Then consider it as Qinghe never said it.

"Qinghe doesn't like this way of celebrating."

At the foot of the We Are a Loving Family Peak, Qinghe rubbed her head, her expression full of complaint and grievance.

Bai Xuanling, with her arms crossed, led Qinghe through the barrier toward the summit. Listening to Qinghe's complaints, she said in a calm tone:

"You should be glad that your breakthrough to the Soul Formation realm went well, otherwise it wouldn't just be a matter of whether you like the celebration method or not."

Qinghe looked sideways at her, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

Bai Xuanling narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at Qinghe with a half-smile as she said:

"Naturally, it's because I'm lacking a mount to pull my carriage."

Hearing this, Qinghe looked as if she had been struck by lightning. Her hand rubbed her head even faster, but she didn't dare say another word.

She had just soared through the Tianyan Sect like a majestic dragon, showing off in a spectacular way. If she ended up pulling a carriage right after that...

Never mind losing face within the Tianyan Sect—she wouldn't even dare to claim she belonged to Bai Xuanling's peak once she stepped outside the mountain gates.

She was terrified that others would look at her with sudden realization and say: "Oh, you're that useless flood dragon from Zhuji Peak who was sent to pull a carriage because you're too trashy."

Furthermore, becoming a mount meant losing her free time to slack off; she would have to be on standby around the clock.

Comparing the two, taking a couple of hits was much more worth it.

Speaking of which...

Why did Grandma Bai's strikes suddenly get so much heavier?

Could it be that seeing her reach the Soul Formation realm, she deliberately increased the force?

When she reached the Body Integration realm in the future, would the punches she took be even heavier?

Qinghe's little head pondered deeply as she headed toward the peak.

The We Are a Loving Family Peak hadn't changed much. When Qinghe wasn't in secluded cultivation, she often came here to play, so she was quite familiar with it.

Upon landing, Qinghe let loose and dashed straight toward the courtyard, leaving Bai Xuanling behind.

Having been hit, she naturally had to be on bad terms with Grandma Bai for a short while.

This was the perfect time to find Lingyu and complain; she might even score a delicious meal out of it.

Bai Xuanling slowed her pace, letting Qinghe run inside.

Inside the We Are a Loving Family courtyard.

Qinghe poked her head in and immediately saw Chu Xingchen looking lazy. He was lying on a recliner with his eyes half-closed. Beside him was a glass of spirit fruit juice and a bowl of what seemed to be soup, its aroma wafting over from a distance.

She didn't see Lingyu, but she did see Chen Baiqing standing behind Chu Xingchen, gently massaging his head while softly humming a little tune that sounded incredibly soothing.

Good heavens!

Wasn't this the exact world she had always dreamed of?

Not having to do anything, just lying there enjoying life, getting a head massage, and drinking spirit fruit juice.

Why wasn't she living this good life? Instead, the Black-hearted Brat was the one enjoying it.

Qinghe walked over quickly, poking her head forward to peek at the soup on the table.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Chu Xingchen finally opened his eyes and looked at the snooping Qinghe.

"Long time no see. You've reached Soul Formation?"

Qinghe stopped poking her head around, raised her chin slightly, and said proudly:

"Naturally. How is my profound cultivation?"

Chu Xingchen gave her a thumbs-up and said, "Truly impressive. I saw the way you soared and flew around as a flood dragon just now. You are the most handsome flood dragon in the entire Tianyan Sect."

Hearing this, Qinghe looked even prouder. She glanced at Chu Xingchen, whose aura was currently fluctuating at merely the Nascent Soul realm, but she didn't ask too much about it.

This was definitely the Black-hearted Brat figuring out a new way to play the pig to eat the tiger. He was pretending to be an injured Nascent Soul cultivator, and he was doing a really convincing job of it.

If anyone actually underestimated him, Chu Xingchen would directly crush them with his Mahayana realm cultivation.

As expected, when it came to being black-hearted, she couldn't compare to Chu Xingchen. She, a little flood dragon, was still too naive.

Wait!

She could actually think of all these twists and turns and see through it at a glance!

Could it be that after advancing to the Soul Formation realm, her brain had evolved along with her?

If she also became a Mahayana flood dragon in the future...

Wouldn't she be even smarter than the Black-hearted Brat?

An unconscious smile appeared on Qinghe's face as she looked excitedly at Chu Xingchen. In her mind, she was already picturing her extraordinary future intellect, playing the Black-hearted Brat in the palm of her hand and watching his remorseful expression after being fooled.

Seeing Qinghe reveal a somewhat mentally challenged expression, the smile on Chu Xingchen's face faltered slightly.

Could it be that the higher a flood dragon's cultivation, the worse their brain got?

No wonder true dragons, despite being blessed with great destiny, could be besieged and killed. It looked like it was a genetic trait.

Qinghe's small hand naturally reached for the cup on the side. She casually poured herself a glass of spirit fruit juice, took a big gulp first, and then asked:

"Where's Lingyu?"

Chu Xingchen wasn't stingy about it. After all, this stuff was provided free of charge by the Tianyan Sect. He didn't have to pay for it regardless of who drank it, and he could just ask for more when it was gone.

Hearing her question, Chu Xingchen pointed toward the room and said, "She's inside looking for something."

Just as Qinghe turned her little head, she saw Xie Lingyu walking out of the room, holding a thin blanket in her hands.

"Lingyu!"

Qinghe spread her arms wide, intending to pounce on Xie Lingyu and give her a giant flood dragon hug.

Looking helpless, Xie Lingyu used one hand to stop the charging Qinghe by pressing against her head.

Qinghe didn't mind at all. She immediately hugged the hand pressing against her head and said excitedly:

"It's been so long since I saw Lingyu. Qinghe missed Lingyu so much."

"I know," Xie Lingyu replied helplessly.

"Didn't Lingyu miss Qinghe?"

"It's not like you went anywhere far, and there was no danger. Why would I miss you for no reason?"

Xie Lingyu shook the arm that Qinghe was tightly hugging.

Looking aggrieved, Qinghe let go. She was just about to denounce Xie Lingyu's heartlessness when she saw Xie Lingyu walk over to Chu Xingchen with a smile. She personally draped the blanket over Chu Xingchen and carefully adjusted its corners.

"So biased!" Qinghe looked displeased. Xie Lingyu was even more biased than Grandma Bai!

With Chu Xingchen's cultivation, he would be considered a mighty cultivator no matter where he went.

Not to mention the constant warm breeze in the Tianyan Sect, even if Chu Xingchen was thrown shirtless into a world of ice and snow, it would be impossible for him to feel cold.

So why did he need a blanket!

Chen Baiqing glanced over and said softly:

"Master is injured and feeling unwell."

Qinghe was stunned and subconsciously asked:

"Really?"

"Really. His cultivation has even dropped to the Nascent Soul realm."

Bai Xuanling stepped into the courtyard and answered for Chen Baiqing.

Qinghe was stunned over and over again. She looked at Chu Xingchen and noticed that his complexion was indeed a bit pale, and his aura was truly fluctuating...

Because her impression of Chu Xingchen was so ingrained, she had indeed formed a preconceived notion.

To fake an injury to this level would indeed be a bit too extraordinary.

For a Mahayana cultivation to drop to the Nascent Soul realm, what kind of severe injury must that be!

Let alone draping a blanket over him, even if they draped Lingyu over him, she wouldn't be able to say much.

Qinghe's expression revealed guilt. She hurriedly stepped forward to adjust Chu Xingchen's blanket again:

"It's Qinghe's fault. I thought you were studying how to play the pig to eat the tiger. Is one layer of blanket enough? Do you want Qinghe to get you another one?"

Watching Qinghe's ever-changing expressions, Chu Xingchen felt quite...

He could only say that Qinghe was indeed quite true to her feelings.

Chu Xingchen gently shook his head and said, "There's no need. One doesn't even need Nascent Soul cultivation to be immune to cold and heat; it's just that Lingyu felt I should be covered. Besides, it's not like I've contracted an incurable disease and am about to die. There's no need for that kind of expression, right?"

"That's true..."

Hearing this, Qinghe felt it made sense, but at this moment, she didn't know what expression she should wear or what she should say.

Very quickly, Qinghe put on a serious face and said:

"Since your cultivation is now even lower than Qinghe's, let Qinghe protect you!"

Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow slightly. "The people coming after me right now are either in the Mahayana Realm or the Tribulation Transcendence Realm."

Hearing this, Qinghe decisively chickened out and said:

"In that case, just pretend Qinghe didn't say anything just now."

Qinghe was well aware of her own limits. Against enemies like that, even ten Qinghes bundled together wouldn't be enough for them to slaughter.