Dugu Yan's face was flushed as red as a ripe peach, as if juice could be squeezed out at any moment. Hearing Oscar's words, she quickly removed his soul tool from her hand and tossed it over.
Then, Dugu Yan immediately turned her back, not daring to look again, because she was simply too embarrassed.
After all, romance novels were just romance novels. The real-life scene made Dugu Yan too embarrassed to continue watching.
Although she was thrilled and delighted in her heart that Oscar was still alive, the immense shock she had just witnessed was also affecting her.
Even now, with her back turned, she couldn't help but replay the scene she had just witnessed in her mind.
"So... so powerful..." These words involuntarily surfaced in Dugu Yan's mind.
Oscar caught the soul tool and quickly took out a set of clothes to put on. After getting himself together, he approached Dugu Yan from behind and gently patted her shoulder.
"Sister, are you okay?" Oscar asked softly.
The sudden tap on her shoulder made Dugu Yan's body jolt. Hearing Oscar's words, she didn't dare to turn around—she was afraid of making eye contact with him.
"I'm... I'm fine!" Dugu Yan quickly replied.
Looking at Dugu Yan's timid appearance, Oscar found it quite adorable. Although she had seen him naked, it didn't seem like he was the one at a disadvantage here.
After a moment's thought, Oscar continued, "You don't need to be embarrassed. After all, the one who was seen was me, so I should be the one embarrassed, right? Of course, if you really feel uncomfortable about it, you can always just look back at me..."
Before Oscar could finish, Dugu Yan immediately turned around and covered his mouth, her face flushed as she exclaimed excitedly, "No!"
Oscar didn't dodge, allowing Dugu Yan to cover his mouth. But because he didn't move away, their eyes naturally met. This time, seeing her face clearly, Oscar thought that it wouldn't be so bad to end up with Dugu Yan.
After all, this girl had the figure and the looks, so he wouldn't be losing out. And she was even coming with two "dowries"—Dugu Bo and the Ice and Fire Eyes of Two Natures!
However, Oscar didn't dare to be too bold with Dugu Yan, not while Dugu Bo was here. If that old man discovered what was going on, who knew how he would deal with him!
But Oscar would soon change his mind because Dugu Bo was no longer here—he wouldn't be back for a while.
After making eye contact with Oscar for a few seconds, Dugu Yan quickly pulled her hand back and lowered her head. "I... I didn't mean to. I really thought you were... gone. Who would have thought you'd suddenly appear naked..."
Dugu Yan explained somewhat awkwardly, clearly not daring to look back at Oscar. After all, she was already this embarrassed just from seeing him once—how could she possibly let him see her?
Looking at Dugu Yan in such a girlish manner, Oscar couldn't help but have some thoughts. After all, in the original story, this girl had had the presence of a "big sister" when she first appeared. This was like raising a protégé!
Raising a girl into a future wife-in-law—how satisfying would that be?
Oscar nodded. "Is that so? Then it's my fault. But I did explain to you, I really didn't expect you to not find me. After all, my soul tool was still there—how could I have disappeared?"
Oscar said this, looking helplessly at Dugu Yan. "It's not like I'd choose my soul tool over my life, right?"
Hearing this, Dugu Yan also thought it made sense. Yesterday, she had been so frantic looking for Oscar that she hadn't had time to think carefully. Now, hearing Oscar's explanation, she felt that both she and her grandfather had been quite foolish.
And when Dugu Yan thought of Dugu Bo, she immediately realized something. She looked at Oscar innocently and said in a small voice, "O... Oscar."
Oscar looked at Dugu Yan. "Hmm?"
"Something bad might happen."
Oscar was confused. "What? What's wrong?"
"Grandfather and I both thought you were gone. Half an hour ago, Grandfather just left. He was going to Shrek Academy to tell your teacher the bad news..."
Hearing this, Oscar's expression instantly turned strange. So hasty?
No, was Dugu Bo really that quick? They had only discovered he was missing yesterday afternoon, and they didn't even search more thoroughly? No attempt at rescue?
But Oscar understood when he thought about the Ice and Fire Eyes of Two Natures. The basin was only so large, and the mountain was surrounded by Dugu Bo's poison array, making it impossible to escape. Since they couldn't find him in the basin and only found two soul tools near the Ice and Fire Eyes, anyone would only come to one conclusion: Oscar was gone...
Oscar speechlessly covered his forehead. He had been inconsiderate too. He should have told Dugu Bo when he was consuming the Octagonal Crystal Ice Herb and Fiery Apricot Delicate Vegetable. After all, Dugu Bo had allowed him to freely use the immortal-grade herbs here.
Even if he knew Oscar would consume some, he probably wouldn't have refused. He just never expected this misunderstanding to arise from a series of unfortunate coincidences.
Now it was too late for explanations. Although Oscar's third soul skill gave him nearly ten-thousand-year-level speed as a pointed-tail rain-swallow, it only lasted fifteen minutes each time.
And Oscar only had about a dozen of his stored third soul skills. Even with his soul power at full capacity, he could make less than twenty at once. It was completely unrealistic to think he could catch up to a Title Douluo with this.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, Dugu Bo was ninety-one levels. With his speed, he would have already run who knows how far by now.
Thinking of this, Oscar gradually calmed down. Since he couldn't catch up, he could only let this misunderstanding continue for now.
Because Oscar believed that even if Gai Yue and the others were devastated when they heard the news and possibly even attacked Dugu Bo, Dugu Bo probably wouldn't kill them.
After all, although the old man had a bad reputation and did whatever he pleased, he was trustworthy in that regard. Since he had "died" under Dugu Bo's nose, he wouldn't possibly harm Gai Yue and the others, right?
Moreover, Dugu Bo had previously promised to ensure Oscar's safety. Now, his teacher had been gone for less than a day, and he "died" right under his nose. No matter how you looked at it, Dugu Bo was in the wrong here.
Having figured this out, Oscar could only pray that both sides would remain safe. Then, without further delay, he explained the situation to Dugu Yan and began teaching her how to refine the potent poison in her body.
However, since Dugu Yan didn't have a soul bone yet, she couldn't do it directly. She could only make some attempts to familiarize herself with the process and techniques.
Dugu Yan was still somewhat surprised that Oscar had recovered so quickly, as she herself hadn't even calmed down yet.
And that giant figure would occasionally flash through her mind, making her feel somewhat awkward when facing Oscar.
When Oscar noticed Dugu Yan zoning out while he was explaining, he gave her a light flick on the forehead. "Sister! This is a matter of life and death, can't you be more serious? What are you thinking about!"
"Ouch!" Dugu Yan yelped. Although it didn't hurt much, she still covered her forehead pitifully. "Who made you pull this stunt? I was almost crying yesterday when I couldn't find you. Who knew you'd just appear out of nowhere today?"
Looking at Dugu Yan acting like a little girl, Oscar suddenly felt like he was comforting a girlfriend. Although a green apple is tender, it's also astringent to eat!
What Oscar most wanted was the tenderness of a green apple combined with the ripeness and deliciousness of a red apple, but it seemed this kind of feeling was hard to encounter in real life.
Oscar sighed helplessly and comforted her, "This is my fault. Don't worry, from now on, I'll discuss things with you in advance, okay? Let's not get distracted now. Let's get the important stuff done first. How about I chat with you this afternoon?"
Hearing this, the corners of Dugu Yan's mouth, which had been downturned, finally lifted into a smile. "That's more like it. I forgive you."
Oscar: "..."
Resisting the urge to flirt with her, Oscar began seriously explaining the details and process of refining the poison.
After Dugu Yan roughly understood the process and tried it herself, confirming that Oscar's method allowed her to refine the poison in her body, she slowly began to get the hang of it.
However, because she didn't have a soul bone yet, Dugu Yan couldn't directly refine the potent poison in her body. She could only make simple attempts, and not too frequently, otherwise, she risked poisoning herself.
After finishing their important business, Dugu Yan pulled Oscar to the stone house for lunch. The stone houses were carved directly into the cliffside by Dugu Yan. There were rooms for closed-door cultivation, for preparing poisons, and for regular rest.
The stone houses were about a hundred meters above the Ice and Fire Eyes of Two Natures. For Dugu Yan to go up and down, she needed to use her martial soul's transformation and move along a path specially carved out for her by Dugu Bo; otherwise, she would fall to her death.
But this time, with Oscar, it wasn't so troublesome. And Oscar didn't use his third soul skill.
When Dugu Yan suggested going back to the stone house for lunch, Oscar calmly extended his hand to her. Dugu Yan thought Oscar was going to fly her up, as he had done once before.
Although she was still a bit shy this time, the thought of flying up directly made her take Oscar's hand. Then, Oscar suddenly pulled on her hand, bringing her directly into his embrace.
Dugu Yan spun around and then landed against Oscar's chest. She looked up at him in disbelief, thinking, "Do you have to be so forward? I already saw you like that, and you're still hugging me? Couldn't we have just held hands to fly?"
Noticing Dugu Yan's astonished gaze, Oscar smiled slightly. "Sister, I was the one who was seen naked. Why are you so surprised about me hugging you? Just consider it me repaying the debt."
Then, before Dugu Yan's astonished eyes, Oscar's left hand flashed with cyan soul power as a one-meter-long cyan jade sword slowly condensed into existence.
The jade sword hovered in mid-air, then moved in front of Oscar horizontally. Oscar pulled Dugu Yan by the waist and stood on it. At this moment, Dugu Yan didn't even have time to be stunned because she was completely confused.
Aren't you a food-type Soul Master? Do you also know how to use a sword?
With four feet on the jade sword, Dugu Yan stood in front of Oscar, her back pressed against his chest. Oscar's voice came from beside her ear, "Don't be nervous. I'll protect you."
The warm breath on her earlobe brought Dugu Yan back to her senses from her daze. Then, her face flushed again because her contact with Oscar was so intimate.
At this moment, Oscar was directly holding her in his arms, embracing her waist to stabilize her posture. After coming back to her senses, Dugu Yan felt her hands had nowhere to rest.
Thinking again about what Oscar had said about repaying the debt, Dugu Yan felt something was wrong with her. She now admitted to having... well, definitely inappropriate thoughts about Oscar, but she had never imagined such intimate contact so soon!!
Before Dugu Yan could think more, the two of them took off on the jade sword. Dugu Yan wasn't afraid of heights, as Dugu Bo often flew with her, but this was her first time flying on a sword!
How could a girl who loved romance novels not have a dream of flying on a sword? But how could it come true like this? And in the way of the female lead in the novels?
As they flew, the female lead in the male lead's arms spread her wings to enjoy the free wind, facing the setting sun...
After a short while, Dugu Yan couldn't help but spread her arms... When Oscar saw Dugu Yan's expression change from shyness to one of enjoyment, he didn't fly directly to the stone house. Instead, he circled in the air a few times, holding Dugu Yan and experiencing the pleasure of being the male lead.
Not to mention, Dugu Yan's green hair was blown by the wind, brushing against Oscar's chin and nose. The faint fragrance lingered in his heart. The key point was that fifteen-year-old Dugu Yan had a perfect figure, and occasional movements would rub against him, making Oscar's imagination run wild...
Although Oscar was only eleven, he couldn't help but note that people on the Douluo Continent matured quickly. Besides, Oscar had now absorbed three soul rings, and his body was developing wonderfully!
The problem was he had the desire but not the courage. If he couldn't resist and had his way with Dugu Yan now, and Dugu Bo found out and was unhappy, Oscar would be done for.
Although, considering the help and benefits he could bring Dugu Bo, the old man probably wouldn't do anything to him, Oscar didn't dare to take that risk.
Besides, sneaking around isn't as satisfying as doing it openly. So after flying a couple of circles, Oscar found he really couldn't resist and immediately headed toward the stone house, regardless of whether Dugu Yan was still enjoying the flight.
Arriving at the stone house, the two ate and talked. During the process, Dugu Yan's mood gradually eased, but she still couldn't forget the giant figure because the impression was too deep.
Moreover, she had also just felt something hard and large touching her butt when she moved slightly. She even couldn't resist rubbing against it intentionally...
But Dugu Yan didn't dare to ask about it. She was afraid Oscar would make her look back at him...
(End of Chapter)