At this moment, Dugu Yan's cheeks were as red as ripe peaches, so flushed they looked like they could drip juice with a single squeeze. Upon hearing what Oscar said, she immediately took off his soul tool from her hand and tossed it back to him.
Then she turned around without another word, too embarrassed to even glance back what she just saw was simply too much.
After all, romantic stories in books were one thing; experiencing such a raw scene in real life left Dugu Yan thoroughly overwhelmed.
Despite the joy and excitement in her heart from knowing Oscar was still alive, the visual impact from earlier kept replaying in her mind.
"So… so big…"
That was the only phrase echoing in her brain.
Oscar caught the soul tool and hurriedly pulled out a set of clothes to put on. Once he was properly dressed, he quietly walked up behind Dugu Yan and gently patted her on the shoulder.
"Sis, are you alright?" Oscar asked in a soft tone.
The sudden pat startled Dugu Yan. She stiffened and replied without turning her head:
"I..I'm fine!"
Oscar looked at her shy and flustered expression and couldn't help but find it adorable.
Honestly, he was the one who had been seen, not her shouldn't he be the embarrassed one?
Thinking about it, Oscar smirked and said:
"No need to be so shy. After all, I'm the one who got seen. If anything, I should be the embarrassed one. Of course, if you really feel bad, maybe you could let me look back to even the score…"
Before he could finish, Dugu Yan suddenly turned around and pressed her hand over his mouth, her face flushed scarlet.
"You can't!"
Oscar didn't resist and let her cover his mouth. Their eyes locked, and as he took in the sight of her blushing face up close, he thought:
"You know what? If I really end up with this girl in this life, I wouldn't mind one bit."
Great figure, beautiful face, plus her dowry included Dugu Bo and the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well? That's a win on every level.
Still, he didn't dare tease her too much Dugu Bo was nearby, after all. If the old man found out, who knew what he'd do to Oscar?
…Though soon, Oscar would find out that Dugu Bo wasn't around anymore. He had already left and wouldn't be back for a while.
After holding Oscar's mouth for a few seconds, Dugu Yan pulled her hand back and lowered her head.
"I… I didn't mean to. I really thought you were gone. How was I supposed to know you'd suddenly show up like that… totally naked…"
She was flustered, and it showed there was no way she'd have the courage to "look back" like Oscar had joked.
Seeing this bashful version of Dugu Yan, Oscar was internally amused. In the original story, she had a bigsister, leader like personality. The idea of turning this innocent version into that confident one? That had serious appeal.
"I guess I'm raising her into a boss level waifu. The sense of achievement's gonna be off the charts."
He nodded, feigning guilt:
"Well, I guess it was my fault. But I did try to explain how could you all think I was dead? I mean, my soul tool was still there. Would I leave that behind if I were really gone?"
Oscar sighed dramatically.
"Who would prioritize a soul tool over their own life?"
Dugu Yan, upon hearing that, realized he made a solid point. They'd been so panicked yesterday that they hadn't stopped to think. She and Grandpa might've been a bit… hasty.
Then something clicked.
"Oscar…"
"Yeah?"
"There might be a problem."
Oscar raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of problem?"
"Well… Grandpa thought you were dead. He left about half an hour ago. He's on his way to Shrek Academy to deliver the news to your teacher…"
Oscar's expression froze.
"Wait. What? That fast?"
"Yeah…"
Oscar was dumbfounded.
"No search? No rescue effort? Just… 'Oops, he's dead'?"
But then he thought about the terrain: The Ice Fire Yin Yang Well was sealed by a poison formation. The area was small. If Dugu Bo couldn't find him and only saw his soul tools left near the well what else could he assume?
Oscar sighed, covering his face.
"Damn it… I should've told him beforehand that I was using the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot…"
"Now what…"
His third soul skill granted flight, sure but only for 15 minutes per use, and he could only make about twenty sausages max. That wasn't enough to catch up with a Rank 91 Titled Douluo.
No point chasing. All he could do now was let the misunderstanding play out.
Oscar reasoned that even if Gai Yue and the others got emotional or even confrontational, Dugu Bo probably wouldn't really harm them. The man might be eccentric, but he kept his word and he had promised to protect Oscar.
With that, Oscar chose to calm down and moved on to the next task: teaching Dugu Yan how to extract the toxins from her body.
Because Dugu Yan didn't yet have a soul bone, she couldn't directly refine her inner toxins. Oscar had her begin basic practices to familiarize herself with the process.
But her mind was clearly elsewhere.
Oscar, noticing her distracted expression, flicked her forehead.
"Sis! This is about your life, focus up! What are you even thinking about?"
"Oww!" Dugu Yan yelped and held her forehead, looking pitiful.
"Don't flick me! I was worried sick yesterday when you disappeared, okay? Then you pop up outta nowhere today!"
Watching her act like a sulky little girl, Oscar suddenly felt like he was coaxing a girlfriend.
But young love was tricky especially when the girl was shy but also accidentally provocative.
Oscar sighed and offered a truce:
"Alright, this one's on me. From now on, I'll make sure to communicate better, deal? Let's finish the serious stuff first. I'll chat with you all afternoon if you want."
Dugu Yan's lips curled into a small smile.
"Fine. I forgive you."
Oscar: "…Why do I feel like I'm being domesticated?"
He resisted the urge to tease her again and focused instead on walking her through the poison extraction method.
Dugu Yan quickly caught on. She tried it herself, and it worked though only partially due to her lack of soul bones. For now, she could only perform basic extractions and had to limit the frequency to avoid triggering poison backlash.
Once the training ended, Dugu Yan dragged Oscar back to the cliffside stone house for lunch.
This house had been carved into the cliff by Dugu Boone part for resting, one for refining poisons, one for cultivation.
It was a hundred meters above the Ice Fire Well. Usually, only Dugu Yan's snake tail assisted climbing could get her up and down. Falling would mean death.
But with Oscar around, things were easier.
He didn't even use his third soul skill.
When Dugu Yan asked if he'd fly her up again, Oscar calmly extended his hand. She assumed it was to help her fly just like last time. Shyly, she took his hand.
Instead, Oscar pulled her into his arms.
She twirled once midair and landed chest first into his embrace.
"You… you're holding me again? I thought we were just going to fly!"
Oscar smirked:
"You saw everything already. A hug shouldn't surprise you. Just think of it as interest payment."
As she reeled from his shamelessness, a cyan soul power glow lit up in Oscar's hand. A 1.2meterlong jade sword condensed in front of them, hovering midair.
Oscar stepped on it while still holding Dugu Yan. She was too stunned to be shy anymore.
"Wait. Aren't you a food type spirit master? Why do you have a sword?!"
With both of them standing on the jade blade, Dugu Yan stood in front of Oscar, her back pressed against his chest. She heard his voice near her ear:
"Don't worry. I'll protect you."
His warm breath touched her earlobe. She blushed again.
Oscar was holding her waist to stabilize her. She didn't know where to put her hands and the earlier "huge surprise" kept flashing in her mind. She was clearly… flustered.
They began to fly. This was her first time experiencing sword flight.
As a fan of romantic novels, Dugu Yan had always dreamed of this.
Before long, she spread her arms, embracing the wind and sunset.
Oscar saw her expression shift from shy to joyful and decided not to head straight for the stone house. He flew a few extra loops, letting her enjoy the moment.
Her green hair fluttered in the wind, brushing his chin and nose, carrying a faint fragrance.
And let's be honest Dugu Yan at 15 had a perfect figure. Every movement had consequences for Oscar's self control.
Though only 11, Oscar had already absorbed three spirit rings, and his physical growth far surpassed average.
But he held back.
He wasn't willing to gamble on Dugu Bo's reaction.
After flying two more loops, realizing he was about to lose control, Oscar took them straight to the stone house.
They ate lunch and chatted.
Though Dugu Yan's mood gradually settled, she still couldn't forget the sizeable memory from earlier.
Especially because… she felt it again during the flight.
Something hard, large, brushing her lower back.
And yes he'd accidentally shifted to feel it better.
But she didn't dare ask.
She was terrified he might really ask to "look back."
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