“Probe—a purely unadulterated probe!”
Shen Kangren’s final strike had been meant to test exactly that: whether Ye Yu was, like his Divine Beast, all bluff and no substance.
But the facts lay starkly before him. Under the full force of Shen Kangren’s attack, Ye Yu had emerged completely unscathed.
That proved, beyond doubt, that he could not be an ordinary New God Realm cultivator. Perhaps everything Ye Yu had claimed was true—he possessed power enough to kill Shen Kangren, but the cost would be too great, so he had chosen not to strike first.
In that case, Shen Kangren’s decision to attack first counted as a provocation. If he did not retreat now, he truly would die.
So Shen Kangren withdrew swiftly and decisively, leaving only scraps of bloodied flesh—his divine power stripped away—scattered on the ground.
Ye Yu’s expression remained calm as he stood, the golden light around him slowly dissipating. He had expected the Flesh-Demonic God Shen Kangren would not simply depart at his words alone. That fiend would surely probe him first, so Ye Yu had been ready to enter his One-Breath Golden Body at any moment.
Fortunately, Shen Kangren had truly fled, and they were alive.
Ying Huo moved forward to say something, but Ye Yu raised a hand to halt her.
“Time is of the essence. Let’s return first and speak later.”
Shen Kangren’s power had demonstrated the world’s uncertainty—nothing was ever fixed. The safest course was to leave at once, lest they encounter another reckless bastard. By then, Ye Yu truly might not be able to hold back—after all, the One-Breath Golden Body’s cooldown lasted an entire month.
As they departed, Ye Yu did not forget to take Little White with him—though the creature was still retching. Ye Yu simply grabbed its tail with one hand and headed toward Balance City. Ugh—did the little thing have indigestion? The smell was horrendous!
An hour later, the three humans and one beast returned to Balance City. By then Little White had stopped vomiting, but it did not enter the main hall. A temple attendant led it away for a proper bath: mere Purifying Water Technique would not remove the stench—they needed a thorough scrubbing and mugwort fumigation.
Without Little White, Yu Buxia felt awkward. She remained in the main hall only two breaths before hastily finding an excuse to leave.
Ye Yu watched her retreating figure in confusion. “She wasn’t like this before.”
In the dreamscape, Yu Buxia had seemed carefree and easygoing, and her time with Ye Yu had been pleasant. Now her evasiveness was entirely unlike her.
Suddenly Ye Yu trembled inwardly—something impossible struck him. How could Yu Buxia have any memory? By the dream system’s rules, only those who liked him could retain memories of him. What did Yu Buxia count as now? Did she... like him?
Frowning, Ye Yu turned to Ying Huo, hoping for an answer. But Ying Huo did not speak; instead she squeezed Ye Yu’s hands tightly and whispered, “We just reunited. This time is ours—let’s not worry about anyone else, okay?”
Ye Yu nodded and drew Ying Huo into his embrace, cherishing their moment alone.
Meanwhile, Yu Buxia stood atop the city wall, overlooking her divine city with complex emotions. Before Ye Yu had arrived, her greatest wish had been to find him—but now that she had, she felt like an outsider. Seeing Ye Yu and Ying Huo standing side by side only intensified the feeling. They were sweet together; how could she intrude?
Even though Ying Huo had promised more than once to accept Yu Buxia, the one with the final say was Ye Yu. Love required two hearts; unrequited love was pure torment. At that moment Yu Buxia longed to flee the city—but if she left, how would Ye Yu and Ying Huo interpret her departure? As cowardice? As defeat? Her thoughts were a tangled mess, her expression ever more troubled.
Just then, a stranger appeared.
“Hello, I’m Shen Fuxin, Ye Yu’s dao partner. You must be the owner of this divine city?”
Yu Buxia’s eyes widened. What? Besides the Bone Maiden there was another master-level dao partner? No—other partners?
Seeing Yu Buxia’s surprise, Shen Fuxin did not appear shocked. “It’s the reality. Like it or not, I will not leave Ye Yu—and he has more than one dao partner.”
Yu Buxia ventured, “There’s also the Bone Maiden, right?”
“You know the Bone Maiden?” Shen Fuxin was taken aback.
Yu Buxia nodded. The two women began to converse. When Shen Fuxin learned that the Bone Maiden was currently at the Crescent Moon Pavilion, she was astonished. Why would she go to that divine sect? Yu Buxia only knew that an elder from Crescent Moon Pavilion ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) had brought the Bone Maiden into the sect—an opportunity born of fate. After all, Crescent Moon’s renown in the Celestial Realm was unmatched.
From their talk, Shen Fuxin discovered Yu Buxia harbored no hostility toward either her or the Bone Maiden, and her smile grew. She proposed they become sisters and jointly serve as Ye Yu’s dao partners.
Yu Buxia stiffened, murmuring, “Actually, Ye Yu and I aren’t what you imagine—we’re just ordinary... friends.”
“Friends? Impossible! You’re Second Sister-in-Law, aren’t you?” Shen Fuxin could not believe it.
Yu Buxia sank into silent embarrassment. “Second Sister-in-Law? Where did that title come from?”
“I coined it! Ying Huo is First Sister-in-Law, you’re Second. Though now I think the ranking should change—you two don’t really deserve those positions based on seniority!”
At that moment, Little White flew in, shaking its head. It looked far livelier now that it had finished vomiting.
Yu Buxia began to explain, but Little White raised a paw to interrupt: “Don’t pretend you don’t know the Second Sister-in-Law title. You were thrilled when I first called you that!”
Yu Buxia felt utterly mortified and immediately chased after Little White.
The next day, Taishi Xiaxin, Lord of the Wuzhong Mountain Divine Alliance, arrived at Balance City bearing lavish gifts.
