Can't Take a Joke

Upon hearing that all his meridians were shattered, Qin Hao’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Ignoring the aches and pains spreading through his body, he immediately closed his eyes, sinking his entire consciousness deep within himself.

In the depths of his sea of consciousness, Qin Hao’s spiritual thought, like a streak of flowing light, pierced through layer after layer of channels.

Then he saw the state of his body—

Those meridians, once flowing like great rivers throughout his being, were now covered in spiderweb-like cracks.

However, he noticed that at the points where his meridians were broken, a faint layer of purple-gold light flowed gently like a living thing.

This was the power of the Primordial Dragon Emperor Bloodline, a force that was healing his meridians.

Not only was it repairing them, but it was also strengthening them.

Once fully restored, his strength would reach an even higher level.

Realizing this, Qin Hao let out a sigh of relief:

“Hah, minor issue. The meridians are indeed broken, but the Primordial Dragon Emperor Bloodline is fixing them, and the new ones are growing in sturdier than before.

“Consider it a small upgrade!”

Hearing his words, Chen Xiaoyun also relaxed, but soon she pretended to be angry and shot him a glare:

“Don’t be so reckless next time. You gave me the entire protective barrier and chose to take the spatial laws head-on yourself. What if you couldn’t heal your meridians?”

Qin Hao waved his hand dismissively: “How could something like that ever happen to me?”

“Have you forgotten who I am?”

As he spoke, Qin Hao looked around, taking in the unfamiliar room he was in, and asked:

“Where are we right now?”

Chen Xiaoyun explained that Qin Hao had been unconscious for three days. They were now in one of the Lower Three Realms, Spirit Brilliance Heaven. They had fallen into the sea and were pulled out by someone.

“We’re staying in their home now.”

“What? Three days unconscious? Did you contact my father? Have they dealt with the Underworld Palace?”

Chen Xiaoyun shook her head:

“I did contact them, but the battle isn’t over yet. For a fight of that level, it could take three years, not just three days.”

“And Patriarch Qin said there are more and more traitors in the Three Realms and Nine Heavens. He told me to keep you hidden so the traitors don’t catch you and take you hostage.”

Qin Hao nodded: “Alright. In that case, I’ll take some time to recover here in Spirit Brilliance Heaven.”

Just as they were talking, a young woman knocked twice on the door. After getting Chen Xiaoyun’s permission, she pushed it open.

Behind her followed a little girl, about seven or eight years old.

When the little girl saw Qin Hao awake, she immediately greeted him with a smile:

“Big brother, you’re awake!”

Qin Hao smiled and nodded: “I am. I hear you and your grandfather saved me. Thank you.”

The little girl waved her hand:

“No need to thank me! The pretty sister paid us, and my grandpa actually wanted to throw you both back into the sea.”

Hearing this, the young woman, who looked around seventeen or eighteen, tugged at the little girl’s clothes, signaling her not to talk nonsense.

Seeing this, Qin Hao chuckled:

“You’re quite honest, little sister. What’s your name?”

The little girl looked at Qin Hao, beaming:

“My name is Sun Xiaoxue. And this is my sister, Sun Xiaofang.”

Qin Hao’s lips twitched slightly. Xiaoxue? Xiaofang? Those names were certainly straightforward.

“Xiaoxue, Xiaofang, is there something you came to see me about?”

In response, Xiaoxue spoke bluntly:

“I don’t have anything! It’s my sister. I told her you were really handsome, big brother, but she didn’t believe me, so I brought her here to see for herself!”

At that, Sun Xiaofang’s face flushed bright red in an instant. She didn’t dare meet Qin Hao’s eyes, simply lowering her head in silence.

Qin Hao shook his head lightly. My charm is just impossible to contain.

Chen Xiaoyun, watching from the side, felt an inexplicable bitterness well up in her heart.

She stepped forward swiftly, placing herself in front of Qin Hao, then pulled out a pouch of spirit stones from her pocket and handed it to Xiaoxue:

“Xiaoxue, big brother needs to rest now. Here, take these spirit stones and go buy yourself something. Whatever you like, alright?”

For some reason, Chen Xiaoyun just wanted to send them away, unwilling to let them disturb her time with Qin Hao.

Xiaoxue, without any ulterior motives, took the spirit stones with a cheer:

“Yay! With spirit stones, I can buy the Dharma robe I’ve been wanting! Sister, take me to get it!”

Xiaofang shot a lingering glance at Qin Hao, said nothing, and quietly led Xiaoxue away.

Qin Hao leaned back against the headboard and tried to move slightly, but the searing pain from his shattered meridians forced him to stop.

“Xiaoyun, grab a few celestial pills from my storage pouch. I need to recover my injuries as soon as possible.”

But Chen Xiaoyun didn’t move.

Qin Hao turned his head and saw her standing with her arms crossed, staring at him with an expression he had never seen before.

“What’s wrong?” Qin Hao asked, puzzled. “Is there something on my face?”

Chen Xiaoyun didn’t answer right away. Instead, she slowly raised an eyebrow and dragged out her words:

“Our Divine Son is really popular with the ladies, isn’t he?”

“Hmm?” Qin Hao raised an eyebrow, a playful look spreading across his face.

“Oh? Could it be you’re jealous?”

At that, Chen Xiaoyun’s face turned crimson. She shot him an annoyed glare:

“Jealous? Jealous of what? Between us, it’s nothing more than a simple partnership. Why would I be jealous?”

Though her words denied it, her tone could sour milk.

This is what unspoken love looks like—seeing you close to another girl, without even the right to be jealous.

Seeing her like this, Qin Hao felt a mischievous urge to tease her.

“So, in your heart, we’re just partners? Are we not Dao companions?”

He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “So that’s how you really feel? How ridiculous. And here I was, willing to take the full brunt of the laws with my own flesh just for you, ending up with my meridians shattered.”

Qin Hao’s words brushed against Chen Xiaoyun’s heart like a feather.

Her face reddened visibly, and she couldn’t help recalling the moment they were caught in the spatial vortex—how Qin Hao had given her the protective barrier without hesitation and endured the law’s power himself.

“He sees me as his Dao companion? That’s why he went that far for me?”

At this thought, Chen Xiaoyun’s heart raced with panic.

She looked over and saw Qin Hao staring at her with those eyes that made even a dog look deeply loved.

“Th—that was only borrowed!”

Flustered, Chen Xiaoyun grabbed a few pills from his storage pouch and threw them at him, then ran off without looking back.

Qin Hao leaned against the headboard, watching the still-swaying wooden door. A slow smile deepened at the corners of his mouth.

“So easy to tease…”