Upon hearing the inquiry from Golden Spirit Cloud, Jiang Xuan felt a bit flustered but quickly regained his cool and cautiously probed her with a tone that could win an Oscar:
“Hey there, Xiao Lingyun, did you finally get your memory back?”
“Not… exactly, but I feel like… Brother Xuan has changed so much… to the point where I feel like none of this is real…”
Seeing this, Lan Xin inwardly sneered:
“Well, serves him right for pretending to be aloof to fool Miss Dragon earlier only to now pretend to be kind, totally not working on her. Ha! Better that Miss Dragon is still cold as ice.”
On the surface, Jiang Xuan furrowed his brow and said in a frigid tone:
“Xiao Xin, let me go…”
Upon hearing this, Lan Xin, who had Jiang Xuan in her arms, hastily released him.
In her mind, Lan Xin was thinking:
“Boss sounds like he’s trying to be aloof now? Okay, okay, I’m all ears to see what Boss is up to!”
Contrarily, Jiang Xuan, piecing together tidbits from his three traitorous disciples and Golden Spirit Cloud, figured out what it was like to cultivate the Unfeeling Dao in his past life.
Since Golden Spirit Cloud hadn’t fully recovered her memory, Jiang Xuan decided to patch the image of his past self together:
“Lingyun, dear, an older brother is like a father. Now that parents aren’t around, you used to be too mischievous, hence I acted so cold and aloof to control you, all for your sake… your growth.”
Hearing this, Lan Xin turned around, unable to hold in her laughter.
She added dramatically:
“So many years, you’ve been taken care of, which was really tough. Thanks to me, your brother has become gentle and optimistic. Seems like your memory of me in your childhood is still intact.”
Jiang Xuan: “??????”
Baffled by Lan Xin’s sudden theatrics, Jiang Xuan resolved to give her the punishment she deserved when he grew strong enough, making sure she felt the respect his authority demanded.
Golden Spirit Cloud, meanwhile, was quite puzzled:
“Did… I use to be that naughty… even made Brother Xuan angry? So that cold-hearted look was because of me…”
“Don’t worry about the past, Lingyun. Your injuries aren’t fully healed. Rest up first… Xiao Xin, take her back for some rest…”
Lan Xin: “???”
“All, all right. I’ll take her home then you can have your way with me when I come back.”
Jiang Xuan: “…”
Elsewhere, Golden Spirit Cloud’s eyes were still foggy:
“Was… I really that playful when I was little, just like he says?”
—
After Lan Xin left with Golden Spirit Cloud, Jiang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.
If he knew Golden Spirit Cloud saw him in his past life from so long ago, he would never have risked impersonating a big brother.
Keeping one falsehood alive required countless others, and having an idiot sidekick didn’t help. It was exhausting. Better to spend time training, building up his strength and stamina for after their union.
Thinking of impending marriage, Jiang Xuan felt defeated.
Taking a deep breath, he sat down cross-legged and started cultivating the Taixuan Formula.
Only by enhancing his skills would he feel more secure.
—
Not much later, upon seeing Jiang Xuan meditate, Lan Xin refrained from disturbing him.
Her thoughts:
“Now my boss is training, guess I’ll focus on healing first. Heh, once I’m completely healed, I’ll make sure he sees my real power. That dragon girl is already fooled; Lord Liu Yun is away; it’s perfect. I have the upper hand. If I could cram that dragon girl into a sack and give her a taste of my former predicament, wouldn’t that be better?”
—
The next morning, after a day and night of cultivation, Jiang Xuan’s aura surged.
He broke through to the pinnacle of the Sky Martial Ninth Level, fully entering the realm of Sky Martial.
With a light fist, vast power surged within him.
Aware of his tremendous improvement, he mused:
“Pretty soon, this water qilin won’t stand a chance against me. Even with spiritual roots boosting those five extreme levels, it’s scary.”
Suddenly recalling something, Jiang Xuan hurried away from his cabin.
Looking up, he saw the sky darkened, ominously clouded.
Just as predicted, with each ascension of an extreme level came a thunderstorm, a traditional formality.
As the ominous mass of clouds gathered, hundreds of terrifying bolts converged above Jiang Xuan, seemingly ready to strike.
Nonchalantly raising his head, he gazed at the skies.
Since realizing those lightning strikes couldn’t touch him, he’d lost all fear.
Then a clear voice cried:
“Brother Xuan… watch out…”
Coming back to himself, Jiang Xuan, seeing Golden Spirit Cloud approaching his peril, urgently called out:
“Sparrow, stay back! Get far from me!”
Golden Spirit Cloud ignored his warning and stood transfixed, watching the gathering storm.
“This… is the thunderbolt…”
Simultaneously, the thunderbolts descended.
But before reaching Jiang Xuan, they sharply pivoted towards Golden Spirit Cloud.
Frozen in place, she made no effort to move.
Too swift, Jiang Xuan couldn’t intervene.
Instantly, Golden Spirit Cloud was struck by the dozens of lightning, billowing dust.
Realizing her plight, Jiang Xuan rushed toward her.
She understood—had it been her peak condition and the thunderstorm not targeted her, she’d be fine.
But injured and with memory loss, it was dicey.
Amid his search, a fierce wind blew, dispelling the thick dust instantly.
Standing before him was a colossal Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon, keenly locked onto him.
