Back in the office, Shangguan Qianqian's already icy expression grew even colder.
She held the documents in her hands, flipping through them repeatedly, yet not a single word seemed to register.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knocking sound came from the door.
Shangguan Qianqian didn’t respond.
Ahem, Qianqian, it’s me, An Yi! The voice outside called.
"Not seeing anyone!" Shangguan Qianqian opened the file and replied coldly.
Then, the door creaked open quietly as An Yi slipped inside and closed it behind him.
In the face of his max-level lockpicking skills, even spatial barriers could be breached—what was a mere door to him?
An Yi cleared his throat. "So, about earlier—"
"Why explain to me?" Shangguan Qianqian said frostily.
An Yi quickly replied, "No, don’t be angry."
"I’m not!"
Her beautiful eyes glared at him coldly.
An Yi coughed lightly. "Qianqian, calm down first—"
Shangguan Qianqian took a step forward, executed a perfect split, and with a thud, pinned An Yi against the wall. She grabbed his face and said icily, "I said I’m not angry, so stop being annoying!"
Then, she froze, suddenly realizing something.
Was she… jealous?
This feeling was so unfamiliar. She had never imagined she’d actually fall for a man one day.
An Yi, feeling the pressure from her long leg, hurriedly said, "Okay, okay, I believe you! Now put your leg down!"
"You’re such a playboy. Who’d be jealous over you?" Shangguan Qianqian snorted.
In her past life, this An guy had not one, but two women.
And according to rumors, even the underground queen Nie Qinglan had some ambiguous relationship with him.
Back then, Shangguan Qianqian had dismissed it as baseless gossip. But now? There was definitely something fishy going on.
"You wanted to see me?"
Shangguan Qianqian poured herself a cup of coffee, feigning indifference.
Though this guy was a scoundrel, at least he had the decency to come see her first.
An Yi said seriously, "I came to ask you about someone—Ow! Damn it, my shoe!"
"Sorry, spilled the coffee. Please continue."
Shangguan Qianqian set the cup down calmly.
An Yi wiped the coffee off his shoe, his expression turning grave. "Qianqian, in your past life, did you know anything about Shen Muxuan?"
"Muxuan…"
At the mention of the name, Shangguan Qianqian’s lips parted slightly before she shook her head. "In my past life, I knew nothing about her. I didn’t even know someone named Shen Muxuan existed."
She wasn’t lying.
An Yi, the leader of the Asura Sect and the top-ranked expert on the Heavenly Rankings, had his background and early life thoroughly investigated by intelligence agencies.
The Joyous Sect had also studied An Yi extensively.
But in Shangguan Qianqian’s memories, there had been no girl named Shen Muxuan by his side in the past.
It was as if she had appeared out of nowhere, without any warning.
"You don’t know?"
An Yi’s pupils constricted.
Shangguan Qianqian shook her head slowly. "In my past life, you two probably never met. Maybe it’s the butterfly effect?"
She understood that the timeline of this world had already diverged.
In her past life, by now, An Yi would have been locked in a life-and-death struggle with the Blood Fiend Sect over the tragedy of the An family.
But in this life, he hadn’t killed Elder Han Xi and had instead entered the Hongtian Secret Realm.
The trajectory of fate had quietly shifted.
An Yi nodded slightly.
There had been no trace of Shen Muxuan in his past life.
The only explanation was that, in the world before Shangguan Qianqian’s rebirth, they had never crossed paths.
But for some reason, An Yi felt an inexplicable unease.
"What’s wrong with Muxuan?"
Shangguan Qianqian noticed his troubled expression and asked softly.
An Yi sighed. "She has a strange illness. She’s gone back to her hometown."
"What kind of illness?" Shangguan Qianqian pressed.
"Celestial Yin Meridian," An Yi said grimly.
Shangguan Qianqian frowned. "Celestial Yin Meridian… It’s said to be an ice-type constitution. On the year she turns twenty, the icy spiritual energy in her body will backlash and—"
She didn’t finish.
She knew Shen Muxuan was already eighteen.
That meant she had less than two years left.
An Yi’s gaze hardened. "Do you know any way to cure it?"
Shangguan Qianqian hesitated. "Only the Immortal Gate’s minor realm might have a solution."
The Immortal Gate’s minor realm—a world isolated from theirs.
But for a martial artist to enter it? That was nothing short of a pipe dream.
"You know about the Immortal Gate’s minor realm?" An Yi asked in surprise.
Shangguan Qianqian nodded. "It’s a secret in the martial world, but not unheard of. In the coming years, it’ll interact more frequently with our world. If it’s Celestial Yin Meridian, only the richer spiritual energy of the minor realm can help."
"I see…"
An Yi exhaled slowly. He’d been too anxious.
Muxuan had told him she’d be back in three months—maybe Mu Qingyi had taken her back for treatment, not wanting him to worry.
That dumb dog had been sealed away for five thousand years.
Old, but clueless.
Hadn’t even tasted domesticated beef or mutton—what did it know?
Three months wasn’t long. He could wait.
Shangguan Qianqian flipped through her files before slamming them onto the desk. "Why are you still here?"
An Yi’s gaze lingered on her, making her skin prickle.
"Uh, well—"
An Yi coughed awkwardly.
Shangguan Qianqian saw right through him. "I’m on my period."
An Yi: "…"
With his LV4 medical skills, he could tell she wasn’t lying.
Seriously?
She did a split while on her period?!
"Then you shouldn’t drink coffee. Your body’s weaker now, and the caffeine can make cramps worse."
An Yi poured the coffee from her cup into the water bucket by the dispenser.
Then, he took out some herbs from his storage space, ground and mixed them, before steeping them in hot water in a mug.
"Here, drink this."
He handed her the cup, then packed the remaining herbs into a small bag. "Brew about five grams a day. Drink it when you feel uncomfortable."
Shangguan Qianqian took a sip, warmth spreading through her body, instantly soothing her.
Huh. This blockhead can be considerate sometimes.
"Why did you join the audition?"
She cradled the cup, watching him.
An Yi shrugged. "If I said I got dragged into it by accident, would you believe me?"
Shangguan Qianqian stared at him like he was an idiot.
Clearly, she didn’t.
"That song of yours, Sunny Day, went viral. Your videos are everywhere online now." She showed him her phone.
An Yi: "…"
He took the phone and glanced at it.
The headline read: "Youth 404" Audition Dumpster Fire Reveals a Hidden Gem!
Handsome, great voice, and original songs—he’d blown up overnight!
The most popular video had over a million likes.
Countless others were already using Sunny Day’s intro and chorus as background music.
An Yi raised an eyebrow.
Just then, the system’s voice chimed in.
Ding! Congratulations, Host! The prestige of the [Asura Sect] leader has reached 1000! Member limit increased to 1000!
Ding! Reward obtained: [Mist Formation]!