Pure as Ice, Clean as Jade

Shui Bing'er stood before the window, her brows slightly furrowed as she gazed at the names continuously appearing on the Sky Screen.

Beside her, Shui Yue'er was idly plucking at the strings of a zither, producing a disjointed, intermittent sound.

"Mother, what has been going on with you lately?" Shui Bing'er turned her head to look at Shui Qing'er, who sat on the couch with a dazed expression. "You look quite pale."

Shui Yue'er also looked up and chimed in, "That's right, Mother. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Shui Qing'er forced a smile and waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing. I probably just haven't been resting well lately."

How was she supposed to explain this?

For days now, the women appearing on the Sky Screen's Combat Power Ranking had all been her close sisters.

She knew better than anyone just how intimate their interactions with Brother Cao were in their dreams.

Watching mother-daughter pairs appear on the list one after another, Shui Qing'er was filled with anxiety.

If she were to appear on the list, wouldn't that be the equivalent of a public execution?

How would she face her family then? How would she face the students of the academy?

"My lady."

Her husband, Jiang Luyuan, walked in, his gaze fixed steadily upon Shui Qing'er.

"My lady," he said slowly, "you have also been practicing the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique, haven't you?"

The recent Sky Screen rankings had left Jiang Luyuan terrified.

It had become the norm for daughters to appear on the Genius Ranking and mothers on the Combat Power Ranking.

Their family fit the criteria perfectly.

Both daughters were on the Genius Ranking, and his wife was a woman of peerless beauty.

Unless Brother Cao was blind, there was no reason for him to let his wife off the hook.

Jiang Luyuan was no fool.

He had long sensed his wife's unusual behavior, but he had been afraid to ask, unwilling to face the truth.

Now, he had finally asked the question.

Shui Qing'er was already feeling guilty, worried that she might appear on the list at any moment.

Faced with her husband's interrogation, she panicked.

"Luyuan, I..." She opened her mouth, but didn't know how to explain.

She had actively cooperated and worked hard to cultivate in her dreams, all just to increase her strength.

Besides, she and her husband had been living apart for many years.

But regardless of that, they still held the title of husband and wife.

Shui Qing'er was a traditional woman, and she simply couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Father, what are you doing?"

Shui Bing'er stepped forward, shielding her mother, her tone filled with dissatisfaction.

"Don't you know what kind of person Mother is?"

Shui Yue'er quickly echoed, "Exactly! Even if Mother really did practice the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique, it doesn't mean anything. That all happened in a dream; it doesn't count. They haven't even met in reality."

Ignoring his daughter's absurd logic, Jiang Luyuan asked urgently, "In a dream? Are you saying... that Brother Cao teaches you to cultivate in your dreams?"

Shui Bing'er nodded. "That's right. At first, we didn't even know if Brother Cao was a person from the Douluo Continent."

Jiang Luyuan fell silent for a moment.

A dream was not reality.

In other words, his wife and this Brother Cao had never met in the real world; everything had taken place within the realm of dreams.

He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm. "Bing'er, Yue'er, don't be angry. Your father was just curious and asked a casual question."

He turned to look at Shui Qing'er, forcing a smile onto his face. "My lady, I absolutely trust your character!"

Shui Qing'er looked at him.

That smile, those words, that feigned ease—she knew them all too well.

But she didn't want to go on like this anymore. It was time to come clean!

"No, Luyuan."

"I have indeed practiced the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique. Furthermore, this technique is a dual-cultivation method. In my dreams, I have done everything with that Brother Cao."

Shui Bing'er froze.

Shui Yue'er also froze.

Although they had suspected as much, they hadn't expected their mother to be so direct.

Jiang Luyuan was even more stunned; he stared blankly at Shui Qing'er, unable to find the words to respond.

His traditionally conservative wife had truly strayed, even if only in her dreams.

An eerie silence descended upon the room.

Just then, a brand-new image emerged upon the Sky Screen.

The scene depicted none other than their family of four!

Simultaneously, the information for the tenth-place entry slowly materialized.

[Combat Power Ranking, Tenth Place: Shui Qing'er.]

[Identity: Dean of Tianshui Academy, mother of Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er.]

[Strength: Level 99 Titled Douluo.]

[Techniques: Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique, Heavenly Demon Chaotic Dance.]

[Rewards: Teleportation Talisman ×10, capable of teleporting to any location on the Douluo Continent; Soul Power increased by one level; Formation: Three Talents Formation, allows three soul masters to share a single mind, doubling their power.]

BOOM!!!

A familiar pillar of golden light descended from the heavens, enveloping Shui Qing'er.

Jiang Luyuan watched this scene, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

His wife had cuckolded him; logically, he should have been flying into a rage.

Yet, he dared not, for the man who had cuckolded him could slap ten divine officials to death with a single strike.

Furthermore, this was a live broadcast, and the entire continent was watching.

The atmosphere in the room fell into silence once more.

After a long while, Jiang Luyuan secretly made a decision that went against his ancestors.

Jiang Luyuan slapped his thigh abruptly.

"My dear! You've made the list! Tenth place!"

His voice was filled with surprise and delight.

"This is wonderful! Tianshui Academy will surely flourish! Hahaha!"

He laughed until he was doubled over, his enthusiasm leaving both Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er stunned.

Shui Yue'er opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Shui Bing'er tugged on her sleeve.

Only Shui Qing'er knew that Jiang Luyuan was deliberately playing the fool.

He did not want the entire continent to make a joke of his family, nor did he want outsiders to know the pain and helplessness in his heart.

Therefore, he chose to laugh.

Shui Qing'er couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind; the most important thing right now was the formation rewarded by the Sky Screen.

The Three Talents Formation.

It allowed three soul masters to share a single mind and doubled their power.

Was this not tailor-made for the three of them, mother and daughters?

Sharing a single mind—if they used this formation during their deep exchanges, it would be like using a cheat code.

They would definitely be able to defeat Brother Cao and make him remember it for a lifetime!

Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er exchanged glances, clearly having thought of the same application for the Three Talents Formation, and both of their faces flushed crimson.

This formation... it was indecent!

After watching Jiang Luyuan's clumsy performance on the Sky Screen, the entire continent was speechless.

"Is this Jiang Luyuan actually stupid, or is he just pretending? His wife ran off with someone else, and he can still laugh?"

"What of it? She only practices in her dreams; in reality, she's still pure and untainted, heh heh!"

"You're young; this is what a veteran of the world looks like! Look at his reaction—so natural, so smooth. You can tell he's practiced this!"

"Old Jiang has it rough! His heart is clearly bleeding, yet he has to keep a smile on his face."

"It's an honor to be noticed by Brother Cao; Old Jiang is just too honored!"

"Sigh, look on the bright side. If you can't beat them, join them!"

"That's right, it's not like you're losing a piece of yourself. The wife is still the same wife, the daughter is still the same daughter, there's just one more... well, relative."

"Relative? What kind of relative?"

"Brother Cao! Think about it: the wife is with him, the daughter is with him, so what does that make his relationship with Old Jiang?"

"Holy crap! Stop talking! I think I'm starting to grow a brain!"