Chapter 17: I Promised Him in My Dream

Chapter 17: I Promised Him in a Dream

Suspected Ex-Girlfriend?

Chen Ping’an froze mid-air, his hand clutching a bun, his entire expression one of astonishment, as if witnessing something utterly unprecedented.

Could this most beautiful bun girl also be his ex-girlfriend?

Why did this damned system always steer him toward suspected ex-girlfriends whenever it encountered a beauty?

Moreover, this damn system had even become clever enough to forbid him from using the “Pen Fairy” ritual, claiming it was nothing but superstitious nonsense.

Chen Ping’an cursed inwardly, “System, are you sick? Is it fun to be so paranoid all day?”

The system responded with indifference, “The task has been issued. Whether the host chooses to verify it is up to them.”

Then, it fell silent.

Chen Ping’an took a bite of the bun and chewed slowly. He had to admit, the bun was truly delicious, though he wasn’t sure what kind of meat filling it had.

Xia Xiaoliang, munching on her bun, smiled so broadly that her round little face resembled a bun itself. “Delicious, right, Old Ancestor? I made them myself, just steamed fresh.”

“Very good,” Chen Ping’an said with a gentle smile.

Though she was also a beauty, Xia Xiaoliang radiated a warmth and approachability that was completely different. If he had a dozen girls like her, he wouldn’t complain.

“Wow! Old Ancestor, you’re really handsome! I, Xia Xiaoliang, have never seen a man as handsome as you in my life.”

Xia Xiaoliang slowed her chewing, her enchanting eyes sparkling, and her voice soft and sweet.

Seeing her so unabashedly teasing the Old Ancestor, Du Rulong turned pale with fear and kept signaling her to stop with his eyes. But the bun girl paid no attention, her gaze burning as if she regarded the Old Ancestor as a fragrant, tasty bun.

“This little girl—did you miss the concubine recruitment yesterday? Xiao Long,” Chen Ping’an whispered to Du Rulong.

“No, I just got back from outside,” Du Rulong whispered back.

Chen Ping’an nodded and slowly finished the bun.

Xia Xiaoliang gave him a strange feeling, completely unlike Ning Yao. He didn’t have the faintest sense of familiarity.

That complicated matters.

He felt a headache coming on. Now, trying to bluff the system by guessing might no longer work.

“All right, let’s go,” Chen Ping’an said, waving his sleeve and leading the way out of the room.

“Girl, don’t forget what I told you…” Du Rulong quickly reminded Xia Xiaoliang in a low voice.

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely bring Old Ancestor Ping’an to Youzhou,” Xia Xiaoliang said, stuffing the remaining bun into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out as she confidently patted her ample chest.

Then, she produced a celestial boat, which hovered low before Chen Ping’an.

The distance from Beizhou to Youzhou was vast; only a spiritual stone-powered celestial boat could make the journey.

“Is there no large teleportation array?” Chen Ping’an frowned. He had visited many places in the Xuantian Realm and was familiar with long-distance teleportation arrays.

Xuan Zu awkwardly explained, “Old Ancestor, the thirteen barbarian states don’t have such teleportation arrays.”

“Mm,” Chen Ping’an said, no longer dwelling on it. After all, this barbarian region was a remote part of the Xuantian Realm, lacking powerful array masters.

He stepped onto the celestial boat, and Xia Xiaoliang jumped up behind him to pilot it.

“Which way is Youzhou?” Chen Ping’an asked, glancing around.

“That way!” Xia Xiaoliang pointed.

Suddenly, a powerful aura enveloped the celestial boat, which instantly transformed into a streak of light and vanished.

The speed was so fast that even Xuan Zu couldn’t see clearly.

“Transcendent Realm—truly terrifying…” Xuan Zu sighed deeply, his admiration for the Old Ancestor growing.

His eyes flicked to the divine stone hidden in his sleeve, his heart burning with excitement. Without even greeting Du Rulong, he turned back to his cave to study it.

…

One day later.

A celestial boat burst through the clouds, appearing over the border between Youzhou and Beizhou.

Xia Xiaoliang, still shaken, forgot to eat her bun and exclaimed, “Old Ancestor, what cultivation level is that? You reached Youzhou in a single day?”

“Golden Body Realm,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile, spreading his hands.

He had activated a Transcendent Realm experience card earlier and was determined to make use of the remaining more than ten hours for travel.

“I don’t believe you,” Xia Xiaoliang shook her head.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “I have a treasure that temporarily boosts my cultivation. Now that the time has expired, my realm has returned.”

“Golden Body Realm? You’re kidding…” Xia Xiaoliang shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum. “You’re the Old Ancestor. How could your cultivation be weaker than mine?”

“I underwent a body snatching and started over,” Chen Ping’an laughed.

At the mention of body snatching and rebuilding cultivation, Xia Xiaoliang’s expression turned envious. “Old Ancestor, where did you find this body? It’s really handsome. I wonder how many women it’s going to mesmerize!”

“Do you like it?” Chen Ping’an asked bluntly.

He wanted to test the bun girl. If she was also a reincarnated cultivator, she might reveal some clues.

“Yes,” Xia Xiaoliang chuckled, her expression strange. “But Old Ancestor, I already like someone.”

Someone she liked?

Chen Ping’an was stunned. He, the most handsome man in the world, was encountering defeat for the first time.

Who could possibly be better than him?

More handsome?

More charming?

For millennia, Chen Ping’an had relied on his demon-like perfect looks and transcendent aura to conquer every beauty in the world.

Even the Empress of the Mortal Realm came to be his girlfriend.

Yet—

After living a second life, he learned from Xia Xiaoliang that there was a man in this world even more handsome than him!

“Who is it?” Chen Ping’an composed himself and asked casually.

Xia Xiaoliang looked mysterious. “Old Ancestor, that’s my secret. I can’t tell anyone.”

After saying that, her eyes curved like a crescent moon as she smiled happily and took a big bite of her bun.

Chen Ping’an instantly felt drained.

This little girl was truly troublesome. Proving whether she was his ex-girlfriend would be no easy task.

“Old Ancestor, I was just joking. Actually, the person I like is someone I promised in my dream…” Seeing the Old Ancestor looking like a wilted eggplant, Xia Xiaoliang suddenly remembered Du Rulong’s warning and hurried to explain.

“In a dream?”

Chen Ping’an was even more upset.

How could he, a living man, lose out to a phantom?

“Old Ancestor, do you know?” Xia Xiaoliang said with longing. “I promised him in my dream that when I grow up, I will marry him.”

Chen Ping’an felt increasingly uneasy and sour. “Is he more handsome than me, Xiaoliang?”

“I only know his name. I can’t see his face clearly in the dream,” Xia Xiaoliang shook her head.

“Hmph, that’s some demonic dream invasion trick, isn’t it? Hiding in the shadows, bullying people…”

Chen Ping’an snorted coldly but hadn’t finished when Xia Xiaoliang said softly, “Old Ancestor, you can’t talk about Mo Ge like that!”

“Mo Ge?”

Chen Ping’an suddenly felt he had heard that name before.

Xia Xiaoliang sighed, “Mo Ge’s real name is Cao Mo. Over the years, besides cultivation, I’ve been searching for him.”

Chen Ping’an was dumbfounded.

He had a small account named Cao Mo.

“Let me think… what was that small account’s girlfriend’s name…” Chen Ping’an murmured, suddenly slapping his forehead and staring at Xia Xiaoliang with a very strange expression, both exasperated and amused.

His ex-girlfriend’s name was He Xiaoliang.

(End of chapter)