"?"
What did he mean, they still needed her own opinion?
Lin Xiao looked utterly bewildered.
Qian Daoliu looked at Lin Xiao and scratched his head, speaking with some embarrassment.
"Well, marriage is something she should have a say in, isn't it?"
Snow Empress raised an eyebrow and looked at Lin Xiao.
Such an appetite? I remember that little girl Qian Renxue being quite pretty.
"When did I say I wanted her to marry me? I said I wanted her to work for me!"
Lin Xiao truly couldn't understand how this old man's mind worked.
Qian Renxue was pretty, sure, but he simply wasn't interested in her.
Who wants some tsundere little girl? Gentle older women are the best.
Qian Renxue was such an airhead, playing her little spy games all day.
Who would want her?
Only then did Qian Daoliu catch on, his old face turning red.
He gave a couple of awkward chuckles.
Then he picked up the contract on the table and read it carefully.
Zhang Lexuan took charge of everything that followed.
In short, their cooperation was finally settled.
Night had fallen, and Zhang Lexuan took a couple of sips of coffee.
Her throat was a little hoarse, so she pitched her voice slightly higher, making it sound softer.
"Good night, Young Master."
Then she pushed open a hidden door nearby and returned to her own room.
"If you can't sleep tonight, Young Master, you can come see me."
Lin Xiao was left thoroughly stunned.
Naturally, anyone summoned by the system had 100% affection and 100% loyalty.
But since when was Zhang Lexuan this forward?
This dating sim is all wrong! This isn't how it's supposed to go!
One day, while she's working overtime, I'm supposed to gently drape a coat over her shoulders and tell her not to catch a chill.
Then I'd brew a cup of hot coffee and bring it to her.
Then I'd take the initiative and confess my feelings, with the system's 100% affection boost.
Zhang Lexuan would feel my warmth and open her heart to me, damn it!
He looked at Snow Empress beside him, her cheek resting in one hand, an enigmatic smile on her face and tenderness filling her expression.
Lin Xiao scooped her up.
Just watch me stack you and Bing'er together.
Five thousand words omitted. Subscribe to Super VIP to read them.
Early the next morning, he sensed an aura nearby that was familiar, yet somewhat unfamiliar.
Lin Xiao went over.
Xiao Wu was cleaning his back garden in a maid outfit.
Chrysanthemum Douluo knelt on one knee, meticulously pruning each flowering stem.
But what surprised Lin Xiao was this.
An emerald figure was beside Yue Guan, and the two seemed to be discussing something.
Bi Ji?
What is she doing here so early?
Lin Xiao walked up beside Xiao Wu and nudged her with his elbow.
"Why are you up so early? Why not go back to your room and sleep a little longer? And what is Bi Ji doing here again?"
Xiao Wu straightened her maid outfit, which had become a little dirty and disheveled from sweeping.
"Good morning, Master. Sister Bi Ji called me over.
She said it would be a little rude to come over unannounced. She happened to see me as soon as she came in, so she woke me up and brought me along."
Lin Xiao nodded.
"Go spend some time at Grandpa Jack's place. You haven't seen him in a while, either.
Keep him company and help him with the housework."
When Lin Xiao first arrived in Suotuo, he had already brought Old Jack to live inside the Spirit Pagoda.
Old Jack saw that his grandson had made something of himself.
He immediately handed the position of village chief to a very capable and attentive girl in the village.
He also distributed some of the Gold Soul Coins Lin Xiao had given him.
Then he came to the Spirit Pagoda.
Lin Xiao had originally intended to assign a few servants to Grandpa Jack so he could enjoy a comfortable life.
But the old man simply couldn't sit idle.
Nor could he readily adjust to the change in his status.
So Lin Xiao simply settled him beside a plot of exceptionally fertile land.
He had people clear a small patch and plant some vegetables.
He arranged for Dugu Bo and some elders of the Shui Family to live nearby.
And so Old Jack now spent his days tending his vegetable patch and chatting with the other elderly residents.
It was a peaceful enough retirement.
Sometimes, Lin Xiao, Shui Bing'er, and Dugu Yan would visit Old Jack's home.
They would keep him company, chatting and telling him about their experiences.
Seeing Lin Xiao approach, Bi Ji slowly stood up.
She gave him a gentle smile.
The Emerald Swan's vibrant vitality suffused the air.
It brought a faint, sweet fragrance.
"Young Master Lin Xiao, sorry for the intrusion. I've come today to invite you to the Lake of Life.
My mistress wishes to see you, and Di Tian and the others would also like to learn more about Soul Spirits."
Her mistress? The Silver Dragon King wants to see me.
He had only met Asura and the others yesterday, and now Gu Yuena wanted to see him today.
If that little female dragon caught Asura's scent on him...
Wouldn't she slap him to death?
Just as he was trying to think of a way to refuse...
The Asura Blood Sword flashed.
"Go on. She's just a little silver dragon. Are you scared?"
Asura's voice rang out.
"Of course I'm scared! When the Dragon God split apart, weren't you trying to seal the Golden and Silver Dragon Kings? You even slashed her a few times."
Asura pursed his lips.
"Wasn't that because we were afraid the Dragon God would appear again?
In that war in the Divine Realm, because of the Dragon God's own instability...
How many Human Gods and Soul Beast gods died? How many became mortal enemies?
He'd split into two halves then. If we hadn't hurried to seal them both...
What if one day they suddenly merged back into the Dragon God? Wouldn't everything blow up?"
Asura wasn't surprised that Lin Xiao knew about these things.
After all, those twenty-three Soul Rings were right there. Even if Lin Xiao didn't know the whole story, he could guess the broad strokes.
The corner of Lin Xiao's mouth twitched.
"Doesn't that still make you mortal enemies?"
"You can't put it that way. Wasn't it all to prevent the Dragon God's return?
Look, aren't the divine beasts in the Divine Realm still living perfectly well?
If this really were hatred between races...
Then Life isn't human either, is she? Would we have to suppress her too?"
"Now you have limitless potential, and somehow you used some clever little trick to obtain the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' sacrifices."
"Just use that and go straight at it. Tell her you can surpass the Dragon God and break the restriction preventing Soul Beasts from becoming gods.
Besides, that little Soul Spirit thing you're researching can let humans and Soul Beasts coexist peacefully.
As long as she doesn't try to become the Dragon God again...
The Divine Realm won't keep targeting her. Wouldn't that settle it?"
The more Lin Xiao listened, the darker his face became.
If that plan is reliable, I'll write my name backward.
And you said you'd welcome Gu Yuena back? Now you're provoking her right to her face.
The Silver Dragon King had inherited the Dragon God's wisdom and memories.
All she knew was that the God Kings had split the Dragon God apart, tried to seal her and the Golden Dragon King, and even slashed her several times.
They had even forbidden Soul Beasts from becoming gods.
In her heart, she probably wanted to cut them into a thousand pieces.
Although the war had indeed been sparked by the Dragon God...
Still...
Lin Xiao didn't even know where to begin complaining.
Just then...
"Go. We'll explain everything clearly."
The Ice Dragon King's voice rang out. After gathering strength in the Sea of Consciousness for so long, he and the Fire Dragon King could finally awaken for a short while.
He had seen Lin Xiao's predicament and the marks of the Five Great God Kings.
He had also heard the conversation between Lin Xiao and Asura.
The Ice Dragon King instantly understood just how terrifying Lin Xiao's talent had become.
Perhaps the second path they had proposed back then really could be realized.
They didn't want the Dragon Race to continue its decline, either.
Only a handful of its last surviving shoots remained.
They had died very early and hadn't fully learned how things ended, but they knew the war had begun within the Dragon Race. Now, seeing the Asura God's attitude...
The Ice Dragon King could also understand that the Human Gods and the Dragon Race hadn't become mortal enemies because of that war.
With another, better choice available, they no longer sought to create a new Dragon God as they had at the beginning.
And so he spoke up of his own accord and offered to help.
Before you continue