Evan Chu just stood there, a weird mix of wanting to laugh and cry bubbling up inside. He’d totally spaced—Rainveil was still disguised as an old lady! No wonder the four Divine Beasts were staring at him like he’d lost his mind. Seriously, claiming an old woman as his girlfriend in front of his sworn brothers? That was next-level awkward. He realized too late how ridiculous it sounded, and he could only shake his head at himself.
Rainveil’s cheeks went hot. She shot the four a slightly embarrassed look and said, “I’m just in disguise, alright? There are… reasons I can’t show my real face right now. So, you guys are all Evan’s brothers now?”
Evan waved his hand, grinning. “Come on, they’re not my lackeys—they’re my brothers. Elena, there’s no outsiders here, so you can drop the grandma act. Just put the old-lady mask back on when you leave. Honestly, talking to you like this… it’s just throwing me off.”
Rainveil shot him a playful glare. “Alright, alright. With these four knuckleheads around, I can finally breathe easy. Evan, you really do know how to keep me guessing!”
With a flick of her jade-like fingers, Rainveil wiped her face—and just like that, the wrinkled old lady was gone. In her place stood a jaw-dropping beauty, black hair flowing like silk. Even the four Divine Beasts were left slack-jawed, staring in awe at her disguise skills.
Fire Dragon burst out laughing. “See, I told you! Evan’s girl could never be some shriveled-up granny. Evan, you’re a legend! Bagging a powerhouse late-stage God-Venerable as your woman? Man, that makes all of us look good!”
Evan shot the beasts a crooked grin. “Now you’ve seen her real face, so what’s the hold up? Why aren’t you calling her ‘sister-in-law’? Or do you want her to personally teach you what happens when you forget your manners?”
“Sister-in-law!” the four Divine Beasts blurted out together, voices loud and clear. No one in their right mind wanted to get smacked by a late-stage God-Venerable—if she laid a hand on you, you’d be lucky to crawl away. But their greeting was honest, straight from the heart.
Rainveil smiled, her eyes twinkling. “No need to be so stiff, guys. Evan’s safety is in your hands now. If anything happens to him, I’ll come knocking—and trust me, you don’t want that.” That chorus of ‘sister-in-law’ made her heart flutter; she’d waited ages to hear it.
“Don’t worry, Sister-in-law! We’ve got Evan’s back, no matter what,” Fire Dragon promised, pounding his chest. “But… does this mean you’re heading out? You’re not staying with Evan?”
Rainveil nodded, a little sigh in her voice. “Yeah, I’ve still got a ton of things to handle. And for now, Evan, you and I can’t exactly go public in the God Realm. Not until you’re strong enough for us to stand side by side. So, I’m counting on you all to keep him safe until then.”
Evan gave her a reassuring grin. “Seriously, Elena, quit stressing. Nobody knows I’m down here, and even if they did, I’m deep underground. Only a God-Venerable could sniff me out, and with these four watching my back, I’m golden. Worst case, I’ll just hole up in the Timewheel Bracelet. You focus on yourself—and Kelly Qin too. I’ll be fine.”
Rainveil’s smile turned soft. “Alright, then I won’t worry. I’ve already been away from Rainbow Court for a whole day—gotta get back soon. I’ll come visit when I can, and after I leave, I’ll put up a barrier so strong nobody’s getting in. Just focus on your training, okay? When you come out, I expect you to give me a real surprise—whether it’s a breakthrough, or finally making things official between us.”
Evan scratched his head, not sure what kind of ‘surprise’ Rainveil really wanted—did she mean a big leap in cultivation, or was she hinting about making their relationship public? He shot her a sheepish look and laughed, “Guess we’ll see! Hey, Elena, I do have a favor to ask. Can you help me look after a few people? And… promise you won’t get mad?”
Rainveil raised an eyebrow, suspicion flickering in her eyes. “Who are you talking about? Why would I get mad?” But with that sixth sense only women have, she was already starting to guess.
Evan squared his shoulders, getting serious. “I’ve got a few women in the Immortal Realm—yeah, actual girlfriends. They might ascend to the God Realm soon. I need you to find them and bring them to Rainbow Court. You’re the big sister now, so I’m counting on you to be generous and look out for them, okay?”
Truth was, Evan had no clue how long his retreat would last—could be decades, centuries, maybe even longer. If Yvonne Xuan, Roxanne, and the others showed up and couldn’t find him, things could get messy. Even with disguises, the top dogs in the God Realm wouldn’t be fooled, and that could spell real trouble.
Rainveil’s face twitched, but she got it under control fast. “Evan, you’re honestly something else. Back in the old days, you kept every woman at arm’s length—except maybe the Qilin Princess, and I guess me. Now you reincarnate and suddenly you’ve got a whole crowd. Just tell me—how many sisters am I supposed to accept here?”
Evan gave a guilty little shrug. “Elena, the Qilin Princess is gonna ascend too. Neither of us really died back then. And it’s not that many—just ten or so. You’re not gonna hold it against them, right?”
Rainveil’s jaw dropped. “Ten? You’ve got to be kidding! You expect me to just welcome ten new sisters all at once? Evan, are you serious right now?”
The four Divine Beasts just kept their mouths shut. If anyone else talked to Evan like that, they’d probably get flattened—but Rainveil was his woman, and a late-stage God-Venerable to boot. Even if they wanted to chime in, their respect (and fear) kept them silent.
Evan just shrugged, grinning. “Don’t sweat it. Not every one of them is going to ascend. Back then, I had a bunch of women for a reason—my Pure Yang Constitution means I needed yin-type partners to grow stronger. That’s just how cultivation works in my case.”
You know I’ve got a blood feud hanging over me, and I’m not the type to duck responsibility. So I had to take a lot on my shoulders. But honestly, my women are all super understanding—never any drama, never any jealousy. You’re the big sister now, so I know you’ll set the tone for everyone.
Rainveil let out a long sigh, half exasperated, half resigned. “No drama, huh? You really do have a way with women, Evan. Fine, just tell me who they are—I’ll keep an eye out. Looks like I’ve got no choice but to accept my fate, even as a late-stage God-Venerable.”
Evan ticked off names on his fingers: “Yvonne Xuan—the Qilin Princess. Roxanne Lin, she’s got Phoenix blood. Lynn Ling, Lillian Zhang, Serena Frost—they might all ascend soon. But when you get back, help me look for Jade—she’s from the Divine Dragon Clan, and she helped me out big time. Dragons are almost extinct in the God Realm now.”
There’s one more—Selena, from the Demonic Realm. She’s a special case. After she absorbed the Soul Mushroom’s power, she started refining Immortal Essence instead of demonic energy. If she ascends, odds are she’ll end up in the God Realm. All these women—they’re my family, which means they’re your family too.
And last but not least, I’ve got two little brothers from the lower worlds—Shadow, a Bloodshadow Berserker Lion, and Goldwing, who’s now a Golden-Winged Roc. They’re not just beasts—they’re my brothers, loyal to the bone and crazy talented. Shadow might even evolve into a Chaos Beast soon. Please, make sure they’re safe and let me know how they’re doing.
The God Realm’s huge—dangerous, too. I don’t want them running around risking their necks just trying to find me. You get what I mean, right?” Evan said, voice a little softer.
Rainveil pressed her fingers to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Evan’s people were all such oddballs. “I’ll do my best, Evan. Your crowd’s pretty wild—I just hope I can keep up.”