Liang Chen left the house with quick steps and a light heart, he didn't regret his choice in the slightest. Going to the Sebettu might mean that he would get his hands on countless resources and be the source of countless people's admiration, but it was simply far too dangerous when he considered the Sebettu's current position.

Even worse, it wasn't just dangerous for him, it was probably even more dangerous for Yan Ling. The Sebettu would definitely want Liang Chen to produce as many children as he could, all of them with other Sebettu. When he rejected them in favor or Yan Ling, just what would they do to her? They might just lock Liang Chen up and use him as a seed bank to pop out new children as often as possible. He would lose all control over his own life if he went to the Sebettu with his current strength, and all these factors mixing together made it very clear to him that he had to reject the offer to return.

Yan Ling dragged her steps a bit right after the two left the house, ending up just behind Liang Chen. Just as he was about to turn his head and check what she was thinking, he heard a small exclamation from Yan Ling, her body quickly pressing against his back with her legs wrapping around his waist and her arms around his neck. Liang Chen let out a light breath and put his hands beneath Yan Ling's thighs so that he could carry her in a piggyback.

"So what happened to the cute girl who finds the simple act of holding hands in public to be somewhat embarrassing? This is at least two steps above hand holding, you know?"

Of course, even though he said this, Liang Chen had no intentions of complaining, he would take any chance he could to be even the slightest bit intimate with her. Yan Ling gave his shoulder a playful bite before resting her chin on it, leaning her face against his and lightly puffing out her cheeks.

"Humph, are you implying that I'm not cute like this? Also, I'll have you know that I was knocked around a bit during the previous fight, I also had to expend a lot of energy, so it only makes sense for me to be so tired that I need to be carried around!"

Liang Chen knew that she had actually been hit quite a bit in the previous battle and been forced to expend a great deal of her energy, but that clearly had nothing to do with this, she likely just wanted to be spoiled. Still, Liang Chen was not one to turn down a situation like this, half-heartedly nodding his head with a chuckle.

"Aye aye, whatever you say."

Liang Chen continued to carry a silent Yan Ling as they made their way back to their own house, ignoring the drifting gazes of the people they passed. After the two had walked for a little over half an hour, Yan Ling spoke up once more, her voice barely more than a faint whisper.

"Hey, Little Freak... Thank you for staying with me."

Yan Ling knew that Liang Chen only had to go to the Sebettu to get his hands on countless resources and riches, he would have a status that countless people dreamed of having. 9 out of 10 people would probably have immediately said yes to Ren Ooyung's proposition. Since Yan Ling was resting her chin on his shoulder and leaning her head against his, Liang Chen could feel that she was currently rather cold, she was likely somewhat pale from worry. Liang Chen shifted his hands a little, bringing up his left hand and flicking Yan Ling on the forehead without even turning to look at her.

"You're an idiot."

Liang Chen actually used some force when he flicked her on the forehead, a red mark immediately appearing. Yan Ling quickly rubbed her forehead with her right hand, letting out a surprised yelp.

"Ey! I'm calling abuse, abuse I sa... EY!"

Liang Chen flicked her once more and interrupted her sentence. Yan Ling shrunk her neck slightly and seemed like she wanted to file a complaint, but Liang Chen spoke up before she got the chance to open her mouth.

"Do you remember what I told you when we first arrived on this planet?"

Yan Ling was a bit caught off guard by the sudden question, rolling her eyes while going through her memories. They had already been on this planet for quite some time, but with how good the memory of most cultivators was, it didn't take her long to find the answer.

"You said' It must have been hard on you. Thank you for keeping watch over me.'"

Liang Chen flicked her on the forehead once more after she delivered her answer, causing her to let out another yelp and shrink her neck back again, glaring lightly at the back of Liang Chen's head while he was talking.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. Through thick and thin, until this multiverse collapses and crumbles, I want us to always stay together. Do you remember what you responded with?"

Those were the words Liang Chen had ended his confession with, they were his solemn vow, the everlasting promise he made to her. Yan Ling leaned her head on his shoulder again, responding after a short moment of silence.

"...Now you're stuck with me, my Little Freak..."

Just like the words Liang Chen had spoken back then were burned into her mind, so too was her response, mainly because of how satisfying it had felt to be able to say 'My Little Freak'. Liang Chen gave a satisfied nod of his head, a light laugh escaping his lips.

"Exactly. I am your Little Freak, and I am stuck with you until the end of time. And conversely, you are my mischievous fox and you are stuck with me until the end of time. We are stuck with each other, no matter what."

That was what they were, two hopeless people bound to each other for eternity. Liang Chen could feel the part of Yan Ling's head that was leaning against him, her cheek, heating up again, a sweet giggle ringing out next to his head.

"Nihihi, you're a terrible romantic."

No flowers, no presents, just a simple stating of facts. He even used the term 'stuck together', it was indeed not the most romantic as far as gestures were confirmed. But Liang Chen didn't mind, his lips curling into a faint smirk.

"Ey, I managed to bag you, didn't I?"

Liang Chen was accutely aware that he was far from a proper romantic, he almost considered it a borderline miracle that Yan Ling ended up loving him back. Yan Ling didn't deny his statement, giving his cheek a light poke.

"Doesn't that say more about my tastes than it does your skills in romance?"

Now it was Liang Chen's turn to not deny her statement, giving a serious nod of his head and speaking out in the most arrogant voice he could muster.

"Aye, it shows that you have the most excellent taste in the multiverse."

Hearing such an uncharacteristic voice coming from Liang Chen, Yan Ling couldn't help but burst out into laughter, nearly falling down from Liang Chen's back when her grip on his neck loosened due to her laughter.

The two took their time returning to their own house, spending another two and a half hours walking and chatting, the time passing in what felt like the blink of an eye. When they finally entered the house again, Yan Ling hopped down from Liang Chen's back and jumped straight for the couch, landing on her stomach and cradling one of the pillows.

"Ahhh, couch sweet couch! I'm gonna sleep, then I'm gonna sleep, and then I'm gonna sleep some more until I'm all done sleeping. And once I'm done sleeping, I'll get some food and then go back to sleep!"

Liang Chen closed the door behind him, Yumao immediately popping out of his dantian and curling up on top of Liang Chen's head. Liang Chen gave Yumao a few pats on the head, casting a sideways glance at Yan Ling as he headed for the other couch.

"And just where are you going to be getting that food at such a perfect time?"

Yan Ling didn't bother responding, she simply turned her head towards him and flashed him a wide grin, causing Liang Chen to let out a light breath and a mutter.

"Yeah, I figured."

Liang Chen was just about to sit down on the couch when a bell-like sound rang throughout the house, the watermelon-sized orb standing in the corner of the room letting out a bright light. Liang Chen looked at the orb, one of his eyebrows slowly rising.

"Oh, we've already been challenged again?"

It had only been a few hours since they finished their last fight, there was no way this timing was a coincidence. Liang Chen stood up and headed over to the orb, Yan Ling remaining on the couch and calling out, waving him over.

"Whoever it is, tell them to just fuck off and leave us alone. After that, come over here, I need a hugging pillow."

Liang Chen placed his hand on the orb and brought up the information about the person challenging them. Qin Nuan, a female from the Fiendgod race who actually had six arms rather than the normal four, her pitch-black skin also had strange white veins running across it. Liang Chen gave her information a quick read over, relaying it to Yan Ling.

"Seems to be the same as Liao Cui, no records in this tower, probably came here just for us. But yeah, I'll reject her for now."

It didn't say anything about her having a partner so Liang Chen guessed that she would likely be using a puppet, just like Liao Cui had done. Liang Chen rejected the challenge and was just about to head over to Yan Ling when the orb lit up again, Qin Nuan had challenged them again. He frowned slightly, once again rejecting her challenge. But shortly after he rejected it, she sent another challenge, and then another one after he rejected her again, causing Liang Chen to click his tongue.

"Persistent, aren't ya? Well, seeing as you came here just for us, I guess that is to be expected. Still, what a shitty system."

Here on these upper floors of the tower, you could reject five challenges, but once you did that you would have to accept any future challenges. But the problem was, there was no cooldown on sending challenges, you could do as Qin Nuan was doing right now, sending a new challenge the moment you were rejected.

Liang Chen had rejected three of her challenges, meaning that he had two rejections left he could use on this floor of the tower. He gave it a bit of thought, matching eyes with Yan Ling for a short moment before inserting his Qi into the orb and accepting the challenge, setting the date of the battle as far away as he could. After accepting the challenge, he shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the couch that Yan Ling was lying on.

"Alright, we got a fight coming up next month, we should interrogate our opponents to find out just who it is that keeps sending these people. But first, let's go along with your suggestion."

Liang Chen bent forward and picked up Yan Ling, lifting her up into a princess carry and bringing her towards the bedroom, Yan Ling's gleeful voice echoing throughout the house.

"Yay, princess carry!"