After all, Long Ying hadn’t appeared yet at this point in the script, so Yan Zhen had completely forgotten about her for the moment.
“Sorry, sorry. I got too absorbed in my cultivation and didn’t mean to leave you hanging.”
Long Ying was no longer a willful little child, so she naturally understood Yan Zhen. Still, she was a bit unhappy, pouting her little mouth with a grievance that tugged at the heartstrings.
Yan Zhen set the loli dragon girl down from his body and took her hand as they returned to the small building.
“Are you hungry? Let me take you to the dining hall to eat.”
Long Ying replied with a haughty expression on her face.
“I’ve already eaten my fill at Sister Xunyi’s!”
Ah, this…
Yan Zhen suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
Feeding Long Ying was the best way to build her favor. If Zi Xunyi snatched that opportunity away, his relationship with Long Ying would slowly fade, and how would he extract a third drop of divine blood from her later for his body refining?
—No, he had to make up for it.
“Ahem, how much did you eat? I’ll go pay her back.”
“What do you mean pay? Sister Xunyi’s money is your money!”
—She had a point there.
“Then I’ll go put on a movie for her tonight as compensation.”
“A movie?” Long Ying blinked, then quickly remembered what it was. “I want to watch too!”
“Tch, don’t be a third wheel.”
“Oh?” A teasing look appeared on Long Ying’s face. “Yan Zhen Zhen, are you trying to woo Sister Xunyi?”
The two had already arrived at the door of the small building. Seeing no one around, Yan Zhen whispered,
“You might not believe it, but she’s my future wife.”
Long Ying’s gaze sharpened.
“How do you know?”
Yan Zhen hooked the corner of his mouth, revealing a smug expression.
“I saw it in a dream.”
His future wife had indeed appeared in his dreams, so Yan Zhen wasn’t lying to the child.
Long Ying fell into thought.
The two returned to the room. Yan Zhen told Long Ying to sit obediently for a bit, then dashed to the bathroom, took a quick bath, and changed into clean clothes before coming out.
“I’m going to find Zi Ji now. Don’t follow me.”
“Oh, then I’ll go to sleep first. Come back soon.”
Long Ying was extremely well-behaved, even waving at him goodbye. This left Yan Zhen with the nagging feeling that she might be an imposter.
Harboring his doubts, Yan Zhen leaped out the window, executed the Starry Sky Dance, and in an instant soared to the cliffside small building. He landed on the balcony and knocked on the floor-to-ceiling window.
Creak.
The window opened, revealing Zi Xunyi’s graceful figure. She wore a deep purple nightgown with her light purple hair cascading loosely, dressed quite casually.
The crossed lapels formed a subtle V-neck, perfectly covering her ample bosom, but her delicate collarbone and slender jade neck carried a faint sensuality.
Seeing Yan Zhen, Zi Xunyi smiled faintly.
“You’re back. Little Long Ying has been thinking about you these past few days.”
Yan Zhen scratched his head awkwardly.
“I got too caught up in cultivation and forgot about her for a moment. Thanks for taking care of her.”
“It’s nothing. I like that child quite a bit. Little Long Ying is very obedient and doesn’t cause trouble—she just eats a lot, after all, she’s a dragon.”
“She’s definitely much more well-behaved now. I have no idea why.”
Zi Xunyi turned and walked back inside. Yan Zhen followed her into the room, and the two sat down at the table. Zi Xunyi poured him a cup of tea.
“I almost forgot you’re a reincarnator. No wonder you didn’t bat an eye when Little Long Ying ate so many of your points… Was she naughty before?”
“Naughty isn’t quite the word—she was just stubborn and wouldn’t listen. When she got hungry, she’d keep yelling ‘I’m hungry,’ then just stare at you. If she ran into someone she disliked, she’d punch them without a word until she felt satisfied. She got me into a lot of trouble.”
Zi Xunyi covered her mouth with her jade hand and let out a light laugh.
“Really? I can’t even imagine Little Long Ying like that.”
Yan Zhen spread his hands.
“Every word is true. I don’t know how she became so obedient. It couldn’t be that she’s a reincarnator like me—”
His words cut off abruptly. Yan Zhen felt a faint sense of emptiness rise in his heart, and blurry images flashed through his mind.
—System-chan, let’s start over. Winning like this is meaningless.
“Yan Zhen” said this, his tone devoid of joy or sorrow, as if he had become an emotionless machine.
【Does the host confirm restarting everything from zero?】
—Confirmed.
【System Warm Reminder: The host’s growth so far has been extremely arduous. Restarting does not guarantee reaching the current heights.】
—This Emperor believes I can surpass the present… I have already seen a new path.
【System Warm Reminder: XXX】
Everything after that was a blur.
—What the hell is this? Is this my memory?
Yan Zhen’s divine soul throbbed, and intense pain radiated from between his brows, turning his face pale in an instant.
“What’s wrong, Yan Zhen?” Zi Xunyi asked nervously. “Your divine soul fluctuations are too intense. Calm your mind quickly.”
“My… my head hurts so much.” Blurry images kept flashing in Yan Zhen’s mind, giving him a powerful sense of déjà vu. “Am I Yan Zhen… or the Flame Emperor?”
“Yan Zhen!”
Zi Xunyi immediately summoned the Jade Firmament Purple Dome Flame, which transformed into a beautiful purple butterfly. It gently flapped its wings, scattering purple light to help soothe the throbbing in Yan Zhen’s divine soul.
After a long while, Yan Zhen finally calmed down slowly, the color returning to his pale face.
“Thank you, Zi Ji. I almost lost myself there.”
Zi Xunyi withdrew the Jade Firmament Purple Dome Flame and let out a relieved breath scented with fragrance. Looking at Yan Zhen with curiosity, she asked,
“What happened to you all of a sudden? You looked like you were about to suffer qi deviation. Did you practice some bad divine soul merit law?”
“I’m cultivating the Ancestral Symbol Scripture. You’ve heard of it, right?”
At those three words, Zi Xunyi’s eyes widened in surprise. She exclaimed,
“You mean the Ancestral Symbol Scripture created by the Ancestral God?”
The Ancestral God was the first deity, ancestor of all God Race members, a supreme existence on par with Emperors.
“Yeah. Gather the five elements and four directional phases into nine talismans to form the Ancestral Symbol. Recreate chaos in the sea of consciousness and forge a divine kingdom. It’s the primordial divine secret art… If you want to learn it, I can teach you.”
Zi Xunyi’s breath hitched, her heart pounding wildly. She couldn’t speak for a long time.
Finally, she gave a slight bitter smile and shook her head.
“Forget it. I can’t take your opportunity. Besides, I’ve already cultivated my innate merit law. Switching now would be troublesome.”
“If you ever want to learn it, just tell me. I can teach you anytime.” Yan Zhen’s gaze softened. “After all, you’re my future wife.”
Zi Xunyi’s cheeks flushed red, and she turned her head away, not daring to meet his eyes.
“You’re saying that again…”
“Alright, I won’t. Let’s talk about Long Ying.” Yan Zhen blinked. “Her sudden obedience reminds me of Ling’er.”
“Ling’er?” Zi Xunyi felt the name was familiar, like she’d heard it somewhere. “Who’s that?”
Yan Zhen gazed at her seriously.
“Our daughter, Yan Lingji.”
Eh? Zi Xunyi’s expression froze. Their daughter? Hers and Yan Zhen’s?
Before Zi Xunyi could process this, Yan Zhen continued,
“Actually, Ling’er reincarnated with me too.”
