Luo Qingchuan froze for several seconds.

He... he realized that he actually did—

No, more like probably kind of sort of just a little bit had the intention of wanting to see Chen Yanyu’s shy reaction.

Luo Qingchuan swore it was just a little bit!

As for why...

She’s just too cute.

That’s all.

Once his thoughts cleared up, Luo Qingchuan immediately looked away, his gentle face turning slightly red as he said, “Huh? Of course not. I-I was just saying stuff!”

“Hm?”

Chen Yanyu squinted her eyes and leaned in close to Luo Qingchuan’s face. “You’re super suspicious!”

The pressure was real!

He never expected that this seemingly silly little dragon girl would be so unexpectedly sensitive and perceptive.

If his bad intentions got exposed... his image as the cool-headed demon lord would totally collapse.

Luo Qingchuan leaned his body back and laughed awkwardly, “Really? Chen guniang, you’re overthinking it. Alright, alright, go take your bath already. I’m leaving, okay?”

Chen Yanyu stared suspiciously at his back.

Then she suddenly remembered something and stomped her foot in a panic.

“You can’t go!”

“Wh-what is it?” Luo Qingchuan asked nervously. “Don’t tell me you really believe I said that on purpose?”

Although Chen Yanyu really wanted to believe that, she bit her lip and softly muttered,

“I... don’t have any clothes to change into.”

Luo Qingchuan suddenly understood.

He had almost forgotten.

“Wait here, I’ll go find you some.”

But Chen Yanyu suddenly frowned and spoke in a serious tone, “Luo Qingchuan, do you have girls’ clothes in your house?!”

She seemed...

Not very happy?

Luo Qingchuan gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. “I’ll just lend you some of mine.”

“Y-your...?”

Chen Yanyu’s little head tilted as her cheeks flushed bright red.

“O-okay,” she answered shyly in a tiny voice.

“Alrighty.”

Luo Qingchuan rushed into the bedroom, not even thinking before grabbing a white men’s dress shirt and a pair of loose jeans from the wardrobe.

“Here, for you.”

Chen Yanyu looked at the oversized shirt and men’s jeans, her face unreadable.

But the moment her eyes landed on the brand-new tags still hanging from the clothes, something flickered in her gaze—a hint of subtle grievance.

And then—

Her eyes happened to fall on the massive 100-inch TV sitting in the living room.

“The TV!”

Her soft, clear eyes sparkled as if a million stars had just lit up inside them.

The silver-haired girl looked pitifully at Luo Qingchuan and hesitantly asked, “Luo Qingchuan, Luo Qingchuan... could you maybe watch an episode of a drama with me later?”

“No problem.”

Luo Qingchuan smiled gently, because he understood. Ever since she was little, Chen Yanyu’s biggest wish had been—

That while she sat watching TV alone, someone would sit on the sofa next to her.

They could talk about the plot, share snacks, and maybe even playfully hit each other with pillows.

That had been her childhood fantasy—or rather, her delusion.

“Thank you!”

Chen Yanyu’s eyes glistened, bright and moist, like sparkling droplets splashing off a stone under a waterfall.

“I’ll leave you alone for now, okay?”

And then, Luo Qingchuan quickly ran off, feeling a bit guilty.

After being questioned like that, he felt kind of intimidated by this little dragon girl.

And when he remembered the way she beat up Mudan...

Could Chen Yanyu actually be a closet sadist?

If he ever really made her mad, would she pin him down and beat him senseless?

Luo Qingchuan shivered at the thought.

Still wiping the blood off his head, he entered the second-floor bathroom, feeling complicated.

According to related departments, guys usually take quick showers.

Luo Qingchuan was the same—about ten minutes and he was done, scrubbing all the blood and grime off cleanly.

After building his foundation, Luo Qingchuan noticed his skin had even improved a little.

After getting everything sorted, he threw on some random pajamas.

Back in the first-floor living room, he sat on the sofa, playing with his phone in one hand while turning on the TV with the other.

He searched around on the news but didn’t find anything breaking.

Thinking for a second, Luo Qingchuan opened the “Seeking Dao” app on his phone.

It was an official communication platform—or forum—for cultivators.

Still in beta, so a lot of the features were rough.

Almost instantly, Luo Qingchuan saw the most popular post on the front page.

“Shocking! A battle between Foundation Establishment-level cultivators broke out in Silver City, Jiangbei!”

The original poster had summarized the info briefly, mostly from an onlooker’s point of view.

Then, Luo Qingchuan saw a picture.

It looked like it had been taken from a balcony in some residential building.

The image was a bit blurry since it was nighttime.

But—

That silver, blazing bolt of lightning shooting from the city into the sky was still shockingly clear even against the night sky!

“That strong, huh?”

Luo Qingchuan had felt like he was going blind just being there, but never expected the lightning to still look so epic from such a distance.

There were tons of replies.

But as expected of modern netizens, the tone was something else. Luo Qingchuan couldn’t help laughing as he read.

    “Damn, that lightning spell is crazy! They really threw down right in the city—respect!”
    “Too awesome. Is it still too late to switch to lightning techniques? Forget sword cultivation, I’m changing factions!”
    “Haha, if you don’t learn lightning techniques, you’re just destined to live a mediocre life.”
    “You bunch of mortals. A battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators? Nah, that was clearly my tribulation lightning from ascending to the heavens!”
    “Replying to the guy above: Since when does tribulation lightning strike upward from the ground?”
    “Foundation-level cultivators actually fighting already? I declare that the spiritual revival has officially entered version 2.0.”
    “I declare your declaration invalid.”

...

After chuckling for a while, Luo Qingchuan finally found a more serious reply.

    “Did anyone get hurt?”
    “A friend of my friend’s classmate was in the bar nearby. But it was too chaotic, the bar was super dark, and everyone was just trying to escape. Nobody saw anything clearly.”
    “...They say, apparently, there was a shadowy figure with a blade.”
    “That shadow was the Foundation Establishment bigshot?”

Luo Qingchuan scrolled through carefully, then let out a sigh of relief.

No exposure.

The bar had been total chaos—everyone just wanted to run. No one would’ve looked back with the visibility so bad.

The person Chen Yanyu saved had been a dancer who passed out.

Luo Qingchuan had been surrounded by disaster and chaotic spiritual energy, completely shrouded.

“Still way too dangerous. If there are other cultivators next time, I might not be able to stay hidden. I’ll have to be more careful.”

Suddenly, Luo Qingchuan heard a stammering voice call out to him.

He turned his head—and froze.

Chen Yanyu’s delicate, slender figure was clad only in the oversized shirt. Her porcelain-white face flushed like a ripe apple. Having just taken a hot bath, her entire body seemed to emit warm steam, and her legs—paler than snow—looked adorably flushed and pink after bathing.

“These pants... are too big... they’re falling down... I can’t walk… I can’t do anything...” Chen Yanyu gazed tearfully at Luo Qingchuan sitting on the sofa.

Her soft, silver hair clung wetly to her jade-like shoulders. Her loose collar revealed a glimpse of her dainty collarbone, and the fair skin of her neck peeked out subtly. The shirt sleeves hung past her arms, and she had to helplessly pinch them up with her little hands. She looked just like a kitten begging for food, even trembling slightly like one.

“Wuwuwu Luo Qingchuan don’t just sit there staring... Help me think of something!”