Dual Cultivation God Returns Chapter 1034: A subtle but meaningful change

Old Yen awaited Wu Long's arrival, pondering the unusual delay of the young man, until the door swung open at last.

"Boss! I wa-...", a smile lit his face before he froze in place as Xue Bing stepped into the room first, Wu Long right behind her, with Butler Bang trailing last, "...a~ahahaha... s-so you're with Lady Xue..."

With a nod and a smile, Wu Long grasped Old Yen's bewilderment at her unexpected appearance—he had been taken aback as well, yet it was a joyful and pleasant shock when she materialized after his encounter with the thieves and plainly stated, "I wanted to see you so I came".

All of this began roughly an hour earlier...

—

In a gazebo at the Dream Realm Main Manor, Xue Bing joined Hua Ziyan, Ye Ling, Cai Yin, Wei Lan, Gong Liwei, and Song Lingfei.

Laughter and chatter filled the air as they sipped tea and enjoyed treats, Xue Bing offering only sporadic comments while mostly listening, true to her typical demeanor.

In the midst of their gathering, Xue Bing suddenly rose to her feet.

"Ah, heading back to training already? You've only just arrived, stay and relax with us longer", Hua Ziyan, accustomed to this stunning woman's abrupt and unpredictable visits at the oddest moments like the others, merely smiled and spoke without a hint of astonishment.

"No, I want to go see Wu Long", her flat tone conveyed it as the most ordinary statement, sparking reactions from the gathered beauties this time.

"Eh? B-but he’s...", Cai Yin hesitated, recalling that Wu Long had departed the Dream Realm shortly before, having been in their company not long ago.

Ye Ling's eyes gleamed with contemplation as she rested a hand on Cai Yin's to stop her persuasion efforts, then remarked, "That’s a good idea, have a nice time"

"Mm, thank you", Xue Bing nodded and departed the gazebo, leaving everyone staring wide-eyed except Ye Ling.

"But isn’t he handling Valley affairs right now?", Song Lingfei inquired, baffled by Ye Ling's response.

"Who told you he doesn’t want to see us during his work as well? He never said that, you girls just assumed. In fact, I’m pretty sure he really wants us there next to him pretty much at all times, so he’ll love it. Sister Baihu does it all the time and Wu Long enjoys it", Ye Ling chuckled, "It’s good that someone other than her finally had a thought of going to spend time with him when he’s not just free and comes to us... though it probably comes from a long period Bing’er wasn’t able to spend with him"

"Wait, why didn’t he just tell us then?", Cai Yin displayed a confused look.

A pensive expression crossed Hua Ziyan's face as she seemed to grasp Ye Ling’s point, "Maybe because... he’s still busy even if he wants us near him? He doesn’t want to take away the free time from training we have on his work because while he’d like to have us near him he can’t give us all his attention and feels it’s going to be... burdensome for us.... something like that?"

"Ah! Then it makes sense... especially since not everyone can bear just sitting still for an hour or even more in a meeting without talking to him since he has to hear a report or give instructions to others... it’s fine during general meetings when we are all there since we can chat with each other in low voices and it’s an occasion where he wants to hear opinions from everyone so there’s things to discuss... but more mundane progress reports and stuff are...", Song Lingfei chuckled while certain faces popped into her thoughts, "But if we knew he wanted to have us near him, if he explicitly told us, those who can’t enjoy that kind of time together might feel like they need to force themselves to do it"

"You’re just saying Sister Mengqi is going to start climbing walls from boredom about ten minutes in", Hua Ziyan giggled behind her hand, setting off laughter among all the beauties.

Gong Liwei shook her head with a wry smile, "I don’t feel like Cui’er is cut out for sitting in on the boring meetings as well. She might not raise a fuss, but she’s going to start zoning out pretty soon, just imagine her sitting there with a confused, slightly vacant look on her face"

"And start humming a tune a bit later", tears of mirth gathered at the edges of Wei Lan's eyes as she pictured Gong Cui abruptly humming a melody right in front of her during a meeting or report from one of Wu Long’s subordinates—an cheerful upbeat tune might merely awkward the mood, but a melancholic one mirroring her tedium while she doodled on the desk with her finger...

"Essentially, just like always with him, he places less importance on his desire for us to stay close than on letting us savor our own time", Cai Yin nodded, comprehending the words of Hua Ziyan and Song Lingfei.

"Exactly! It’s simple to grasp him if you go for the most straightforward reason involving our well-being and joy", Ye Ling chuckled, "He’s incredibly stubborn. He rarely voices his own wishes from us, just inquires about ours toward him".

"That’s right. But to be fair, we also avoided disturbing him during his busy moments... so this was tough to unravel", Wei Lan chuckled, "I’m shocked that even though you get it, you’re not acting on it".

"You might not realize this, but I’m among those rare ones you spoke of who can’t endure the meetings", Ye Ling chuckled, "I appear perfectly composed on the surface, yet Wu Long sees right through it. The instant he detects you pushing yourself to stay just for his sake, he’ll halt everything, no matter the cost to his progress".

Her words stunned them all, staring at her in disbelief, since they’d always viewed her as someone with monk-like patience, able to remain motionless for ages. Even in private moments with Wu Long, they simply lingered side by side, basking in each other’s company with minimal activity or conversation.

Noticing their stares, Ye Ling offered a wry smile, fully aware of their bewilderment, "As a Sword Cultivator, you’re spot on that extended stretches of quiet reflection, meditation, hush, and mere immobility were never issues for me. But meetings, reports, agendas... that’s why I fled the Ye Family for a Cultivation Sect to hone my sword skills, instead of following Sister Luxiao’s path. Our Ye Family ran a Trading Company too; I simply couldn’t stomach that sort of task, even in my past life".

"Ah~...", Hua Ziyan’s face lit up with realization, mirrored by the other beauties who now perceived Ye Ling in an entirely fresh light.

—

During the meeting, Old Yen felt an unusual anxiety while delivering his report, his eyes repeatedly flicking to Xue Bing’s frosty expression, which made it seem like his performance was lacking and she was critiquing him harshly.

Abruptly, she rose without notice, nearly giving him a heart attack.

"My attendance here appears unsuitable and harmful", she stated directly to Wu Long, as always skipping polite phrasing or softening her intent. Her voice remained flat and chilly.

Wu Long instantly knew she spoke literally, believing her presence disrupted the gathering and annoyed everyone.

Old Yen, however, nearly collapsed in panic, convinced he’d be held responsible for upsetting the beauty, interpreting it as a subtle signal to Wu Long that his report made her uneasy.

"Far from it, Bing’er. Come sit right here", Wu Long smiled at Xue Bing, gesturing for her to settle on his lap.

For a brief instant, she paused as her reluctance to intrude clashed internally with her strong urge to obey and perch on his lap—a struggle that to Old Yen appeared as a cold glare at Wu Long before she silently approached and took the seat.

With a smile, he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her nearer so her head rested on his shoulder, then shifted his attention back to Old Yen.

’B~Boss... why torment me like this~?’, Old Yen wanted to weep, realizing the meeting would continue in this manner.

Unseen by him, her face, now mostly shielded, softened subtly with a faint blush on her cheeks and a gentle smile curving her lips as she shut her eyes, relishing the warmth of his hold.

Starting that day, Wu Long’s followers observed his beauties joining meetings and shadowing him through the day—singly, or occasionally in pairs.

Not all stayed the entire day, rotating with others after a single session or midway.

Initially, it threw everyone off balance except Wu Long and his women, but adjustment came quickly. In fact, his followers discovered a surprising benefit: Wu Long stayed in an exceptionally cheerful state. He’d even brush off major mistakes from them with just a grin and light reprimand.

Song Minfu remained the only one consumed by frustration, as he was at last encountering his daughter more regularly, yet her presence was for Wu Long alone, not for him. This circumstance finally drove Chu Ren, weary from enduring the sob stories shared after each encounter with Wu Long, to agree to a transfer into a role akin to Butler Bang's.

They had just wrapped up choosing a compact team of clerks to support Song Minfu, a task Chu Ren eagerly passed along—the 'honor and privilege' of bearing Song Minfu's endless laments and grievances—before striding away without a single backward glance.