For the next two days, Ye Chuan and the others spent their time playing by the seaside.
They even ventured out to the reefs at night in their swimsuits, leaving only a quick sweep of the "Adventure World" game.
"Ah—I got tanned!"
The moment Lan Xiaoke got home and saw herself in the mirror, she immediately realized the problem.
The girl in the reflection now had a clear tan line—her once fair skin had darkened by a noticeable shade. Though it gave her a healthier glow, Lan Xiaoke couldn’t quite accept her newly bronzed self.
"Waaah!" She turned left and right, scrutinizing herself before glaring at Bai Qianshuang and the others. Bai Qianshuang and Luo Xi remained as fair as ever, while Ke Ning, who hadn’t been exposed to the sun at all, looked just fine. As for Ye Chuan, his skin had never been particularly pale to begin with, so he didn’t stand out either.
"How come none of you got tanned?" Lan Xiaoke demanded.
"The sun was strong, so I used spiritual energy to shield myself," Bai Qianshuang explained, slightly taken aback by Lan Xiaoke’s dramatic reaction. Though she enjoyed the beach, the heat had been a bit much for her, so she had instinctively protected herself with spiritual energy.
Perhaps by sheer luck, the shielding effect had also blocked UV rays, leaving her complexion unchanged.
"Didn’t you put on sunscreen before going to the beach? I had Chuan apply some for me," Luo Xi asked with a smile. "Didn’t he do the same for you?"
Ye Chuan: "…"
He really hadn’t. Lan Xiaoke had been too busy playing around, and honestly, her slightly tanned skin gave her a certain… attack-speed-buffing charm.
Plus, he’d been a little distracted watching other things at the time.
"So… I’m the only one who got tanned?" Lan Xiaoke pointed at herself.
Everyone nodded.
Lan Xiaoke silently crouched in the corner, looking like an abandoned puppy. "Only me… only I got darker…"
"It’ll fade in a couple of days," Ye Chuan reassured her. After all, it was just two days of sun exposure. Back during military training in school, even the girls who slathered on sunscreen ended up tanned.
"Xiaoke, drink more lemon water these next few days," Luo Xi suggested cheerfully.
"Mmm…" Lan Xiaoke immediately got up and rummaged through the fridge for lemons.
"There really are some!" She pulled one out and popped it straight into her mouth—only to immediately grimace. "So sour?!"
"Who eats a lemon raw?" Ye Chuan sighed.
"But you guys eat them all the time!"
"That’s oranges, dummy!"
Watching Lan Xiaoke roll around on the floor in agony, Ye Chuan couldn’t tell if she was genuinely this clueless or just pretending. Then again, if she were faking it, she wouldn’t have gotten her butt zapped by Wang Yanran back then.
---
That afternoon, Ye Chuan stayed in his room, reviewing his skills and equipment.
His gaze drifted to the corner, where an egg sat—the one they’d retrieved from the Godzilla-like monster rift. Lilith’s words had convinced him to keep it, but even after all this time, there was no sign of it hatching.
"Lilith, when’s this thing gonna hatch? If not, maybe we should just grill it."
As if sensing his stare, the egg trembled slightly, almost as if it had a mind of its own.
"No need to rush." Lilith floated out of the jade pendant, casually opened the mini-fridge in Ye Chuan’s room, grabbed a drink, and plopped down on his desk.
"Hey, my keyboard." Ye Chuan frowned as Lilith sat right on it.
"Hmm?" Lilith shot him an unimpressed look. "I’m a spirit. It’s not like I leave anything behind."
"Still feels weird." Ye Chuan smirked.
"Excuse me?!"
"Never mind."
"Annoying brat." Lilith took a sip before tilting her head at him. "Honestly, it’s baffling how so many girls like you. You’re warm on the outside but ice-cold inside."
"Is that an insult?" Ye Chuan didn’t care—other people’s opinions had never mattered to him.
Lilith swirled her drink. "Obviously not a compliment. I’d say the only one who’s really in your heart is Luo Xi. The others? Good luck getting through to you."
"Oh? You think you know me that well?" Ye Chuan chuckled.
"Better than they do. I’ve read your memories," Lilith said casually. "Not that I meant to—it’s just part of my abilities."
Ye Chuan paused, but quickly dismissed it. Given Lilith’s nature, it wasn’t surprising.
Lilith shrugged. "Well, losing your parents young and struggling just to survive… it makes sense you’d put up walls. But my advice? Try being a little more genuine. Lies are convenient, but they’re not always the best tool."
Finishing her drink, Lilith stretched lazily before dissolving into a purple mist and vanishing back into the pendant.
Ye Chuan sat on the edge of his bed, lost in thought for a long while.
---
By nightfall, the aroma of dinner filled the house.
"Food’s ready! Time to eat!" Lan Xiaoke knocked on Ye Chuan’s door. Hearing no response, she cracked it open and peeked inside. "Huh?"
The room was pitch black. "Where’s Ye Chuan?"
Just then, a hand landed on her shoulder.
Lan Xiaoke froze, a chill shooting up her spine. She whipped around—only to see a shadowy figure looming over her. "EEK! GHOST!!!!!!!"
"Scaredy-cat." Light from the hallway illuminated the figure’s face—Ye Chuan’s grin and gleaming teeth.
Seeing Lan Xiaoke curled up on the floor, arms over her head as if bracing for a beating, Ye Chuan’s lip twitched. "You’re a ghost who’s lived for decades, and this is how you act? Where’s your dignity as a cultivator?"
"Why didn’t you turn on the light?!" Lan Xiaoke grumbled, scrambling to her feet once she recognized him.
"Was napping. Dinner ready?" Ye Chuan flicked the light switch.
"Yep! Qianshuang and I made it." Lan Xiaoke puffed out her chest proudly.
"Alright." Ye Chuan patted her head and walked out.
Lan Xiaoke scratched her head, puzzled. For some reason, she felt like Ye Chuan seemed… off?
In the dining area, Bai Qianshuang was finishing up dinner, stirring a pot of soup with a contented hum, her usual cowlick swaying gently.
Ye Chuan took a seat, his mind drifting back to Lilith’s words as he silently watched Bai Qianshuang.
"What’s wrong?" Bai Qianshuang’s voice snapped him out of it as she set the soup pot on the table.
"Ah… nothing."
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
