Zhen Huan Gong felt that sometimes immortals shouldn’t be too concerned with saving face. Look at these past few years where he had been so rigid, maintaining formal distance with Yan Cha and making no progress. What was the point?

Once he stopped caring about appearances, Yan Cha would hold him, comfort him, change the dressings on his wounds, and even blow gently on his injuries with red-rimmed eyes.

Her warm, gentle breath made his heart melt completely.

Zhen Huan Gong suddenly understood why Li Ye had once been willing to give half his cultivation to Er’er. If the young woman before him asked, he would willingly give her all of his cultivation.

But Yan Cha wasn’t particularly interested in his cultivation. Each day she would prepare three meals and tend to his injuries, her long eyelashes lowered like willow branches under the bright moonlight.

Zhen Huan Gong was desperate to give her something.

He truly spent half a month recovering, and Yan Cha truly cared for him for half a month. The two gradually grew closer. She no longer called him “Supreme Lord,” and when he opened his arms, she would docilely nestle into his embrace, keeping him company as he fed his divine beasts.

His divine beasts were typically averse to outsiders and disliked the scent of other immortals on him. Yet strangely, all the divine beasts were affectionate toward Yan Cha. Even the temperamental Kongshang would, when he wasn’t paying attention, transform into a graceful male immortal and circle Yan Cha.

Of course, the consequence was being beaten by Zhen Huan Gong.

…

…

Everyone in the Nine Heavens knew that Zhen Huan Gong had a volatile temper, was easily angered, and fond of fighting. In the past, he could get into ten fights a month. Even if Li Ye stood before him, he would dare to charge forward with his divine beasts. But after recuperating for half a month, when he reappeared, he was inexplicably surrounded by a gentle aura.

Qian Tian was so shocked his jaw nearly hit the ground: “Have you attained enlightenment?”

Zhen Huan Gong gave him a sidelong glance: “What enlightenment?”

“If not enlightenment, how could you…” he pointed up and down at his aura, “be like this?”

Licking the corner of his mouth with a smile, Zhen Huan Gong said: “My wife says after I complete my reporting duty today, she’ll make chicken soup for me when I return.”

Qian Tian couldn’t understand: “Haven’t you had chicken soup before?”

Giving him a deep look, Zhen Huan Gong patted his shoulder heavily: “Brother, find yourself an immortal partner when you have time. Look at you, hearing only ‘chicken soup’ from that entire sentence.”

The focus is on “my wife,” understand? My! Wife!

With joy written all over his face, Zhen Huan Gong composed himself, straightened his posture, and stepped into the Heavenly Gate with his head held high and a jubilant demeanor.

Qian Tian: “…”

The koi in the Heavenly Gate pond grew increasingly beautiful. As Zhen Huan Gong passed by, he glanced over and made a curious sound.

“Dragon Kings,” he leaned closer to look, “are you so bored that you’ve started decorating yourselves? This doesn’t seem like your style.”

Nonsense—what group of old men would want to make themselves so colorfully flamboyant? It was all because of that little mischief-maker who came to see them every day, constantly watching them and grabbing the less attractive ones to sigh over, asking why they couldn’t look better, comparing them to kitchen fish awaiting slaughter.

No one knew why that little creature, at such a young age, was so talkative. None of the old men could stand it, so they simply made themselves more attractive.

The Western Sea Dragon King had no way to voice his grievances, angrily swishing his long gauzy tail.

Zhen Huan Gong found it amusing. Shaking his head, he was about to continue toward the main hall when he turned and saw a small child sitting cross-legged on the Phoenix-Slaying Blade, biting his thumb and happily blinking at him.

It was the little prince of the Nine Heavens.

In the past, when Zhen Huan Gong saw him, he would simply nod and walk around. But today, looking at this child, he found him incredibly appealing.

So plump and cute, with bright eyes—he looked quite tempting.

Upon returning from the Heavenly Gate, Zhen Huan Gong followed Yan Cha closely.

When she went to dry tea leaves, he followed. When she went to simmer chicken soup, he followed as well.

Annoyed by his constant following, she turned around, both angry and amused, holding the soup ladle: “You!”

Before she could finish, he bent down and kissed her.

Her face reddening, Yan Cha’s voice immediately softened: “What are you doing…”

Holding her waist, Zhen Huan Gong said: “I met the little prince at the Heavenly Gate. He said he missed his auntie and asked me to give you a kiss for him.”

The little prince… Yan Cha pondered: “It has been some time since I’ve seen him. I’ll send him a bowl of chicken soup later.”

His thumb caressed her temple, and Zhen Huan Gong somewhat embarrassedly muttered something indistinct.

Yan Cha didn’t hear clearly: “What did you say?”

Clearing his throat lightly, his face also turning red, his fingers circling her waist: “I said, why don’t we have one of our own?”

Yan Cha: “…”

She felt somewhat flustered: “That would deplete your cultivation.”

“What does cultivation matter?” Zhen Huan Gong waved dismissively. “There will be plenty of opportunities to accumulate more.”

“An immortal child isn’t so easily conceived…”

“I’m not in a hurry,” he said, lowering his head to nuzzle her ear. “Let’s just try, shall we?”

His voice, part coaxing and part husky, truly resembled his large divine beast lowering its head to nudge her.

Yan Cha’s heart warmed, her mind becoming muddled. Held and embraced by him, after a long moment of thought, she finally nodded dully.

Zhen Huan Gong was so delighted that he wanted to hold a banquet immediately.

“This matter, how could it warrant a banquet…” Yan Cha became anxious, her face bright red, trembling as she clutched his sleeve. “Don’t spread it around, this… this is a private matter, something that shouldn’t be discussed openly…”

She stuttered as she tried to persuade him, growing more flustered the more she spoke.

Zhen Huan Gong embraced her tightly, wishing he could incorporate her into his very bones: “I’ll do whatever you say.”

Just these seven words, and he kept his promise.

From then on, the immortals of the Nine Heavens began to notice that Zhen Huan Gong no longer enjoyed fighting. Every day, his face was filled with joy. Even when faced with provocation, just as his temper would rise, if someone called out “Zhen clan’s wife is here,” he would immediately calm down and even begin to reason with others.

The disciples of the Zhen clan felt this change most acutely. In the past, if disciples made no progress in their cultivation, Zhen Huan Gong would berate them severely. But now, if someone mentioned that his wife was too absorbed in cooking to cultivate, his face would immediately display a “my wife is amazing” expression, and he would turn to ask if Yan Cha was tired.

When Yan Cha accidentally broke one of his collected divine artifacts, Zhen Huan Gong immediately brought her another without a word. When Yan Cha wanted to go to the mortal realm to pay respects to her deceased mother, he promptly handed all his official duties to Qian Tian and accompanied her.

At first, Yan Cha thought his behavior was merely a novelty. But years passed, decades passed, and even when Chu Yuan emerged from seclusion, Zhen Huan Gong remained the same. Each night, he would hold her in his embrace, his arms firmly protecting her. No matter how quietly she rose, he would wake up and pitifully ask where she was going.

“Why do you like me so much?” Finding it amusing, Yan Cha couldn’t help but tease him.

Zhen Huan Gong thought seriously and said: “How can there be a ‘why’ for this? I simply want to be with you at all times.”

Yan Cha smiled, covering her eyes.

In the first half of her life, she seemed to have been deprived of much affection, so she learned to care for others. But she never expected that now, she could also receive someone’s unconditional partiality and concern.

Lowering her head to place a kiss on his forehead, she said softly: “Then let’s be together at all times.”