Chapter 15: My Daughter Has a Best Friend Like Steel

Cloud Duo’er used to have such a gentle temperament. Even when classmates bullied her, at most she would hide in a corner and cry for a while—never would she, as she did now, start swinging fists at the slightest provocation. And where on earth did she get that vine? It looked formidable.

These days, everyone was talking about the omnipresent dungeons. His father had gone along with the crowd and entered two dungeons, supposedly of F and E rank. There were indeed monsters inside—some breathed fire, others would suddenly burst from the ground to attack. His father even brought back the carcass of one such fire-breathing beast.

But Wei Wenhao had never seen a vine like Cloud Duo’er’s.

So obedient, so well-behaved, and clever too! He wished he had one himself. A flicker of envy flashed through Wei Wenhao’s eyes.

“Don’t worry, Wei Wenhao,” Cloud Duo’er threatened with practiced seriousness. “I’m just scaring your mom a little, I won’t really hurt her. Of course, if she can’t take a hint and insists on disturbing my mother’s rest, then I won’t mind letting Jinjin teach her a lesson.”

Yu Yan pressed her lips together in a faint smile. Her little Duo’er was growing up, knowing how to protect her mother. She felt a complicated mix of emotions. In truth, she’d been awake for a while—not long, but enough to hear how Cloud Duo’er had shielded her throughout. At first, having just awakened, she was still dazed, having slept nearly fifty hours straight—something she’d never done in either of her two lives.

By the time her thoughts had cleared, Cloud Duo’er had already instructed Jinling to act, sealing the strange woman’s mouth. Yu Yan was curious to see what her daughter would do next, so she’d kept her eyes closed. Yet now she could wait no longer. “Duo’er, Mama’s had enough sleep,” she said, opening her eyes and sitting up, her gaze gentle as she looked at Cloud Duo’er.

“Mama!” Cloud Duo’er cried out, nearly bouncing with joy. She shot toward Yu Yan like a little cannonball, leapt onto the bed, and wrapped her arms tightly around her mother’s waist. “Mama, you’re finally awake…” Her small body trembled; the past two days had terrified her.

Though her mother’s breathing had been steady, she’d thrown countless Holy Light Orbs and Healing Light Runes her way. Whenever she regained a bit of energy, she’d immediately use another Holy Light Orb or Healing Light Rune on her mother.

Still, her mother hadn’t woken. Cloud Duo’er had been full of anxiety.

Yu Yan gently embraced her daughter’s thin little body, stroking her back. “Don’t be afraid, Cloud Duo’er. Mama will be fine.” In fact, she felt better than fine—waking from that sleep, she was more energized than ever.

Brimming with vigor, Yu Yan felt she could tackle two more high-level dungeons without a problem—so long as they were only at ten percent power; thirty percent would be pushing it. Having been reborn, Yu Yan cherished her life too much to take such risks.

After a while spent in quiet affection, Yu Yan looked over at the woman still bound by Jinling. “Duo’er, why don’t you let her go?”

Though the woman had been rather aggressive, it was, after all, Yu Yan and her daughter who had intruded into her home. It was understandable that she’d want them out. Cradling Cloud Duo’er, Yu Yan got out of bed and put the bed away with a flick of her hand. “You’re Wei Wenhao’s mother, aren’t you? I’m sorry—I didn’t know anyone lived here.”

“I’m truly sorry for disrupting your life.” When they’d first emerged from the dungeon, Yu Yan had been so exhausted she had barely looked around. Seeing no one, she’d assumed the family had perished inside the dungeon, and hadn’t bothered to check for signs of life. “This piece of Gu Eagle meat is our payment for occupying your home these past two days.”

“If you trust me, let your husband eat it—it’ll do him good.”

She didn’t linger after speaking. Seeing that Cloud Duo’er had already withdrawn Jinling, she took her daughter’s hand and prepared to leave.

“As if I want your lousy—” The final word, “meat,” faded on the woman’s lips. She shrank back in fear. “Um, if you’re still tired, you could… actually stay and rest a bit longer.” The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to slap herself. What was she thinking? The sooner this ominous mother and daughter left, the better. Why invite them to stay?

Yu Yan withdrew her gaze coolly. Three years in the dungeon world had exposed her to people of every stripe; this woman was nothing special. Gu Eagle meat was notoriously awful, and eating it meant three days of diarrhea. If the woman had been more polite, Yu Yan might have offered a piece of Mystic Serpent or Mystic Turtle instead.

Though she’d only give out fourth-grade meat—anything higher was too precious. The latter tasted far better and, most importantly, didn’t cause stomach troubles.

As for now, if she had anything lower-grade than fourth, she wouldn’t have given even this much. Awful as Gu Eagle meat was, it was still fourth-grade of the Mystic tier. Even Mystic-tier spirit meat could grant someone enhanced powers, turning them into a decent ability-enhanced being. Oh well—for the sake of Cloud Duo’er’s classmate’s mother… In her last life, Cloud Duo’er had died young, becoming Yu Yan’s deepest pain.

This time, with her daughter at her side, nothing else seemed as important.

“Mama, what should we do next?”

“We’re going to find Grandma.”

Cloud Duo’er hesitated.

“What is it?”

“Mama, I have a classmate who lives nearby—she’s my best friend in class. I used to be timid, and whenever I was bullied, she always stood up for me. Could we…”

Yu Yan’s heart melted instantly. She’d always known her daughter was timid, but hadn’t realized the bullying at school. Cloud Duo’er had always come home smiling, claiming she was happy at school whenever Yu Yan asked.

Her sweet, considerate child!

“Of course we can. It’s not as if we must rush to see Grandma this very moment.”

Truth be told, there was urgency. If she left even a moment later, her mother might not survive until she arrived, perishing in the dungeon world. In the real world, only ten kilometers separated them; after the dungeon world descended, finding her mother could take months, even a year or more.

After all, people move around; they don’t just stand still. The dungeon world descended unpredictably, and the journey to her mother would be fraught with unknown dangers.

Hadn’t she been unlucky to the extreme in her last life? Three years, and she never found her mother.

This time, she was confident she’d find her in a year or less, thanks to the spoils of the past three days and the immense advantage of rebirth.

But most importantly, as a mother, how could she refuse such a humble request from Cloud Duo’er? Her daughter only wanted to check on her best friend—a friend who had always protected her before the dungeon world’s arrival.

A few hours’ delay was nothing; even ten days or half a month, Yu Yan would grant her daughter this small wish. Of course, if it stretched to a month or two, that would have to wait. No matter how close a friend, they couldn’t compare to one’s own mother. Even as a reborn person, Yu Yan couldn’t protect everyone.

As for that so-called “ironclad best friend,” she would have to rely on her own fortunes.