Is this how you're supposed to use Time Avenue

In the Dragon Palace.

Jiang Che was carried onto the bed, his hair singed and curled from the lightning strike.

"Jiang Che, Jiang Che, what happened to you?"

As soon as Jiang Che lay down, a petite golden-haired loli darted out from the crowd and threw herself at his bedside—it was Qing'er, the little mermaid of the Jialan tribe.

"Wuwuwu, don't die! I don’t want to be a widow... What will I do if you die?"

Qing'er burst into loud sobs.

Just ten days ago, this loli had been full of malice toward Jiang Che, a proper little tsundere, but now she had turned into this pitiful state.

The little mermaid's tiny tail flapped anxiously in distress.

As Qing'er cried her heart out, Qin Qiaoqiao gently patted her shoulder. "Little sister, don’t cry. Jiang Che is fine... He just got struck by a heavenly tribulation, that’s all. He won’t die..."

Hearing this, Qing'er stopped crying, sniffled, and blinked her big, beautiful eyes. "Really?"

"Of course! A mere heavenly tribulation can’t kill Jiang Che!" Yu Wan'er crossed her arms, her posture domineering. This little mermaid named Qing'er had triggered a sense of crisis in her—she needed to find a way to put her in her place.

However, seeing how pitifully Qing'er was crying, it seemed she had suffered quite a bit under Jiang Che’s hands recently. Yu Wan'er couldn’t bring herself to openly bully her.

Though she was indeed jealous of this little mermaid, the girl looked far too easy to bully...

Qing'er lowered her head and placed a small hand on her belly, where shimmering blue-gold scales covered the area below her navel, giving her an ethereal beauty.

"Thank goodness nothing happened... The baby can’t be born without a father..."

Qing'er’s murmured words instantly made the atmosphere in the room turn strange.

Yu Wan'er’s expression froze, and the other girls stared at Qing'er with disbelief.

Qing'er shrank under their sudden scrutiny. She didn’t know these girls, but she understood—they were all Jiang Che’s women. By convention, she should call them "sisters."

After a long silence, Yu Wan'er exploded.

"Jiang Che!!!"

"Get up right now! What’s the deal with this little mermaid???"

Yu Wan'er climbed onto Jiang Che’s body and started pinching his face.

How could this be?

What was so special about this little mermaid? They had barely met, and yet... she was already pregnant?

And... what kind of child could a human and a mermaid even have?

Wasn’t there supposed to be reproductive isolation?!

"You—really won’t let me rest in peace." Jiang Che woke up, his face dark with displeasure. Yu Wan'er had been acting too bold lately. Just wait until she faced her own divine tribulation... He’d make sure this little tsundere cried rivers!

"Speak! I can understand Sister Shen Yu getting pregnant—she’s a special case. But why did you knock up this little mermaid???"

Yu Wan'er’s petite face was stormy, like a cat with its fur puffed up in anger.

"......"

"That’s right, Brother Jiang Che! If you wanted a child, I could’ve given you one! I’d have one for you every year—enough to form a whole soccer team..." Bai Jie chimed in. For an obsessive fangirl like her, bearing the child of her idol would be the ultimate success!

Just becoming Jiang Che’s woman was already a dream come true. But if she could have his baby... that would be the pinnacle of fangirl achievement.

Jiang Che rubbed his temples. "No, I just... I just tricked her. I told her that doing that would make her pregnant..."

Yu Wan'er’s lips twitched. She glanced at Qing'er, then back at Jiang Che, instantly imagining the scene of a lecherous wolf tricking an innocent little loli.

It was like the scene in Journey to the West where Tang Sanzang tells the White Bone Spirit, "Darling, eat this and you’ll live forever..."

"Pervert! You absolute pervert!" Yu Wan'er stomped on Jiang Che’s foot.

Qing'er blinked, her voice trembling. "Young Master Jiang Che... I... I’m not pregnant?"

Jiang Che: "......"

Seeing his silence, Qing'er burst into tears again. "Liar! Liar! You lied to me..."

Sobbing, she ran out of the room.

Jiang Che: "......"

Well, that backfired spectacularly.

"System, what’s going on lately? I feel like the 'Harem King' title isn’t holding up like it used to."

Jiang Che turned to his system for answers.

Logically speaking, even if Jiang Che were truly charming and wealthy, maintaining a harem would still be difficult—let alone keeping it harmonious!

Without the buff from the "Harem King" title, this household would’ve fallen apart long ago. Just Ye Mengyao, the former noble young lady, would never have agreed to share a husband with other women!

At most, she might tolerate Yu Wan'er.

Fortunately, the Harem King’s aura had been strong enough... until recently.

[Ding! The Harem King’s aura works by enhancing your personal charm, increasing your appeal to women and thus their tolerance toward you. However, now that the world has entered the era of cultivation, their status has risen...]

[The system suggests that you give your women enough affection, or they may very well take the path of corruption...]

Jiang Che: "???"

What the hell? Corruption?!

Jiang Che recalled Chen Ningshuang’s thoughts during his tribulation—wanting to die with him under the lightning. Thinking about it now, it was terrifying. Was Chen Ningshuang about to turn yandere?

Of course, Jiang Che wasn’t worried about the girls turning dark. No matter how corrupted they became... they’d still be in the palm of his hand.

"Ah~ This is such a headache. There are only so many hours in a day. I wish I could make a dozen clones of myself..."

Life was hard. Jiang Che sighed.

Jiang Che was different from other men—he genuinely wanted his women to be happy, not just NPCs to be discarded after being "conquered."

But on the other hand... he wasn’t a pure monogamist either. He couldn’t control himself—whenever he saw a beautiful girl, he just wanted to give her a happy home. He was only guilty of the same sin all men committed.

A time-management master could handle three or five women, but who could pamper a harem of over a dozen?

Resigned, he pretended to sleep and let his soul enter the Soul Nurturing Ring.

Inside, Mo Lianxing was tending to the flowers and plants she had been cultivating lately.

"Husband? You’re here!"

The moment she saw Jiang Che, Mo Lianxing pounced on him, wrapping her slender arms around his waist and pressing herself against his back.

This little vixen had personally witnessed how Jiang Che created an Indestructible Immortal Body. She had gained a new understanding of his capabilities.

Such heaven-defying methods would make even an Emperor drool with envy. This thigh—she was clinging to it for life.

"Husband, you seem troubled." Mo Lianxing’s lips brushed against Jiang Che’s ear as she whispered, her breath warm and sweet.

Jiang Che didn’t hide anything from her and poured out all his worries.

Mo Lianxing blinked. Not enough time?

"My lord... You possess dual immortal physiques, and your rank is so awe-inspiring. Why not seek enlightenment in the legendary Dao of Time?"