"You can't be serious! You're eight years older than him!" Ruox Wendol stared at Ouyang Shanshan in shock, utterly unable to believe the audacity of her friend's idea.
Ouyang Shanshan blushed and smiled shyly. "Of course not. What I mean is to have him pretend to be my boyfriend so I can find a way to escape the Murong family's control."
Ruox shook her head in disbelief. "You really think that such a ridiculous plan might work? Honestly, it's crazy enough to work because the Murong family's old fossils are currently tied up dealing with other clans, so they likely won't make a move. As for their younger generation, I doubt any of them can rival this guy."
"Inner essence Subtle entry Realm, huh? That's not a level you can reach in your twenties or thirties," she added, marveling. Martial artists often said, 'Below the Acquired Realms, one is not a martial artist; stepping into Inner Essence Realm signifies understanding the Martial Dao.'
The term "Dao" itself carried weight, symbolizing the profound and the unattainable. Once someone stepped into the Inner Essence realm, they'd glimpsed the threshold of martial cultivation. While they might not fully cross it, they could perceive it clearly—an aspiration for all martial artists.
While the two women whispered about their schemes, Grayson, the subject of their discussion, remained blissfully unaware. His sleep could only be described as utterly profound. By the time he woke, it was already midday on the third day.
"Ah... That was a fantastic sleep," Grayson stretched lazily, his voice ringing with satisfaction.
No wonder he felt so refreshed. Having drained every ounce of his strength and lost significant vitality, his body automatically healed itself through sleep. The Breaker of Armies cultivation method within him operated on its own, not only repairing his injuries but even pushing his strength to the peak of the Acquired Realm, brushing against the threshold of the Inner Subtle Entry Realm. Such a breakthrough left Grayson delighted and excited.
"My goodness, you're finally awake! If Ruox hadn't assured me you were fine, I'd have taken you to the hospital," Ouyang Shanshan remarked as she walked in, clad in an apron and holding a spatula.
Grayson swallowed nervously. Ouyang Shanshan had always been charmingly seductive, but seeing her in casual home attire paired with an apron added an unexpectedly alluring touch.
"Hey, what are you staring at? Are you okay now?" Ouyang Shanshan's face flushed slightly, but her tone remained composed.
Grayson quickly sat up and responded awkwardly, "I'm fine. How long was I out?"
"Two days and two nights. It's the morning of the third day now," she replied, holding up two fingers for emphasis.
"Wait... This isn't my room. Is this your house?" It finally dawned on Grayson that the room was unfamiliar. The feminine decor was unmistakable, and on the other side of the bed sat a giant teddy bear.
Noticing his gaze, Ouyang Shanshan blushed deeply. "That's... uh... Ruox's. She left it here. It's not mine," she stammered.
Grayson mentally rolled his eyes. Yeah, sure. Like anyone would believe that.
Just as he was about to comment, his stomach growled loudly, betraying his hunger.
"Haha, come eat!" Ouyang Shanshan laughed, her embarrassment replaced by smug amusement at Grayson's predicament.
Grayson eagerly wolfed down the food. "Wow! I didn't expect someone like you—a rich, beautiful woman—to cook this well. It's amazing!" he mumbled through mouthfuls of food.
"Of course! I'm a rare gem, the perfect combination of beauty and domestic skills," she quipped with pride.
They both froze for a moment at her words. Grayson simply continued eating, while Ouyang Shanshan's face turned red as she suddenly found her toes fascinating.
As Grayson devoured his meal, he remembered something crucial: he had been unconscious for two days! That meant he'd completely missed out on two days of capturing monsters. Worse, he hadn't checked on Wolfy, the injured wolf cub.
Focusing on his internal storage, he sighed in relief. Wolfy was alive and well, frolicking happily inside. A quick glance at the system showed that while he had missed capturing monsters, the system had compensated him slightly. Instead of the usual two capture attempts per day, his limit had increased to four, seemingly rolling over unused opportunities.
Still, losing two days felt like a painful waste.
"Hey, do you have World of Mountain and Mouths installed on your computer?" Grayson asked, his tone cautious. Someone like Ouyang Shanshan didn't strike him as the type to play such games.
To his surprise, she did—and not only that, she was in the same server as him, playing as a female elf druid.
"Wow! You're on my server? But why is your character only level 3? That's so low for an old server like ours," she exclaimed, peering over his shoulder.
"Well… I used to play Horde, so, uh... yeah," Grayson said sheepishly. He couldn't exactly explain that he'd had to start fresh because he'd linked his account to the Monster Master system.
"Really? What's your Horde character's name?" she asked absentmindedly, following the flow of their conversation.
Without thinking, Grayson answered, "General."
The next moment, Ouyang Shanshan froze, then exploded. "What? YOU'RE that despicable General? I'm going to strangle you!" She lunged at him in a fit of rage, grabbing his shoulders.
At that exact moment, the door opened. Ruox Wendol stepped in, holding a parcel. Her eyes widened at the scene before her, then she turned around and walked back out, saying, "Sorry to interrupt. Please, continue. I'll come back later."