Jian Xingzhi’s heart was filled with shock and doubt as he began asking the system: “666, can this girl also have romantic feelings?”

666 spoke with difficulty: “Well, it’s not that it’s impossible…”

Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi’s gaze toward Su Zhenxue became strange. Qin Wanwan saw Jian Xingzhi staring at Su Zhenxue. She coughed lightly and winked at Jian Xingzhi, signaling him not to stare at the beauty—just glance casually.

“Then it’s settled,” Qin Wanwan took a deep breath, revealing the resolve of one going calmly to their death. “Everyone, I’m going. Aotian,” Qin Wanwan turned to look at Jian Xingzhi, “if… if something happens and I call you, you have to come.”

“Then I definitely,” Jian Xingzhi drawled, teasing her, “have to run away.”

Hearing this, Qin Wanwan was stunned. Jian Xingzhi’s face was completely serious: “That chicken can kick me far away with one foot. Better a dead friend than a dead me—I can’t go die.”

“Then… if I encounter danger…”

“Qin Fellow Daoist, rest assured,” Su Zhenxue finally spoke. “Within the secret realm, I will certainly protect your safety.”

“Su Fellow Daoist,” hearing this, Qin Wanwan showed gratitude. “You’re such a good person.”

“Alright,” Jian Xingzhi raised his hand and slapped Qin Wanwan’s back once. “Hurry up and get to work.”

Qin Wanwan glared at him, clenched her fists, and walked down the mountain.

As soon as she reached the lakeside, she heard Jian Xingzhi’s voice by her ear: “If that old pervert chicken tries to do anything to you, call me.”

Qin Wanwan was stunned, then realized there was a special flow of spiritual power on her back. Jian Xingzhi had actually placed a substitution talisman on her.

She breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling this person was still somewhat reliable. Her courage grew considerably.

She raised her hand at the rooster’s courtyard entrance to fix her hair. Just as she was thinking about how to start, she saw the rooster dash out from its yard, violently opening the gate and appearing before Qin Wanwan, looking at her excitedly.

“Beauty!”

The rooster shouted. Qin Wanwan was stunned for quite a while before reacting, smiling somewhat nervously: “Hi?”

“Beauty, are you passing by? Would you like to come in and sit, have some tea?”

The rooster was so excited its two chicken feet kept hopping. Seeing the rooster was much easier to get along with than imagined, Qin Wanwan lowered her head with a gentle smile: “I’m passing through here. The scenery looks nice, so I was planning to take a walk. I won’t trouble you.”

“Take a walk?”

The rooster was stunned. It instinctively glanced back at the yard behind it. Qin Wanwan looked at it somewhat shyly: “Chicken… Big Brother Chicken, are you familiar with this area?”

That one call of “Big Brother Chicken” made the rooster’s heart flutter. It nodded frantically: “Very familiar!”

“Then are you…” Qin Wanwan glanced to the side, “convenient to show me around?”

“This…” The rooster hesitated. Qin Wanwan blinked, full of expectation. Seeing Qin Wanwan’s gaze and thinking how it had been so many years since anyone had chatted with it, the rooster gritted its teeth and nodded: “Wait for me!”

With that, it went back, closed the courtyard door, and ran back cheerfully: “Beauty, let’s go. I’ll show you around.”

Hearing this, Qin Wanwan beamed with joy. She turned and winked toward the hillside, signaling they could make their move.

With that one wink, three of the four people lying on the hillside were stunned.

Baisui You couldn’t help but sigh with emotion: “Qin Fellow Daoist is truly a celestial maiden descended to earth, devastatingly beautiful.”

Nanfeng also stared blankly at Qin Wanwan: “I didn’t expect Master would be so full of charm, so graceful and alluring.”

Su Zhenxue also stared straight at the direction Qin Wanwan was leaving, agreeing: “Mm.”

Jian Xingzhi felt utterly baffled. He leaped up from the ground: “What are you all chattering about? Move!”

The four rushed toward the rooster’s estate. There was a barrier at the estate entrance. Baisui You immediately spoke: “I’ll set up a formation first to prevent the barrier from being broken and alerting that chicken.”

With that, Baisui You drew a bunch of talismans on the barrier. After finishing, Su Zhenxue beside him gathered her full strength and struck with her palm. The barrier didn’t budge.

The four exchanged glances, then heard Nanfeng ask hesitantly: “What… what is this?”

Jian Xingzhi looked in the direction of the sound and saw nine boxes on the door, with numbers from one to nine written on them. Su Zhenxue frowned: “Could it be… we need to use these numbers to open the door?”

Jian Xingzhi thought for a moment, squatted on the ground, and drew a circle. A scene appeared on the ground showing Qin Wanwan strolling through the forest with the rooster.

“Old Qin.”

Jian Xingzhi called to her: “Ask how to open this door. The barrier won’t break.”

“Big Brother Chicken,” Qin Wanwan pretended she hadn’t heard anything and looked at the rooster beside her. “Aren’t you afraid of your home being robbed when you come out?”

“What’s there to fear?” The rooster was quite proud. “My barrier is my exclusive secret recipe. You must input the correct password to open it. Otherwise, even if immortals from heaven descended, they couldn’t open my barrier.”

“Really?” Qin Wanwan’s eyes were full of worship. Jian Xingzhi and the three people beside him all shuddered, then heard Qin Wanwan ask: “Won’t you forget the password?”

“How could that be?” The rooster’s face was full of pride. “My password is super easy to remember.”

“Is it your birthday?”

“No!” The rooster laughed loudly. “It’s just my name’s pinyin.”

Qin Wanwan was stunned. Pinyin? This world had such a thing?

“Didn’t know, did you?” The rooster boasted. “This is an encryption method I learned from an ancient secret book. This book recorded a nine-grid pinyin keyboard. I used this as the basis to set up an encryption box, using my name as the password. I’ll never forget it.”

Hearing this, Qin Wanwan showed a smile: “Speaking of which, after all this time, I still don’t know Big Brother’s name?”

“I am the secret realm’s master, king of chickens,” the rooster walked forward, one wing in front and one behind, striking the pose of a master. “Ji Wuyou.”

“Ah,” Qin Wanwan looked up at the sky. “It’s getting late. Big Brother Chicken, I’m a bit tired. I’ll leave first. Goodbye.”

Having said that, Qin Wanwan turned and ran, whispering to Jian Xingzhi as she ran: “5498968.”

In that very moment, Ji Wuyou suddenly reacted: “Wait! Why are you running!”

Having obtained the password, Qin Wanwan didn’t dare stop at all. She speculated that if Ji Wuyou had set up such a strict password barrier, it was impossible he hadn’t set up a corresponding sensing formation. Once Jian Xingzhi and the others opened the formation, it would definitely alert the chicken. When the chicken reacted, it probably wouldn’t let her off.

She ran in the opposite direction. If the chicken wanted to protect the spirit beasts, it couldn’t chase her. If the chicken desperately chased her, she would call Long Aotian over.

Qin Wanwan calculated well and urged Jian Xingzhi: “Open the barrier quickly!”

Jian Xingzhi wasn’t ambiguous either. Hearing the password, he immediately turned back and stared seriously at those nine boxes. Then he extended his finger, seriously and slowly, one number at a time, like a sloth, slowly pressing down.

This Qin Wan usually had no practical combat opportunities in cultivation—this was a good chance to let her practice.

Qin Wanwan was chased by the chicken, running with all her might, completely without image, urging Jian Xingzhi as she ran: “Hurry!”

“Almost, almost,” Jian Xingzhi listened to the sound of Qin Wanwan running wildly, suppressing the happiness in his heart as he slowly pressed the numbers. The people beside him all looked at him with shock, wanting to say something but not daring to interrupt. After a long while, Baisui You couldn’t help it: “Long Fellow Daoist, why don’t you tell me the password and I’ll do it?”

“No need,” Jian Xingzhi blocked Baisui You. “Such an important matter requires caution.”

With that, Jian Xingzhi pressed the last key. The entire barrier burst with brilliant light. Ji Wuyou, who was chasing Qin Wanwan, was stunned, then reacted and cursed loudly: “You woman deceived me!”

“Hurry back and save your young!”

Qin Wanwan shouted: “They’re going to carry all your young away!”

“Let them carry them away! They’re not my biological children anyway,” Ji Wuyou said beyond Qin Wanwan’s expectations, raising its hand as a long ribbon flew toward Qin Wanwan. “You just stay and give birth to new ones for me!”

Hearing this, Qin Wanwan rolled on the ground, dodging the ribbon. Thinking of herself holding a bunch of baby chicks in swaddling clothes and taking family photos with this rooster, her heart trembled as she began frantically calling for help: “Long Aotian, are you done! Save me quickly!”

“Almost, almost.”

Jian Xingzhi calmly opened the estate’s barrier and began looking for spirit beasts in the estate with the others. Listening to the chaos on Qin Wanwan’s side, he leisurely selected a cuter panda and put it in his backpack, quite emotionally: “Our side is so dangerous inside the barrier—sword lights and blade shadows, so scary. Hold on a bit longer.”

Hearing Jian Xingzhi’s words, the three people searching everywhere for spirit beasts all cast bewildered and shocked looks. Jian Xingzhi halfheartedly called out “ah,” grabbed a small panda, and stared at it: “This panda actually shot a cold arrow at me!”

“I can’t hold on!”

Qin Wanwan screamed, frantically dodging Ji Wuyou’s ribbon.

“Then you need to work harder.”

Ji Wuyou didn’t want to hurt her, but its strength was far too superior. She was chased everywhere, completely relying on her body’s instinctive rolling around.

Jian Xingzhi casually glanced at the scene in the light circle following him, selecting pandas: “Qin Wan, do you prefer fatter or thinner pandas?”

“Long Aotian!!”

Hearing Jian Xingzhi’s words, Qin Wanwan finally realized Jian Xingzhi was completely toying with her.

With a “ding” she blocked Ji Wuyou’s ribbon. Ji Wuyou’s chicken eyes narrowed as the ribbon instantly wrapped around Qin Wanwan, person and sword together. Qin Wanwan struggled hard. Ji Wuyou approached her: “Woman, I’m not a chicken you can toy with. Deceiving me comes with a price.”

“Brother Chicken…” Qin Wanwan was about to cry. “I was wrong. You’re magnanimous…”

“Why are you crying?” Ji Wuyou was puzzled. “Didn’t you think I was very handsome? Don’t cry. Come, Big Brother will give you a kiss.”

With that, Ji Wuyou closed its eyes. Qin Wanwan desperately tried to retreat. In that very instant, Qin Wanwan heard Jian Xingzhi seriously call her: “Qin Wan, call my name.”

“Long Aotian!!”

Qin Wanwan shouted loudly. In that instant, Qin Wanwan felt her body lighten. Jian Xingzhi instantly appeared in Qin Wanwan’s position, raising his hand like a blade to cut through the ribbon, grabbed a panda from the backpack behind him to use as a throwing weapon, and wildly hurled them at the chicken’s head.

Ji Wuyou, afraid of hurting the young, quickly caught the small pandas. In that very instant, Jian Xingzhi kicked Ji Wuyou’s chest hard and shouted to Qin Wanwan: “Take them and leave first!”

“You all leave first!”

Qin Wanwan grabbed two top-tier spirit beasts in her arms, turned to call Su Zhenxue, Baisui You and the others, then lowered her head to ask Jian Xingzhi: “What about you?”

“I’ve already activated the name tag,” Jian Xingzhi said while running with the panda on his back, dodging the rooster’s attacks while activating the name tag in his hand. “Meet at the Sword Tomb!”

After accumulating enough points, activating the name tag issued by Heavenly Sword Sect would naturally allow them to leave.

Hearing this, Qin Wanwan felt relieved. She held the two spirit beasts, closed her eyes, and activated the name tag. Seeing the name tag light up, she felt the ground tremble slightly as a female voice appeared in the air: “Congratulations to Heavenly Sword Sect’s Su Zhenxue, Ghost City’s Baisui You, no sect no affiliation’s Nanfeng, Qin Wanwan, Long Aotian…”

Before she finished speaking, a thunderous boom interrupted the female voice.

Everyone’s movements froze. All sensed this boom was abnormal. Ji Wuyou looked up at the sky, instantly stopped fighting, turned around, and rushed toward its estate.

Jian Xingzhi thought for a moment and immediately followed rushing back.

One person and one chicken rushed madly toward the estate. Most people and beasts in the entire secret realm stared at the sky, sensing that strange silence in the sky.

After a moment, the sky, like a piece of porcelain shattering, slowly developed a crack. Nanfeng widened his eyes and was the first to speak out: “The… the sky is cracking!”

Qin Wanwan looked at the sky. She felt something restless in her body, as if responding to something.

Su Zhenxue turned to look at Nanfeng: “Try crushing your name tag.”

Nanfeng was puzzled: “Won’t crushing it make us leave? I…”

“Nanfeng,” Qin Wanwan stared at the sky slowly splitting, speaking gravely, “try crushing it.”

Hearing this, Nanfeng pulled out his name tag and crushed it. The tag shattered on cue, but he still stood perfectly in place.

Nanfeng was somewhat confused: “What’s happening?”

“The secret realm passage is blocked.”

Su Zhenxue stated the reason, frowning tightly.

Just then, Ji Wuyou clucked as it rushed into the estate. It kicked the gate once, and the entire estate instantly brightened. Light spread outward in all directions. Ji Wuyou stood on the rooftop and shouted: “Cluck cluck!!”

This was like a summoning call. The surroundings began trembling. All spirit beasts began rushing madly toward the light circle.

Jian Xingzhi followed Ji Wuyou rushing into the estate. After Ji Wuyou finished calling the surrounding spirit beasts, it turned to look at Jian Xingzhi’s group and spoke seriously: “Something has gone wrong outside. The spiritual energy supporting the secret realm was suddenly drained. The secret realm is about to collapse. My formation can only protect the spirit beasts. If you want to live, leave quickly.”

With that, Ji Wuyou sat cross-legged on the rooftop, closed its eyes, and began operating the formation. The surrounding light circle began changing from transparent to having a glazed quality. The sky began slowly sinking. Su Zhenxue turned to look at everyone and suddenly spoke: “You all leave first.”

“How do we leave?” Qin Wanwan didn’t quite understand for a moment. Su Zhenxue suddenly revealed a pearl with her other hand: “I’ll break open the secret realm. You quickly leave.”

“How can you…”

Before Qin Wanwan finished speaking, she felt cultivation close to Divine Transformation stage suddenly permeate the surroundings. Su Zhenxue poured spiritual power into the dharma pearl, raised her hand, and tossed it into the sky. The pearl instantly formed a vortex-shaped opening in the sky. Xie Gutang’s voice emerged from Su Zhenxue’s mouth, echoing throughout the entire secret realm: “Fellow cultivators in the trial, the secret realm is about to collapse. Please evacuate immediately.”

As she spoke, the white robes on ‘Su Zhenxue’s’ body transformed into purple Daoist robes, and her form also grew taller and slender.

Jian Xingzhi was stunned, then spoke out: “I knew it!”

He had suspected!

Xie Gutang didn’t acknowledge him. He turned to glance at Qin Wanwan: “Let’s go.”

With that, Xie Gutang used his sword to make a cut in his palm, used blood to draw a formation array, raised his sword and inserted it into the formation, sat cross-legged, and poured spiritual power into the formation. A beam of light shot straight up into the clouds from the formation like a pillar, but having barely reached halfway, it seemed already exhausted and barely stayed in place.

Jian Xingzhi saw through his intention and smiled: “Does Xie Daojun need help?”

“No need.” Xie Gutang kept his eyes closed. “This is Heavenly Sword Sect’s matter. You all leave quickly.”

Qin Wanwan didn’t speak. She saw the sky pressing down bit by bit. Many cultivators were flying from the forest toward the vortex in the sky. In a moment, Xie Gutang would certainly need to escape from here, but if this light pillar remained at this height, Xie Gutang might not be able to leave smoothly then.

Qin Wanwan thought for a moment, pulled out her long sword from beside her, raised her hand and made a cut, drawing a formation array in midair.

Jian Xingzhi turned back in surprise, looking at the formation array she drew in midair. Though she had only drawn the beginning and it was still somewhat shapeless, one could vaguely see this was an immortal realm technique.

He had discovered before that Qin Wan could use immortal realm techniques. He assumed her rebirth came with some fortuitous encounter. It was normal for the cultivation world to occasionally have some heavenly realm techniques. But this formation array now belonged to high-level techniques even in the heavenly realm.

Moreover, she was obviously using this technique for the first time. The formation was drawn extremely crudely. Jian Xingzhi couldn’t bear to watch and raised his hand to hold hers.

Pouring spiritual power into Qin Wanwan’s hand, he guided her: “Draw it like this.”

Qin Wanwan felt her palm hurt terribly—so much that she ignored her hand being in Jian Xingzhi’s. She had no time to think more. Relying on willpower, she drew the formation stroke by stroke, then pressed it onto the ground. Xie Gutang’s light pillar instantly shot to the horizon, propping up the continuously falling sky.

Xie Gutang opened his eyes, looking through the light pillar at Qin Wanwan on the opposite side.

The young woman’s eyes were bright and clear in the light.

“Xie Daojun,” Qin Wanwan spoke, “this formation can amplify your spiritual power. I’m not very useful—I can only help you this far. Take care.”

“Qin Fellow Daoist…” Baisui You watched as Qin Wanwan continuously poured spiritual power in, unable to help reminding her, “In a moment you still need to go to the Sword Tomb…”

Selecting a sword at the Sword Tomb was much more cruel than the Sword Trial Assembly. If spiritual power was insufficient, one could even suffer backlash from the sword spirits.

Qin Wanwan couldn’t care about so much. She lowered her head to finish drawing the formation, stood up somewhat shakily, turned to call Jian Xingzhi: “Let’s go.”

Jian Xingzhi didn’t say much either. He raised his hand and waved. A sword flew from Qin Wanwan’s waist. He pulled Qin Wanwan and flew directly toward the sky.

Cultivators from all directions in the forest rushed toward the sky. Jian Xingzhi rode his sword carrying Qin Wanwan. Qin Wanwan had the transformed Nanfeng crouched on her shoulder. Baisui You stood on his mourning staff, rather worried: “Qin Fellow Daoist, when you enter the Sword Tomb in a bit, don’t rush to find a sword. Rest first, then make plans to avoid sword spirit backlash.”

“Don’t worry,” Jian Xingzhi stood in front, speaking carelessly. “I’m here.”

He wanted to see which sword spirit dared cause trouble before him.

Baisui You was stunned. Jian Xingzhi rode his sword through the wind, leading Qin Wanwan to the vortex entrance. Baisui You entered the vortex first, but Jian Xingzhi stopped not far from the vortex, not moving forward.

“Long Aotian?”

Qin Wanwan didn’t understand why Jian Xingzhi suddenly stopped. Jian Xingzhi glanced at the slightly weakening light pillar beside them, then spoke: “Qin Wan, sacrificing all your spiritual power for Xie Gutang—what will you do when you enter the Sword Tomb to select a sword?”

“If I can’t select one, then so be it,” Qin Wanwan smiled. “Can selecting a sword be more important than human life?”

“That’s true too.”

Jian Xingzhi nodded. After thinking for a moment, he turned to look at her: “Qin Wan, I’ve taught you so many things. Have you ever thought about how to repay me?”

Qin Wanwan was stunned. In that instant, countless speculations floated through her mind.

When a man asks a woman to repay a debt of gratitude, what does it generally mean?

In stories, a woman’s repayment to a man is nothing more than rendering service unto death or pledging herself in marriage.

Why was he suddenly saying this?

Could it be…

The most beautiful woman in his heart was her original self. He might have a secret crush on her. He wanted repayment—could it be he had seen through that she was the Qin Wanwan from the immortal realm?

No, no, no, that wasn’t right. She had never said she was Qin Wanwan. He shouldn’t know. Then why was he saying this? Could it be because she was wearing this face now and he wanted a substitute?!

Probably not. This Long Aotian didn’t seem to have such proclivities. Could it be!! He had fallen in love with her now?!

Countless possibilities echoed through Qin Wanwan’s mind. Jian Xingzhi waited a moment, then glanced at the precarious light pillar beside them again.

“I’ll give you two choices.”

“What… what choices…” Qin Wanwan’s heart beat a bit fast. She swallowed.

She had decided—if he wanted a substitute, she absolutely couldn’t agree.

If he wanted to start something now… this… this she’d probably have to gently refuse as well. After all, his brain wasn’t quite right. She still wanted to find someone…

Well, preferably like Jian Xingzhi when he wasn’t hitting people…

Handsome, powerful, taciturn, a generation’s male god. Of course, he shouldn’t go around fighting everywhere anymore.

This optimized version of Jian Xingzhi would be her target for entering marriage.

Even taking a step back, it should be someone like Xie Gutang. This Long Aotian… looking like he hadn’t even finished elementary school—she absolutely couldn’t.

Having made her decision, Qin Wanwan had just prepared her refusal when she heard Jian Xingzhi speak: “Acknowledge me as father or as master.” He grabbed her wrist. Qin Wanwan looked at him in shock, then was violently flung toward the vortex. “Think it over carefully in the Sword Tomb and tell me when I get back!”

“Master!”

The wild wind swept in. Nanfeng gripped Qin Wanwan’s shoulder tightly, following Qin Wanwan as they were thrown into the vortex like a boomerang.

Being flung out for the third time, the moment Qin Wanwan realized what happened, she couldn’t help but curse loudly.

“I acknowledge your father’s head!!”

—

**Author’s Note:**

This story will maintain daily updates~ But the specific update time is uncertain recently. Will stabilize as soon as possible.

**[Mini Theater]**

Jian Xingzhi: “I’ve taken a liking to you.”

Qin Wanwan: “This… this isn’t good, is it?”

Jian Xingzhi: “Call me father or call me master. You choose one.”

Qin Wanwan: “…”

Later:

Male supporting character A: “Senior, I’m sincere toward Wanwan… What do you think?”

Male supporting character B: “Senior, Wanwan and I are a match made in heaven. Could you preside over our wedding?”

Male supporting character C: “Senior, Wanwan said to call you father or call you master—she told us to choose one. Which do you think is appropriate?”

Jian Xingzhi: “Call me senior again and I’ll knock all your heads off.”

Male supporting characters: “Then what should we call you?”

Jian Xingzhi: “Call me Qin Wanwan’s dao companion. Five characters. Say it properly.”

666: “Math was taught in vain…”