Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

(In this chapter, Cheng Yu's two forms are considered as one person, so he is usually referred to as one of the three people...)

Although Cheng Yu no longer resembled a werewolf, he still possessed a powerful sense of smell, an ability he rarely used. While he seldom employed this ability, he used it in his search for his important dragon. He began recalling the scent of the white dragon, Ao Lian, and then followed the scent to find her. Bai Yu followed behind the two Cheng Yus, recording the surrounding situation with the purple bracelet on his right hand. These images could also be transmitted to his two masters through the bracelet. To be honest, this was the first time he had ever seen such a chaotic space.

After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at a tall building. It appeared to be a statue, but the upper half was destroyed, and its whereabouts were unknown. Bai Yu paused there for a moment, then continued following Cheng Yu. He was also eager to see the white dragon. Any god capable of surviving in this kind of space must be extraordinary; he needed to make contact with it.

After walking for about ten more minutes, they finally found the white figure, but the white dragon had its back to them. The moment Cheng Yu saw it, tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his face. Although slime tears are mostly slime and gargoyle tears are practically nonexistent, it was clear that Cheng Yu was crying in both forms.

The two Cheng Yu rushed up behind Bai Long and hugged him from behind. Bai Yu watched this scene with some envy, wishing he could find a partner so he wouldn't have to worry about his two masters all the time.

Aolian stood in the palm of a giant statue, which was likely the upper half of the previous statue. The white dragon, feeling the embrace from behind, was both happy and powerless. He said with some distress, "Why did you come back again? Why do you never listen to me? Coming back again and again, do you know how dangerous this is?" Bai Yu, watching this scene, could feel the white dragon's pain and his love for Cheng Yu.

"I...I..." Cheng Yu choked, unable to speak. He hugged Ao Lian tightly, as if trying to meld him into his own body. "I...I missed you so much..."

"Silly boy..." Ao Lian sighed softly, turned around, and hugged Cheng Yu. "I missed you too..."

The three strange creatures embraced tightly, as if time had stood still. Bai Yu stood aside, watching them quietly, his heart filled with emotion.

"Ahem..." After a long while, Bai Yu coughed lightly twice, breaking the warm atmosphere. "Um... excuse me, may I ask..."

"Hmm?" Ao Lian raised her head and looked at Bai Yu. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Bai Yu, Cheng Yu's friend," Bai Yu introduced himself. "And this is...?"

“I am Aolian,” Aolian said. “I am Chengyu’s…good friend.”

"Friend, are you sure?" Bai Yu's eyes scanned the three people embracing. "You guys..."

“Yes.” Aolian nodded. “We’re together now, so we’re lovers.”

"Wow..." Bai Yu exclaimed, "This is so nice..."

"Don't listen to his nonsense! That's not true at all!"

"What about Hakan? Are you sure he won't be angry?"

"It's okay, I believe he'll understand!"

Who is Hakan?

……

Cheng Yu patiently introduced Hakan to Ao Lian, after all, he was also her partner. Although Ao Lian had never said that she was Cheng Yu's partner, Cheng Yu had directly made him his target. After hearing about Hakan, the white dragon nodded, also happy that Cheng Yu had found such a good red dragon partner. After all, there weren't many dragons who were good to their partners, and from the description, Ao Lian felt that this red dragon must be very reliable.

Bai Yu nodded in agreement. Indeed, the red dragon was very reliable. Aside from sometimes seeming a bit silly, it was clear he only became that way for Cheng Yu's sake. The two Cheng Yus confidently raised their chins; after all, anything they set their sights on was generally good.

The three resumed their business. Ao Lian looked at the two Cheng Yus standing before him, not at all surprised, and was actually quite pleased that Cheng Yu possessed so many unique abilities. However, this couldn't dispel his concerns. Cheng Yu absolutely shouldn't have returned to this hellish place. Each time someone entered, getting out became even harder. He had already paid a heavy price to help Cheng Yu escape the previous two times; he didn't know what he would have to pay this time. Looking at Cheng Yu before him, he decided to send him out, but that would be difficult, as the other seemed determined not to leave without being taken out. And Bai Yu beside him—he could tell it was this guy who had brought Cheng Yu in.

Although he knew this was Bai Yu's friend, he was still angry. After all, if it weren't for him, how could Cheng Yu have returned to this place? He sighed and didn't dwell on it anymore. Since Cheng Yu was already here, he could only show him around the area. Before sending Cheng Yu back, they had plenty of time to spend together. This time together might be the last time they ever saw each other. He buried this thought in his heart. He wouldn't tell Cheng Yu. He would still send Cheng Yu back, and he would find a better way to prevent Cheng Yu from ever coming back.

Afterwards, Aolian led the three of them to stroll around the area. From the ancient architectural complex, it was clear that this was a tribe, and a rather advanced one at that. However, why was it suddenly destroyed, and by whom? And for whom was that huge statue erected? After asking Aolian, he did not provide any answers. He said that he did not know either. This chaotic spacetime was constantly changing, and he did not know what it would look like after the changes. Perhaps everything here came from the future, or perhaps from the past.

"So... what do you usually do here?" Cheng Yu asked curiously.

"It's nothing much, just looking around to see if there's a way out," Aolian said. "But this place is too big and changes frequently, so there hasn't been much progress."

"So... what will you eat?"

“Although it’s chaotic here, there are some things to eat.” Aolian pointed to some plants not far away. “The fruits and roots of those plants are edible, but they don’t taste very good.”

"How about... I cook you something to eat?" Cheng Yu said. "I brought ingredients and seasonings."

"You can cook?" Aolian asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course!" Cheng Yu said proudly, "My cooking skills are excellent!"

"Then... I'll have to trouble you." Aolian smiled. "I haven't had normal food in a long time."

Cheng Yu immediately got to work. He took out various ingredients and seasonings from his bag and began preparing a meal. Bai Yu helped out from the side.

"What are you going to do?" Aolian asked curiously.

"Hmm... let's make some braised pork!" Cheng Yu said. "Do you prefer it sweet or savory?"

"Sweet." Although Aolian didn't know what braised pork was, wasn't it more romantic to eat something sweet with someone she liked?

"okay!"

Soon, an enticing aroma wafted out of the pot.

"Wow, it smells so good!" Bai Yu couldn't help but exclaim. "Cheng Yu, your cooking is amazing!"

"Of course!" Cheng Yu said proudly, "I'm an adventurer whose talents were wasted on cooking!"

"Hehe..." Aolian looked at Cheng Yu's busy figure, her eyes filled with tenderness. "Thank you, Cheng Yu."

"Don't be so polite!" Cheng Yu laughed. "We're partners!"

“Yes, friend.” Ao Lian nodded, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

"companion!!!"

Soon, a pot of fragrant braised pork was ready. Cheng Yu ladled the braised pork onto a plate and placed it in front of Ao Lian.

"Try it!" Cheng Yu said.

Aolian picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork, and put it in her mouth.

"Mmm..." Aolian's eyes lit up immediately. "Delicious! It's so delicious!"

"Haha, eat more if it's delicious!" Cheng Yu laughed.

"Ok!"

The three sat together, enjoying the fragrant braised pork and chatting in a warm and cozy atmosphere.

The group sat together, enjoying this rare and heartwarming moment. The fragrant braised pork not only warmed their stomachs but also brought them closer together.

"Mmm...this braised pork is so delicious!" Bai Yu exclaimed indistinctly as he devoured the food. "Cheng Yu, your cooking is absolutely amazing! It's even better than my master's!"

"Hehe, of course!" Cheng Yu proudly raised his chin. "Let me tell you, my skills were honed through countless attempts! Back in the day, when I..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Bai Yu quickly interrupted Cheng Yu. "I know you're about to start telling your weird stories again. Let's talk about something else."

"Okay." Cheng Yu shrugged, seemingly unsatisfied. "So, what shall we talk about?"

"Hmm..." Bai Yu thought for a moment and said, "Ao Lian, you just said that things change frequently here, mainly in terms of space and time, right?"

“Yes.” Aolian nodded. “The space here is very unstable, often twisting, folding, or even becoming disordered. Time is the same; sometimes it suddenly accelerates, sometimes it suddenly decelerates, and sometimes it even flows backward.”

"For example?" Bai Yu asked curiously.

"For example, a brand-new house might become a dilapidated old house in the next second, as if it has been weathered by hundreds of years of wind and rain. And time in a space can also change in an instant; one second it's a bright and sunny day, and the next second it's a starry night," Aolian explained patiently.

“This is very similar to a place I encountered before,” Bai Yu said thoughtfully. “I once accidentally entered a place called ‘Time-Space Turbulence,’ where time and space were extremely chaotic, very similar to this situation.”

"A spacetime turbulence?" Aolian frowned slightly. "That's an extremely dangerous place. How did you get out?"

“My master saved me,” Bai Yu said. “They are extremely powerful space and time dragons. They used space magic to pull me out of the spacetime turbulence.”

“I see.” Aolian nodded. “It seems your master is indeed a remarkable person.”

"Of course!" Bai Yu said proudly, "My masters are the most powerful gods of time and space in the world!"

"By the way," Bai Yu changed the subject and continued, "Ao Lian, Cheng Yu, have you seen anything special here... um... how should I put it, something like a 'relic'?"

"Relics?" Aolian and Chengyu exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

“I haven’t seen anything special here,” Aolian said. “Although things change frequently, most of the time it’s just ordinary buildings and plants.”

“I’ve seen some strange things that are somewhat similar to these in a tribe,” Cheng Yu said. “There are some items that look like tools or weapons. They look very old, but the craftsmanship is very exquisite. They are quite different from the tools we use outside. It feels like the tools here are more… how should I put it, more advanced.”

"What tribe?" Aolian hurriedly looked at Cheng Yu, praying in her heart that perhaps it wasn't what he thought.

“Oh, it’s the place I told you about before,” Cheng Yu lied. “I lived there for a while and discovered some strange things.”

"Could you describe it in more detail?" Bai Yu asked.

“Hmm… For example, I saw a tool in that tribe that looked like a hoe, but its material was very special, a metal I had never seen before, and its shape was also very strange, with many complex patterns on it. It didn’t look like it was used for digging, but more like… a weapon.” Cheng Yu tried hard to recall. “I also saw something that looked like a lamp, but it didn’t need fuel. Just by placing it there, it would emit a soft light, and this light seemed to have some kind of special energy that could dispel the surrounding darkness and cold.”

“These things…” Bai Yu pondered, “They do sound like some kind of ‘relics,’ and they likely come from a civilization with a technological level far exceeding that of the tribe you mentioned.”

"Technological level?" Aolian asked, puzzled. "What's that?"

“Well… to put it simply, it refers to the level of advancement of a civilization in science and technology,” Bai Yu explained. “Judging from Cheng Yu’s description, these ‘relics’ likely came from a very advanced civilization, perhaps even more advanced than the civilization we live in now.”

"How is this possible?" Aolian exclaimed in surprise. "Is there a civilization more advanced than ours?"

He thought of the prediction his teacher had made to him long ago: that their world and civilization could not continue to develop and could only stagnate.

“This is just my speculation,” Bai Yu said. “However, based on the current situation, it’s quite likely. I think this is probably a scene from the future, or rather, a ‘fragment’ from the future.”

"A future scenario?" Cheng Yu and Ao Lian both looked incredulous.

“Yes.” Bai Yu nodded. “Based on the spatial and temporal characteristics here, and the ‘relics’ that Cheng Yu discovered, I speculate that this place is likely a future scene. As for why it appears here, and why it has become so chaotic, I have no idea.”

"Then... what should we do?" Cheng Yu asked.

“I might have a way,” Bai Yu said. “I need to contact my master and have him come here to take a look. However, he used up a lot of magic power in his bracelet to make the bed for me, and he is still recovering. It will probably take him two days to get here.”

"Two days..." Aolian pondered, "Then let's wait here for your master to contact you."

“Hmm,” Bai Yu said. “My master is very proficient in time magic. As long as he comes, he will definitely be able to solve the mystery here. Moreover, if this place is really a scene from the future, then we may be able to rewind time to restore the original appearance of that giant statue and thus learn some truths that Ao Lian does not know.”

"Time reversal?!" Aolian asked in disbelief, "Is your master really that powerful??"

“Of course! It’s a very powerful time magic that can turn back the time of an object or a region to a state at a certain point in the past,” Bai Yu explained. “If we can successfully turn back the time of that statue, we can see what it originally looked like, and even see the process of its destruction, thus understanding what exactly happened here.”

“I see…” Aolian nodded thoughtfully. “That’s great. If we can find out what happened here, we might be able to find a way out.”

“Yes, that’s what I was thinking too,” Bai Yu said. “So, let’s rest here for the next couple of days and wait for my master to arrive.”

"Okay." Cheng Yu and Ao Lian both nodded.

So, the group settled down temporarily in this unknown space. While waiting for Master Bai Yu's arrival, they explored their surroundings, trying to find more clues about this mysterious space. The destroyed statue stood there silently, as if telling a story of a hidden past…