An entire large pool of fresh blood! Some from Spirit Beasts, some from humans…" Ye Qiu nodded.
He thought of the Evil Soul Masters who had turned into mummies earlier, as well as those Spirit Beasts.
This meant it contained not only beast blood but also human blood!
Nearly a hundred cubic meters of blood-red liquid; he didn't know how many lives had to be slaughtered for it.
"Erlong, don't look, it'll spoil your appetite!"
"What do they want so much fresh blood for?"
Liu Erlong also wanted to see the blood-colored bead, but Ye Qiu took it away.
"I'm not too sure…" Ye Qiu gently shook his head.
However, he had some guesses based on Nangong's words.
Perhaps enough fresh blood was one of the conditions for them to witness a so-called Divinity.
"Alright, alright, you're only a Spirit Ancestor right now, why think so much?"
Dugu Bo ate his meat heartily and continued:
"Spirit Hall, the Upper Three Sects, and the two Empires aren't in a hurry, so it's useless for you to think about it here!"
"Haha… that's true." Ye Qiu chuckled dryly, putting away the blood-colored bead.
He could always give Qian Renxue a heads-up later.
"Compared to that, you should think more about how to explain to Yan Yan that you have more female companions!"
Dugu Bo's somewhat flushed old face showed schadenfreude.
"Senior, you don't need to worry about that. That's between us two."
Ye Qiu glanced at the old fellow, always feeling that he wanted to see him kneeling on a washboard.
And Liu Erlong, sitting beside Ye Qiu, felt a pang in her heart upon hearing his words, 'us two'.
She silently ate her food.
"Hmph! What do you mean it's none of my business? If you dare bully her, I'll use my Nine-Section Jade to poke two small holes in you!"
"Hiss~"
As Dugu Bo's words fell, the small and exquisite Nine-Section Jade on his shoulder also flicked its tongue, intimidating Ye Qiu.
"How could I?!" Ye Qiu shrugged.
...
Time slowly passed, and after chatting about various things with Dugu Bo,
Ye Qiu began to feel sleepy.
"Senior, I'll trouble you to stand guard for the first half of the night, and then I'll take over for the second half!"
Ye Qiu yawned and stood up, heading towards the tree hollow.
"No need, you should rest well. I'm old and can't sleep much!"
Dugu Bo pulled a long face, shivered, and felt uncomfortable all over.
"Alright! If you get sleepy, just call me…" Ye Qiu shrugged helplessly.
He walked into the tree hollow, just about to take out his overnight gear.
But he found that Liu Erlong seemed to have already made a bed for him.
She seemed a bit tired and had gone to sleep quite early.
Lying on her side on the ground, her delicate and beautiful face turned towards Ye Qiu, the bed she prepared for him right beside hers.
Ye Qiu hesitated for a moment.
He still walked over and lay down on the mat beside her.
On the mat was a clean white sheet.
Beneath it was a thick cotton quilt, so when he lay down, it was very soft and comfortable.
As soon as Ye Qiu lay down, Liu Erlong opened her eyes.
"Ye Qiu~"
A gentle voice came from beside his ear. Ye Qiu turned his head, meeting her dark eyes.
In her eyes, like black gemstones, there was a hint of joy.
She was very happy that Ye Qiu was willing to sleep beside her.
"Erlong, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Ye Qiu turned his head, looking at her strangely.
"Mm, I can't sleep yet. I'm waiting for you."
Liu Erlong reached out, placed her hand on Ye Qiu's face, and gently stroked it.
"Can't sleep? Waiting for me?" Ye Qiu quietly watched the beautiful face slowly drawing closer to him.
A slight coolness touched his lips.
A fleeting touch.
She softly said, "I want to hear about you and Titled Douluo Dugu's granddaughter, and who are the other three girls? Can I?"
Both were lying on their sides, looking at each other, breathing in each other's scent.
"Of course!" Ye Qiu nodded slightly, introducing Xiao Wu and the others one by one to Liu Erlong.
Of course, some things were omitted, such as Xiao Wu's identity.
That matter was best left for them to explain themselves.
However, Ye Qiu did not hide the fact that he had already had a substantive relationship with Xiao Wu.
Liu Erlong listened quietly, her eyes shimmering. The more she understood, the more worried she became about herself.
Dugu Yan, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo's only granddaughter.
Zhu Zhuqing, the young lady of the Zhu family in the Star Luo Empire, expected to break through to Spirit Ancestor before the age of twelve.
Ning Rongrong, the eldest miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, from a family of immense wealth, one of the Upper Three Sects, now the acknowledged number one, and very likely to be the Sect Master in the future.
And Xiao Wu, who could be called Ye Qiu's childhood sweetheart, also a genius girl, and… most importantly, she had actually obtained something that neither she nor Bibi Dong had ever obtained!
And it was the first time—no, perhaps there was a second time!
Or even more!
She bit her red lips, looking at the hint of indulgence and affection on Ye Qiu's face.
A pang of sourness always welled up in her heart.
"Erlong, you don't need to worry too much. They are actually very easy to get along with."
Ye Qiu looked at the somewhat melancholic Liu Erlong, gently wiping away the slight dampness on her face, and softly comforted her.
"Mm." Liu Erlong smiled gently, forcing back the tears that threatened to overflow.
At least Ye Qiu would still accept her.
"Get some rest early! Get enough sleep so you'll be in better condition to absorb a spirit ring tomorrow!"
Ye Qiu reached out and tidied the strands of hair that had fallen onto her cheek.
"Mm! Good night!" Liu Erlong didn't ask anything more. She had already learned what she wanted to know.
She leaned over, lightly kissed Ye Qiu, then turned over and closed her eyes.
Ye Qiu raised his hand, covering his eyes.
Through the gaps between his fingers, he watched Liu Erlong's back. After she remained still for a long time,
he finally put down his doubts, thinking she must truly be tired.
After all, she had been chased for so long and hadn't closed her eyes.
He glanced at the firelight at the entrance. With a Titled Douluo guarding the door, he could rest well.
Choosing a comfortable position, Ye Qiu also closed his eyes.
...
The bright moon shifted westward, gliding between the clouds.
Half the night had already passed.
Dugu Bo was sitting cross-legged by the bonfire, resting with his eyes closed.
On the mat in the tree hollow, Ye Qiu's breathing had gradually steadied, clearly having entered dreamland.
Liu Erlong on the adjacent mat slowly turned over, facing Ye Qiu.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly.
She slowly opened her eyes, gazing at the sleeping Ye Qiu, unable to look away for a long time.
His handsome and noble face, a blend of softness and resolve, held a peaceful smile at the corners of his lips.
She reached out, wanting to touch him, but stopped herself in time.
A glint flashed in Liu Erlong's bright obsidian-like eyes, as if she had made some kind of decision.
A blush crept onto her face, and after a languid glance at Ye Qiu,
she slowly sat up.
To overtake the younger generation, to get revenge and win against that woman Bibi Dong,
she had to do something.
To make Ye Qiu accept her sooner, to make him get used to intimate contact with her sooner!
Therefore, she had to be more proactive.
For example, by helping him take a shortcut, the fastest path to results!
Liu Erlong quietly came out of the tree hollow and carefully sat down by the bonfire.
The firelight made it hard to discern her flushed, hot face.
"What are you doing out here? Go back and accompany your young man. I, this old man, can stand guard alone!"
Dugu Bo, noticing the movement, opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"Titled Douluo Dugu, I have a request."
After a long pause, Liu Erlong finally greeted Dugu Bo, who was sitting cross-legged by the bonfire.
"Oh? What is it?" Seeing Liu Erlong's hesitant expression, Dugu Bo became interested.
"Titled Douluo, do you have any medicine?"
Today's ten thousand words update is complete!
Wishing everyone a pleasant life!
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