More Than One Woman

This Spring Festival, Shen Jingchuan spent it with his family in his courtyard in Azure Cloud Stronghold.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, he accompanied Lin Qingyao to pay New Year's respects to Old Master Lin.

Lin Weiyuan watched this family disappear into thin air and then reappear as if from nowhere, without feeling the slightest bit surprised.

His son-in-law is a celestial master, and his daughter has now embarked on the path of cultivation. He himself has gained another fifty years of lifespan and is in excellent health.

The old man was extremely satisfied.

On the evening of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Jingchuan returned to the modern world alone.

The West Mountain Separate Garden was quiet. He lay alone in bed, but couldn't fall asleep.

He had a few things on his mind that he wanted to try, but he didn't dare to.

The first thing is that people from other worlds can enter the Heaven and Earth Ring and also exit it from their other Ring.

But whether the people inside could still get out in modern times, he didn't know; he had never tried.

He didn't dare to try. He didn't want to think about the consequences if someone from another world showed up in this modern world.

Then there's Meng Ke. He wasn't sure if she could enter the Ring space, and he didn't dare to use her as a guinea pig.

The most important thing is whether or not to tell Meng Ke about the Ring.

If I really told her, she would definitely be curious and would insist on going in to see.

But inside this Ring lived his entire family of wives and concubines.

Meng Ke is a modern person who values monogamy; how could he possibly accept that?

The wedding date is fast approaching.

Should we get married first and then tell her gradually, or should we tell her the truth before the wedding?

He rolled over, his mind a jumbled mess.

Meng Ke was the girl he had been thinking about since high school; she was his first love. After so many years of affection, he was really afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would lose her.

But if we keep this from her, won't she be even more heartbroken when she finds out herself someday?

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep at all.

That night, he couldn't even muster the will to meditate and cultivate.

In my mind, one moment it's Meng Ke's smiling face, the next it's the whole family in the Ring.

He thought about those roads over and over again.

"Keep it a secret and get married first?" He immediately rejected the idea. That would be a lie, and Meng Ke would only hate him more if she found out later. He couldn't do something like that.

Besides, it's impossible to keep it a secret forever; the truth will come out eventually.

Then there's only one way left—speak out.

Even if she hears it and turns away, even if the marriage doesn't happen, he still has to make things clear before the wedding.

He couldn't possibly lie to her; this was entirely his own fault, and he had to bear the consequences.

Bai Ruoli's matter is relatively easy to explain; he was drunk and acted recklessly while intoxicated, which can be somewhat justified.

Lin Qingyao? She only saw his body, she didn't actually do anything. He could have refused at the time, but he used the excuse that "she would have a hard time getting married in the future" to convince himself and agreed to the marriage.

He went along with the mistake with that little girl; and he agreed to Yan Shuyao's request too.

There are also those maids like Yue'er, Qingshu, and Qinghua whose situations are complicated; and on Xiao Mingshu's side, it's even more unclear, not to mention Huan'er.

The more he thought about it, the clearer one thing became: this mess was entirely his own doing, and he had no one else to blame.

Shen Jingchuan asked himself honestly, and he knew he truly Meng Ke.

But why is it that when he encounters other women he likes, he can't refuse them? He's never actively pursued anyone, but he just can't bring himself to say "no."

Could it be that this inherent flaw is simply in his nature?

He rolled over, steeling his resolve. A man can be lustful, but he can't be irresponsible.

Regardless of the outcome, he had to make things clear to Meng Ke before the wedding. He should bear the consequences himself, not let Meng Ke suffer them.

Having made up his mind, he picked up his phone and dialed Meng Ke's number.

As soon as the call connected, Meng Ke's voice came through, tinged with a hint of reproach. "Darling, I thought you weren't coming back. It's your wedding tomorrow, and you're only showing up now."

Shen Jingchuan said, "Xiao Ke, could you come to our house? I want to see you."

Meng Ke said, "We have important business to attend to tomorrow, why are you in such a hurry to see me?"

"I have some things to discuss," Shen Jingchuan's voice was deep, "I need to make things clear to you before I get around to it."

Hearing the solemnity in his tone, Meng Ke felt a sudden weight lift in her heart, a sense of foreboding rising within her.

She quickly replied, "Okay, I'll be right there."

An hour later, Meng Ke used the jade token to enter the Spirit-Nurturing Formation and arrived at West Mountain Separate Garden No. 1, the home where they were preparing to get married.

As Shen Jingchuan watched her enter, his heart pounded with anxiety, like a child who had gotten into trouble but dared not utter a sound.

Meng Ke could tell at a glance that something was wrong with him; this wasn't his usual self. She walked over and hugged him tightly.

"What's wrong, honey? Hey, snap out of it!"

She tilted her head and suddenly laughed, "You don't mean, you have that legendary pre-wedding jitters, do you?"

Shen Jingchuan forced a smile but didn't reply.

He gave her a gentle hug, took her hand, and led her to sit down in the living room.

Seeing him like this, Meng Ke stopped joking.

Shen Jingchuan remained silent for a while, as if he had made his final decision.

He looked up at her, his voice low.

"Xiao Ke, before we get married, there are some things I need to make clear to you."

"If I keep this from you any longer, I'm afraid you'll hate me for the rest of your life."

Meng Ke's smile gradually froze.

Shen Jingchuan took a deep breath, as if to bolster his courage.

He raised his hand and presented the Ring to Meng Ke.

"Xiao Ke, this Ring on my hand was left to me by my father before he passed away; it's a family heirloom in the Shen Household."

"It's no ordinary Ring. You might not believe it, but it can take me to another world."

Meng Ke was stunned.

She stared at the Ring, but her mind went through the events of the past year.

His inexplicable adventures, the Spirit Stones and pills he could readily provide, and the Five Elements Cultivation Method he taught her while guiding her in her cultivation journey.

Everything now had a reason. She not only didn't find it absurd, but she believed it instead.

"I believe you." She looked up at him. "Actually, I guessed it a long time ago; you had some extraordinary encounter."

"I just never expected it would be this Ring that brought it on."

"When you were teaching me martial arts, if you missed even a small detail in your words, I would have had my doubts."

A slight smile even appeared on her face as she said, "I'm quite happy that you're willing to tell me yourself."

"Is there... a problem?"

Looking at her still smiling face, Shen Jingchuan felt even worse.

His throat tightened, and he spoke with difficulty.

"That's secondary."

"In that world, I experienced a lot and met many people."

He closed his eyes briefly, as if suppressing the last bit of hesitation.

"I got married over there."

Meng Ke's smile froze for a moment.

Shen Jingchuan dared not look her in the eye, and his voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

"According to their customs... there's more than one."