810: Gift Treasure

How could he not see the key to the situation? As her father, he had long understood his daughter's feelings. Ever since Yao Delong first acted to resolve that troublesome demonic poison for him, his daughter's heart had likely been tied to this stunningly brilliant Sect Prodigy.

Being able to break through while in seclusion at Yao Delong's place this time was surely a stroke of immense Opportunity! This favor was far too heavy! Han Tianzheng's heart was filled with a mix of emotions, which finally transformed into a deep sigh and a sense of relief: "Nephew Yao... no words can express my gratitude! Ruyi... I'll leave her in your hands!"

Finally, on the morning of the fifth day.

The door to the Secret Chamber was gently pushed open.

A slender and graceful figure appeared at the doorway. She wore a well-fitted, moon-white long dress, the hem swaying gently with her steps, outlining her budding, exquisite youthful figure perfectly.

Her already pure and ethereal face now possessed an even more lustrous glow due to the advancement in her cultivation. Her autumn-water eyes were clear and bright, as if containing the stars. Her aura had stabilized at the Late Nascent Soul Stage; although it still carried a hint of the volatility from just breaking through, the surging vitality and fluctuations of spiritual energy clearly proclaimed her transformation.

It was indeed Han Ruyi!

Her gaze immediately locked onto the figure sitting composedly by the stone table in the courtyard, holding a cup of clear tea—Yao Delong.

In an instant, all the worry, longing, the joy of the Breakthrough, the relief of surviving a disaster, and that hidden affection that had long since taken root and sprouted, erupted like a volcano!

"Big Brother Yao!"

A soft cry filled with endless complex emotions escaped her lips, carrying a hint of a tremble. Han Ruyi's figure turned into a moon-white flash of light, bringing a faint fragrant breeze. Without hesitation and with reckless impulse, she threw herself directly into Yao Delong's embrace! Her arms tightly encircled his waist, and her head was buried deep in his broad, warm chest.

Feeling the young girl's slightly trembling body and her unreserved reliance in his arms, Yao Delong's heart softened. He set down his teacup, his large hand naturally wrapping around her slender waist while his other hand gently stroked her soft black hair and the back of her cool hand, his movements gentle and filled with comforting strength.

"Alright, it's all over now," Yao Delong's voice was low and gentle. "The beast tide has receded. That Nine Infant Demon King has been taken away by a powerhouse of the Yao Race; even if he isn't dead, he's crippled. The Yao Race suffered heavy losses in this battle; they won't dare invade Bhikkhu City again anytime soon."

Han Ruyi nodded vigorously in his embrace, greedily breathing in the reassuring masculine scent on him. Only after several breaths did she lift her head, her large watery eyes full of lingering fear and concern: "Big Brother Yao... you aren't hurt, are you? That Demon King was so powerful..."

Seeing the pure worry in the girl's eyes, Yao Delong's heart warmed, followed by a surge of heroic pride as he laughed heartily: "Silly girl, don't you already know your Big Brother Yao's strength?"

He deliberately straightened his back, carrying a bit of arrogance as if looking down upon the world: "Below Body Integration, I am invincible; above Body Integration, I'll take one down with me!"

"Oh! You're not allowed to say such things!" Hearing this, Han Ruyi's pretty face turned pale. Like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, she nervously reached out her jade-like hand to cover Yao Delong's mouth, her eyes filled with reproach and deep worry. "If you can't win, then run! What 'take one down with you'—that's so unlucky! You... you absolutely must not let anything happen to you!"

Feeling the faint fragrance and the cool touch of that small hand against his lips, and seeing her anxious and serious expression, the warm current in Yao Delong's heart grew even stronger. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, the wildness in his eyes turning into gentle indulgence: "Fine, fine, I'll listen to you. If I can't win, I'll run."

He gently moved Han Ruyi's hand away, patted it in his palm, and then brushed his other hand over his Storage Ring.

Swish!

Three treasures, glowing with flowing light and emitting powerful spiritual energy fluctuations, instantly appeared on the stone table.

The first item: an inner armor as thin as a cicada's wing, warm to the touch and shimmering with a blue light like water ripples—the low-grade heavenly artifact, Blue Wave Profound Scale Armor. Its defensive power was astonishing, and it could automatically trigger a water ripple shield in times of danger to deflect most of an attack.

The second item: a necklace made of countless fine wind crystal stones, with a verdant wind-attribute Divine Stone embedded in the center—the mid-grade heavenly artifact, Wind Whisper Azure Mist Chain. Not only could it amplify a wind-attribute Cultivator's spiritual energy circulation speed and Spell power, but it could also form a miniature 'Wind Whisper Domain' around the wearer, enhancing movement speed and evasion.

The third item: a Flying Sword carved entirely like ice crystal, with wisps of cold air swirling around the blade and an Ice Soul Pearl embedded in the hilt—the high-grade heavenly artifact, Ice Soul Cold Light Sword. Its cold air was biting, its sharpness peerless; wherever the sword light passed, everything would be frozen!

These three treasures shone brilliantly with abundant spiritual energy, instantly illuminating the entire small courtyard with flowing colors! They were all spoils of war Yao Delong had collected from his past adventures or battles. Their quality was excellent; for an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator, any one of them would be enough to serve as a prized family heirloom! But for Yao Delong, who possessed a Dao Artifact and had extremely high standards, they were indeed like chicken ribs, left to gather dust in a corner of his ring.

Han Ruyi's gaze was instantly drawn to these three treasures. Her beautiful eyes widened, her small mouth opened slightly, and she couldn't help but gasp!

"This... Big Brother Yao?! This is too precious!" She waved her hands in refusal as if she had been burned, her voice even trembling a little. "I... I can't accept this! This... every single one of these is..."

She remembered when she advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, her parents had almost emptied half of the family's assets just to get her a low-grade heavenly artifact Flying Sword of decent quality. The three items before her, especially that biting Ice Soul Cold Light Sword, were simply of immeasurable value!

Seeing her frightened little deer-like appearance, Yao Delong couldn't help but laugh again: "Silly girl, if I tell you to take them, then take them!"

He pointed at the treasures, his tone as casual as if he were talking about a few stones: "These Magic Treasures happen to suit your wind and ice attribute Physiques. The inner armor protects you, the necklace assists your cultivation and movement, and the Flying Sword enhances your offensive power. Keeping them with me is just a waste of space; in a battle at my level, they wouldn't even withstand the aftershocks."

"But... but..." Han Ruyi still felt uneasy, her small face turning red with anxiety. "Trading these Magic Treasures for cultivation resources could also help you, Big Brother Yao! You need them more for your cultivation..."

"Hahaha!" Yao Delong laughed even more heartily, his eyes flashing with a mischievous and profound light. He leaned forward slightly, closing in on Han Ruyi's ear, and whispered in a magnetic voice that only the two of them could hear:

"Silly girl, I... don't need these external things for my cultivation."

He paused, watching the girl's earlobes instantly turn bright red, a wicked arc curling at the corner of his mouth: "With you here... you are my best 'resource'..."

The hint in these words instantly reminded Han Ruyi of their previous lingering and beautiful Dual Cultivation time, that wonderful feeling of rapidly rising cultivation and the blending of Divine Souls... With a boom, she turned red from her ears to the base of her neck, like a cooked shrimp, so embarrassed she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"You... you're so bad! Big Brother Yao!" She covered her face, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum as she complained coquettishly. Her small hand couldn't help but give Yao Delong's arm a light punch, though the force felt more like an act of spoiling.