"W-wait, dual cultivation?!" Celia Xiao's face glitched like someone lagging in a livestream, then she whipped her head away so fast you could hear the wind. Bro, those two words were like a nuclear bomb—she was so not ready for that level of spicy!
Honestly, Celia looked like she'd lost her cheat code—her fairy goddess vibe was totally MIA. Right now, she was 100% convinced she didn't deserve a dude like Ryan. Oof, self-esteem crash incoming.
Joanna Long, lurking on the sidelines, heard that and instantly went full emoji-face. Jealousy level: maxed out. But hey, that's just the starter pack for drama today.
"So... can we actually do it or nah?" Ryan blurted out, sounding like he was speedrunning desperation mode.
Celia shook her head so hard it was like she was trying to reboot her brain, throwing up a hard stop sign: "Nope! No way! Not happening!"
Ryan let out a sigh—classic protagonist move, right? He was about to step up, but Joanna Long yanked him back: "Celia's still stuck on the whole reality-check thing. Chill. Best strat? Nuke the poison in her system and get her goddess looks back ASAP!"
"Okay, so what's the play?" Ryan thought. Like, duh, Celia was totally obsessed with her looks—who wouldn't be after being a campus fairy queen?
But yeah, with things this scuffed, fixing her up was way above his pay grade.
"Actually, I've got a poison-versus-poison hack. Wanna try it?" Joanna piped up, channeling her inner mad scientist.
"Spill it! What is it?" Ryan fired back, zero patience, full hype.
"The Immortal Domain God-Tomb! That place is jam-packed with top-tier experts from the Immortal Domain, and the corpse poison there is off the charts. If we can soak up enough of that toxic goodness, maybe—just maybe—it'll flush the junk out of Celia's system!" Joanna blurted, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Poison versus poison? Sounds wild, but hey, worth a shot!" Ryan cracked his knuckles. Not like they had any other bright ideas—Celia was safe for now, but that poison was a ticking time bomb. If it blew up again, they'd all be up a creek without a paddle.
Honestly, dual cultivation was a gamble too—and Celia wasn't just being stubborn. She was dead set on not dragging Ryan down with her poison mess.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hustle to the God-Tomb!" Joanna grabbed Ryan's arm, zero hesitation, already in full speedrun mode.
"On it!" Ryan shot Celia a quick look, didn't even bother overthinking, and dashed after Joanna like his life depended on it.
But outside, the whole Long Family estate was locked down tighter than a drum—Xiao and Ouyang goons everywhere, not even a rat could sneak out.
"Dad, we're not seriously stuck here, are we?" Joanna stared at the chaos outside, her whole vibe screaming 'rip, we're doomed.'
"Nada. These clowns have us locked down so hard, even air can't get through!" Leon Long grumbled, brain totally fried from trying to find an exit.
"Man, these guys are out for blood—they won't quit till we're toast!" Joanna shot Ryan a look. With this kind of lockdown, getting to the God-Tomb was pure fantasy land.
"If the God-Tomb's a no-go, what else can we throw at Celia's poison?" Ryan blurted, sounding about two seconds from panic mode.
"If it's just about detoxing her, I do have another way... but it's kinda..." Joanna's face flushed red as she trailed off and headed inside.
"Spit it out!" Ryan didn't let her escape, grabbing her arm. With Celia like this and the Xiao and Ouyang clans closing in, if he didn't act soon, they'd all be doomed!
"Remember how I taught you that plant attack technique last time? This is kind of similar—I can teach you the detox art, but you have to refine it with your yang-qi. If you do that, Celia can get her looks back!" Joanna explained quickly.
But the way she said it was so vague, Ryan didn't get it at first. "Wait, you mean I have to kiss you or something?"
"No!" Joanna waved her hands, wanting to explain but totally tongue-tied.
"Just say it already, you're killing me here!" Ryan was exasperated, grabbing her again.
Joanna was clearly at her limit—she leaned in close and whispered, "It means you have to do that thing with me. Get it?"
Of course Ryan got it, but he was so stunned he just stood there, blank.
Joanna, worried Ryan might be upset, quickly added, "I swear, I've got no other motives—this is just the most effective way. I'm only thinking of Celia, honestly! It's totally up to you, I won't force anything!"
"Say no more! If this can save Celia, I'll do whatever it takes. Let's go—let's do it now!" Ryan said, dragging Celia toward a room.
"Wait, wait—don't rush!" Joanna was speechless for a second, then quickly added, "I'm worried I'll be too loud, so let's go to the Long Family ranch!"
"Uh—" Ryan froze. He'd never heard a woman say something like that before.
But time was tight, and fixing Celia's problem was way more important!
Without hesitating, Ryan said, "No more talking—just take me there, quick!"
"Alright!" Joanna nodded and immediately dragged Ryan straight to the Long Family ranch.
......
Meanwhile, outside the Long estate, the Xiao and Ouyang clans had everyone surrounded. Their attack formation was set—they could strike any minute now.
"Master, things are looking bad. They've gathered at least twenty Earth Immortals and countless True Immortals—our defenses won't hold against a full assault!" The Long Family butler sounded anxious.
Clearly, this time Xiao Yuanshan meant business—he'd stop at nothing to break through.
"Go—go find Ryan, see if he has any way to drive them off!" Leon Long was clearly at his wit's end; the Long Family couldn't hold out much longer against this kind of attack.
But after Leon Long gave the order, the butler searched all over and couldn't find Ryan anywhere.
"What? Ryan and Miss Joanna are missing?" Leon Long practically exploded at the news.
"Find them—now! Where could they have gone at a time like this?" Leon Long was totally flustered. Ryan might still be just a Human Immortal, but he wasn't ordinary—he might have a way out of this mess.
"Just heard from the servants—Miss Joanna took Ryan to the Long Family ranch. She told everyone to stay away for the next few hours, and no matter what sounds they hear, just ignore it!" the butler reported, looking blank.
"Are you kidding me? Now of all times, they're fooling around!" Leon Long was speechless, even a little angry. He knew what they were up to, and while he thought Ryan was a great son-in-law, this was absolutely not the time for romance!
"Master, don't get mad—maybe Joanna and Ryan have a plan. With things this bad, they might be the only ones who can turn it around!" the butler tried to reassure him.
"Nonsense! You think they can stop twenty Earth Immortals? Just go find an escape route—before the attack starts, getting out is the best bet!" Leon Long snapped.
"Understood, I'll get on it right away!" The butler rushed off—the situation was dire. And just as they finished speaking, the Xiao and Ouyang armies had finished assembling and launched a full assault on the Long estate!
"It's happening!" Leon Long panicked. He regretted getting involved in this mess and even considered handing over Xiao Shuheng—but it was too late for that now. All they could do was fight!
"Long Family disciples, hold the line!" Leon Long shouted, his voice raw and desperate.
But just as his voice faded, another shout rang out: "The Long Family's first line of defense has been breached!"
"What? They broke through the first line already?" Leon Long gasped. The estate had five defensive lines, each heavily fortified. Even against top experts, they shouldn't have fallen so fast!
We're doomed. Totally doomed! Four lines left, but there's no way they'll hold!
Leon Long was beyond anxious—hundreds of years of the Long Family's legacy might be destroyed in his hands!
Meanwhile, Ryan and Joanna were hidden away at the most secluded spot on the ranch, totally oblivious to the chaos outside. Their eyes met, charged with a strange intimacy. Joanna was already naked, and Ryan couldn't help but be entranced.
"Come on, Ryan—I'm ready to give you my first time!" Joanna declared, throwing herself at him. She'd clearly been waiting for this moment forever...