Who do you think you're fooling in front of me

"What are you muttering about?"

A familiar voice came from behind. Chen Qingning's body trembled violently, the jade pendant in her hand nearly falling to the ground. She turned her head abruptly and saw the figure she had been missing for a full month.

"Qin Hao! You're back!"

Chen Qingning practically jumped up, throwing herself at Qin Hao.

Qin Hao opened his arms and caught her steadily. Chen Qingning hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest, greedily breathing in his familiar scent.

Hmm? Wait a minute! He had the scent of other women on him! And more than one!

Chen Qingning lifted her head, looking at Qin Hao with a scrutinizing gaze. "What exactly have you been doing this past month?"

Qin Hao shrugged. "Nothing much. Something came up at home."

"Really? More like the wives at home were keeping tabs on you!"

Qin Hao was dumbfounded. Seriously, was she that sensitive? She actually noticed?

Chen Qingning snuggled back into his embrace and said, "I like you. Can I become one of them?"

Qin Hao raised an eyebrow. So direct? He looked down at the girl in his arms and asked, "Then tell me, what do you like about me? You didn't just take a fancy to my background, did you?"

Chen Qingning shook her head, then nodded. "That's part of the reason. When I saw those entities—beings I normally wouldn't even have the chance to interact with—falling over themselves to curry favor with you, I truly felt you were incredible."

"But the main reason is that I think you're very handsome. It was love at first sight, and I really love the feeling of being with you."

Pausing for a moment, she continued, "I'll be good. I won't get jealous or fight with the older sisters at home. I'll put you first in everything. Whatever you say goes, and I won't cause any trouble..."

Hearing her declaration, Qin Hao laughed heartily. "I like sensible girls like you. Granted."

"What did you say?" Chen Qingning's voice trembled slightly, carrying a sense of unbelievable anticipation. She hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. "Say it again."

Seeing her pleasantly surprised yet disbelieving expression, Qin Hao couldn't help but reach out and pinch her cheek. It felt soft and squishy, like a piece of tofu.

"I said, granted. From now on, you are my woman. What? Didn't catch that? Do you want me to say it a third time?"

Two bright blushes flew up Chen Qingning's cheeks, spreading all the way from her cheekbones to the roots of her ears. She looked up at Qin Hao with eyes full of tenderness. She would never get tired of hearing those words, no matter how many times he said them.

Pulling her into his arms, Qin Hao told her, "Actually, you don't need to agree with me on everything from now on. Throwing a little tantrum occasionally is fine too. Joking around, playing, and fighting—I can accept all of that."

"If you're too obedient, you'll be just like a robot, and that would be too boring."

"Robot? Is that some kind of race?"

"Uh, it means a puppet."

"Oh."

Chen Qingning stopped talking and just quietly looked at Qin Hao. Resting her chin on his chest, she tilted her face up slightly. Her eyes curved into crescents, and the corners of her mouth turned upward, forming a smile she simply couldn't suppress.

She looked at his face, his brows and eyes, his nose, and his lips. From top to bottom, and bottom to top, her gaze wandered back and forth, as if she could never look enough.

Qin Hao felt a bit uncomfortable under her intense stare. He glanced down and asked, "What are you looking at? Am I that good-looking?"

Chen Qingning didn't answer, she just kept smiling. It wasn't a loud laugh, but a smile that overflowed from the bottom of her heart, one she couldn't hide. It was the kind of smile a little girl would have after sneaking a piece of candy—sweet, sticky, a little silly, and full of satisfaction.

"Have you gone silly?" Qin Hao couldn't help but chuckle, waving a hand in front of her face.

But Chen Qingning grabbed his hand and rubbed it against her cheek like a spoiled kitten. Though she didn't speak, the joy in her eyes was more direct than any words could be.

Qin Hao smiled helplessly and rubbed her head. "Alright now, we have a long life ahead of us. If you smile like this every day, be careful not to make your jaw drop."

Chen Qingning finally spoke, her voice muffled and slightly nasal. "I just can't help it. Whenever I think about how you're mine from now on, I just want to smile."

"It's like... from this moment on, I feel like a completely different person."

Qin Hao shook his head, saying dotingly, "If you want to smile, then smile."

Chen Qingning buried her face in his chest and rubbed against it, narrowing her eyes, her face full of unconcealable joy.

"Qin Hao~"

"Hmm?"

Qin Hao looked down at her and asked, "What is it?"

"When my father was still alive, he discovered a secret realm in the Lower Three Heavens. It's very dangerous there, but danger usually coexists with opportunity. I was thinking, how about we go explore it together?"

"Sure, let's go take a look."

Qin Hao used his jade pendant to lock onto the location Chen Qingning mentioned, then activated it, teleporting the two of them over.

"Oh, looks like someone beat us to it."

At the entrance of the cave dwelling Chen Qingning had spoken of, stood a woman wearing a bridal dress. Qin Hao looked the woman up and down; she merely had a cultivation base at the peak of the Golden Core realm.

Seeing Qin Hao and Chen Qingning approach, the woman was momentarily stunned. Then, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. Squeezing out a smile, she walked up to greet them:

"Fellow Daoists, what brings you two here?"

Before Qin Hao could speak, Chen Qingning stepped forward and blocked him. "What else? We're naturally here to explore the secret realm. It's not like this secret realm has your name written on it. If you can enter, why can't we?"

Hearing this, a mocking look flashed across the woman's eyes. "Haha, so it's just two more fools who actually think this is a secret realm. In reality, this is a land of absolute death with no chance of survival."

The woman sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she feigned an enthusiastic expression. "Not at all, not at all. Things like secret realms belong to no one. If you wish to enter, you can naturally do so at any time. I absolutely won't stop you."

The woman's attitude made Qin Hao feel that something was off. When this woman first laid eyes on him and Qingning, she clearly had her guard up, as if their arrival had disturbed her. So why was she now acting as if she couldn't wait for them to go in?

"There must be some danger inside this secret realm, and she wants us to go in and die?"

Thinking of this, Qin Hao scoffed. It might be dangerous for others, but not for him. Even if things went south, he could easily use his jade pendant to escape.

"Let's go, Qingning. Don't waste your breath on her. Didn't you want to go exploring? Follow me."

Watching Qin Hao and Chen Qingning enter the secret realm, the woman sneered in her heart. "Hmph, go on in. Let's see if you even know how you died later. Tsk, that guy is quite handsome, but he's way too arrogant and full of himself. Who is he putting on airs for?"

"I'll have you know I am the granddaughter of the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Demon Sect! Stop pretending to be some great master in front of me!"