Ian Song lay resting on the living room sofa, quietly gathering his thoughts.
His mind couldn’t help but drift to Lily and Autumn’s obedient faces, to Lyra Hale, who clung to him calling him ‘brother-in-law,’ and to Lila Quinn—whose bond to him was mostly the result of her cultivation backlash. As for Princess Jade Fox, outwardly gentle but inwardly strong, she too stirred his longing.
It had been more than two months since Ian returned from the Great Qin World.
After obtaining the Divine Temple, he’d considered traveling back, but some hesitation remained. During his conversations with the Temple Spirit, he remembered something he’d overlooked.
Whether it was the Great Qin World, the post-apocalyptic realm, or the Divine Temple trial domain he’d just traversed—
The time flow in these three worlds was all different from reality.
One year there equaled just one day here.
Now, having left Great Qin for over two months, more than sixty years had passed over there.
Great Qin was only a low-martial world; the highest realm its warriors could reach was Innate Ninth Layer.
Even though he’d taught Lily and Autumn real cultivation methods, the world’s constraints might have kept them from breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
If they couldn’t break through to Foundation Establishment, sixty years later, they might have already become old women—or even passed away.
Thinking of this, his heart twisted with pain and indecision, not knowing how to face them. So, after returning, he’d always avoided confronting this reality, deliberately ignoring the problem.
But running away never solves anything. Whenever the night grew quiet, their faces would surface in his mind. He took a deep breath and decided to ask Meow-Meow for confirmation.
Meow-Meow, let me ask you—has it really been more than sixty years in the Great Qin World?
Meow-Meow didn’t answer, making Ian’s heart sink even further.
Answer me!
Ian’s tone grew more impatient.
‘It’s true,’ Meow-Meow finally replied—but the answer left Ian in despair.
Ian’s expression shifted several times before settling into cold calm, his voice tinged with anger: ‘Why did you mislead me when I returned from Great Qin, telling me that once I reached the Immortal Realm I could go back and that time would be synchronized?’
I was just worried you’d lose hope, so I gave you something to hold on to," Meow-Meow replied softly, sounding a little aggrieved.
"Do you know how they're doing now?" Ian pressed.
"I'm just the system's assistant spirit, here to serve you," Meow-Meow replied. "I don't have the ability to check on worlds you've already traversed."
Ian let out a long sigh. He resolved that after wrapping up his business in the United States, he would travel back to the Great Qin World.
No matter what had become of them, he would bring them back to the real world.
With this knot untied, Ian felt a wave of clarity and relief wash over him.
His sword essence began to circulate on its own. After a full cycle, Ian found his sword essence had grown even denser, edging him closer to the Golden Core stage.
Click.
Just then, the bedroom door opened.
Someone walked out of the room.
Even in the darkness of the living room, nothing could hide from Ian's eyes. He glanced over and saw a scene that nearly made his nose bleed.
The person who walked out was Faye Shangguan.
Her hair was a little messy, her face still hazy with leftover drunkenness—she clearly wasn’t fully awake yet. But that wasn’t the main thing.
Right now, she was wearing nothing but a cream-colored pair of panties—half-transparent, at that—and since Ian was sitting on the sofa, his line of sight fell directly on that area.
His heart skipped a beat.
His gaze drifted upward.
Her black bra barely covered half of her generous chest, leaving nearly half exposed—making her even more eye-catching and alluring.
She’s got to be at least a 36D.
Ian estimated silently.
Slap!
The light switched on.
Faye Shangguan, still half-asleep, walked toward the bathroom without noticing Ian on the sofa.
Which gave him another feast for the eyes.
Luckily, she wasn’t completely out of it and remembered to close the bathroom door.
But some sounds weren’t blocked by the door; hearing the stream inside, Ian couldn’t help but recall the scene he’d just witnessed, his mind wandering.
Soon, the bathroom door opened again.
Faye walked out and met Ian’s gaze directly.
"Up for a bathroom break, Faye?" Ian greeted her with a smile.
"Mm."
Faye nodded reflexively, but then realized something was off. Glancing down at her outfit, her face flushed red, especially as Ian’s eyes roamed over her. She felt both embarrassed and angry.
Normally, most people would scream and dash back to their room.
But Faye didn’t see herself as an ordinary person. If she just ran back to her room, it would be too easy for Ian. So she forced a seductive smile and sauntered over to the sofa. "Do you like what you see?"
"It's alright," Ian replied, smacking his lips.
"Just alright?"
Faye gritted her teeth.
"Yeah. If you took off both pieces, I’m sure you’d look even better!" Ian teased, grinning mischievously. He’d long noticed that Faye was the type who seemed bold on the outside but was actually conservative at heart.
Faye’s face darkened. She wanted to retreat again, but doing so would feel too humiliating.
So she came up to the sofa, licked her cherry-red lips, and said, "If you want to see me naked, do it yourself!"
"Alright!"
Ian reached out and wrapped his arm around Faye’s waist. The sensation was soft and smooth.
At the same time, his other hand reached for her chest.
Just then, a sly look flashed across Faye’s face as she shouted, "Help—!"
But before she could finish, Ian lightly tapped her mute acupoint, and no sound came out.
"You really are a handful," Ian scoffed, then squeezed her chest, pushed her off the sofa, and slapped her behind. "Alright, game over—go back to bed. If you mess with me again, I’ll deal with you on the spot!"
Faye glared at Ian, wanting to curse him out, but her mouth opened with no sound. Her face grew even more alarmed.
"Relax, I only tapped your mute acupoint—it’ll wear off in twenty minutes," Ian assured her.
Faye shot Ian a fierce look, then, feeling frustrated, returned to her room.
At that moment, a black armored helicopter landed at the Los Angeles CIA branch. A blonde woman and a young Black man jumped out, and Station Chief Mr. Lear hurried over to greet them.