"Why pretend?" Xiao Jinsheng tilted her head and asked, "Do you want me to like you, or the side of you that you’re pretending to be?"
"Can you like both?" Lou Yan Zhi replied with a smile.
"You’re so greedy." Xiao Jinsheng sneered.
"I’ve always been with you." Lou Yan Zhi gazed at her fervently, making Xiao Jinsheng’s cheeks blush with discomfort.
She turned around and took two steps forward. "Weren’t you saying you wanted to go home with me? Why aren’t you keeping up now?"
"But you’re going the wrong way." Lou Yan Zhi placed a hand on Xiao Jinsheng’s shoulder, helping her turn in the right direction. "This Secret Realm resides in my heart, so to leave, our destination is me."
"Speak in human terms." Xiao Jinsheng was not in the mood to interpret.
"It’s easy to go out; I just need to move my thoughts." Lou Yan Zhi responded with a helpless smile.
He tightly held Xiao Jinsheng’s left hand, interlocking their fingers under her gaze.
Feeling the warmth of their palms joined, confirming the person in front of him was real, Lou Yan Zhi relaxed and took Xiao Jinsheng out of the Secret Realm.
The place they emerged outside the Secret Realm was still the entrance of the cave leading to the Cloud World.
"Well, if it isn’t Lou Yan Zhi." Caicai crossed her arms and stood with her legs apart, tapping the ground with her foot, her chin raised dangerously as she stared at Lou Yan Zhi.
"Oh, green onion." Lou Yan Zhi replied perfunctorily.
"How dare you show up in front of me!" Caicai barked angrily, shaking the sprouts on her head, ready to whip them at Lou Yan Zhi.
Lou Yan Zhi took a step back, hiding behind Xiao Jinsheng. "You can’t hit me. I’m Xiao Jinsheng’s person now."
"If you hurt me, you’re damaging all that belongs to Xiao Jinsheng."
"Huh?" Caicai was shocked.
The green onion head spun several times before understanding Lou Yan Zhi’s meaning. "You actually dare to tempt my host! Take this!"
Caicai bypassed Xiao Jinsheng, extended her green onion hand, and grabbed Lou Yan Zhi, furiously lashing his face with her sprouts.
The sprouts relentlessly flicked Lou Yan Zhi’s face.
Lou Yan Zhi, calm and composed, set up a barrier, effortlessly blocking Caicai’s attacks.
Caicai kept slashing for half a day, only to discover her stamina had decreased by a hundred, but Lou Yan Zhi remained unharmed.
"Had enough?" Lou Yan Zhi raised an eyebrow, asking Caicai.
Although she wasn’t done, the exhausted green onion panted, "You just wait. Dare to kidnap me and steal my host, just wait for me to lash you again next time."
"I’m so scared." Lou Yan Zhi taunted with a smile.
Seeing Lou Yan Zhi’s reaction, Caicai gritted her teeth in anger.
She rolled her eyes and quickly thought of a way to deal with Lou Yan Zhi.
As Lou Yanjin saw his brother, he was just about to wave and greet him when Lou Yan Zhi extended his hand toward him. "Whatever treasures you have on you, hand them over."
"Uh, what?" Lou Yanjin looked at him in shock. Original content can be found at nοvelfire.net
"Everything you have on you, hand it over." Lou Yan Zhi repeated as he stretched out his hand again.
"Don’t you have your own? Why are you taking mine?" Lou Yanjin asked cautiously.
"There’s not enough time." Lou Yan Zhi shook his head.
Xiao Jinsheng was eager to enter the Cloud World to find Que Zelian.
He had already detained Xiao Jinsheng for a day, naturally not wanting to delay her any further.
But now, going back to the main family to bring all his assets would be too late.
He could only snatch a bit from Lou Yanjin to use temporarily as a dowry.
"I’m about to leave the Cultivation World for a while; lend them to me now, and later go and replenish from my assets yourself." Lou Yan Zhi urged.
"But you’d have to pay me back when you return." Lou Yanjin, hearing his brother was about to wander again, reluctantly handed over all the treasures he had just acquired during his visit home to Lou Yan Zhi.
He kept his Lifebound Sword to safely return home.
Just the Storage Rings alone, Lou Yanjin carried about fifty with him.
Lou Yan Zhi wouldn’t adorn all ten fingers with rings like Lou Yanjin.
He asked Xiao Jinsheng for a ribbon and strung the Storage Rings and Space Bracelets together.
Then he slung the string of treasures over his shoulder and nodded to Xiao Jinsheng, "We can leave."
"So hastily..." Xiao Jinsheng hesitated.
Because once they left the Cultivation World this time, it wouldn’t be easy for Lou Yan Zhi to return.
"Shouldn’t I meet your parents?" Xiao Jinsheng asked.
After all, she was about to elope with their precious son.
"Mother and Father are in seclusion and won’t be out for another two hundred years." Lou Yan Zhi shook his head.
"Or are you planning to wait in the Cultivation World for two hundred years?" Lou Yan Zhi teased.
Xiao Jinsheng shivered in fright and shook her head repeatedly.
In two hundred years, she could train herself into a Sword Master.
Besides, if she really stayed in the Cultivation World for two hundred years, only two days would pass in the Cloud Platform.
The difference in the flow of time between the two places could affect those with weaker hearts and minds.
"Then let’s go back first." Xiao Jinsheng said.
She noticed Lou Yanjin was still observing curiously from the side.
Smiling, Xiao Jinsheng walked over to him, took out three prepared gift boxes from the Realm, and handed them to Lou Yanjin, "Little brother, I came suddenly this time and didn’t bring many gifts."
"These are some local specialties from my hometown. I hope you like them."
"This box is yours, the other two are for Aunt and Uncle."
"I have gifts too?" Lou Yanjin, who had just been cleaned out by Lou Yan Zhi, instantly brightened his eyes, joyfully accepting the gift boxes from Xiao Jinsheng.
"What do you say when you receive a gift?" Lou Yan Zhi looked down at Lou Yanjin, standing behind Xiao Jinsheng.
Lou Yanjin’s eyes twinkled, and he shouted at Xiao Jinsheng, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
"Hehe, I still have Spirit Stones." Lou Yanjin chuckled, taking out a Storage Ring from his hair bun.
Seeing Lou Yan Zhi’s surprised gaze, Lou Yanjin clutched the last Storage Ring tightly, "This one’s mine, you can’t take it!"
With that, Lou Yanjin began taking things out of the Storage Ring.
He took out two money bags and handed them to Xiao Jinsheng and Caicai, "Sister-in-law, green onion, I’ve just been robbed, and all I have left are Spirit Stones."
"These Spirit Stones are a gift for you both."
"So that when you return to the Cultivation World next time, you won’t be without Spirit Stones to spend."
"And green onion." Speaking of Caicai, Lou Yanjin’s voice filled with pity, "Next time, be braver, don’t just cry when you’re robbed of Spirit Stones. Hit back, chase after them, and beat them up! If you can’t win, gather some allies!"
"I will!" Caicai excitedly clenched her fist.
"Stop teaching; quickly open the Secret Realm, we need to leave." Seeing Caicai being wound up by Lou Yanjin, Lou Yan Zhi hurried to separate his brother and the green onion, urging Xiao Jinsheng to depart.
This time, the Secret Realm opened by the Cloud Mountain Jade shone with a beam of light.
Lou Yanjin watched as the light shone on the two people and one green onion, eventually causing them to vanish.
He stood silent for a while, gazing at the stone wall connecting to the Secret Realm, then took out a Communication Jade Token, "Whose territory is the Demon Beast Mountain?"
"Oh, doesn’t matter whose, the Lou Family wants it. I don’t care how many Spirit Vein Mines it takes. In two hours, I want to see the array of power belonging to Lou Yan Zhi illuminate the Demon Beast Mountain."
In the Cultivation World, wherever a power array lights up, a Protection Array is established.
Uncertain of when Lou Yan Zhi and Xiao Jinsheng would return to the Cultivation World again.
But Lou Yanjin needed to ensure that the Demon Beast Mountain would be safe for them when they returned.