She Only Deserves Dog Food

At the edge of the Western Continent, above the boundless ocean.

A massive flying boat hung in the sea of clouds tens of thousands of feet in the air, like a solitary, proud skiff.

Carved from thousand-year-old pink peach wood, the entire hull exuded a decadent, subtle fragrance. Embroidered on the massive sails with gold and silver threads were mandarin ducks with their necks affectionately entwined. As the sea breeze blew, the array flags fluttered loudly, rippling outward in circles of ambiguous pink spiritual light.

This was the Joyous Union Sect's highest-grade Boat of Bliss, traditionally deployed only when the Sect Master or the Grand Elder traveled.

Yet at this moment, at the bow of this boat symbolizing power and desire, the atmosphere was suffused with a suffocating eeriness.

Ye Xuan wore a green robe, his long hair casually tied back with a plain ribbon.

He leaned lazily against the carved jade railing, the sea breeze whipping his sleeves until they fluttered like butterflies. Holding a white jade wine flask in one hand, he tilted his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing as he poured the crisp spiritual wine down his throat.

His gaze passed over the rolling sea of clouds and landed on the azure line where the sky met the water. His eyes were profound and cold, devoid of any worldly warmth.

And curled up in his embrace was a figure of breathtaking beauty.

Ye Qingcheng.

She wore an incredibly thin, plain silk dress without the enhancement of any defensive arrays, looking just like a stray cat that had finally been granted permission by its master to be held in his arms.

Her entire body trembled uncontrollably, not from the freezing high-altitude sea breeze, but from a thrill and ecstasy that shuddered from the very depths of her soul, nearly causing her to faint.

She had waited for this moment for far, far too long.

She had never dreamed that Ye Xuan would take the initiative to invite her on an excursion.

A few days ago, Ye Xuan had walked out of the secluded meditation room in the Listening Rain Pavilion with a slight frown, saying only mildly, I am stuck at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Seclusion is useless. Why don't we go out for a walk?

Just this casual sentence had nearly caused Ye Qingcheng, who had been kneeling outside the door like a stone statue for three whole days, to weep with joy and pass out on the spot.

She thought this was a turning point, that her senior brother was finally willing to look her in the eye. She thought that as long as she was obedient enough, she could earn back the chance to even just follow behind him.

Thus, she prepared like a madwoman.

She personally went to the sect's treasury to select this most stable Boat of Bliss, personally carved the highest-tier isolation arrays, and even meticulously decorated the massive deck to match the elegant and refined style Ye Xuan favored most.

She tried to turn this place into a small world belonging only to the two of them, free from outsider intrusion.

She hadn't even wanted to bring along the maid named Ying'er; she was jealous that the mortal girl could receive her senior brother's gentle gaze.

But right before their departure, Ye Xuan merely shot her a cold glance and spat out three words: Bring Ying'er along.

Ye Qingcheng immediately put away all her resentment and jealousy, obediently inviting Ying'er onto the boat.

Now, she didn't dare disobey him in the slightest. Even a breath or a frown from him could leave her utterly terrified.

At this moment, Ye Qingcheng buried her burning cheeks tightly into Ye Xuan's chest, greedily and almost morbidly inhaling his clean, crisp scent.

Senior Brother...

Her voice was so soft it seemed it would melt into the wind, carrying a heavy nasal tone and a plea. You're finally willing to bring me out... I'm so happy... Qingcheng is truly so happy...

As if desperately trying to confirm something, she wrapped her arms around Ye Xuan's waist, her ten fingers clutching his clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned a stark white.

Ye Xuan lowered his eyes, looking down at her from above.

There was no disgust or anger in his eyes, only a calmness akin to looking at a dead object.

He didn't push her away, nor did he respond to her words of affection.

He simply reached into his storage ring and pulled out a dusty, coarse cloth bag.

It was dog food he had bought at a market, mixed with low-quality demonic beast bone powder and coarse grass seeds, giving off a faint, fishy stench.

Ye Xuan pinched a hard, dry, brown piece of kibble and brought it next to Ye Qingcheng's breathtakingly beautiful face, pressing it against her soft, rosy lips.

Open your mouth.

His tone was flat, as if issuing the most ordinary command.

Ye Qingcheng froze for a second. She looked at the coarse dog food, a trace of extremely hidden humiliation flashing deep in her pupils. But it was only for an instant before this humiliation was swallowed by a much more manic self-loathing and morbid obedience.

Immediately after, as if struck by a monumental favor, a terrifyingly bright light erupted in her eyes.

She obediently and submissively opened her mouth, carefully licking away the dry kibble.

Crunch, crunch...

The coarse bone powder scratched her delicate throat, bringing a slight stinging sensation.

Yet Ye Qingcheng chewed it with great relish, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents, with tears of happiness even welling up in the corners of her eyes.

It's delicious...

As she swallowed, she tilted her head up, rubbing her cheek against Ye Xuan's palm, the end of her voice trembling. Whatever Senior Brother feeds me... is delicious...

She ate it with utmost seriousness, as if savoring some peerless delicacy. Paired with her holy and noble face, it created a jarringly absurd and decadent contrast.

Ye Xuan absentmindedly wiped the saliva from his fingertips onto her hair and continued to tilt his head back to drink, his gaze returning to the distance.

He didn't look at her again.

He didn't even have a single ripple of emotion.

But the more careless he acted, the more anxious Ye Qingcheng felt, and the more desperately she wanted to prove her worth, to prove her value.

On the other end of the flying boat.

Ying'er sat at the stern, hugging her knees. Over the past few months, piled high with countless top-grade pills, she had successfully reached the Foundation Establishment realm.

After undergoing the cleansing of her meridians and marrow, her skin had become even fairer, and her aura had turned much clearer.

She opened her sparkling eyes wide, watching the hair-raising scene on the deck, and finally couldn't help but mutter softly, Master... that's dog food.

Hearing this, Ye Xuan slightly turned his head and glanced at Ying'er.

The wind blew his loose hair by his temples, and a very faint, yet utterly cruel smile curled the corners of his mouth. Is it? But she likes it very much.

Ying'er shuddered under his smile and immediately hurried over like a sycophant, changing the subject with a grin. Master, where are we going this time?

Ye Xuan tilted his head back and took another swig of wine. The spicy liquid flowed down his chin and slipped into his robes.

His voice was scattered by the sea breeze, carrying a sense of utterly bored emptiness:

Whatever. Anywhere is fine.

Nowadays, he truly lacked nothing.

That crazy woman Xia Lengyue, and this willingly degraded Ye Qingcheng in front of him, acted as if they were possessed, emptying their respective fortunes to shower him with resources.

Top-grade spirit stones, extinct pills, ancient magical treasures, Heaven-tier cultivation methods...

The resources in his storage ring were enough to establish another mid-tier sect.

He was stuck at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm not because he lacked resources, but because he lacked the state of mind, a thread of enlightenment to break through the bottleneck.

Since secluded meditation was useless and forcibly attempting a breakthrough would only lead to cultivation deviation, he figured he might as well come out to relax and see the vast world.

Ye Qingcheng was originally obsessively licking the crumbs from the corners of her mouth. Hearing Ye Xuan's words, "Anywhere is fine," she abruptly raised her head.

Her once sorrowful eyes were now frighteningly bright, revealing a frantic madness born from the fear of being utterly useless and abandoned at any moment.

"Senior Brother!"

She suddenly straightened up and knelt by Ye Xuan's legs. Eagerly grabbing his sleeves with both hands, she spoke at a rapid pace, "I know a wonderful place! The Biluo Archipelago in the Eastern Sea! The sea and sky merge into one color there, and the spiritual energy is abundant. It's the perfect place to relax your mind!"

"And... and there are many rare spiritual fruits and sea beasts there... Qingcheng can go to the bottom of the sea to gather pearls for you, Senior Brother, and catch the most delicious sea beasts to go with your wine..."

The more she spoke, the more urgent she became. Her voice was so soft, as if she were afraid of disturbing something. Her eyes were glued to Ye Xuan's face, not daring to shift away for even a second, terrified of missing the slightest hint of displeasure in his expression.

"Senior Brother... let's go there, alright?"

She pleaded humbly, like a pathetic wretch offering up her most beloved toy in an attempt to please her master.

Ye Xuan quietly observed her terrified and reverent demeanor for a full ten breaths of time.

Those long ten breaths were more agonizing than a death by a thousand cuts for Ye Qingcheng. Her breathing even came to a halt.

It wasn't until Ye Xuan withdrew his gaze, turning his attention back to the vast Eastern Sea, that he let out an extremely faint sound from his nose:

"Mhm."

It was just a single sound, yet it acted like a royal edict of pardon.

Ye Qingcheng collapsed to the floor in sheer relief. Her tears instantly broke their banks, though she desperately held back from crying out loud.

"Thank you, Senior Brother... thank you for your permission, Senior Brother..."

She scrambled frantically toward the control hub of the formation. Completely disregarding her dignified status as a mighty expert of the Tribulation Transcendence realm, she personally stuffed massive amounts of supreme-grade spiritual stones into the formation core.

The Elysium Skiff let out a low rumble, and its giant formation flags shifted in the wind. The hull pierced through the clouds, leaving a long trail across the azure sky. Like a pink shooting star, it sped rapidly toward the depths of the Eastern Sea.

As for Ye Xuan, he remained seated at the bow of the skiff, watching all of this with cold eyes, a sneer curling at the corners of his mouth.