That night, Ian Song returned to Flame City.
In the end, he still refused Luna Shangguan. He thought Luna was a good girl and didn’t want to lead her astray; if it were someone like the Heavensnare Saintess, he definitely wouldn’t have refused and would’ve just gone for it.
After returning to Flame City, he stayed at the Zhao Family estate.
The day after tomorrow, the Secret Realm would reopen. This time, his goals were twofold: first, to collect all kinds of Spirit Medicines; second, to investigate the true nature of the world on the other side.
The next day, he first took Shelly Song to Waterwood University to handle her transfer paperwork. Shelly was still enrolling in the Music Department.
The university was very cooperative, so the whole process didn’t even take an hour.
Afterward, Ian spent the whole day taking Shelly around to all the scenic spots in Flame City, letting her fully relax and have fun.
But what worried Ian was that Shelly’s gaze toward him had subtly changed—this shift was dangerous, and she was acting more and more affectionate, seeming almost ready to cross the boundary between cousins.
Evening.
The two returned to the Zhao estate. After seeing Shelly to her room, Ian walked back to his own quarters, frowning as he pondered his relationship with Shelly.
"Hello, Vice Commander!"
As soon as Ian arrived, familiar War God squad members came over to greet him. He was relieved that his change in status hadn't made anyone distant, though he did notice a new sense of awe in some of their eyes.
After all, the strength he’d shown in that last competition was simply too overwhelming.
"Hey, you jerk, now that you’re Vice Commander, are you feeling all high and mighty?" Suddenly, a teasing voice called out.
Ian turned and saw Maya Han, so he joked, "Oh, look who it is—my little wife!"
Actually, he’d noticed Maya Han among the War God squads as soon as he arrived, but since she was a little clingy, he’d pretended not to see her. He hadn’t expected her to come over anyway.
Maya blushed at Ian’s teasing—especially the "little wife" part. "Who’s your little wife? Say that again and I’ll beat you up!" She shook her tiny fist at him, but after a couple half-hearted swings, she gave up, knowing she couldn’t win against Ian.
Ian just laughed. "Hey, you’re the one who answered!" Since he couldn’t dodge her, he switched to full-on banter, teasing Maya relentlessly.
"You jerk! I’ll bite you to death!" Maya was so annoyed she pounced at Ian, her pearly teeth clicking together as she tried to chomp him.
Everyone nearby couldn’t help but gossip—after all, Maya Han was the granddaughter of Commander Harold Han.
The two of them messing around like this looked just like a pair of bickering sweethearts.
Naturally, Ian wasn’t about to let Maya bite him—he quickly dodged out of the way.
"You jerk, how dare you dodge! Stand still!" Maya huffed and chased after him.
Suddenly, Ian pointed at the entrance in mock surprise. "Your grandpa’s here."
"Where? Where?"
Maya immediately froze and looked toward the entrance, but when she realized she’d been tricked, she shouted angrily, "You jerk, if I don’t bite you today, I’ll take your last name!"
"You’re supposed to take my last name anyway! Didn’t you lose that bet? From now on, you’re Song Maya Han!"
"Song Maya Han." Maya tried the name out, then spat, "Ugh, it sounds awful! No way am I calling myself that!"
After another round of chasing, Ian finally let Maya catch him and land a few playful punches, ending their little scuffle.
Mainly, he noticed that Commander Han had arrived with four other vice commanders.
Even though Ian’s rank was now equal to Commander Han’s, it still felt wrong to openly flirt with his granddaughter right in front of him.
Sure enough, a moment later, Commander Han and the other four vice commanders appeared at the entrance.
Seeing her grandfather arrive, Maya instinctively shrank back into her squad. She’d signed a bunch of rules to get into the Secret Realm this time—if her grandpa caught her messing around, she might lose her spot.
After finishing his speech, Commander Han smiled at Ian. "Ian, now that you’re the new vice commander, want to say a few words?"
Ian laughed it off. "Everyone already knows me, so I’ll skip the speech."
"In that case, let’s get ready to enter the Secret Realm!" Commander Han nodded, not pressing the issue.
Opening the Space-Time Wormhole always burned through a ton of nuclear energy, so time was tight.
Once the wormhole was activated, everyone rushed through as quickly as possible.
One more thing: after Ian became vice commander, he’d stepped down as squad captain. He’d personally recommended Ray Zhao as the new captain.
Darkness, then light.
Ian found himself back inside the Secret Realm base.
He and the other vice commanders helped keep everyone in line.
Within a minute, everyone had made it through the wormhole.
Most people had visited the Secret Realm before, but there were still a few newcomers, so Vaughn Jin repeated the rules once more.
When the activity radius was mentioned, Ian noticed the eight Immortal-Dao disciples looking faintly dismissive.
Ian just sneered to himself. If they ignored the rules and got themselves killed, all the better.
When they crossed over, it had been morning on Earth, but here it was already evening. Demonic Beasts were far more active at night, so it was best not to go out hunting or gathering Spirit Medicines after dark.
"Hey, I heard this place is super dangerous—is that true?" Maya sidled up to Ian and whispered.
"Oh, it’s really dangerous. There are special beasts here that love to target little girls like you!" Ian replied, deliberately trying to spook her.
"Ha! You think I’m that easy to scare?" Maya scoffed.
"Believe it or not, those beasts are seriously strong. If you ever see one, your best bet is to turn and run!" Ian said, then closed his eyes to rest, ignoring her.
After a while, Maya tugged on his sleeve and whispered, "Are those beasts really real? What do they look like?"
"Didn’t you say you didn’t believe me? Why are you asking now?" Ian teased.
"Stingy!" Maya grumbled.
Ian didn’t say another word.
About five minutes later, Maya couldn’t hold back anymore and whispered, "Just tell me, okay? Fine, I’ll believe you."
"I never asked you to believe me. Not telling!"
"So what’ll it take for you to tell me?"
"Call me ‘good husband’ first!"
"Go die!"
(No further dialogue for a moment.)
(The banter continues, their playful bickering drawing more attention from the crowd.)
(Ian resumes resting, while Maya sulks beside him, still fuming about his refusal to explain.)
(Outside, the Secret Realm base grows quieter as everyone prepares for the next day’s expedition.)
(Maya glances at Ian, her expression a mix of frustration and curiosity, clearly unwilling to let the matter drop.)
(Ian opens his eyes, catches her staring, and gives a teasing wink. Maya quickly looks away, cheeks flushed.)
(The night in the Secret Realm passes quietly, with everyone waiting for dawn to begin their hunt for Spirit Medicines and Demonic Beasts.)
(End of Chapter 449)