Green waves rippled as the distant shore of the lake almost disappeared from view.
Qingquan Lake was located outside Qingquan City.
It wasn’t midsummer yet, nor was it the holiday season, so there weren’t many Flower Boats or pleasure cruises on the water.
Along the shore, a few pedestrians strolled here and there.
With the willows swaying, Ding Nan felt the lingering spirit of spring that hadn’t yet fully faded.
The leaves on the surrounding trees already showed the lushness belonging to summer.
Beyond the azure sky, the outlines of distant mountains blended with the blue, appearing faint and ethereal.
“What are you planning to do?”
“Even though midsummer hasn’t arrived, we can still take a ride on a Flower Boat.”
Luo Yao looked back.
Ding Nan could clearly see her cherry lips, which looked as moist and delicious as jelly.
Her ink-black hair fluttered in the wind, and she instinctively used her hand to cover the back of her head as her hair blew about.
The ponytail on her shoulder swayed like a wind chime.
Her fair, flawless face and dark, sparkling eyes were framed by delicate eyelashes.
“How do you feel, Young Master?”
She was like a flower on the verge of blooming between spring and summer, full of vitality.
Luo Yao was a good girl.
Ding Nan was briefly mesmerized by her, but the Magical Collar swaying on his neck quickly brought him back to his senses.
“A walk? There are no Flower Boats for rent right now,” Ding Nan said with a stiff face.
“I brought a Flower Boat with me.”
With that, she summoned a reddish-brown Flower Boat from her Storage Bag.
The Flower Boat was relatively large for a small vessel, standing at 4 meters high, 5 meters long, and 3 meters wide.
Luo Yao handled it with a light touch, placing it in the water without causing a splash.
The moment the hull entered the water, Ding Nan could clearly hear the sound of the lake water flowing.
the sudden appearance of a Flower Boat caught the attention of the people nearby.
The passersby only stole a glance before looking away.
Although it was rare for someone to produce a whole boat out of nowhere, it was precisely because it was rare that they didn’t dare to gossip, fearing they might disturb the leisure of a person of high status.
“Let’s go, Young Master.”
Without waiting for Ding Nan’s consent, Luo Yao pulled him onto the boat.
As the two of them boarded, the hull continued to rock with the waves.
Ding Nan was pulled along by Luo Yao to sit on the edge of the couch inside the cabin.
A dark brown, short-legged table was placed on the couch.
Then, Luo Yao closed the entrance door of the Flower Boat and formed Dharma Seals with her hands to drive the vessel forward.
The Flower Boat began to move slowly.
“Young Master, what kind of fruits and pastries would you like to eat?”
Luo Yao sat across from Ding Nan.
As she spoke, she took out various fruit plates and pastries.
A gentle breeze from the lake blew into the cabin through the gaps in the carved windows.
The Flower Boat moved slowly and eventually stopped in the middle of the lake.
There were no other boats around, and the figures on the shore had already become blurred.
The man and woman, who had been talking harmoniously, suddenly fell silent at the same time for some reason.
It felt just like a classroom from the old days.
Ding Nan noticed that they were far from the shore now.
He looked out at the vast surface of the lake, which brought a sense of tranquility.
This stillness soothed the irritability Ding Nan had felt over the past few years and days, but it also birthed a certain desire.
It was the desire for the quiet solitude of fishing!
It was quite boring to just look at the scenery without fishing on the lake.
Luo Yao sat with her hands between her legs, looking restless.
“Young Master, it’s so quiet around here.”
“You’re right.”
Ding Nan trembled slightly and asked, “Yao’er, do you have a fishing rod here?”
“Huh?”
Luo Yao paused.
“I… I think so?”
Luo Yao rummaged under the couch for a while and pulled out a fishing rod.
After Ding Nan thanked her, he grabbed a bamboo basket and some pastries.
He pushed open the door to the front deck and hurried out to sit by the water to fish.
He left Luo Yao alone in the cabin, staring blankly in a daze.
“Young Master…”
“Hmm?”
“Young Master, is fishing really that fun?”
“Hey! I got a bite!”
As he spoke, Ding Nan performed a smooth series of maneuvers and pulled up a palm-sized whitefish.
“Fried up, this will go great with some wine!”
Ding Nan said as he tossed the fish into the bamboo basket.
“Young Master!”
“Hey, why don’t you sit down and fish with me?”
Ding Nan suggested.
Luo Yao sat down beside him.
Ding Nan didn’t say another word, his eyes fixed intently on the surface of the lake.
Time passed bit by bit.
Luo Yao felt that Ding Nan was ignoring her.
Luo Yao grew angry.
Her natural pink fingertips reached out, and she slapped a hand onto Ding Nan’s shoulder.
“Young… Master!”
Her tone was extremely displeased.
Ding Nan’s face immediately filled with panic, and he broke into a cold sweat.
“I want to fish! I want to fish!”
Ding Nan choked out.
“I don’t want to do anything but fish!”
“You really have the heart to leave Luo Yao to play by herself?”
Luo Yao snatched the fishing rod from Ding Nan’s hand and snapped it in her grip.
“Young Master, you clearly don’t even like fishing!”
If Ding Nan liked fishing, she would have seen him doing it while they were growing up.
Ding Nan’s fishing skills were entirely motivated by his desire to eat fish and shrimp.
“No! Why would you do something like that?!”
Ding Nan said in grief as he looked at the broken fishing rod.
He had originally thought he would be safe since they were out of the house, but he didn’t expect Luo Yao to still send out invitations.
A person’s energy was limited.
“Does Young Master not like it?”
‘Damn it!’
Ding Nan wanted to scream.
However, he couldn’t beat Luo Yao in a fight.
“Yao’er, let me rest for a few days. I’m just a lowly Body Tempering Realm cultivator. Right now, I don’t even have the strength of the Qi Refining Stage. I can’t hold on anymore!”
Luo Yao lowered her head, her brow furrowing.
‘Is there hope?’
For a moment, Ding Nan seemed to see a glimmer of light.
However, Luo Yao looked up and said, “No!”
Ding Nan’s face turned pale.
This was the Cultivation World.
Once one left the cities, they entered a world where the strong devoured the weak.
If one lacked strength while traveling, they would merely become meat on a chopping block.
Otherwise, why would the peers of his own Ding Clan belittle him so much?
It was because being weak was the ultimate sin.
Ding Nan had always longed to become strong.
It wasn’t to prove how great he was, but to maintain his dignity and give himself peace of mind—in a world like this, Ding Nan had always felt uneasy.
Luo Yao’s strength could not give Ding Nan peace of mind because that strength did not belong to him.
Now that his cultivation had been destroyed and he had to start over, Ding Nan wasn’t angry because he could use the Flowing Cloud Manual to cultivate it back in a single day.
As for wearing the collar, as long as others didn’t see it and it made Luo Yao happy, Ding Nan could barely accept it.
But being dominated every single day was something Ding Nan couldn’t stand.
If this continued, how could he ever reach the peak?
Spiritual Qi was a form of life energy; if Ding Nan wanted to become strong, he had to take care of his own life.
“If this keeps up, I feel like I’m going to become a useless person! Do you really want the person you love to be a cripple?”
Ding Nan couldn’t help but say, his face clouded with anger.
Unexpectedly, Luo Yao’s eyes were dyed with a dark gloom.
Her pale palms cupped Ding Nan’s face, her thumbs pressing against his cheeks.
She lowered her head, staring into his eyes.
“Even if Young Master is a useless person, Luo Yao will still love you!”
Luo Yao’s pupils were like dark whirlpools.
“Huh?”
Ding Nan lost his spirit.
“As long as Young Master doesn’t leave me, anything is fine. You just need to stay by Luo Yao’s side and think only of Luo Yao, until forever.”
Luo Yao’s breath fanned across Ding Nan’s face.
‘Just Luo Yao FOREVER?’
Ding Nan was terrified.
***
After a fierce battle, Luo Yao lay in the cabin of the Flower Boat, holding the exhausted and sleeping Ding Nan.
“I’m sorry, Young Master, but it’s your fault for not coming back for so long. This time, I won’t let you leave no matter what. I’m going to let your body and soul be stained by my color!”