In the evening, the Drunken Immortal Tower was bustling with noise. The various thrills and strange tales from today's grand competition became the best conversation accompaniment for all the diners.
At a table by the window, Chen Xing Cai ate heartily without any regard for her image. Her chopsticks flew about, sweeping almost half of the exquisite dishes on the table into her bowl. She ate with puffed cheeks, completely satisfied.
But Xi Yan, sitting across from her, had been somewhat absent-minded the whole time. The bowl and chopsticks before her had barely been touched. One hand propped up her chin while the other unconsciously poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks. Her gaze drifted, her small face alternating between confusion, embarrassment, and bewilderment.
"...Why did he suddenly hug me?" she suddenly murmured, as if asking Chen Xing Cai, or perhaps talking to herself. "And... and in front of so many people, saying I'm his be-be-beloved..."
"Pfft—" Chen Xing Cai almost choked on a mouthful of spirit bamboo shoot soup. After managing to swallow it with difficulty, she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "My good sister, you've asked this question over and over again a hundred and eight times this afternoon! My ears are about to grow calluses!"
She leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with gossip and encouragement as she lowered her voice: "What's so hard to figure out? The man's unmarried, the woman's unwedded. He's hugged you, and he's said the words. I think Senior Brother Jiang Che, though a bit quiet and cold, has absolutely reliable character! How about... you two just give it a try?"
Xi Yan was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling. Her small face flushed crimson as she repeatedly "pah-ed" several times: "Pah pah pah! You... you're talking nonsense! Who wants to try with him! If you like him so much, why don't you go try yourself!"
Chen Xing Cai picked up a translucent shrimp dumpling and stuffed it into her mouth, speaking indistinctly: "Senior Brother Jiang Che is nice and all, but he's not my type. I don't have those kinds of feelings for him."
Xi Yan's curiosity was piqued by these words. Temporarily forgetting her own troubles, she blinked and asked: "Then what type do you like?" She truly couldn't imagine what kind of man the seemingly carefree and overly lively Chen Xing Cai would be moved by.
Hearing this, Chen Xing Cai immediately put down her chopsticks. She cupped her cheeks with both hands, and a pair of lively large eyes instantly filled with a dreamy light. Her entire being seemed to be enveloped in a kind of fantastical atmosphere, and even her voice became soft:
"Me... I like someone like my daddy!"
"Pfft—cough cough cough!" This time it was Xi Yan's turn to choke on her own saliva.
Her daddy?!
Xi Yan instantly recalled the man from earlier that day—the one wearing a loose hemp robe, appearing lazy and casual, yet with one hand wiping away the giant boat from the Upper Realm and with a mere flick of his fingers making two Holy Venerables bow and scrape—Immortal Venerable!
She subconsciously shuddered.
Earlier that day, Chen Xing Cai had quietly told her her true identity—the daughter of Immortal Venerable Chen Chang An.
Thanks to Xi Yan also having an Immortal Venerable as her master, she didn't feel any sense of inferiority or excessive envy. But hearing Chen Xing Cai say "I like someone like daddy" with such an infinitely longing tone, she still felt her scalp tingle.
That was an Immortal Venerable!
A being who could cause stars to shatter and laws to reshape at will! A being standing in the clouds looking down upon all living things, whose single thought could determine the fate of billions!
Only to be admired from afar, not to be trifled with! One shouldn't even have such a "trifling" thought!
She secretly glanced at her friend beside her, watching that "my daddy is the best in the world" infatuated expression, and silently complained in her heart: 'Xing Cai's heart... is truly not ordinary big!'
The two drank the fruit wine specially brewed by the Drunken Immortal Tower while chatting about everything under the sun—from interesting competition incidents to the cuisine of Immortal Spirit City, to their respective cultivation puzzlements.
Just then, a commotion came from the staircase. It seemed another group of guests had come up. A loud but somewhat imperceptibly restrained young male voice rang out:
"Waiter, bring me a table of your signature dishes!"
This voice... sounded a bit familiar?
Chen Xing Cai subconsciously turned her head to look.
She saw a tall, stocky young man with dark skin, wearing simple martial attire, exuding a fierce aura all over, standing at the staircase apparently ordering from the waiter. His features were resolute, and between his brows carried a sharpness honed by long experience—it was Hong Long Xiang, who had shone brilliantly on the arena today, defeating a Heavenly Alliance elder with a single punch!
When Chen Xing Cai turned to look, Hong Long Xiang had also just finished ordering and raised his head, his gaze casually sweeping across the room.
Thanks to a painful experience at this wine tower in the past, he had hesitated downstairs for quite a while before coming up.
Fortunately, so many years had passed. That waiter who had swindled him out of a huge amount of spirit stones back then was long gone—probably the owner had changed countless times too.
But he still waited until the waiter had courteously served him and then left with a bow before finally relaxing.
Then—
Their gazes suddenly met in mid-air!
Hong Long Xiang's entire body instantly froze. His pupils constricted sharply. The calmness he had deliberately maintained on his face instantly shattered as he almost blurted out, his voice filled with incredulous astonishment:
"Sis... sister?!"
Sister?!
This address was like a bolt from the blue, causing Xi Yan, who was taking small sips of wine nearby, to jerk her head up. She looked at the dumbfounded Hong Long Xiang, then at Chen Xing Cai beside her, whose expression had instantly become complicated and helpless. Her small mouth formed a perfect circle:
"Ah? Sister? You two... are siblings?!"
...
[
Unlock 30 chapters instantly (for the price of the old 20-chapter tier), plus regular updates and extra benefits every month.
If you're enjoying the story, please consider supporting me on Patreon:
patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
I'll be honest—I'm in deep financial trouble right now, and your support genuinely makes the difference in whether I can keep writing consistently.
By joining, you'll get:
30 advanced chapters immediately
Ongoing monthly chapters
Bonus content and extra releases
If this story has kept you hooked even once, now's the time to support it. Every bit helps keep it alive.
Thank you.
]