Chapter 9: Lively home

Yu Miao relished her days living in the peculiar house. Each resident held a unique charm, their quirks endlessly entertaining. Teasing the two little ones—Shi Yun and the chubby dragon—had become her favorite pastime. As for Liu Haoyu, she wouldn't dare; the mere thought of teasing him felt akin to playing with fire. The tranquil life they shared tempted her to stay forever. Leaving meant stepping into the chaotic outside world she feared, and she wasn't ready to trade her newfound peace.

Yet, one figure consistently grated on her nerves: her so-called "Light Goddess System."

"System, I feel like whipping your corpse!" Yu Miao grumbled, stomping around the courtyard.

"Host, I'm not dead. Also, I'm not even human—hehe!" the system retorted cheekily.

"At first, you begged me to bind with you, playing all cute and pitiful. Now, you've stolen my body and soul and turned into a scumbag. Truly, a system's words can never be trusted! Huhuhu!" she fake-cried, her voice rising in mock despair.

"Host, stop your act; you're giving me goosebumps!" the system groaned in exasperation.

Yu Miao clenched her fists. "One day, I swear, I'll make you cry tears of code, you useless scumbag system!"

The system went silent for a moment, then gasped dramatically. "Host! Don't look now, but I think that Liu guy is always staring at you. Could he have fallen in love with you?"

"What nonsense are you spewing? He's just being cautious! You really have serious flaw in your character and views. No wonder you are a cheater." Yu Miao retorted, rolling her eyes.

The system snickered. "Oh, sure. If he were in love with you, I'd seriously wonder if he'd lost his eyesight or got sick in his head. Lucky for us, he hasn't!"

Yu Miao's face darkened. "You rotten system! Where's my power as the goddess of light? You only know how to mock me!"

"Host, I'm going to recharge myself. Bye!" The system vanished, leaving Yu Miao muttering curses under her breath.

Yu Miao rolled her eyes in her mind. She turned towards Liu Haoyu and found himself still staring at herself. She felt a little angry again, 'this man is too much! Even being careful has its limits, especially when I am just a lone mortal woman. And, doesn't he feel that it is rude to stare at others all the time?'

A sudden mischievous idea lit her eyes. "Who's afraid of whom? Let's see how he likes it!" She fixed her gaze on him, her eyes boring into his with determined defiance. She even gazed at him from head to toe as if checking out. Even so, she sae Liu Haoyu remain undeterred.

Instead, as time continues to pass, she felt impatient and embarassed in her heart. She still persisted locking her gaze to him thinking, 'this worked well when I was living on earth, those who stared at me is made uncomfortable by me instead, what the heck is this man made of?''

Nearby, Shi Yun and the chubby dragon paused their play to watch the strange face-off.

"Is Master falling in love?" Shi Yun whispered, his voice tinged with confusion.

Yu Miao felt even more angry when she heard the chubby dragon exclaim with pure confusion in a loud baby voice, "Oh my god! Why does this Miaomiao girl's face look like a monkey's bu**? Does the master like this? Master is still staring?!"

The system burst into laughter inside Yu Miao's mind. "Host, you really do look like it!"

Yu Miao nearly exploded with rage. She pointed a trembling finger at the dragon. "You're not cute anymore! And for your information, your master does like me like this. Once I become your mistress, I'll make him roast you into a delicious meal! Every day and night, I've been secretly wondering what dragon meat tastes like!"

Then she glared at Liu Haoyu and strode towards her room.

The chubby dragon's jaw dropped in horror, and he scampered off, wailing, "Master, don't fall in love with her! I don't want to be barbecued!"

Liu Haoyu chuckled, his usually serene face lighting up with amusement.

Inside her room, Yu Miao vented her frustration on her pillow. "I'll show them all! I'll embarrass them tenfold!"

The system said, "host, this is the only pillow you have, don't destroy it or you will have to sleep without pillow tonight."

'Oh, yeah!' Yu Miao quickly put it in its place and thought, I will bully these people instead, I will make them feel disgusted by my greasy tone and laughed out loud.

The days that followed were filled with spirited bickering. Despite the chaos, Yu Miao began testing Liu Haoyu's boundaries. She asked for herbs from the garden, then pillows, blankets, and even jewels. She demanded an exclusive space to cultivate plants, both medicinal and poisonous.

"Does this man have Doraemon's pocket?" she wondered in disbelief.

Slowly, with the intention of not leaving anymore, she started taking the responsibility of cooking. Rather than buying food in the stalls, Yu Miao prefers to have home-cooked meals. Everyday, she would cook different food items from dumplings, noodles, pancakes, rice, braised and fried vegetables and meat to different various foods. The house soon became self-sufficient, with thriving gardens of vegetables and fruit trees.

Everyone were satisfied except for the system who could only envy as the tantalizing aroma of food filled the air. "Host, you're conquering them with food while my saliva is dripping down everytime! Not fair!"

Yu Miao smirked. "See how I win everyone's stomach with my cooking? You just gulp the air!"

One evening, Liu Haoyu gathered everyone.

Shi Yun arrived first, followed by the chubby dragon, and finally Yu Miao, who called out, "Big Sis is here, Haohao!"

Liu Haoyu frowned. "Don't call me that."

Yu Miao grinned cheekily. "Fine, Haohao. What's up?"

Liu Haoyu addressed Shi Yun. "Are you ready to break through to the Qi Refining Realm?"

"Yes, Master!" Shi Yun beamed. "I've stabilized, just as you instructed."

Liu Haoyu tossed him a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills. "Good. Go cultivate."

Shi Yun darted off, clutching the bottle like treasure.

The chubby dragon came to stand in front of Liu Haoyu and excitedly asked with his palm spread, "Master! What good thing am I going to get?" It looked like a puppy wagging its tail at its owner.

Yu Miao also curiously took a look and suddenly saw a hoe appear in the chubby dragon's paws which made her laugh out loud. She could not help but clutch her stomach laughing even more when she heard the dragon look puzzled and say, "Master, what kind of godly weapon is this? I have never seen this kind of weapon before!"

Then it shook the hoe around feeling confused, "but why don't i feel any power inside?"

Liu Haoyu calmly said, "Go and dig a pond, don't use your magical power. I will send you outside with Shi Yun for training and you'll have to look after him. You need to practice restraint and patience. This weapon is very powerful for you."

The chubby dragon would only walk away dejectly.

Yu Miao burst out laughing. "Haohao is evil!"

Liu Haoyu shot her a look. "What about you? Want a gift?"

"Of course!" Yu Miao replied.

Liu Haoyu handed her alchemy books. "These are for you."

Yu Miao grinned as she stored them in her system space. "Thanks, Haohao!"

"Don't call me that," he muttered again.

He ordered, "Give me your hand."

Yu Miao in a fake manner, gasped in horror, her voice dripping with exaggerated pretense. "Oh no! I never expected Master Liu to be like this—I've really misjudged you! I never expected the pure, innocent and otherworldly Master Liu to have this kind of intention towards this helpless lady!"