My Twin Sugar Mommies and Two Systems are 100 Years Late! Chapter 29.
It took Yan Anle an incense stick of time to scrub himself clean.
The bath products prepared by the system could be said to be up to par.
After wiping himself dry and throwing on his black robes, he instructed the system to open the spatial gate.
[Immortal Clan System], deep within him, frowned. "[Myriad Worlds], there is someone on the other side of that portal."
[Myriad Worlds], being in control of the portal, could sense it even more clearly than her sister. [It's that Demon Race girl.]
[Immortal Clan System] scoffed, [As expected, her intentions are impure. You shouldn't allow her to gain knowledge of this Secret Realm.]
[Myriad Worlds]: [She is already aware.]
[Immortal Clan]: [—What? Myriad Worlds, you...]
[Myriad Worlds] calmly said, [It's not a big deal. If an emergency arises, we can grant him one of those one-time-use cards, allowing him to temporarily gain enough cultivation to slap her to death. Although we will have to pay a price for breaking the rules, it may prove a worthwhile learning and combat experience for the host—immensely beneficial.]
[Immortal Clan] calmed down a bit. [True. We can also use this as an opportunity to push her to act sooner so we can know her intentions. At that time, we can urge the host to first capture her and search her memories for the truth about these 'Prophecies'.]
---
Unaware of his cheats' thoughts, Yan Anle walked through the spatial gate, returning to his bedroom.
Soon, he stepped out of the room, hurrying to find his Dou E.
As for the Demon Princess, she had fled the room before the spatial gate had even fully formed.
Peeking through her window, she silently watched his movements from her room.
Seconds after his figure was out of her line of sight, she closed the window.
She walked around in circles, muttering, "Even as a Half-Step Void Refining expert, I could not perceive that spatial gate's presence until its opening was imminent. Now, after it has closed, I can't sense it anymore."
She smiled, her black eyes returning to their true fiery orange color for a moment. "Interesting. Truly interesting."
---
On Yan Anle's end, when he arrived before Dou E's door, he lightly knocked twice. "Dou E, I'm back."
He did not have to wait more than five seconds before the door was opened from the inside.
"Young Master!" Dou E wrapped her arms around him in a hug before he could even react.
His eyes widened momentarily before calm returned to him and he smiled, patting her back. "Hey, you aren't going to cry again, are you? I just went to make some preparations for the future."
Dou E pulled away from him, her eyes a bit moist. Then, her hands roamed his body, checking for injuries. "No injuries. That's good, that's good."
Yan Anle looked at her strangely. "I was the only one in there. How could I come to harm?"
Dou E was momentarily silent before retorting, "You never know. Accidents happen. What if you were checking out the alchemy room and a cauldron slipped off the shelf and fell on your head?"
Yan Anle broke out in hearty laughter.
After the two exchanged a few more words, Dou E said, "Young Master must be hungry. I will heat up some food for you."
Yan Anle reflexively placed a hand on his lower abdomen and admitted, "I am indeed quite famished."
---
Soon, Dou E and Yan Anle sat opposite each other at the dining table, as usual.
However, this time, the former silently watched the latter shove food down his throat like someone who had just escaped a famine-ridden nation.
Dou E chuckled once the last piece of fish was gone.
Yan Anle leaned back in his chair, and she asked, "Young Master, your appetite tonight is quite something. What exactly did you busy yourself with today?"
Yan Anle did not lie. "I awoke a Special Physique."
"A Special Physique? Really?" Dou E, who had only been casually asking, was astonished, then her eyes lit up in excitement. "Young Master, do you know of what kind or grade it is?"
Sun Ziyun's ears, all the way in her room, perked up.
As Yan Anle had no arrays or spells isolating the dining room, her self-restricted Eighth-stage Foundation Establishment Divine Sense was more than sufficient to eavesdrop.
As for Pan Ting, she was fast asleep with a smile on her face.
Of course, if someone tried to sneak attack her, her instincts as a cultivator would kick in.
"Nothing special. Myriad Worlds—" Yan Anle started, "Eh, 'that person' said it's a physique suited for body cultivation."
"A physique suited for body cultivation?" Dou E pondered. "Body cultivators are quite common among the lower realms of cultivation as Spirit Roots have nothing to do with it. However, the amount of resources required to train that path is many times that of spell cultivators of the same realm."
"It is indeed a money-burning path. It's good that we have the Auction House now," Yan Anle agreed. "Speaking of which, we still need to recruit some service staff tomorrow."
"That's true. Young Master, what requirements do you have in mind?"
"Nothing special," he told her. "Even mortals would do. As long as their background is clean and they are willing to sign a Blood Oath contract to ensure their loyalty on certain confidential matters."
"That should not be difficult," Dou E pursed her lips. "As long as the pay is right, people will queue up to fight for the positions."
The two discussed the payment and quantity of staff to hire. After they were through, the older of the duo caressed his lower abdomen. "Dou E, I think normal food will no longer be sufficient to sustain me."
The little maid blinked, "...It seems so."
Instinctively, she began to ponder how to earn even more money to fund her Young Master's needs.
It seemed it was time to go into seclusion and strive for a breakthrough in her cultivation so she could perform missions faster and quicker, or even take on harder but better paying ones.
Though, just as quickly as she had those thoughts, an invisible hand smacked the back of her head:
'The Young Master casually threw out over two hundred low-grade Spirit Stones today. From now on, it seems I will be the one being supported, not the other way around.'
"For now, I will go prepare more food," she told him, rising to her feet.
"I'll join you," Yan Anle followed suit. "And before you voice any objections, you should know that my physique has improved greatly. Your excuse that I needed not stress myself is no longer valid."
Dou E, who had indeed been about to instinctively shoot him down, swallowed her words and nodded lightly. "Mm."
---
The moon eventually gave way to the sun, and Yan Anle, who had just had his best sleep yet, sat up with a smile on his face.
Feeling how energetic and vigorous his current self was, he thought, 'If this is a dream… I really don't want to wake up.'
He did a few sets of various popular workouts from his previous world: push-ups, squats, hollow body holds, and more.
He could not stop grinning like a thief.
Anyone would, if they could suddenly do almost a hundred and twenty push-ups in one go and plank for several minutes without breaking out of perfect form.
At some point, his squats were interrupted by a knock at the door. Halting, he approached and opened it.
"Good morning, Young Master."
"It's you?" Yan Anle was a bit surprised to find that it wasn't Dou E. It only took him a moment to calm himself and respond, "Ahem. Good morning, Miss Ziyun. How was your night? Did you manage to get a good rest?"
Truthfully, while Yan Anle had to agree that her looks justified the need for her to wear hoods and veils outside, he still felt uncomfortable around this Buddha that he had brought home.
Speaking of which, he once again asked the systems to scan her for any red flags, but once again they claimed to find nothing worth mentioning.
She responded with a smile of her own. "Thank you for asking, Young Master. My night was interesting. What about yours?"
'Interesting?' Yan Anle blinked, half-doubting his ears.
Still, her odd word choice did not bother him much as he was more concerned about something else.
The way she addressed him as 'Young Master' was so natural it was hard to believe she had only come to know of him yesterday.
Or perhaps it was just something that everyone in a service-type line of work was used to?
Like how most people in the Bliss Sanctuary naturally blurted the words 'Dear Guest' again and again.
Thinking up to this point, he relaxed subtly, his instinctive wariness of her dropping a small level.
"Mine was splendid as well," he responded, then probed, "Right, you came here for?"
"Young Master, it's like this…" Sun Ziyun began to narrate.
Apparently, Dou E had risen up three hours before sunrise and went to the kitchen to begin preparing his breakfast and bathwater.
Normally, Yan Anle's cultivation was too low to be disturbed by her actions, but for the newcomers, it was like a beacon of light in a dark abyss.
When they came over, one probed for whether it was customary for whoever was taking care of Yan Anle to wake up so early, while the other offered to help.
Dou E told the former that today was actually a special occasion as she had an errand to run for him. As for the latter, Dou E had politely declined, stating that she was already through with what needed to be done.
Sun Ziyun still offered to be the one to serve the dishes and assist him in the bath. Pan Ting, on the other hand, had, while not knowing the details, volunteered to accompany Dou E on the errand. Dou E accepted the former's offer without much resistance, but showed reluctance to bring Pan Ting along. Pan Ting stated that she had to familiarize herself with what tasks she would need to fulfill in the future, and only then did Dou E relent.
"...and so, they left me behind." Sun Ziyun sounded a bit dejected.
'An errand? For me?' Yan Anle cocked his head slightly, wondering. '...Could it be the service staff recruitment? Are there any establishments that open so early? Ah, that girl, always so decisive and excessive.'
"Young Master, I'm not sure if I am imagining it but you seem a bit more energetic than yesterday." Suddenly, Sun Ziyun probed, her tone one of curiosity and some doubt. "Did you happen to eat a treasured Pill or Spirit Fruit?"
Yan Anle was slightly surprised that this Buddha, who had only met him yesterday, could notice the little changes in him. One had to know that while his body had undergone tremendous changes internally, akin to a dying earthworm transforming into a newborn dragon, his outward appearance remained the same.
"Miss Ziyun sure is very observant." He showed her a few of his teeth, smiling while lying through them. "I did indeed encounter a wondrous opportunity yesternight."
"So that is how it is!" A glint flashed in the Demon Princess' eyes. "Ziyun congratulates the Young Master on his heaven-sent encounter."
"Thank you, Miss Ziyun." Yan Anle, blissfully unaware that she was suppressing the urge to expose him, laughed lightly. "Anyways, the bath is ready now, correct?"
Sun Ziyun nodded, "Yes, Young Master."
Yan Anle thanked her before stepping out and headed in the direction of the bathroom. Sun Ziyun trailed behind him until he got to the bathroom's door, halted, and glanced back over his shoulder, "You'll wait outside."
The Demon Princess nodded in acknowledgment, "Yes, Young Master."
She was not surprised, as Dou E had already told her before sunrise that he never lets her scrub his back.
After the bath, Yan Anle changed into another set of black robes, this one having white embroidered patterns. When he and Sun Ziyun were just about to enter the dining room, their gazes simultaneously turned in a certain direction.
Someone had just pushed the small gates and entered the courtyard.
"Talisman Master Ji," one of the intruders called the other with respect in his tone.
"This is the only other remaining unoccupied courtyard besides the Servants' Residential Area."
"Although it has been unoccupied for a few years and possibly accumulated some dust, if you are satisfied with it, it will be cleaned up and organized in a short time."
"Otherwise, this humble one can only make preparations for your accommodation down in the city."