Jiang Chen's face remained dark the entire way home.Even if you added up the combined ages of eighteen generations of the other party's ancestors, they still wouldn't be older than him!
It was bad enough that he'd been forced to throw away his grudge, but now his beloved motorcycle had been towed away, and the silver-haired girl trailing behind him had been silently mocking him the whole time. How could he possibly be in a good mood?
At that moment, Jiang Chen suddenly found himself brooding over his own age.Even the joy of bringing home half of the Silver Dragon King had completely faded.
"Old man, look, I made your favorite Kung Pao chicken today!"
From afar, Huo Yun'er had heard noises outside the door. She had just bathed, changed into a pretty little dress, and after preparing the meal, hurried to open the door.
When she did, she saw the "old man" returning—holding the hand of a very beautiful young girl.Her short silver hair framed her delicate face, her violet pupils gleaming with something close to contempt. Huo Yun'er had tried to greet her a few times but couldn't find the right words.
The girl radiated a clear aura of "do not disturb me", making it obvious she was no docile child.
But… she looked a little familiar. That, however, wasn't the point. The point was—The old man had kidnapped a child!
Old man, kidnapping children will get you arrested and thrown in jail! Where did you even snatch her from? Return her to her family immediately!
Jiang Chen, looking faintly annoyed, said,"This is Na'er. You met her three years ago. She'll be living here from now on, but you don't need to get close to her."
He had no intention of letting anyone else interact with half of the Silver Dragon King. Sending her to school was out of the question as well.
After all, he had finally tricked her into coming here, and at last, he could show his skills.Gu Yue—the main body, half of the Silver Dragon King—possessed complete memory and the so-called divine wisdom of the Dragon God, making her impossible to deceive.
But this half, Na'er, who had lost her memory, was much easier to fool—especially since Gu Yue was supposed to lead Di Tian into merging with her not long from now.
In the original story, Na'er resisted merging because of Tang Wulin, even making a wager with Gu Yue. She had run off to Shrek Academy to become Yun Ming's disciple, but in the end, hadn't she still merged into becoming Gu Yue?
His goal was simple: make it completely impossible for Na'er to ever merge with Gu Yue.
Huo Yun'er's smile froze, her lips moving but no words coming out.
Jiang Chen kept his face stern, glanced at her, and asked,"Did you finish your blacksmithing task today?"
"No~~"
"Then why aren't you cultivating?"
"I was waiting for you to eat, old man."
"Don't bother in the future. Time is short and the task is heavy. Next time, you can eat while hammering."
Huo Yun'er suddenly felt as if the sky had fallen. Did this mean… she wasn't even worthy of sitting at the table to eat anymore?
"Alright!"
The sound of hammering soon echoed from the basement, the rhythm almost like venting her frustration on the anvil. Even on the third floor, the forceful clanging could be heard.
Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction. Yes—using every free moment to train was exactly what a strong person should do.
Na'er eyed the room Jiang Chen had brought her to with suspicion. Everything was neatly arranged—maybe a little too neatly.
"This? Isn't this my room?" she asked hesitantly.
"Of course it's yours," Jiang Chen replied solemnly. "Mm… it's mine too. We'll be living together."
The next instant, Na'er bolted for the door without a second thought, trying to escape.But Jiang Chen caught her easily. Without her spirit awakened, she was just an ordinary girl—no match for him. Carrying her into the room was as effortless as picking up a chicken.
She pressed herself against the wall, clutching the hem of her dress tightly, her violet eyes filled with wariness and anger, as if prepared to perish at any moment.
"How can you slander someone's innocence for no reason?" Jiang Chen said in mock protest."Fine, fine, I was wrong."
Biting her lip hard, Na'er finally managed to spit out,"You perverted lolicon!"
After much coaxing, he let her go, placing her in the room next to his.
Still uneasy, Na'er asked,"I want to live with that big sister."
"Oh, she's on the first floor," Jiang Chen explained quickly, fearing she might overthink."She needs to cultivate constantly. The first floor is closer to the basement—it's the most suitable."
Na'er: "…"
By now, night had already fallen. The moon hung bright in the sky, the stars few and faint.
After eating the meal Huo Yun'er had prepared, Na'er ran straight up to the third floor and shut the door, feeling a little safer—but only a little.
The room was larger than Tang Wulin's house, and the bed was far softer. She stared blankly at the ceiling.
The older you grew, the less innocent and dreamy childhood became—even though she wasn't truly "old" yet.But she felt like she should be.
Besides, she had never felt hunger or sleepiness, almost as if she weren't human at all.
Unable to awaken her spirit, she sometimes suspected—Could I be a soul beast?
Strange images often flickered through her mind, leaving her thoughts in chaos.
Suddenly, the quilt was lifted. First came a cold little hand, followed by a body radiating heat like a stove.
Na'er cried out,"I locked the door! How did you get in?!"
"Shhh~~" Jiang Chen pressed a hand over her small mouth.If she disturbed Huo Yun'er, there would be another fit of anger.
"I can't sleep," he said.
Na'er's eyes widened. Without any ceremony, she lifted a leg and kicked him—along with the blanket—right off the bed.
"Ahh!"
I'm your creditor! Is this how you treat me, you ungrateful dragon?
Na'er took a deep breath and declared firmly,"I'll pay you back!"
"How will you pay me back?"
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly said,"I'll work and earn money until I've paid my debt."
"I've got a job right here. Want it? Warm my bed—ten thousand per time."
Jiang Chen said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Na'er's fingers clenched nervously at the hem of her skirt, her eyes darting away.
"You can refuse," he added lightly. "After all, it's not you who owes me—it's Tang Wulin. At worst, I'll just ask him."
Jiang Chen wasn't in any hurry. There was still some time before classes started at Donghai City. In the original story, Na'er was taken away as soon as Tang Wulin awakened.
Now that he was here, Di Tian should have sent him a message—but since he hadn't, it meant Tang Wulin hadn't arrived yet. There was still time… though not much.
But a million-year soul beast from the Dragon God era, and a beast that had lived for tens of thousands of years—neither of them were the gentle type.
Right now, Na'er was only this easy to fool because she had lost her memory.
"Stop!" Na'er cut him off immediately at the mention of Tang Wulin, her expression turning sullen."You… you're not allowed to go to Tang Wulin! We already agreed on that!"
"Yes, but if you can't pay me back, I can only let Tang Wulin do it. I can't just let money blow away in the wind and pretend I don't want it, right?"
"Ten thousand per time…" Na'er bit her lip, watching as Jiang Chen took another step toward the door. Finally, she blurted out,"Just… just warm the bed, nothing else!"
"Of course," Jiang Chen said solemnly."I swear."