On the road.
Ye Lingling had the people from Spirit Hall drive the carriage, while Su Chen started recording a new day again!
[See? I said yesterday would be a beautiful day, and it really was beautiful.]
[Hu Liena is such a tempting little minx. Ye Lingling is a tempting little minx too. Life really is infinitely beautiful!]
[Another day full of energy... Today, I'm not full of energy. Three Points Return to Origin Qi spent all my energy last night, but thankfully, Nine Yang Divine Skill restores it quickly.]
[Hmm... I'm going with Ye Lingling to meet her family today. I'll stop writing for now. I should ask her who's in her family first. I don't think I prepared a gift, either. This is awkward.]
[Oh, damn, am I still writing about Huo Wu today?]
Su Chen stared at what he'd written, dumbfounded.
Something wasn't right.
Yesterday, he wrote about Huo Wu. Today, he was writing about Huo Wu again.
Could those sneaky watchers reading over his shoulder be a different group each time?
Absurd.
Based on his experience reading novels in his previous life, his guess should be more or less right. Since he had to write about Huo Wu again today, he'd have to keep observing what happened next.
But it didn't matter.
Whatever he had to write about, whoever those sneaky watchers were, his diary was all respectable and could stand up to scrutiny. There was nothing in it that would make him die of embarrassment.
Sigh.
Thank goodness he'd been cautious from the very first time he wrote in the diary. He'd never written anything perverted in it. Wonderful! Just wonderful!
I, Su Chen, am a respectable diary writer.
What you see is only what I want you to see. Don't think I don't know you sneaky watchers are all reading over my shoulder!
At that thought, Su Chen suddenly said to Ye Lingling, "Lingling, since we have a little time, tell me about your family."
"Mm... We should stop along the way and buy something. We ought to bring a gift the first time we visit!"
Ye Lingling looked at Su Chen tenderly and said:
"Have you forgotten? You've already given me the most precious gift—my Martial Soul Evolution. What gift could be more precious than that?"
"And you've arranged a future for my family. Those are all incredibly precious gifts. I could never repay you."
Su Chen rubbed her head affectionately. "You may say that, but I still have to be polite. No matter what we buy, it'll be better than showing up empty-handed."
"I'll give you a chance to show off. Take me to pick out some things your family likes to eat, and we'll bring them along."
Spirit Branch Hall.
When Hu Liena saw the diary entry, she was instantly dumbfounded.
Good grief!
Su Chen, do you want to take another look at what you're writing?
Could you write something respectable for once? If not, write about Huo Wu!
Obviously, no one else could understand what he meant. But Hu Liena had spent the whole night having her energy drained. How could she not understand?
He was taking advantage of the fact that they couldn't understand his double entendres!
"Forget it. I'll go see Xiao Xue first."
Hu Liena got dressed. She'd only taken a couple of steps when she realized her gait felt a little strange today...
This?
Maybe she shouldn't meet Xiao Xue today.
No, that wouldn't do!
Su Chen had said he was leaving tomorrow. If she didn't meet Xiao Xue today, when else would she have time?
Whatever.
Xiao Xue was a novice too. What could she possibly figure out? Hmph! So what if she was older than me? She didn't know a thing!
Crown Prince Mansion.
Qian Renxue had just returned from the imperial palace when someone informed her that Hu Liena was already waiting for her at the mansion.
Hm?
Qian Renxue couldn't help wondering. She'd just seen Hu Liena yesterday, so why had she come again today?
Hadn't they agreed that their identities were special, so they shouldn't get too close?
Reception Hall.
When Hu Liena saw Qian Renxue return, she hurriedly stood and greeted her:
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Qian Renxue nodded slightly and said elegantly:
"Miss Hu Liena, there's no need to be so formal. We're friends. Just call me Big Brother Qinghe."
She was currently disguised as Xue Qinghe.
Hu Liena nodded and asked, "I enjoyed our conversation yesterday, Big Brother Qinghe. Would you care to share three cups with me again today?"
Qian Renxue smiled and nodded. "Of course, Miss Hu Liena. Please, this way!"
The two of them headed to the rear courtyard together.
A little while later.
The two sat quietly in a room. Pufferfish Douluo's voice came from outside: "Young Master, there's no one around."
Qian Renxue looked at Hu Liena and asked:
"Nana, we just saw each other yesterday. Why have you come to see me again today? Now I don't know how I'm going to explain this later."
Hu Liena looked a little annoyed.
"Honestly!"
"I stayed up all night to bring you news, and you're complaining about me? Fine, I'll leave!"
Qian Renxue immediately backed down. "My fault! Nana, tell me—how did you get the hidden reward after staying up all night?"
Hm?
Hu Liena gave her an odd look. "I'm trying to tell you something serious. Why are you asking such shameless questions?"
"Shameless?"
Qian Renxue immediately picked up on that.
Hu Liena's heart gave a sudden jolt. She hurriedly changed the subject. "Well, Su Chen came back yesterday and told me about you. He asked me to invite you to meet him tonight!"
"What?"
"Su Chen wants to see me?"
Qian Renxue's voice grew excited. She felt inexplicably nervous, with just the tiniest spark of anticipation.
Hu Liena continued, "Su Chen said you're not as capable as Teacher. Xue Beng has been pretending to be a wastrel, and Xue Xing is backing him from behind the scenes."
"He said you're going to fail, so he invited you to meet him tonight to give you some pointers!"
Qian Renxue grew nervous. "What else did he say?"
Hu Liena shook her head. "Nothing else. He'll probably tell you when he meets you tonight."
"Mm... I asked him to stay and help you, but he said he didn't like trouble. There's only one situation in which he'd help you."
Qian Renxue's heart leaped. "What situation? What condition did he set? If he can help me, I'll do whatever it takes!"
Hu Liena chuckled. "Don't get excited too soon. He didn't set any conditions. He meant that he'd only personally get involved in matters concerning me and Ye Lingling."
"If you're willing to be his wife, he has no reason to watch you fail. But I know you'd find that hard to accept, so don't get your hopes up."
Qian Renxue was stunned.
Although she felt a little kinship with Su Chen, whom she hadn't even met yet—they both shared a sense of longing for home—
Still.
Wasn't this far too rash?
Was she supposed to give herself up just to complete her mission infiltrating Heaven Dou?
As proud as Qian Renxue was, if Su Chen were single, she might have considered it. But he already had two wives. How could she share a husband with them?
Qian Renxue suddenly looked at Hu Liena in confusion and asked:
"Nana, you're his disciple, and you're proud too. How could you agree to share a husband with another woman?"
"You're not an ordinary woman, either!"
Hu Liena considered the question, then answered with a serious expression. "Because I'm a hopeless romantic!"
"When I first met him, I already liked him a little. But at the time, he only had rank fifteen Soul Power. I knew we could never be together."
"Later, he unlocked that thing called a Golden Finger—the Diary—and I no longer had any reservations. But when I pursued him, he openly shared his dream with me."
"What dream?"
.