Chapter 31: Sharing the Ride, Forbidden

Fu Chen looked at Ling Dian, taking in her alluring, curvaceous figure, her stunning and bewitching face, and the ambiguous, teasing smile she wore.

Realizing that staring was impolite, he offered a shy smile and shook his head with firm resolve. "Thank you, but I still feel that relying on my own efforts is more reliable."

Nearby, Qin Yumou, who had been pretending to feed her mount while eavesdropping, felt the tension in her heart suddenly dissipate upon hearing this answer.

She cast a reproachful glance at Ling Dian, then swung onto her mount and urged Fu Chen, "Hongchen, let’s get going."

Fu Chen nodded. "Alright, you go ahead; I’ll be right behind you."

"Are we not going together?" Qin Yumou asked, puzzled.

Fu Chen tapped his forehead and gave a wry smile. "Did you forget that your mount has a base speed of 12 meters per second?"

"Hehehe, you mean that?" Qin Yumou giggled and nodded. "Fine, then I'll wait for you up ahead."

Watching Qin Yumou ride off like a flash of lightning, Fu Chen hurried to follow.

Behind him, Ling Dian called out with lingering reluctance, "Little brother Hongchen, I’m being serious. You should reconsider..."

Fu Chen, naturally, did not take such casual, teasing remarks to heart. He waved a hand behind him and continued on without a moment's hesitation.

A quarter of an hour later, at the Sifang Village teleportation point.

As soon as Fu Chen arrived, he saw Qin Yumou waiting nearby on her Silver Dragon cub.

The Silver Dragon cub was entirely silver-white, with blue, crystal-like scales on its chest, ankles, and tail. Such a magnificent and extraordinary beast mount drew constant glances and gasps of admiration from the passersby.

Fu Chen couldn't help but pause in surprise. He walked over and asked, "I thought I told you to go on ahead? Why are you waiting here?"

Qin Yumou pursed her lips in a faint smile. She shot a quick glance at Fu Chen, then hurriedly looked away, lowering her head as she whispered, "I discovered that this mount can carry two people. You should get on, too. We’ll save time and effort if we go together."

Fu Chen was taken aback by this and stood frozen in place, his eyes filled with hesitation.

As a person reborn, Fu Chen had owned mounts in his previous life and was well aware that mounts in the Perfect World could carry two riders. The issue was that riding together necessitated physical contact, something usually reserved for intimate couples.

Seeing Fu Chen hesitate, Qin Yumou felt a flicker of annoyance, her face flushing as she urged him, "What are you hesitating for? Aren't you getting on? I don't want to be stared at by everyone here forever."

Fu Chen thought to himself, "I'm a man; why am I less forthright than her? What on earth am I overthinking?"

He gave a frank smile and thanked her. "Thanks, then I won't stand on ceremony."

He reached out to steady himself on the saddle and leaped up, seating himself firmly behind Qin Yumou.

The saddle on the Silver Dragon cub had a handle in front and was about a meter long, so it didn't feel cramped with two people. Even so, as Fu Chen sat down, Qin Yumou couldn't help but tense her body.

To mask her nervousness, she leaned forward and gently patted the Silver Dragon cub's neck. "Let's go!"

The various mounts in the Perfect World possessed a degree of spirituality, with higher grades being more intelligent. As a top-tier divine beast, the Silver Dragon cub was exceptionally spirited and could commune with its master's thoughts.

Receiving the command, the Silver Dragon cub let out a joyful roar, reared up on its hind legs, pivoted, and bolted forward.

Caught off guard, Qin Yumou tumbled backward into Fu Chen’s chest, her ears turning a burning shade of red.

Fu Chen, sitting behind her, was in an even more awkward position. Unable to reach forward to grab the handle, he nearly fell off the dragon's back. Fortunately, his reflexes were sharp; he clamped his legs tight around the saddle and steadied himself by catching hold of Qin Yumou’s shoulders.

Fu Chen couldn't help but give an awkward laugh. "Your mount is quite lively—a bit of a handful!"

Qin Yumou, however, couldn't help but think to herself, "Hongchen looks thin, but his chest is actually quite solid."

Between the two of them—one feeling awkward and the other shy—they deliberately avoided conversation, maintaining a heavy silence for a time.

The Silver Dragon cub lived up to its reputation as a divine beast; even while carrying two people, it moved like the wind. The Yiju Mountain, which would have taken half an hour to reach, was reached in just over ten minutes.

The mountain was currently swarming with newcomers teaming up to hunt monsters and complete quests. The sudden appearance of the Silver Dragon cub left them all filled with surprise, awe, and envy.

"Wish today! They even have a mount already? What level are they?"

"Ah~~~ Such a beautiful mount! Honey, honey, I want one too!"

"Who doesn't want a mount? But we have to level up first; once we're high enough level, we can buy one too."

The pair rode the Silver Dragon cub through the crowd and arrived at the southwestern foot of Yiju Mountain. This area was home to level 8 monsters like wild wolves, horned snakes, and ox-foot laborers—the very destination of their trip. These monsters had the highest probability of dropping level 9 skill books.

Fu Chen jumped off the mount first and waited for Qin Yumou to return it to her pet space.

He then spoke, "Same as before: you practice your skills as the main attacker, and I'll stay on the sidelines to assist."

"Understood!" Qin Yumou nodded, gripped her long spear, and charged straight at the nearest wild wolf.

With a crisp and efficient strike, she landed a [Dragon Appearance] on the monster and followed up immediately with [Inch Power].

"Those two skills are coming along well," Fu Chen praised with satisfaction, then finished off the monster with a single [Dragon Appearance].

Qin Yumou charged at the next monster without hesitation, while Fu Chen stayed behind to collect the loot. Upon closer inspection, the ground only held gold coins and crafting materials; there were no skill books, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment.

He quickly gathered the items and hurried to catch up with Qin Yumou.

Working in this coordinated manner, the two began sweeping through the level 8 monsters at the foot of Yiju Mountain. One focused on fighting and practicing skills, while the other provided backup, acting as the "cleanup crew" and offering tactical guidance.

Their efficiency in killing monsters was so high that passersby were left in awe. Fu Chen, in particular, stunned everyone; whenever he struck, the monsters were almost always killed instantly.

They fought their way from the wild wolf territory to the horned snakes, and finally to the ox-foot laborers. Each kill of a level 8 monster granted them an average reward of 23 cultivation points and 12 soul points.

As they swept through the area, their cultivation values steadily climbed, and before long, Qin Yumou broke through to level 11. They also accumulated a constant stream of gold coins, materials, and various common pieces of equipment. They even managed to find seven or eight job-specific skill books—some for Human Mages, others for the Untamed or Winged Elves.

Yet, unfortunately, they couldn't find the two Martial Artist books they were actually looking for.

Even Qin Yumou began to grow anxious. "How can this be? Is the game intentionally not dropping Martial Artist books?"

Fu Chen felt frustrated as well, though having experienced this many times in his previous life, he was no longer surprised. He smiled to comfort her: "Keep going. Focus on your skill practice; don't worry about the rest."

And so, they spent the remaining time fighting their way from the ox-foot laborers all the way back to the wild wolves. By the end, even Fu Chen had leveled up to 11, yet not a single Martial Artist skill book had dropped.

Fu Chen finally gave up, exasperated. "I've hit level 11 just from grinding these mobs, and still nothing. If it’s not meant to be, then I’m done seeking it!"