"Alright, alright. Please stand up. I'm not used to people kneeling and bowing to me. It feels weird. Also, about my spiritual imprint in your Sea of Consciousness, after my wife confirms that the Slavemaker Pill's effect has completely left your system later, I will remove it from you," Leyvi said while stopping Bodo from bowing to him.
Seeing that his savior felt uncomfortable with his action, Bodo immediately stood up, wiping away his tears and snot.
"No problem, savior Leyvi, no problem. I trust Savior Leyvi and Savior Leyvi's wife. So, can I join Savior Leyvi's party?" he asked eagerly, his large hands still trembling from emotion.
"Haha. You don't need to call me savior. Just Leyvi is enough. You can join us if you want," Leyvi said with a smile.
For a moment, Bodo froze. Then his face lit up like a child who had just received a gift.
"Dohoho! Then I'll call you Brother Leyvi! Brother Leyvi, do you have anything you want me to do? Just give me the order! I will try my best to help!"
"Don't worry about it. Just follow us for now. If I need any help later, I'll be counting on you," Leyvi said, his tone calm and reassuring.
"Oh. Okay. I'll listen to Brother Leyvi," Bodo replied, though his excitement quickly dimmed.
Leyvi blinked. What the heck? Why do you look down now? Are you that eager to work for someone? Is this big guy a people pleaser or something?
Tch, tch. That Cockroach Villain truly wasted his pill for nothing. Bodo would have probably done his bidding if he had treated him nicely.
After that, Bodo joined Leyvi and Anda on the Celestial Cloud as they headed back to the mine. The big guy was like a child seeing the world for the first time. When the cloud began to move, he shouted in awe and laughed endlessly, completely forgetting his earlier tears.
"Brother Bodo, I'm curious. How can you attack people who approach you while sleeping? You even go hunt and eat demonic beasts in your sleep," Leyvi asked.
Bodo scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Sorry, Brother Leyvi. Did I attack you while I was asleep? That's something I unconsciously developed when my masters were still training me. They would always send creatures to attack me while I slept to train my awareness. But it went wrong, and I ended up like that instead. They call that side of me the sleep fighter."
Leyvi and Anda exchanged glances, both stunned. That's possible?
"Hunting and eating while sleeping are the same," Bodo continued. "They're the result of that training too. But don't worry, Brother Leyvi. As long as I'm not hungry before I sleep, it won't happen! And at my current level, I can go without sleep for at least two weeks. I got this under control! Dohoho!" he said proudly, thumping his chest.
Leyvi nodded slowly. It seemed unlikely for such incidents to happen under normal circumstances. It must have been the metal bat's fault that time.
"Actually," Leyvi said with a small grin, "I used you as a sparring partner while you were asleep a few times. I hope you don't mind. Hahaha!"
"Really? Dohoho! I'm glad I could help! Brother Leyvi, you're pretty strong if you could spar with my sleep fighter. In that state, I can't control my strength, so each blow is pretty powerful. My teachers said even normal Core Formation Realm cultivators could get seriously injured or die if my attacks landed," Bodo said with admiration.
Leyvi just smiled at the praise. In the past, he might have boasted a little. But after learning about the Royal Guards and now meeting Bodo, he understood that there were still countless people far stronger than him.
"Oh right, are you alone? Did you not come to the Mystic Realm with anyone? If you do, we can try to help you find them," Leyvi offered.
"Dohoho! Brother Leyvi, you're really a nice person. Actually, I secured my spot here as a bodyguard. But I ended up alone. She's a princess from Snoring Kingdom, Princess Waniwani," Bodo replied.
Anda's eyes lit up instantly. "A princess? What do you think of her? Do you think she's a good person?"
Leyvi rolled his eyes inwardly. The panda has activated.
"Uhh..." Bodo scratched his head, unsure how to answer. "Actually, I don't know anything about her. I'm not sure if she's a good person or not because I only met her once, before we came here. She never spoke a word to me."
"No problem. I'll inspect her personality when we see her later. For now, I'll help you find her. Do you have her picture or something? If you don't, it'll be a bit tricky," Anda said decisively.
"..."
Leyvi stared at his wife, speechless. Did she just decide on a potential candidate without even seeing her? A princess, of all people. She'd probably act like Dastan, referring to herself as this princess this and this princess that.
Bodo shook his head. "I don't have her picture. But they all said she's a great beauty."
They could just be flattering her so she wouldn't be offended… or to curry favor, Leyvi thought to himself.
"You've seen her once, right? Do you think she's a great beauty?" Anda asked curiously.
"Dohoho! I don't know if someone is a great beauty or not because I grew up with demonic beasts. When I left my home mountain a few years ago and met other humans for the first time, I couldn't even tell them apart. Most of them looked the same to me."
Leyvi and Anda looked at each other, both quietly astonished. What kind of life did this guy have? Raised by a bunch of demonic beasts and only left home as an adult.
Half a day later, they returned to the mine. Anda decided not to bring Bodo inside. It was better if he didn't know about the Spiritual Vein. Instead, she told him to guard the area around the mine, which he accepted with uncontainable excitement. He didn't even question why he couldn't enter.
Watching him, Anda couldn't help but change her mind again. A straightforward person like Bodo was incredibly easy to work with. No hidden intentions, no subtle schemes, just pure, honest obedience. She almost wished more people were like him.
As for the chaosmaker Tantan, she had already returned and stayed with Tamina, leaving things peaceful on that front.
Afterward, Leyvi spent a day each with Lilian and Valenia before resuming his Spiritual Touch training with Barbara. He offered to spend a day with Ava too, but all he got was a sharp "no" and the usual accusation of being a sex fiend. He had planned to spend an entire month with the ladies previously, but the need to accelerate his training had cut it short.
This time, he and Barbara conducted the training outside the mine. But being outside had its drawbacks. Ava could now stay close to her best friend, keeping a protective eye on her. Being glared at constantly gave Leyvi an incessant headache. Lady, I'm not doing anything to her, okay? Stop staring so intensely, he complained inwardly.
While he was focused on training, Bodo suddenly appeared and greeted Leyvi. The sheer size of the hulking man and his unexpected arrival made Barbara jump back in shock, clutching Leyvi instinctively.
The others had already been briefed about Bodo, but they had never seen him before. The sight of his enormous figure and sudden appearance startled her completely. Once the greeting was over, Bodo politely stepped aside and returned to his guard duty without interrupting further.
Of course, seeing Barbara hugging Leyvi like that, Ava became more proactive in protecting Barbara. Whenever Leyvi and Barbara got even a little too close, Ava would barge in, inserting herself between them and interrupting his training.
In the end, Leyvi couldn't stand the interruptions anymore, but he didn't want to get angry at Ava, so he contacted Anda to solve the problem. She wouldn't listen to him, but she would definitely listen to Anda.
Sure enough, Ava listened to Anda obediently. She didn't even talk back. Leyvi could only sigh at the difference in attitude.
Why is she so against me? Hmm… I can't let this go on for much longer or I might actually get really annoyed with her. That would be bad. She is still my wife after all. Alright, after I'm done with Spiritual Touch, I'll find a way to train my body again. I'll beat her with only physical strength like she always wanted, and make her accept me once and for all!
Leyvi resolved himself.
"Leyvi, don't forget, use this chance to seduce Barbara. Use your manly charm. Bring the lady home. I'll be cheering!"
Leyvi received a sound transmission from Anda as she walked away with Ava in tow.
Leyvi smiled wryly. So many tasks to do...
He turned his head, looking at the cute Barbara.
How do I even charm her? Now that I think about it, although I have many women, I really don't have a lot of experience courting a lady. Considering her personality, do I entice her with my mysterious core again?