Walking right into the trap

"Big bro, am I sick?"

"I feel like I'm about to die."

"My whole body is weak, I have no energy, and the world seems so much darker."

Da Huang lay sprawled on the ground, utterly lifeless, his eyes glazed over as if he had lost all interest in living—even the joy of existence itself had faded.

"What's wrong with him?"

Yi Tuo was curious. Da Huang was usually so lively, so why had he been so downcast these past few days?

Was it just because of the dog chain?

But now that Little Earthworm had returned to its true form and they were all eating together, why was Da Huang still unhappy?

"Don’t mind him. He’s just bored out of his mind."

"As the saying goes, 'When well-fed and warm, lustful thoughts arise.' He’s not sick—he’s just missing the brothel."

Chen Chang'an knew Da Huang all too well. He could see right through the bastard’s schemes with a single glance.

This so-called "lifelessness"? Just nostalgia for the brothel.

"Big bro, you really get me."

"It’s been so, so long since I last visited a brothel."

"You know me—I’m a sentimental guy."

"And I’m so kind-hearted. If I can’t go and help those poor girls, my conscience won’t rest."

Hearing Da Huang’s words, Yi Tuo and Little Earthworm were puzzled. What was this "brothel" place, and why was Da Huang so obsessed with it?

"I don’t like going to those kinds of places."

"Do you think either of them can take you there?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smirk.

Them?

Da Huang glanced at Yi Tuo and Little Earthworm, suddenly missing Xiao Yao deeply. If only Xiao Yao were here—his shapeshifting skills were top-notch.

"Yi Tuo, you’ve been out in the world for a while now. Can you turn into a human?"

"If you can, I’ll take you out for some fun."

"Guaranteed to make you never want to leave."

Turn into a human?

Yi Tuo considered it and decided to give it a try. But no matter how he twisted and transformed, he couldn’t quite pull off a full human appearance.

"Nope, still not quite there."

"I don’t know why, but turning into a human is the hardest."

"Guess I can’t go have fun with you," Yi Tuo grumbled.

"I can."

Suddenly, Little Earthworm shot Da Huang a teasing look, as if saying, Beg me. Go on, beg me.

"I don’t believe you!"

Da Huang scoffed, giving Little Earthworm a disdainful side-eye. They were both divine beasts—if he couldn’t transform, how could this little brat who’d just been born?

No way he’d fall for that trick!

Want him to beg?

Dream on!

"Alright, we’ve eaten enough."

"It’s time to get moving."

"Da Huang, stop overthinking it. Do you even think there’s a brothel in a place like this?"

Chen Chang'an shook his head helplessly, gave Da Huang a light kick, and then continued their journey.

The Cloudflow Domain was vast, and reaching Skypride City wasn’t something they could do in just a day or two.

After about two more months of travel, even Chen Chang'an was growing weary of the endless journey. He decided to stop at a bustling city nearby to rest.

"This place is huge."

"Feels even bigger than Skypride City back in the Profound Heaven Domain."

"Did we already arrive?"

Once inside the city, Da Huang was practically vibrating with excitement, his eyes darting around—though his focus was unmistakably fixed on one thing: the brothel.

"Why do I feel like everyone’s staring at us?" Yi Tuo noticed that as soon as they entered, the townsfolk were eyeing them strangely.

Admittedly, their bizarre group was quite the spectacle.

"Big bro, big bro! I see the brothel!"

"Holy crap, it’s massive—"

"Shut up, you’re embarrassing me."

Da Huang’s outburst left the surrounding onlookers stunned. Some even burst out laughing.

To them, a dog getting this excited about a brothel could only mean one thing: its owner was a frequent visitor.

So naturally, they didn’t blame Da Huang—they blamed Chen Chang'an.

"So this is a brothel?"

"It really is huge."

"Big bro, are we going in?"

Chen Chang'an had stopped Da Huang, but Yi Tuo’s innocent question only cemented the townspeople’s assumptions.

Tch.

So young, so handsome—and already a brothel regular!

"It’s not like I want to go!"

Chen Chang'an glanced around at the judging stares and shrugged helplessly.

"Hmph."

The crowd responded with cold, disbelieving snorts. Yeah, right.

"Ugh."

"My reputation is ruined..."

"Big bro, you never had a reputation to begin with. In the Cloudflow Domain, your name isn’t exactly... stellar," Da Huang added, twisting the knife.

"Hey, hey, everyone, quiet down—let me say something—"

"Shut up. The dog chain doesn’t get a say."

"Damn it..."

To avoid further embarrassment and chaos, Chen Chang'an quickly had Yi Tuo pick up the pace, settling them into a decent-looking inn.

What he didn’t notice was the figure standing outside the inn—a man with a grim expression, his gaze locked onto Chen Chang'an.

After a long moment, as if confirming Chen Chang'an’s lodging, the man finally turned and left.

He rushed back home, ignoring the odd looks from others, and hurried straight to a secluded courtyard.

"Qi Fang, requesting an audience with the Ancestor."

"I sensed your panic from afar. What’s happened?"

"Ancestor... he has appeared!"

He has appeared?

At those words, the Ancestor of the Qi Family materialized before Qi Fang in an instant.

"You’re certain it’s him?"

"Absolutely. I couldn’t possibly mistake him."

"I saw him when he visited our family all those years ago."

"No doubt about it—he’s staying at an inn right now."

"Though... I don’t think he realizes this is Qi Family territory."

The Ancestor of the Qi Family smiled. After all these years of waiting, he had finally returned.

"Go."

"You, personally."

"Bring him back to the Qi Family."

"I’ve waited too long for this. It’s time to settle our old debts."

Qi Fang nodded. "Understood. But what if he—"

"I don’t care how you do it. Just get him here."

"Now go!"

"Yes!"

Once Qi Fang left, the Ancestor of the Qi Family couldn’t contain his excitement.

"How should I... properly welcome this old friend of mine?"

"Ha ha ha!"

"I’ll have to... prepare something special."