The chibi character ate the candy very quickly, and Ruan Ruoyin was worried that Zaizai might choke.
Fortunately, there weren’t many candied haws on the stick. Seeing Zaizai finish them without any issues, Ruan Ruoyin felt relieved.
She poked Zaizai’s little hand, her almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents.
Why was she so fixated on the game’s ending? Even if the game ended, she could still log in to accompany Zaizai.
Besides, Zaizai was just starting out and didn’t even have any cultivation yet. Shouldn’t her primary task be to help Zaizai grow?
Zaizai could easily encounter danger if he wasn’t careful, and it would be a long time before he became the Demon Lord who defied heaven and earth. Shouldn’t she be more concerned about how to take good care of Zaizai?
After sorting out her thoughts, Ruan Ruoyin felt completely at ease.
If she weren’t worried about Zaizai ruining his teeth, she would have prepared a few more sticks of candied haws for him.
On the screen.
Fu Ruheng bit off the last hawthorn ball. His cold hand was lifted by something soft, making his heart skip a beat. His fingers tightened around the small wooden stick.
Realizing the other party meant no harm, he moved his fingers slightly. The soft touch and the rough texture of the wooden stick mingled at his fingertips. His flushed ear tips peeked out from his thick, dark hair as he whispered softly, “Will you always be here?”
He didn’t ask anything presumptuous, nor did he expect the other person to speak to him. He only wanted a response from them, to touch his hand, his skin… his body a little more.
Only then would he feel that the other person truly existed.
Ruan Ruoyin: “”
What sweet interaction!
Her Zaizai was shyly asking if she would always be there.
Of course she would!
Ruan Ruoyin giggled like a fool, lost in her thoughts. She instinctively tapped the screen, wanting to respond to Zaizai’s words. But as she watched the watery ripples spread across the center of the screen, her heart suddenly sank. It seemed the game didn’t have a dialogue box for communicating with Zaizai.
Ruan Ruoyin asked the game system, “If your designers didn’t include a dialogue box for players, how are we supposed to communicate?”
She had wanted to ask this since the first day of the game but only remembered now.
Game System: 【Players can interact and communicate by touching Zaizai’s body parts.】
The expected answer.
Ruan Ruoyin’s impression of the game designers’ unreliability deepened.
Although she was disappointed that she couldn’t respond to Zaizai verbally, touching his body parts was clearly more exciting.
Indescribable scenes flashed through her mind, and Ruan Ruoyin’s face flushed. Thankfully, Zaizai was in chibi form. If he were as stunningly beautiful and enchanting as his illustrated version, she might have turned into a pervert.
She might have even ignored Zaizai’s storyline, indulging in his peerless beauty every day and using her sinful little hands to defile the noble and unparalleled Demon Lord.
That scene would have been incredibly alluring.
Ruan Ruoyin refused to admit she was a pervert. Covering her flushed face, she devoutly patted Zaizai’s head, silently telling him, “Zaizai, Mom will always be here.”
Receiving the response, Fu Ruheng’s face turned red.
He desperately suppressed the pounding of his heart, biting his cherry-pink lips. His eyes and brows were filled with captivating charm, and his cool, bewitching allure grew even more mesmerizing as he chuckled softly.
His lips parted slightly, his eyes shimmering like rippling water. “I’ll stay here to cultivate for a while. You don’t have to wait for me; you can go attend to your own matters.”
He had paid for a month’s worth of spirit stones for the alchemy room, and only three days had passed so far, leaving plenty of time. Fortunately, the alchemy room contained a low-level spirit gathering array, allowing him to cultivate using the ambient spiritual energy.
Although being protected by that person felt wonderful, he ultimately didn’t want to trouble them excessively. If he relied on them for everything, there might come a day when they grew weary of him. He couldn’t guarantee that person would remain interested in him forever, even though they had gently reassured him, “I’ll always be here.”
He had to improve himself as quickly as possible.
“?” Ruan Ruoyin’s smile froze.
Cultivation?
In the Cultivation World, it seemed like cultivation sessions often lasted for months.
Was Zaizai planning to cultivate in the alchemy room for several months?
In other words, she’d have to watch Zaizai sit motionless for months?
Ruan Ruoyin’s smile completely shattered.
She wanted to see a lively Zaizai, not watch him sit in dull meditation.
Ruan Ruoyin wept inwardly as she stroked the Chibi Character’s head, her eyes brimming with tears as she asked the system, “Can you speed up all the cultivation time in the game? I don’t want to wait that long.”
Game System: [Yes, players can complete tasks to earn shells, which can be exchanged for “Time Acceleration Cards.”]
Ruan Ruoyin asked succinctly, “Can I pay for them?”
The Game System raised its voice slightly, [Yes!]
[“Time Acceleration Cards” are a special feature of our game, so they’re not expensive—only 30 each.]
For essentials that could be purchased with real money, she had to stock up as much as possible.
Ruan Ruoyin thought to herself, “Nice,” and said, “Buy them all, up to the limit.”
The Game System was overwhelmed by Ruan Ruoyin’s extravagance. [Purchase completed. 999 “Time Acceleration Cards” have been stored in your backpack.]
A pale blue light appeared in the center of the screen and flowed into the “Backpack” icon.
Ruan Ruoyin checked and saw that the 999 “Time Acceleration Cards” only occupied one slot, with a simple description—used to accelerate the flow of time during Fu Ruheng’s cultivation.
Perfect for Ruan Ruoyin’s needs.
What mattered in a raising game was the process of nurturing the character. If the acceleration cards skipped all the growth-related storylines, Ruan Ruoyin would be devastated.
Ruan Ruoyin closed the backpack and rubbed the soft, tender cheek of the adorable Chibi Character on the screen, then gave his little body a gentle push, urging him to start cultivating.
She was fully prepared—as soon as Zaizai began meditating, she would accelerate time!
Her eager pushing made Fu Ruheng slightly sulky.
So eager for him to cultivate, huh?
The little flower swaying in his heart wilted. Fu Ruheng regretted mentioning cultivation. He should have found more topics to discuss with that person.
That person’s temperament was gentle, and they likely wouldn’t refuse to answer his questions.
They could also continue rubbing his head, his face, and his hands.
Feeling the insistent push from that person behind him, Fu Ruheng regretted his decision so much it felt like his intestines were turning green.
Reluctantly, he shuffled his feet and sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion.
Before he even began absorbing spiritual energy, the soft, comforting touch disappeared.
Fu Ruheng: “…”
He regretted it even more.
He should never have uttered the word “cultivation.”
What if he cultivated for too long and that person grew impatient waiting?
No, the more critical question was—would that person seek entertainment with other men while he was cultivating?
At this moment, Fu Ruheng’s mindset resembled that of a woman in a secluded courtyard, worrying about her husband fooling around outside.
He shot to his feet, then sat back down at a loss. His pale fingers clutched the fabric of his black robe, his eyelashes fluttering slightly as he whispered, “I’m a little hungry. Can we eat something before cultivating?”
Ruan Ruoyin gave Fu Ruheng’s hand a gentle squeeze in agreement.
Of course they could.
Zaizai hadn’t yet reached the level where he could go without food. It was perfectly reasonable to eat something before cultivating.
Fu Ruheng let out a sigh of relief, his ears growing warm.
He wasn’t actually hungry—he just wanted an excuse to spend a little more time with that person.
Besides, when cultivators practiced cultivation, spiritual power would replace food to provide a sense of fullness. Whether he was hungry or not, he didn’t need to eat.
Fu Ruheng lowered his head, preparing to take out the dry rations he had bought along the way, when warmth brushed his hand. A plump, white steamed bun appeared out of thin air, still steaming with heat.
Fu Ruheng was used to things appearing suddenly. He pinched a corner of the bun, his pleasant voice carrying a faint rasp. “Thank you.”
He hadn’t been hungry before, but now that that person had coaxed him and given him a bun, he suddenly felt hungry.
He didn’t care much for indulging in food, but he had no resistance to anything that person gave him.