CHAPTER 171: 129 SWEET DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES

The edge of the cliff was silent. The Clan Leader and his mate turned to look back, while the Dust Spirit Deer herd slowly retreated, leaving only one tall Immortal Deer standing proud and unwavering.

It was clearly a stag. Upon its snow-white antlers "branches and leaves flourished," with pristine white flowers blooming all around them.

Its body must have been at least 1.8 meters long, with a shoulder height of 1.3 meters. Its slender neck was held high; despite the celestial aura swirling about it, the creature nevertheless looked remarkably heroic.

Judging from its temperament alone, it had all the makings of a master in a cultivation epic.

With such a physique, it was definitely a being above the Heavenly Level.

It’s worth mentioning that Demon Beasts grow very differently from ordinary animals. Most Demon Beasts undergo a massive change in size when they advance to a higher Stage—almost like evolving.

Even within the same Stage, as the Demon Beast grows and matures, its size increases much like an ordinary animal’s would—just to a lesser extent.

Lin Shiwei’s somber expression faded away. Hope filled her eyes as she took a careful step forward: "Will you... come with me?"

The cliff was silent, save for the shasha of wind rustling through the leaves.

Du Yu gently nudged Lin Shiwei’s back, reminding her, "Go slow. Take it easy."

"Okay." Lin Shiwei took a deep breath, stepped forward, and under the watchful gaze of many bright, lively deer eyes, walked slowly up to the tall Dust Spirit Deer.

At last, the Dust Spirit Deer moved.

Looking at the girl before it, full of longing, it dipped its deer head slowly, sniffed at Lin Shiwei’s cheek.

"Nai!" The Dust Spirit Deer let out a deer cry, still looking the same mixture of disdainful and proud. It raised its head and called toward the Clan Leader and his mate.

Lin Shiwei nervously pinched her fingers. At this moment, she was even more certain that this was the same deer who had once carried her.

Because...

That look of disdain—she was so familiar with it!

"Nai~" The doe softly called out. The tall Dust Spirit Deer strode forward.

It acted as if Lin Shiwei weren’t even there, as though it would walk right through her.

Lin Shiwei hurriedly got out of its way, watching the Dust Spirit Deer stride off into the distance.

"Come here." Du Yu waved her back—and just then, she happened to catch the tall doe dipping her head to gently kiss the Dust Spirit Deer’s antlers.

This...

Finally, the Dust Spirit Deer Clan Leader gave a light call. Having received the clan’s blessing, the Dust Spirit Deer strode toward Du Yu and Lin Shiwei.

"It’s coming, it’s coming!" Du Yu’s heart leapt with joy. He hurriedly patted Lin Shiwei on the shoulder.

Lin Shiwei lifted her head, gazing up at the beautiful Immortal Deer. She touched her own Qi Sea Acupoint with one finger: "I only know how to form a contract at the Demon Taming Prentice Tier—if you don’t like me, you can break free at any time."

As she spoke, her finger slid up to her brow, and from her fingertip trailed a wisp of thread.

She stood on tiptoe, reaching with great effort to touch the deer’s head.

The giant deer lowered its head a little, enough for both to be linked by the thread at their brows...

Now that the contract had formed, communication would be so much easier. Lin Shiwei said softly, "Actually, you don’t have to force yourself to break the contract; just let me know. I’ll bring you back—return you to your herd."

The girl’s humility seemed to seep into her very bones. Even though the Dust Spirit Deer was now her Demon Pet, she quickly drew her hand back, not daring to touch its beautiful head.

Apparently, when she’d tried to feed the Dust Spirit Deer before, the way it dodged her hand had left a bit of a shadow on her heart.

Perhaps sensing Lin Shiwei’s sincerity and kindness, the tall Dust Spirit Deer’s attitude softened. It lowered its head just a little and gently, with its snow-white antlers, tapped Lin Shiwei’s cheek.

"Ha..." Lin Shiwei clutched her chest, barely able to contain her excitement and joy. She let out a long breath.

And just like that—a fairytale Demon Pet contract, successfully made! Throughout history, how many have ever been chosen by a Dust Spirit Deer?

Lin Shiwei was self-aware; she knew she wasn’t truly worthy yet.

She had complicated desires, some stubbornness, and could be too sharp at times. Maybe there were even more reasons why the Dust Spirit Deer might not like her.

But with the help of that rare spiritual qi, especially with Du Yu matchmaking and vouching for her, she gained this chance to keep the Dust Spirit Deer.

"Unique experiences have shaped who I am. Maybe I can’t easily change that." Lin Shiwei finally summoned the courage to slowly lift her hand and caress the beautiful deer’s head. "But I can promise—I will treasure you, and treat you with all my heart."

Du Yu’s face twisted with odd emotions. He couldn’t help thinking—wasn’t Lin Shiwei basically confessing here...?

Good grief~ This was a heart-to-heart if ever there was one.

After all, there was a contract in place. Given the Dust Spirit Deer’s racial traits, even a hint of dishonesty and it’d likely sever the bond immediately.

Let’s be real—this was a proud, aloof Dust Spirit Deer! If it were any other guy, who could stand up to Lin Shiwei’s direct approach?

She had the looks, the money, was super capable, and truly cared; not to mention the support of a powerful family behind her.

Tsk tsk...apart from that stint in the psych ward, there really wasn’t much to nitpick.

Du Yu muttered to himself, then suddenly his eyes widened.

As it turned out, the Dust Spirit Deer couldn’t resist either?

"Nai~" Rarely, the tall Dust Spirit Deer gave Lin Shiwei a response. It closed its eyes, enjoying the gentle touch of the girl’s soft palm stroking its cheek.

So this... was what it felt like to be petted?

Hmm...not bad, though not as comfortable as expected.

Why did all the little ones in the herd love being snuggled by Du Yu so much?

"Beautiful~" Watching the girl and Immortal Deer in the sunset glow, Du Yu let out a sigh in his heart.

Maybe... this was why the heavens let him live again.

To meet those he’d otherwise never encounter, and live the stories he’d never dared hope for.

...

"Nai~"

"Nai~~~" Amid waves of deer calls, Du Yu and Lin Shiwei left the herd behind.

Lin Shiwei was almost overly careful with the Dust Spirit Deer, afraid to upset it, not daring to use it as a mount. She simply stored it in her Acupoint Home, walking out of the Demon Spirit Realm together with Du Yu.

Worth mentioning, when passing through the Twin Tree Area, Du Yu even made a point to say his farewells to the Twin Trees.

But the Twin Trees totally ignored Du Yu. Hmph...that left Prince Du feeling pretty embarrassed.

Until the two of them got back to the SUV, Lin Shiwei put her hands on the steering wheel and, with a long sigh, "Ha..."

She seemed to still be savoring the moment.

"Nice. Now it and Xiaobai can keep each other company." Du Yu climbed into the front passenger seat, reaching back to close the door.

Lin Shiwei started the car, then turned to Du Yu, "Help me name it?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Yep." Lin Shiwei nodded as if it were the most natural thing. "Without you, there wouldn’t be this deer."

Du Yu just laughed, "Aren’t you afraid I’ll name it ’Big White’ or something?"

Lin Shiwei laughed too, "Actually, it matches well with Xiaobai’s name."

"Let’s not. The Dust Spirit Deer is super spiritual; you might as well discuss it with it yourself. It’s a rare chance to bond."

"Hmm..."

The two chatted idly on the way back. As the city lights came on, the car slowly drove into Xishu Garden District.

As the black SUV parked in front of the building, Lin Shiwei reminded, "Don’t forget to charge your phone."

"Got it." Du Yu got out, closed the door, waved with a smile. "Quick, get inside."

"Don’t forget!" Lin Shiwei laughed, reminding him again.

Du Yu rolled his eyes—geez, do I have that bad a record?

Honestly, when they were together, Lin Shiwei didn’t mind. But once she was alone, imagining herself as Li Mengnan, she realized just how hard it was to get in contact with Du Yu...

Actually, there was a way: just contract a Demon Beast with an Electric Attribute.

With good training, various Demon Pets can offer all kinds of "life hacks" to their owner.

As the vehicle drove away, Du Yu turned to look up at the building, and the smile slipped from his face.

Since coming to this world, he’d received kindness from so many. He never worried about food and clothing, always had a roof overhead. In all the hustle and bustle, he’d forgotten just how hard his life had once been.

Not until earlier today, when Lin Shiwei suggested leaving the car for him, did Du Yu realize what he was missing.

His power kept increasing, he’d won more and more honors—but some problems still weren’t solved.

Needed to figure out a way to get some money. At least have enough in his pocket for a cab, so no one worried he couldn’t get home.

Actually, Du Yu *can* get home. He has a ring, and free shuttles for the Demon Spirit Realm—just takes longer, and is a bit out of the way.

Home... hmm.

Du Yu swiped his card at the elevator and returned to the 17th floor.

The apartment was dark. Only the Fire Phoenix Tree came to greet him, but, picking up on how dirty Du Yu was, it immediately pulled its Firethorn Branch back, looking distinctly disdainful.

Du Yu didn’t bother with the lights, just hurried straight to the guest room and flung himself into the shower.

Some thoughts, once they bubble up, just can’t be stopped.

For months, his life had been filled with one round of training and mission after another. Now that things had briefly calmed down, maybe it was time to consider his own issues a bit.

"Du Yu, Du Yu~"

"Hm?"

Little Fen Yang: "Why are you in a bad mood?"

"Me? I’m fine."

Little Fen Yang: "Nuh-uh, you didn’t even take a bubble bath."

Du Yu was silent for a while, then abruptly blurted out, "Why are you talking with a stutter now?"

Little Fen Yang: ???

Du Yu made a show of being serious, "Don’t copy that. What if you can’t fix it later?"

"Hmph! Not talking to you anymore."

Du Yu grinned. Having dealt with Little Fen Yang, he quickly washed up, changed into cool shorts and a T-shirt, then flopped face-first onto the big bed, his mind wandering again.

He’d promised Xiaoyan a few days ago—they’d have a place of their own...

"Eh?" Suddenly he felt something grab his ankle.

He spun around, only to find himself getting dragged off the bed by a Firethorn Branch from the Fire Phoenix Tree.

Obviously, now that Du Yu was "all clean," it was time to play together!

"I didn’t take that shower for *you*, you know!"

Du Yu hopped on one leg, dragged by the branch. "Can’t we do this inside? Why the living room, of all places..."

By the big planter in the living room corner, Du Yu got thrashed around for a bit before the Fire Phoenix Tree contentedly withdrew its branches.

Maybe it was just bored from being home alone with nobody to play with...

In the pitch-black living room, Du Yu propped himself up from the floor.

By the light shining in through the windows, he gave the Fire Phoenix Tree a look of utter grievance, wishing he could chuck all the soil out of its flowerpot!

The Fire Phoenix Tree, meanwhile, returned to its usual plant pose, motionless, as if nothing at all had happened.

"Ugh..." Du Yu let out a heavy sigh as he straightened his clothes. As if there was nothing left to lose, he sat cross-legged where he was.

Elbows on his knees, one hand holding his cheek, his thoughts turned again to what "home" really meant. He muttered under his breath, "How am I supposed to make some money..."

He didn’t even finish the sentence—!

Because suddenly, a strange sound rang out just behind his head.

"Ding ding~ ding~"

Du Yu’s eyes shot wide open, every hair standing on end!

That tinkling bell, echoing around his ears, felt like some lingering nightmare—cutting through layers upon layers of dreamlike illusion, finally shining into the real world.

...

Third update, 12.17.20