Chapter 65: We Return to Hujiao City

Early morning, Ding Nan woke up and saw the bed curtain.

“Yo, you’re awake.”

A light, airy voice flowed into Ding Nan’s ears like a cool breeze.

Ding Nan looked toward the sound and saw a person wearing a light blue silk skirt paired with white silk stockings, her big toe hooked into her shoe as it dangled up and down.

Morning light fell upon her, like frost in the warm winter sun.

She propped her cheek on her hand, the back of her hand pressing against her face, an ambiguous smile hanging on her lips.

It was none other than Xi Yuyan, who hadn’t slept all night.

At this moment, Xi Yuyan was as radiant as the sunlight outside, but her eyes were secretly sizing up Ding Nan.

“Last night you didn’t seem to sleep well. Did you have a strange dream?”

As she spoke, she put on her shoes, stood up, and started walking toward Ding Nan.

Seeing Xi Yuyan approaching, Ding Nan choked and let out a shrill, strange cry.

This was a woman.

He was lying in bed.

Woman and bed.

Confinement, coercion, domination, exploitation, and the phantom pain left by Luo Yao.

“Stop, stop right there!”

Ding Nan suddenly showed a terrified expression.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you suddenly like this? What’s gotten into you early in the morning?”

Xi Yuyan kept walking as she spoke.

As she came closer step by step, Ding Nan couldn’t stop gasping for air, his chest and abdomen heaving violently.

“…Don’t!”

Ding Nan stretched out his finger, pointing at Xi Yuyan.

He shouted in panic, “Don’t come near me!” Like a certain red octopus-headed boss who could neither survive nor die in countless reincarnations of death.

Seeing Ding Nan so afraid, Xi Yuyan stopped.

After panting for several minutes, Ding Nan gradually came back to his senses.

He realized that the person in front of him was neither Ji Lanruo nor Luo Yao, but just an ordinary Xi Yuyan.

This woman had not known him for long, so there was no way she would do anything inappropriate to him.

So it’s fine, Ding Nan!

Ding Nan repeatedly comforted himself in his heart.

Ding Nan wiped his face with his hand.

He had never imagined that now he would be so afraid of that sort of thing.

In his own feelings, he still liked Luo Yao. In terms of preferences, he felt his interests had never changed.

But now he would feel fear toward such matters.

Fear that Luo Yao might pop out at any moment, giggling as she beat him into a piece of preserved pork belly, and then eat him up.

‘I need to rest a bit…’

Ding Nan thought.

Originally, after recovering his spirits, Ding Nan thought he had returned to normal, but it seemed he wasn’t fully healed yet.

Xi Yuyan returned to her seat and waited quietly.

When Ding Nan stopped gasping for breath, she slowly spoke: “Feeling better now?”

“Much better…”

Ding Nan shook his head and got out of bed.

“What kind of nightmare did you have that made you react so strongly?”

Xi Yuyan asked, her eyelids drooping, a faint light in her eyes.

“It’s like you saw a ghost.”

Ding Nan covered his head and made up an excuse: “It’s nothing, just some matters not worth mentioning to outsiders.”

Xi Yuyan looked at Ding Nan, nodded, and pretended to believe him for now.

“Then come over quickly for breakfast. In a while, we’ll check out and head to the port,” Xi Yuyan called to Ding Nan.

“Port?” Ding Nan was slightly startled.

“Didn’t I mention it before? I’m from Hujiao City. I was only staying temporarily in Wancheng.”

“What’s wrong?” Xi Yuyan looked up, quietly staring at Ding Nan.

Ding Nan hesitated, his face showing difficulty: “Hujiao City is in Dongzhou. I’ve never been that far from home before.”

Dongzhou, a large coastal area in the eastern part of the continent.

Between the Ding Clan’s Western Barrens and Hujiao City lies Zhongzhou.

After crossing over, the farthest Ding Nan had ever been from home was when he followed Ding Wen to a neighboring, more prosperous city to watch acrobatics and stage plays.

Such a distance—this would be his first time traveling so far in this world.

Although he was already eighteen, according to clan rules, he should have gone out to train and embark on the path of cultivation.

“Hmm, everyone eventually has to leave their family,” Xi Yuyan said with a slight smile.

“Can I ask, do I have to go?” Ding Nan tested the waters.

“Then you’ll have to check how much traveling money is left in your money pouch.”

Xi Yuyan clasped her hands together, grinning.

Her tone was gentle, but her words were full of threat.

‘Can’t you just come home with me first and then get the money?’

Ding Nan wanted to say this, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

After what happened last night, he understood that he actually didn’t dare to go back.

So, he comforted himself with the thought that ‘I’ll have to go out training anyway’, walked to the table opposite her, and picked up chopsticks.

“You’ve thought it through?” Xi Yuyan raised her willow-like eyebrows slightly.

“Yeah, if I’m your servant, how will you calculate my wages? Is it a servant in the general sense, with no additional job content, right?” Ding Nan held his chopsticks and asked.

“Just a servant who does laundry, cooks, and takes care of my daily needs. As for the monthly pay… twenty middle-grade spirit stones.”

Xi Yuyan paused for a moment, then said.

“Isn’t that a bit too little…”

“Compared to ordinary servants, that’s a full five middle-grade spirit stones more. If you don’t want it, I’ll change it to fifteen middle-grade spirit stones a month.”

Xi Yuyan’s face darkened, and she smiled lightly.

The pressure from her Golden Core Mid-stage over his Early Qi Refining Stage was just too great…

Ding Nan was frightened by her terrifying expression.

He felt she wasn’t in a mood to negotiate today—not because of the money issue, but because she set a fixed price and clearly had no interest in haggling, simply because she wasn’t in a good mood.

Ding Nan had no objection—doing laundry, cooking, taking care of daily needs, with higher pay than average, was already pretty good.

“Then it’s settled.”

Seeing Ding Nan silent, Xi Yuyan took it as his agreement.

They had breakfast and then checked out of the guest room.

Ding Nan didn’t have many belongings—he only carried a bag containing the three new sets of clothes he had bought.

Xi Yuyan walked in front, Ding Nan followed behind.

Soon, they arrived at the Flying Boat port in Wancheng.

One after another, airships of different sizes slowly docked at correspondingly sized terminals.

Xi Yuyan went alone to buy the boat tickets.

Since Ding Nan had no travel permit on him, he had to get a new one issued.

Normally, reissuing a travel permit was very troublesome, requiring various procedures and several different guarantors, but fortunately, this time the guarantors included not only Xi Yuyan but also the old city lord of Wancheng.

Ding Nan temporarily obtained a new travel permit under the status of a student at Nanyang Academy.

“Here’s your boat ticket.”

Xi Yuyan held the ticket between two fingers, fluttering in the wind.

“Oh, thanks,” Ding Nan said.

Ding Nan looked down—it was a diamond-shaped, light red boat ticket.

On the ticket was written: One-way.