Five in the morning.
The sky was neither dark nor light yet.
A few birds chirped faintly outside the window, their calls sparse and intermittent.
Lin An slowly emerged from his cultivation state and let out a long breath of stale air.
The rainbow light in his eyes faded, and two purple Soul Rings silently sank back into his body.
He picked up the communicator from his bedside.
The moment the screen lit up, notifications popped out like snowflakes, stacking one atop another until they densely covered the entire interface.
They were all from the same person.
Gu Yue.
Lin An frowned and swiped across the screen with his thumb, skimming through them.
Forty-seven unread messages.
From the first, "Are you there?" to the last, "Good night," the messages in between included "Are you tired?" and "See you tomorrow," along with a large number of blank entries that had been withdrawn.
It was as if someone had spent the whole night repeatedly typing and deleting, carefully weighing every word.
Lin An's frown deepened.
Had this woman really started thinking of herself as the Wife of the Dragon God?
He remembered that damn title of his—[Wife of the Dragon God]: noble, elegant, holy. As the Wife of the Dragon God, you have a fatal allure to every dragon.
A sense of absurdity welled up in him.
What was all this supposed to mean?
He was a man.
A man!
Lin An took a deep breath and tamped down his irritation.
Out of politeness, he still sent back a smiling emoji.
Sent.
Almost the instant the message was delivered—
Its status changed to read.
Right after that, a call request popped up, and the communicator vibrated wildly in his palm.
Lin An looked at the pulsing answer button on the screen and rejected the call without changing expression.
The vibration stopped.
The next second, messages poured in like a flood bursting through a dam.
"Lin An, did you see the messages I sent earlier?"
"You were my beloved in a past life. We crossed the cycle of life and death, and after tens of thousands of years, we've met again!"
"This is fate guiding us!"
"In this life, I'll protect you no matter what. No matter how many hardships and dangers lie ahead, even if I have to stand against the whole world, I won't back down!"
Gu Yue typed excitedly, her fingers moving so fast they almost blurred.
Her bloodshot purple eyes were frighteningly bright now. Dark circles stood out beneath them, but nothing could suppress her excitement.
Messages came one after another.
Another voice call request popped up.
Lin An rejected it again.
Leaning against the headboard, he looked at the screen, buried beneath a sea of text, his expression as calm as if he were reading someone else's story.
Psycho.
That was his two-word verdict.
As for the messages before that, he couldn't even be bothered to scroll through them.
If he were just an ordinary person with no connections or family backing, he might as well cling to Gu Yue.
Co-Lord of Soul Beasts, future Silver Dragon King—her power was beyond question.
Living off her and letting her keep him wasn't entirely out of the question.
But he wasn't ordinary.
He was the heir to Universal Group.
Behind him was an intricate web of interests, linking him to key officials in various Federation departments, as well as powerful figures in Shrek Academy's External Relations Office.
The political donations and sponsorship money that flowed out every year amounted to an astronomical sum, buying Universal Heavy Industry absolute sway in the market.
From daily necessities to food to Soul Tools, the Universal logo had seeped into nearly every corner of the Federation.
With an identity like his, was he supposed to get involved with Soul Beasts trying to overthrow human rule?
Just thinking about it struck Lin An as laughable.
There was no need to prove anything. Even the mere suspicion that he was "in league with Soul Beast forces" would be enough to send Universal's stock price plummeting.
Who knew how many people that would drive to the rooftops.
"Wife, I know this is hard for you to believe, but you have to trust that I'll treat you well. Everything I said is true."
Gu Yue hadn't managed to get through on the call and felt a little disappointed, but she still typed as hard as she could.
This was a rare chance to talk privately. She didn't want to waste a single word.
Lin An saw the word "Wife" pop up on the screen, and the corner of his eye twitched.
He thought for a moment, then replied with just one character.
"Hm?"
Just one character.
But that alone was enough to make Gu Yue light up at the other end of the communicator.
He replied to me!
He admitted it!
Gu Yue's lips curled wildly upward, and her fingers flew across the screen even faster.
"Wife, I heard you're planning to forge your own Battle Armor? I've already had people prepare ten tons of rare metals! I can even help you get a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit!"
There was a hint of smugness in her tone as she typed the message.
Ten tons of rare metals—most Soul Masters couldn't save up enough for that in a lifetime.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit—even Titled Douluo would fight desperately for one.
She believed no one could resist such a temptation.
Nice try, acting all aloof in front of me.
Once I win your heart, I'll make you give me a whole litter of baby dragons.
Gu Yue lay on her bed with an almost crazed smile on her face, already picturing Lin An being spoiled rotten by her.
Then she saw Lin An's reply.
"Impressive."
Three words.
Cool and indifferent.
Not even an exclamation mark.
Gu Yue's smile froze for a moment.
That was it?
Ten tons of rare metals plus a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit, and all she got was three words?
Disappointment surged through her, like a punch thrown into cotton.
Gu Yue bit her lip and started typing again.
Suddenly, she really wanted to ask him something.
A question she'd been holding back since daytime.
"Lin An, why are you so cold to me?"
Sent.
"Do you have some kind of problem with me?"
Sent.
"Why did you ignore me yesterday and act so close to Tang Wulin?"
Sent.
She paused, her fingers hovering over the screen as she hesitated for several seconds.
Then, as if she'd made up her mind, she quickly typed out a line.
"Do you like men?"
"I could change into one, too."
So what if I had an extra appendage? What's the big deal?
Lin An was drinking water, and he nearly choked the instant he saw the message.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he couldn't help picturing Gu Yue turning into a man.
Silver hair, purple eyes, tall and burly, calling him "Wife" in a deep voice.
Lin An shuddered.
That was fucking terrifying.
At the station earlier, this woman had been so aloof, looking at people as if her gaze were rimed with ice.
How come she seemed like a completely different person on the messaging app?
He got out of bed, tossed the communicator onto it, and went to wash up.
He squeezed out the toothpaste and stuck the toothbrush in his mouth as water roared from the tap.
By the time he finished brushing his teeth and came back, several more messages had appeared on the screen.
"Can't you reply with more than a few words?"
"I feel like an idiot."
"I'm the Co-Lord of Soul Beasts, after all."
The hurt and frustration came through even over the screen.
After more than ten minutes, when she apparently still hadn't gotten a reply, her tone changed again.
"I'm sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn't have snapped at you just now."
"Maybe I like you too much, and that makes me a little oversensitive."
"I'll get those things ready for you. I know a bit about Battle Armor, especially the construction of Core Arrays. If you have any questions, you can come to me."
"It's okay. Don't feel pressured."
Her tone was cautious, as if she were soothing a lover who was throwing a tantrum.
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