"So glad to see you, Ren Suo!"

Seeing Zhao Huo jumping around in pain while gritting his teeth, Ren Suo smirked. "I don't believe you; you anime fans are very naughty."

"Exactly!" Gu Yueyan immediately stood up, hands on her hips, and said indignantly, "Who asks someone why they aren't dead yet upon meeting them? Teacher Zhao, that's really rude."

Lin Xianyu clapped her hands lightly in agreement. Ren Xingmei was a bit late in retorting to Zhao Huo—after all, Zhao Huo was their teacher. She wasn't like Gu Yueyan, who lived as flawlessly as the moon and was ready to challenge anyone, be it a child randomly pressing elevator buttons or a vice-principal dawdling after school. Ren Xingmei, who always thought carefully before speaking, missed her chance to protect her own and ended up stepping on Zhao Huo's other foot instead.

However, a Third-turn Cultivator's stomp was incomparable to a First Transformation Cultivator's light step. Zhao Huo knew he was in the wrong, so he considered the matter settled after Ren Suo's sister stepped on his foot.

"Exactly," Ren Suo also said. "Why would I be surprised to see you not split into three parts?"

The doorbell rang, and Lin Xianyu, who was sitting by the door, went to open it.

"Why would I be split into three parts?" Zhao Huo felt utterly confused. Sitting down, he said, "But I really didn't curse you. In fact, I've missed you a lot these days. I've truly thought of you day and night, dreaming of you every evening..."

As he spoke, Zhao Huo suddenly felt the ambient temperature drop drastically. Shivering, he looked toward the door and waved, greeting, "Good evening, Teacher Bai."

Bai Ji, who wore a scarf and a trench coat by the door, was squinting at Zhao Huo. He gently lifted the hair beside his ear and nodded with a polite smile, "Good evening."

Qiao Muyi, standing aside, found this scene amusing and asked with a smile, "So, what did you dream about Ren Suo?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly dreaming *about* Ren Suo; it was more like dreaming of a world 'without Ren Suo'... Ren Suo, do you remember our civil servant training?" Zhao Huo said. "Back then, you, me, Chairman Xie, and Yuan Dang shared a dorm."

Ren Suo nodded. "Yeah. But now I've become an exclusive Healing Cultivator for the academy, you've become a teacher, Yuan Dang has joined the Yangtze Troops, and Chairman Xie has joined Public Security... We all have bright futures."

Zhao Huo said, "I dreamt that you weren't there during the civil servant training. It was just me, Yuan Dang, and Chairman Xie in the dorm, and our life trajectories were completely different... Don't be surprised when I say this: in my dream, I became a guardian of humankind who could alter fate and transform the universe, wielding a spear that could shatter galaxies."

Ren Suo shook his head. "I'm not surprised. I've always known you anime fans dream big... So, how many wives did you have in the dream?"

Zhao Huo ignored him, seemingly eager to share his dream. "There was no Fairy Palace World Tree in the dream, but the revival of Spiritual Energy still happened. I wasn't a teacher either; instead, I joined the Tactical Bureau as a Slayer of Monsters and Demons, achieving countless merits and becoming renowned."

Ren Suo crossed his arms and said, "A Cultivator who doesn't want to chop people up really isn't a good teacher. So, how many wives did you have?"

"Later, a Secret Realm fell. Along with many comrades, I entered it. After eighty-one days of grueling battle, we finally broke through the Secret Realm, and I obtained the supreme treasure, the Dragon Guts Spear, which became my weapon for life," Zhao Huo said nostalgically. "It was a great spear—thick, tough, elastic, long, and it could even shoot waveforms..."

Ren Suo kicked him, signaling him to mind his words as there were underage and recently adult students present. "Watch your words in front of the students. You might not be embarrassed, but I am."

Lin Xianyu quickly waved her hands, "It's okay, it's okay, we're used to it!"

Don't get used to it!

Ren Suo tugged at the corner of his mouth and snorted, "So how many wives did you end up marrying?"

"Returning in triumph, I joined the Great Wall and embarked on a solo campaign across three thousand miles. My spear once subdued a million Demons in my lifetime!" Zhao Huo looked up at the ceiling, his face full of longing. "I challenged hordes of Demons, pierced through chaos, battled monstrous creatures, fought against gods, and even ground the Dao itself to dust..."

"Eventually, I became one of Earth's most famous human guardians, known as 'Dragon King' Zhao Huo, standing at the Transcendent peak of the world..."

Ren Suo nodded repeatedly and asked, "So, in the end, how many wives did you actually have?"

Zhao Huo looked helplessly at Ren Suo and asked, "Are you from Dunhuang or what? With so many murals?"

Ren Suo said, "Because your story sounds so boring. The only interesting part is how many wives you married. Or perhaps your ending involved being split into three parts by your wives? You're not answering. Does that mean you challenged social morality in your dream and had more than one wife?"

Zhao Huo blinked, shifted his gaze, and feigned ignorance, saying, "Of course, I had more than one wife. I changed wives at least once every season..."

Ren Suo scoffed, knowing full well that Zhao Huo had likely 'taken them all' in his dream. He casually said, "So, what does marrying three wives have to do with me, Ren Suo?"

"Having three wives indeed has nothing to do with you... Hmm!?" Zhao Huo quickly shut up, but it was already too late.

He noticed the female students looking at him as if he were trash, while Bai Ji regarded him with a satisfied expression. He hurriedly explained, "It was all just a dream! Don't misunderstand..."

"What you think about during the day, you dream of at night." Ren Suo cut him off, not wanting to give him a chance to explain. "So, what does it actually have to do with me?"

Zhao Huo spread his hands. "Well, I realized the biggest divergence in my life was whether or not I met you during the civil servant training. If I hadn't met you, I'd probably have just gotten the Dragon Guts Spear and be preparing to battle Onmyoji in Flourishing Sakura..."

"It's because I've had such great dreams for several days straight that I was so surprised when I suddenly saw you were still around."

Ren Suo asked, "So, you mean your life would have been better if you hadn't met me? Then why are you happy to see me?"

However, Zhao Huo shook his head, "No, I don't think that kind of life would be better."

"Why? Weren't you successful and famous in that life?" Ren Suo asked with a smile. "And you even married three wives."

"Success and fame come at a cost. I remember in my dream, I had to train hard nearly every day, went through hundreds of fierce battles, crawled back from the brink of death several times, and most of the comrades I knew died..." Zhao Huo sighed. "Being a hero is good, but a world that needs heroes, and a hero's life, aren't necessarily 'good.'"

"I was really thrilled in my dream, but if I had to actually live that kind of life, I wouldn't want to. Though I can't get my hands on the Supreme Treasure Divine Spear now, nor can I be a hero, at least I don't have to wade through mountains of corpses and seas of blood every day. I can watch anime and play Adult Games whenever I want..."

Knowing his image had plummeted in the eyes of the students, Zhao Huo no longer bothered maintaining his teacherly demeanor and said casually, "In a world where everyone has to struggle for survival, the entertainment industry would be ridiculously undeveloped. Even if I became a guardian of humankind, I'd still want to live some peaceful days—and I *am* living peaceful days right now!"

Zhao Huo patted Ren Suo on the shoulder. "So, I'm really happy to see you. It's because a Salted Fish like you is around..."

Lin Xianyu raised an eyebrow.

"...I truly realized that my happy life isn't an illusion, that dream was ultimately just a dream."

Ren Suo pulled his shoulder away and curled his lips into a strange smile, asking, "You really don't hold any attachment to that dream?"

"Not at all!" Zhao Huo said resolutely.

Ren Suo whistled. "But if you can't be a hero, I guess you can't marry three wives. If you were a hero, they might have cut you some slack for the sake of righteousness. Now that you're not a hero, it's every man for himself. You might end up being split into three parts, you know~"

"Ah?" Zhao Huo blinked, then averted his gaze. "Ah, it's all a dream. What's this about being split into three parts..."

He muttered softly, "That can't possibly happen, right?"

Ren Suo chuckled. Zhao Huo must have dreamed all this because of what he's seen and heard these past few months—Demons, Secret Realms, gods... And in the end, he even 'took them all' and married three wives! Clearly a case of watching too much anime!

This horndog, a Superhero? A guardian of humankind?

So how did he end up as this Krypton Gold-spending, game-grinding homebody with a fiancée, a Childhood Sweetheart, and a close female friend?

And he blames it all on me! Is everyone who interacts with me doomed to become stupid?

Still, this kind of cross-world-line dream is interesting. I'd like to have a dream like that too. Why are all my dreams about food?

They were chatting happily when Lin Xianyu quietly left her seat, planning to go to the bathroom.

A small corner separated the kitchen and the living room, preventing sounds and smells from carrying between them. The toilet was just around this corner.

As Lin Xianyu passed by the kitchen, she suddenly heard Qiao Muyi's voice, "Cheng Ling, do you remember what you told me eight days ago?"

In that instant, Lin Xianyu involuntarily activated her awakened Spells, merging completely with her surroundings as a gentle breeze concealed all traces of her.

This was one of the Derived Abilities she had developed from studying Awakening Techniques in recent days. Unlike the destructive power of a storm, her Derived Ability, 'Gentle Breeze,' used a light wind to envelop her, muffling all sounds and movements, even cloaking the fluctuations of her Qi Cyclone.

Although it had many disadvantages, such as immobility during use and only reducing her presence rather than achieving complete invisibility, it could prevent detection by High-Tier Cultivators. This made it quite practical in some situations—like the current one.

Lin Xianyu didn't know why she instinctively eavesdropped. Perhaps it was because she detected something off in Qiao Muyi's voice. Though not academically gifted, she could easily perceive the hidden emotions in others' words.

Language is a fascinating thing. Buried in the heart like an unknown seed, it can sprout into radically different outcomes according to the host's will. Once spoken, these fleeting words immediately take on a definite form, brazenly conveying the speaker's true Desires to others.

Few people could capture the true Desires in language. Lin Xianyu felt that, aside from herself, only Big Brother Ren occasionally managed to do so.

"What did you say?" Dong Chengling responded calmly.

But Qiao Muyi abruptly changed the topic. "Cheng Ling, I've been on missions with Ren Suo for the past few days."

"I know."

"Just him and me."

"Oh?"

"We've been together day and night for eight days."

"Hm!?"

Lin Xianyu couldn't help but cover her mouth. Is the kitchen going to explode? Is my dinner gone? Is there still time to get food from the cafeteria, or am I stuck with instant noodles tonight?

"No, it's not what you think. I didn't sneak ahead. Nothing happened... at least, for him, nothing happened."

Lin Xianyu nodded involuntarily. Yep, that's Big Brother Ren for you. Awesome. They can fight tomorrow if they have to; dinner should be safe.

"So, what do you mean..." Dong Chengling's voice was quite complex.

"I just realized something during these eight days with him," Qiao Muyi's voice was full of reminiscence and Gentleness as she said softly, "The moon reflected in the sea is the moon in the sky; the person before my eyes is the person in my heart."

"Always, the mind is just a spectator, but alas, one is actually a character within the play."

"I used to see myself as a mere spectator, but in fact, I have long been a part of this drama."

"I don't know if these feelings of mine are real or not. Am I moved by what happened, and that's why I've fallen for him? Or did I truly come to understand him through those events, and that's why I've fallen for him?"

Dong Chengling's voice returned to calm, "There's no true or false in liking someone."

Qiao Muyi quite agreed. "Hmm, I think so too. Before, I always felt that romance was such a shallow, vulgar thing. I didn't care for it. I'd rather remain proud and cynical..."

"And now?" Dong Chengling, unaware, brought her knife down hard on the cutting board.

"You once said, 'I was wrong before. Must I persist in that mistake?'"

"I think you made a lot of sense." Qiao Muyi's voice, though the Gentleness had faded, remained clear and pleasant, yet it couldn't hide the confidence and fighting spirit within. "So..."

"Cheng Ling, I can't be your love consultant anymore."

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