152: You shouldn't mind, right?

After agreeing to Shen Yueyao, Lu Yi immediately checked the System interface in his Sea of Consciousness.

He saw that the reward for the advancement of the Star Immortal Art had already transformed into a tangible, golden stream of light.

It floated quietly in the depths of his Divine Soul, waiting for him to comprehend and initiate Fusion at any time.

However, Option 1, the reward that promised to raise his entire Realm, was in a strange "half-grey, half-bright" state.

And below the originally brief description, a line of small text had now appeared:

【Task Progress: Phase 1: Agree to pretend to be her Dao Companion (Completed)】

【Phase 2: Help her overcome this hurdle (Not Completed)】

【Note: Only by completing all phases can the reward be claimed.】

Lu Yi looked at that line of small text, the corners of his mouth twitching wildly.

He had only just realized that it was no wonder the reward for 【Option 1】 was so Heaven-Defying, directly raising his entire Realm.

It turned out that this was not a reward he could get just by "saying yes," but a multi-stage, long-term task!

"Hey System, you guy!"

Lu Yi couldn't help but complain wildly in his heart:

"You thick-browed, big-eyed System, you're getting increasingly crafty now, aren't you?"

Facing Lu Yi's complaint, the System pretended to be dead and remained silent, without any reaction.

Lu Yi could only shake his head helplessly and close the interface.

Regardless, the reward for Option 3 was at least in his hands.

...

In order to act out this "deeply affectionate" grand drama well the next day without revealing any flaws,

that night, Lu Yi and Shen Yueyao spent an entire night discussing the "details of being Dao Companions."

The two spent the night "rehearsing the script."

For example, how they met, how they developed, and how far they had progressed.

Shen Yueyao knew this matter concerned her lifelong happiness, so she could only suppress her shame and memorize the cheesy lines Lu Yi had fabricated one by one.

...

The next morning.

"Creeak—"

The doors of the Saintess Hall slowly opened.

Shen Yueyao had changed into a gentle, elegant outfit that was no longer so seductive, her long hair simply pinned up.

She held Lu Yi's arm tightly with both hands, almost pressing half her body against him.

The two walked out of the room in an intimate posture, and Lu Yi was even helping her tidy the loose strands of hair at her temples.

The scene looked just like a pair of newlyweds who had just finished being affectionate and were inseparable.

However, this warm scene did not last long.

Just as they stepped out of the hall, an elderly woman wearing dark brown brocade robes stood in their way.

This person had an extremely mean-looking face, the type of rigid, strict, and difficult-to-deal-with tough character found in large Families.

Behind her stood several guards with steady Auras and expressionless faces, clearly harboring ill intentions.

Seeing the two walk out of the sleeping quarters so intimately,

a flash of undisguised disgust instantly crossed the elderly woman's eyes.

But on the surface, she still maintained the hypocritical etiquette of a large Family.

She bowed slightly, performing a flawless greeting:

"This servant greets the Young Miss."

Immediately, she straightened her body and said in a stiff, cold tone without a hint of warmth:

"Young Miss, you have played enough outside, it is time to settle down. Today, you will return to the Shen Family with this servant."

She didn't even glance at Lu Yi, issuing an ultimatum directly:

"If you drag this out any longer, the Family Head will become anxious. The betrothal gifts... have long been prepared, just waiting for the Young Miss to return."

Hearing the words "return to the Shen Family,"

Shen Yueyao's body trembled instinctively, and she subconsciously hugged Lu Yi's arm tighter.

"Huu..."

She took a deep breath, gathered the courage she had built up the previous night, raised her head, and said coldly:

"Nanny Gui, I am not going back! I have already sent word to my father, and I made it very clear."

She glanced at Lu Yi beside her, a flash of tenderness in her eyes:

"I already have a Dao Companion, and it is this Saint Son of Taichu beside me! We have already pledged our lives to each other and are of one mind. Go back and tell my father to give up this thought!"

"Heh..."

The woman known as Nanny Gui did not show surprise upon hearing this.

Her sharp eyes finally looked directly at Lu Yi for the first time.

Her gaze held scrutiny, as well as the high and mighty disdain of someone from the Upper Realm.

"Dao Companion?"

Nanny Gui curled her lips into a sneer and shook her head:

"Young Miss, I know your temperament best. This kind of childish trick is fine for fooling outsiders, but don't perform it in front of me."

Before the words fell,

"Buzz—!"

A very strange, eerie green light suddenly emerged in Nanny Gui's eyes!

Her gaze was uninhibited, staring straight at the place where the Yuan Yin Qi gathered in Shen Yueyao's lower abdomen.

"You! Impudent!"

Shen Yueyao was shocked and subconsciously tried to cover it.

But the opponent's secret technique was activated extremely quickly; in just an instant, Nanny Gui withdrew her gaze.

The eerie light in her eyes dissipated, and the disdain on her face instantly turned into certainty and triumph.

"Hmph!"

Nanny Gui snorted coldly, her tone becoming aggressive:

"I have cultivated this 'Qi Identification Technique' for decades. Young Miss, your Yuan Yin has not been lost; you are clearly still a maiden!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Shen Yueyao immediately felt that she had miscalculated.

She had calculated everything, but she hadn't counted on this seemingly ordinary nanny sent by the Family actually knowing such a Qi-observing secret technique!

Wouldn't the lines they rehearsed yesterday all lose their effect?

Nanny Gui took a step forward, her Aura overbearing, and said triumphantly:

"The Young Miss's so-called Dao Companion is nothing but nonsense! Young Miss, the farce is over! Come with me, don't make us 'invite' you back!"

With her lie exposed in public, Shen Yueyao was speechless, not knowing how to refute.

A sense of despair welled up in her heart; could it be... that she really couldn't escape?

However, at this embarrassing, desperate, and critical moment,

Lu Yi took half a step forward, blocking Shen Yueyao behind him.

He did not feel the slightest embarrassment or panic because the lie had been exposed.

On the contrary, he looked at the triumphant Nanny Gui with the eyes of someone looking at a bumpkin.

He spoke leisurely, his voice not loud, but every word was heart-piercing:

"This Nanny, although your secret technique is practiced well and your eyes are quite sharp, but..."

Lu Yi shook his head, his face full of regret and mockery:

"Your knowledge... is a bit too shallow."

"What do you mean by that?!"

Nanny Gui frowned, a bad premonition rising in her heart.

Lu Yi looked at her and suddenly said something shocking:

"Who stipulated that to be Dao Companions... one must lose their virginity? Who stipulated that mutual affection must involve the real deal?"

Under the astonished gaze of Nanny Gui and Shen Yueyao,

Lu Yi spread his hands and said righteously:

"Nanny, times have changed. In this world... there are many ways to play without breaking one's virginity."

Lu Yi gestured with his hand and mouth, his eyes extremely playful:

"The tricks are even more bizarre. The beauty of it cannot be described to outsiders. We, as a young couple, have unique tastes. We just like to play a bit wildly and keep that last bit of mystery. Is that not allowed?"

Seeing Nanny Gui's instantly stiff expression, as if she had eaten a fly, Lu Yi delivered a Soul-crushing blow:

"As for these 'little hobbies' of ours, I suppose the other party... shouldn't mind, right?"