Cultivation OnlineCultivation Online
"Ah, those two? They're my partners, Meixiu and Chu Liuxiang." Yuan explained.
"Partner… so you're breeding them?" she spoke calmly. The weird phrasing and her calm tone sent shivers down Yuan's spine.
He cleared his throat and explained, "While some humans enter a relationship with the determination and intent of having children, not everyone wants children. We became partners because we love each other."
"What is love?"
"It's an emotion we feel towards someone we want to be with forever—someone you really like. For example, you like to eat food, right? Love is basically several times more intense than that."
"Hm. I still don't understand."
Yuan pondered for a moment before asking her, "How do you feel about me? What emotions do I invoke from you?"
Yingzi stared at his handsome face in silence.
"You pique my interest. You're always full of surprises. Also, when I look at you, I don't feel the desire to rip you apart, unlike others," she said a moment later.
"You've followed me for over two years now. Why?"
"At first, I wanted to learn more about humans. But before I realized it, I found myself wanting to learn more about you."
"Then how do you feel about following me for the rest of your life? Would you be able to do it?"
"I'm not sure what to feel, but I can't imagine following you for the rest of my life," she responded with a calm expression.
Yuan smiled and said, "If you can imagine yourself following me—or anyone for that matter—for the rest of your life, you'll get closer to understanding the feeling of love. With that said, love is a very complex emotion, even for us humans, and there are many different types of love. Of course, it's also fine if you don't understand it for the rest of your life. It's just an emotion, after all. Just like how some people never feel fear, it's possible some will never experience love."
"By the way, why do you want to understand humans?" Yuan suddenly asked.
"I don't really have a reason. I think I am inherently interested in them," she responded. "Is there a problem with that?"
"No, that's fine. We humans often do things for no reason, too."
"I—"
Just as Yingzi opened her mouth, another voice interrupted.
"Welcome back, Yuan! Are you taking a bath? Let me join you!" A cheerful voice came from outside the bathroom.
The very next moment, a naked Chu Liuxiang could be seen strolling into the bathroom with a bright smile on her face.
However, her smile froze when she noticed an unfamiliar little girl resting in the same bathtub as Yuan.
"Eh? Huh? Wait…" Chu Liuxiang's brain nearly overheated from trying to comprehend the situation.
Chu Liuxiang had no qualms if Yuan found more partners, having already come to terms with and accepted the idea. However, the girl with Yuan appeared so young that it would instantly raise many eyebrows wherever they went, and even someone as accepting as Chu Liuxiang couldn't help but feel a sense of concern.
Seeing Chu Liuxiang's panicked and perplexed expression, Yuan said, "Calm down, it's not what you're thinking."
He proceeded to explain the situation in a calm but hasty manner.
"First of all, she's not as young as she looks. She's actually from the Primal Expanse, and she somehow followed me back to Earth when I logged out."
"..."
After taking a long moment to process this information, Chu Liuxiang asked, "But why are you taking a bath together?"
"I am teaching her about humans and our culture. Ah, she's also not human."
"So she's not the 'third'?" she asked for clarification.
Yuan calmly shook his head.
Chu Liuxiang heaved a deep sigh of relief once her worries were eliminated.
"Oh, I was worried for a second there."
Chu Liuxiang went to take a quick shower before entering the bath with them.
"Hello, I'm Chu Liuxiang," she introduced herself to Yingzi.
"I'm Yingzi. We were just talking about you," Yingzi said.
"Really? About what?" Chu Liuxiang's eyes flickered with curiosity.
Yuan gave her a brief description of the subject.
Chu Liuxiang chuckled after hearing it.
"Is that so? But Yuan, if you ever want a child, don't hesitate to ask me."
Yuan silently nodded with a somewhat stiff smile.
"By the way, how did she follow you from the Primal Expanse?" Chu Liuxiang asked a moment later.
"Her race has the power to control and enter shadows. She entered my shadow right before I logged off and managed to come out through my real body."
"Such a thing is possible…? That's ridiculous… and has some serious implications…" Chu Liuxiang muttered in disbelief. "I know what you're thinking, but if Yingzi is able to come to Earth through her own powers, we cannot dismiss the possibility that others could accomplish the same," Yuan sighed.
"Isn't that really dangerous for us?" she asked.
"It is. However, I doubt there are many beings out there who have such capabilities. Still, we need to be careful where and who we log off around from now on in case we do meet someone similar to Yingzi."
Chu Liuxiang nodded with a serious face.
Sometime later, the three of them left the bathroom.
"By the way, the Dragon God Festival was postponed for a month, and I'll be staying here for the whole duration. However, I cannot leave Yingzi unattended, so I'll be accompanying her for a bit." Yuan said.
Chu Liuxiang nodded, "Alright. Then I won't bother you for the time being."
"Can you let the others know the situation for me?"
"Of course."
After giving Yuan a passionate kiss on the lips, Chu Liuxiang returned to Cultivation Online.
Meanwhile, Yuan went to find Meifeng. However, she was also inside Cultivation Online.
'I guess Yingzi can experience her food later.'
Yuan brought Yingzi outside.
"I don't know where to bring you, so let's just wander until you find something you want to eat," Yuan proposed with a casual smile.
"Okay!" she nodded eagerly.