This news left Xuan Wudao utterly dumbfounded.
He knew Chen Chang'an was a mysterious figure with unfathomable strength.
But he never expected there to be such a connection between them.
His own father—that arrogant, unyielding man—had once chased after Chen Chang'an, begging to become sworn brothers?
Was this really the same old man he knew?
Yet, upon closer thought, Xuan Wudao realized it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Chen Chang'an only looked young—that didn’t mean he actually was.
When Xuan Wudao had met him three thousand years ago, the bastard already had the appearance of a man in his early twenties. Now, Xuan Wudao himself had grown into a burly middle-aged man, yet Chen Chang'an still looked the same.
It wasn’t that Xuan Wudao couldn’t maintain a youthful appearance—he just felt it was inappropriate for someone his age to pretend to be young.
"Honestly, how many years have you lived?" Xuan Wudao asked, his expression serious.
"At least ten thousand," Chen Chang'an replied without hesitation.
Ten thousand?
Holy shit, Chen Chang'an had lived for ten thousand years?
What did that even mean?
This guy was absolutely a supreme powerhouse.
And back then, Xuan Wudao had actually dared to challenge him to a bet? Had he lost his damn mind?
"You… are you at the Great Emperor realm?" Xuan Wudao asked, stunned.
His words sent a shock through Gu Xian'er as well. The Great Emperor—a legendary realm spoken of only in myths—was standing right beside her?
And she was his maidservant?
"Great Emperor?"
Chen Chang'an's tone was calm, as if discussing something trivial. "Let’s just say, even a peak Great Emperor couldn’t harm me in the slightest."
Xuan Wudao’s internal turmoil was something only he could truly understand.
A peak Great Emperor couldn’t scratch him? And back then, he had actually bet against him? Should he feel honored?
Did this mean he was on the same level as a peak Great Emperor?
Why did that thought make him inexplicably happy?
Pah!
Calm down, calm down!
After pushing aside the chaotic thoughts in his head, Xuan Wudao looked at Chen Chang'an with newfound understanding.
A hidden master, an unfathomable recluse, shrouded in mystery.
But what set Chen Chang'an apart from other top-tier powerhouses was that he… seemed so human.
Yes, just an ordinary person.
Xuan Wudao had to admit that even he had changed as his strength grew—becoming disdainful of mortal lives, arrogant, difficult to approach.
But Chen Chang'an? He acted freely, remained composed, and treated everyone equally, regardless of status.
Was this the true mindset of a supreme expert?
Lost in thought, Xuan Wudao felt a sudden epiphany.
"Old…"
He hesitated, unsure how to address Chen Chang'an now.
"Old Chen"? But the man had known his father.
"Uncle"? That just felt wrong.
"Just call me what you always have," Chen Chang'an said with a faint smile. "We’ll keep it separate. Your father called me ‘big brother,’ you call me ‘Old Chen’—it’s all the same."
"Fine, ‘Old Chen’ it is. So, by that logic, does that make me higher in seniority than my dad?"
"Wait, no—same generation? How does this even work?"
Xuan Wudao was a prodigy in cultivation, but when it came to matters like this, he was hopeless.
"Doesn’t matter. It’s not important."
"Right, not important."
"Hahaha, suddenly, I feel a lot better."
"But I really should get going now."
"Alright. If fate wills it, we’ll meet again."
"Indeed."
Xuan Wudao grinned, then gave a nod to the big yellow dog.
Just as he turned to leave, he paused and glanced back at Chen Chang'an, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
"While searching for you over the years, I heard something interesting."
"At first, I thought it was just someone with the same name. But since you’ve lived this long… I think it might be about you."
Oh?
Something related to him?
"What is it?" Chen Chang'an asked curiously.
"Do you know someone named Changsun Xixue?"
Changsun Xixue?
The name gave Chen Chang'an pause. Over the millennia, he had met many people—some remembered, some forgotten.
Someone with the surname Changsun?
Why couldn’t he recall right away?
"Big Yellow, do you remember this person?" Chen Chang'an asked.
The dog shook its head. Clearly, it had no memory of the name either.
"You don’t know her?"
"But I heard Changsun Xixue has been searching for a man named Chen Chang'an for nearly five thousand years."
"Five thousand years—damn, even longer than me!"
"And this Changsun Xixue is incredibly strong. Rumor has it she’s already at the peak of the Undying Realm, just one step away from the Great Emperor realm."
Five thousand years?
So, if they had met, it must have been five millennia ago.
What had he been doing back then?
"Hmm… do you know why she’s looking for Chen Chang'an?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"I heard she wants to marry him."
"As for the specifics, I’m not sure."
"Five thousand years—that’s some dedication. If it really is you, you’re a real piece of work, making a woman search for you for five millennia."
Marry Chen Chang'an?
Now he was even more confused. He didn’t remember any romantic entanglements.
Changsun Xixue… Changsun…
Suddenly, a long-buried memory surfaced in his mind.
Oh no.
He did know her.
"Big Yellow, this is all your damn fault!"
"You troublemaker!"
Chen Chang'an suddenly began berating the dog, leaving it utterly bewildered.
Xuan Wudao, however, caught on immediately. "Holy shit, so it really is you?"
"You… you’re something else. I’m impressed."
To make a woman like Changsun Xixue remember him for five thousand years—that was no small feat.
But Xuan Wudao was dying to know: what did this have to do with the dog?
"Enough already."
"Just because I don’t talk doesn’t mean I’m mute."
"Are you done yelling? She wants to marry you, not me—how the hell is this my fault?"
The dog finally snapped back, shocking Gu Xian'er, who now realized this was no ordinary canine.
"Not your fault?"
"If it weren’t for you back then, would I have fallen into Changsun Xixue’s…"
Chen Chang'an abruptly cut himself off, leaving Xuan Wudao itching with curiosity.
"Go on! Finish the sentence! Fell into Changsun Xixue’s what?" he pressed impatiently.
Big Yellow was also stunned for a moment. Reminded by Chen Chang'an, it seemed to recall something.
"So it was her."
"No wonder. That girl chased you all the way back then. After all these years, she still hasn't let it go?"
"Wait, that doesn't make sense. Shouldn't she want to kill you? How did it turn into wanting to marry you?"
"I say, Brother Big Yellow, could you stop speaking in riddles? Just tell us what exactly happened back then."
Xuan Wudao felt like he was going crazy. Could you two just spit it out already?
"Oh, it's nothing much. Just that Chen Chang'an saw her completely naked and even reached out to touch her."
Huh?
Touched?
Touched what?
"Holy shit, so this is the kind of person you are, Chen Chang'an!"
"I despise you!"
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
