Cross-Channel Chat

"Gurgle."

The kettle was boiling, and in this rare quiet morning, Ye Chuan sat at the dining table, enjoying a breakfast he hadn’t had in days.

Though it had been some time for Ye Chuan and Bai Qianshuang, for Lan Xiaoke and the others, it had only been a single night.

Bai Qianshuang stared blankly at her breakfast, perhaps still adjusting after returning from the Tianxuan Continent. She simply held her bread, lost in thought.

"What’s wrong, Qianshuang? Not hungry?" Luo Xi noticed Bai Qianshuang’s dazed expression and asked, "Should I make you some noodles instead?"

Bai Qianshuang slowly snapped out of it. She instinctively glanced at Ye Chuan before shaking her head lightly and starting to eat the bread.

"Ye Chuan…" she began.

"Hmm?"

"Is this… how you live every day?"

Ye Chuan paused, but he understood the underlying question—whether he traveled between worlds daily.

"Pretty much," he replied with a smile.

"Doesn’t it… tire you out?"

The question caught him off guard.

Tired?

He had never really considered whether constantly moving between worlds was exhausting. But he understood why Bai Qianshuang asked. The stark contrast between the Tianxuan Continent and this world must have left her feeling disjointed.

For Ye Chuan, the adventure worlds were more like a game.

Log in, play.

Log out, sleep.

"It’s fine. I’m used to this pace," he answered.

Bai Qianshuang quietly continued eating.

To the others, however, their cryptic conversation carried a completely different meaning.

Especially Lan Xiaoke, whose ears perked up—

[Ye Chuan, is this how you live every day?] (Ye Chuan, do you do it every night?)

[Pretty much.] (Yeah, every night—either with you, Xiaoke, or Luo Xi.)

[Doesn’t it… tire you out?] (Isn’t doing it every day exhausting?)

[It’s fine. I’m used to this pace.] (No problem. I can handle it daily.)

Lan Xiaoke gently patted Bai Qianshuang’s shoulder.

"Don’t worry, Qianshuang. You’ll get used to it."

Bai Qianshuang: "…"

"Xiaoke, have you… been there too?" Bai Qianshuang was taken aback. Had her junior sister also visited the Tianxuan Continent?

"Been there?" Lan Xiaoke blinked, then grinned mischievously. "Oh, heh… yeah, I’ve been there a few times. Mostly ‘cause Ye Chuan’s really good at it."

Bai Qianshuang thought of how Ye Chuan had saved her and nodded in agreement. "Yes, Ye Chuan is very strong."

"Right? Super strong!" Lan Xiaoke nodded vigorously.

Ye Chuan: "…"

Wait, why does it feel like you two are on completely different wavelengths?

But he didn’t bother correcting them.

"Chuan, we have school after breakfast," Luo Xi reminded him.

"Ah, right." Ye Chuan checked his phone. "I have to go out this afternoon."

"Where to?" Luo Xi asked curiously.

"Work stuff."

Now that his pharmaceutical company and the Superhuman Alliance were steadily progressing, he, as the behind-the-scenes boss, had to check in occasionally.

Superhumans often hunted monsters near dimensional rifts, and injuries were inevitable—most couldn’t even make it to a hospital in time. That’s where his potions came in.

Even the most basic healing potion, just enough to keep a superhuman alive, was worth a fortune.

In other words, Ye Chuan no longer had to worry about money in this world.

If not for the system requiring spirit stones, magic crystals, and other rare materials to unlock higher levels, he could have maxed everything out with his wealth alone.

Well, except for that one item needed to ascend to the Heavenly Emperor realm.

"Work, huh? Alright." Luo Xi wanted to spend more time with him, but knowing it was business, she didn’t push further.

She knew she couldn’t help much, so she focused on not being a burden and being the best support she could be.

That’s why she woke up early every day to buy ingredients and cook for everyone. With her storage ring, she even found joy in preparing meals for her loved ones.

Breakfast ended, and Lan Xiaoke tugged at Bai Qianshuang’s sleeve.

"Qianshuang, wanna play games? Or are you gonna cultivate?"

"I need to cultivate," Bai Qianshuang said.

Though the Soul Transformation realm made her nearly invincible on the Tianxuan Continent, facing the Qingyun Sect’s elders—also at the same realm—had made her feel vulnerable.

She wasn’t just seeking revenge for the Jade Void Sect. She refused to be a burden to Ye Chuan.

She couldn’t afford to die.

"Alright, I’ll just—" Lan Xiaoke’s words were cut short as Bai Qianshuang grabbed her collar.

"OvO?" Lan Xiaoke turned her head.

"Xiaoke, cultivate with me. You’ve been slacking," Bai Qianshuang said softly.

"I’m a pet."

"You’re human," Bai Qianshuang insisted. "You’re my junior sister of the Jade Void Sect."

Lan Xiaoke: "…"

"Meow." She blinked innocently.

"Resorting to meowing to avoid cultivation?" Bai Qianshuang’s voice turned icy. "Come. Inside. Now."

"Nooo!" Lan Xiaoke wailed as Bai Qianshuang dragged her into the room. Before the door closed, she could still be heard struggling pitifully.

"Ah—!"

"…"

Once the door shut, faint sounds of Bai Qianshuang lecturing Lan Xiaoke drifted out—like an elder sister disciplining her wayward junior.

Ye Chuan understood Bai Qianshuang’s insistence. With the Jade Void Sect’s revival at stake, strength was the only way forward.

"Hopefully, Xiaoke can improve enough to help me unlock more items from the system’s shop," he mused aloud.

"Chuan, let’s go," Luo Xi said, wrapping her arms around his.

Ye Yue clung to his other arm. "Brother, let’s go~"

Trapped between two pairs of soft, differently-sized "slimes," Ye Chuan coughed lightly. "Yeah, let’s go. But… how do we walk like this?"

"Luo Xi, you should let go first. Brother can’t move like this," Ye Yue teased, her crimson eyes glinting beneath her ash-white hair.

"Fine." Luo Xi reluctantly released him, seeing his discomfort.

"Ahem, it’s fine. You can both hold on."