Chapter 145

At night, Shu Yan and Xu Jiujiu, who had chatted with Xu Jiawei for a long time, returned to the Princess's Mansion.

Having not returned for a long time, the entire Princess's Mansion was still spotless, and there were even many more decorations that matched their aesthetic.

When the Nebula Douluo saw them return, she immediately ordered the maids to bring up the delicious food that had been prepared long ago.

She was old and had no descendants left in the world, so she had long since treated Xu Jiujiu and Shu Yan as her own juniors. During the time they were out training, she had been very worried but could do nothing about it. Only when they returned safely could she finally heave a sigh of relief.

After finishing dinner, on that familiar chaise longue, Xu Jiujiu nestled in Shu Yan's arms. She reached out to stroke Shu Yan's cheek and then murmured:

"It feels like all of this is fake, A-Yan..."

Shu Yan was still thinking about other things and didn't hear Xu Jiujiu clearly. He hummed, then asked, "Jiujiu, what did you just say?"

Xu Jiujiu was a bit annoyed; she hated it most when Shu Yan didn't listen to her properly. Thinking of this, she hammered Shu Yan's chest hard and then said in a low voice:

"I told you to call Dugu Yan over. She and I will serve you together tonight. Do you understand?"

Shu Yan laughed dumbly. He looked at Xu Jiujiu's cheeks, which were puffed up from anger, and poked them gently with a finger, then said softly, "I was thinking about how to distribute the immortal herbs in my hands. Jiujiu, what do you think?"

Changing the subject at the right time was not out of fear, but a wise and intelligent move. If he kept talking, he was afraid he would only be able to meditate alone tonight.

Xu Jiujiu gave a light huff and then said:

"We have quite a few immortal herbs, but the distribution is indeed a problem."

"Grandma Manyi raised us, so we naturally can't be stingy. Grandma Medical Immortal is the same. As for the others, you can consider Senior Sui Xing yourself; he has helped you many times. The same goes for Old Qian. As for the others, let's wait and see for now; there's no rush."

Shu Yan raised an eyebrow, not expecting Xu Jiujiu's thoughts to be so similar to his own. One could only say this was a different kind of "husband and wife sharing the same heart"? "Then let's do it as you say, Jiujiu. The others haven't reached the point where we can gift them immortal herbs yet; we still need to consider it further."

Shu Yan said softly.

Immortal herbs are so precious; each one has a rarity and efficacy not inferior to a 100,000-year soul bone. Such things cannot be gifted casually; each one must be carefully considered.

As the night deepened, Xu Jiujiu began to yawn. During the time they were traveling, because she was always in an unfamiliar environment, Xu Jiujiu hadn't rested well, and coupled with the fact that she had to meditate and cultivate at night, it had ultimately affected her spirit.

Although soul masters can replace sleep with meditation, there is actually a difference between the two. This difference might not be obvious at ordinary times, but if one is constantly on the move, the difference becomes apparent. Xu Jiujiu was undoubtedly a living example.

Shu Yan dismissed the original plans in his mind and then gently coaxed Xu Jiujiu to sleep.

Desire is desire, but Shu Yan wasn't so out of control that he couldn't manage even this bit of desire. Between true lovers, desires are relative and can be appropriately restrained. Can there be no desire in love? Shu Yan thought that was probably impossible. He didn't accept so-called Platonic love, but he also didn't admit to being a vulgar person. Everyone's love is different—some are comedies, some are tragedies, and some people aren't even protagonists from beginning to end, just puppets in the hands of others.

Love requires maintaining clarity; this is a very realistic matter.

A good night's sleep.

Early the next morning, Shu Yan handed an immortal herb called the Snow Jade Bone Ginseng to the Nebula Douluo.

The Nebula Douluo was old now, and her own potential had reached its limit. Without any major opportunity, it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven to break through another level in the future.

The effect of this Snow Jade Bone Ginseng was somewhat similar to the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid—both strengthened the foundation, removed impurities, and increased a soul master's upper limit and cultivation speed. However, compared to the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, the medicinal properties of this herb were milder and more suitable for the Nebula Douluo.

The Nebula Douluo spent a day under Shu Yan's guidance to completely absorb this immortal herb. In the end, her soul power successfully broke through by one level, reaching level 93.

The accumulation of over twenty years at the Titled Douluo realm made her foundation incomparably solid. Xu Jiujiu planned to give the Nebula Douluo a top-tier soul bone in the future so that she could also break through to the Super Douluo realm and thereby extend her lifespan.

Compared to Shu Yan, her feelings for the Nebula Douluo were much deeper. Her mother, the previous Star Luo Empress, had passed away from illness shortly after giving birth to her. The Nebula Douluo was her mother's bodyguard at that time, and later took the initiative to stay by her side. To Xu Jiujiu, the Nebula Douluo was like her grandmother. Even if the Nebula Douluo's image in front of outsiders was never particularly good, to her, she was impeccable....

Royal Shrine.

Shu Yan walked in slowly. This was the Star Luo Royal Shrine and also the place where the soul master power of the entire Star Luo Empire was concentrated. There were many powerhouses working or retiring here, and ordinary people had no chance of entering at all.

However, Shu Yan had a special status, and he had been here many times, so the secret guards here had long since remembered him and never deliberately blocked him.

Arriving in front of a simple two-story wooden cabin, Shu Yan smelled the faint scent of flowers and grass and then knocked gently on the wooden door. A moment later, the wooden door was opened from the inside by a strange force, and the voice of the Medical Immortal Douluo came from within: "It's A-Yan, come in..."

Shu Yan walked into the house, looking at the familiar furnishings and various lush flowers and plants. He chuckled and said:

"Grandma Medical Immortal, you have even more flowers and plants here. How about you give some more to Jiujiu and me?"

The Medical Immortal Douluo was still in the appearance of an old woman, her smile gentle and kind, just like an ordinary old lady, looking at Shu Yan as if looking at her own grandson.

"If you like them, pick a few yourself. I'm old, and I'm afraid I won't be able to look after these flowers and plants for many more years. When that time comes, you'll have to look after them well for me."

Shu Yan gently stroked an orange cat on the table next to him. The orange cat rubbed against his hand naturally, clearly very familiar with him as well.

This was just an ordinary orange cat with no cultivation, but it had lived for over fifty years. The reason was simple: the Medical Immortal Douluo had been providing it with a constant stream of life energy.

The Healing Angel is a top-tier healing martial soul, and this martial soul possesses extremely powerful life attributes. Life-attribute soul masters have always been synonymous with longevity. For the Medical Immortal Douluo, extending the life of an orange cat was just a matter of moving a finger.

Shu Yan stroked the orange cat, his expression extremely gentle, and said with a smile:

"Forget it, Grandma Medical Immortal. Your exotic flowers and herbs are even more delicate than I am. Watering them every day must be precise to the exact time, and you have to use all kinds of rare treasures to extract their essence for nourishment. I can't take care of them. Why don't I help you break through a few levels so you can live for another few hundred years and help me take care of my children in the future..."

The Medical Immortal Douluo smiled lightly, thinking this was just Shu Yan's joke.

She had been stuck at level 95 Super Douluo for nearly sixty years, which was already a lifetime for an ordinary person on the Douluo Continent. Her accumulation was already sufficient, but she lacked opportunity and enlightenment.

It was inherently special and difficult for healing-type soul masters to advance. Even someone like Qian Gu Chaosheng hadn't succeeded in helping her, let alone Shu Yan.

However, she could tell that Shu Yan truly had this intention, and she was already very satisfied with that. But thinking of the scene Shu Yan described, she couldn't help but be moved.

In her life, she had experienced the pain of losing her husband and child, which had left her living in agony for a long time. When she first saw Shu Yan as a child, covered in wounds but still full of determination, she couldn't help but be moved.

Hadn't her husband and child once struggled against fate just like this? From that time on, she had been silently watching Shu Yan, until she finally treated him as her emotional sustenance and truly regarded him as her junior. All of this felt like a dream, and even now, it was still the same.

"I know you want to help me, but I've been stuck here for nearly sixty years. Wanting to break through is not a simple matter..."

"Instead of that, why don't you and Jiujiu work hard sooner? Perhaps this old bone of mine can still help you take care of the children for a few more years..."

The Medical Immortal Douluo teased with a smile, her expression very gentle.

Shu Yan just smiled mysteriously and then said:

"If you had said that before, I definitely wouldn't have dared to make such a big claim about helping you break through, but now it's different..."

"Grandma Medical Immortal, you don't know, but our training trip this time involved ransacking that legendary Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well..."

"Perhaps other things can't help you, but top-tier life-attribute immortal herbs definitely can..."

(End of chapter)