The whole thing started when Xie Shuci had a dream.

He dreamt that the nanny who had taken care of him since childhood was seriously ill and was lying alone in a hospital bed.

For young Xie Shuci, the nanny was like his parents. She took care of almost everything he needed, from food and clothing to daily necessities. His parents worked abroad for many years and could barely take care of Xie Shuci except for his monthly living expenses and the nanny's salary. Even during his childhood, Xie Shuci spent the Spring Festival with the nanny.

Later, when he got a little older, the nanny's child was born, so she quit her job. The day she left, Xie Shuci cried as if the sky had fallen. After that, he basically supported himself, and the nanny would occasionally come back to visit him.

After he turned 18 and went to college, he kept all the money his parents sent him each month in a card and never touched it again.

Waking up from his sleep, Xie Shuci looked at the bed curtains with a sense of loss and couldn't help but sigh.

Xie An turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Xie Shuci frowned and said, "I dreamt of the aunt who took care of me when I was little."

Actually, Xie Shuci wasn't without any attachments to his original world. He had a group of friends he met online, an aunt who would occasionally visit him and keep in touch with him, and parents he might talk to once or twice a year on the phone. He wondered how they would react after he disappeared from that world.

"Um?"

Xie Shuci sat up slightly and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I dreamt that she was very ill and had no one to take care of her. But more than a hundred years have passed, they should have passed away long ago."

Xie An lowered his eyes and looked at him. "Do you want to go back and take a look?"

Xie Shuci's eyes widened instantly, staring at him in disbelief. "Can I still go back?"

Xie An hummed in agreement and said, "You were originally pulled back from the crack in time by Bixie."

Upon hearing that he could return to his original world, Xie Shuci's eyes lit up briefly before dimming again. "What's the point of going back? So much time has passed, and there's not a single person who knows me anymore."

Xie An said, "The time rift can take you back to the original time."

"Really?! Let's go back then! I'm a little worried about Auntie."

"Um."

However, Xie An was not like the spirit of Bixie, who had seven thousand years of cultivation. It would be quite difficult for him to tear open the time rift on his own. In the end, Xie Shuci simply called over Chu Wenfeng and Chu Guiyi. With him and the king, it should be about right.

It turned out that their spiritual power was indeed enough to tear open the time rift, but the moment the rift opened, the powerful suction force pulled them all in without giving them any time to react.

"Ah!!" Xie Shuci screamed in terror as the black hole-like gap swallowed him up. The king suddenly slammed into his arms, and for a moment he felt as if his internal organs were about to shift. "Xie An! Gui Yi! Chu Wenfeng..."

Xie Shuci held the King tightly in one arm while calling out the names of the others. The time rift was pitch black, and the hurricane felt like blades scraping against their faces.

"Thanks……"

One hand lifted Xie Shuci by the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her amidst the hurricane. "I'm fine."

Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Xie An's voice. After calming down, she heard Chu Wenfeng cursing and Chu Guiyi gently comforting her. The heart that had been in Xie Shuci's throat finally settled down.

However, before Xie Shuci could say anything more, the body that was originally suspended in mid-air suddenly plummeted, as if a pair of giant hands were pulling Xie Shuci's body and dragging them into the abyss.

"Aaaaaah!"

"Go to hell with Xie Shuci!"

During the descent, Xie Shuci's terrified screams and Chu Wenfeng's furious curses echoed through the dark tunnel.

"Aaaaaah... Oh my god!"

In the darkness, Xie Shuci suddenly saw a light below, and then he and Xie An fell into the light. With a "thump," the two finally fell to the ground.

"Are you all alright?" The first thing Xie Shuci did after realizing what had happened was to look at the others, only to find that they had fallen into a familiar room. There was only the King in his arms and Xie An, who was still holding him tightly, but Chu Guiyi and the other person were nowhere to be found.

Xie Shuci's eyes widened in shock. "Where are Guiyi and the others? Could they be trapped in the time rift?"

Xie An frowned and looked around. "It must have been left somewhere else."

"Won't something go wrong?" Xie Shuci asked nervously.

Xie An glanced at him sideways. "What do you think?"

Xie Shuci: "..."

Yes, they are all cultivators. Although Guiyi cannot use spiritual power now, her cultivation has not disappeared. Besides, Chu Wenfeng is also there, so there shouldn't be any problems.

Xie Shuci realized what was happening and even became a little worried that Chu Wenfeng might cause some commotion.

Xie An looked around the room and asked, "Where is this?"

Xie Shuci then looked around at her surroundings. It was a simply decorated room. It was late at night, but the room was brightly lit. The bed was messy, the desk was piled with books, and there was an open computer next to it, on which a video was being edited. A tablet was lying flat on the desktop, displaying the details page of a book on GreenJian.

He looked at the familiar surroundings, as if everything had just happened a moment ago. It was as if he had accidentally fallen asleep while editing a video and had a very long dream.

"This...is where I live." Xie Shuci felt a lump in her throat, slowly put down the sleeping king in her arms, walked to the desk, and looked at everything familiar, her heart filled with emotion.

Xie Shuci picked up a book from the table. It was a new book he had collected a few days before his sudden death. He hadn't had a chance to read it properly before leaving this world.

The book on the tablet was "The Floating Pagoda," which Xie Shuci abandoned halfway through reading because he thought the protagonist, Xiao Xun, was too perverted. The computer also had a video he was preparing to publish tomorrow being edited.

A hundred years had passed in the cultivation world, and he returned to that night. There wasn't even a speck of dust on the table.

Xie An frowned as he looked at the unfamiliar surroundings.

Xie Shuci led him to the computer desk, handed him the tablet, and said with a smile, "Do you know why I knew so much about you and Sikong Ye before? It's because of this book."

Xie An took the tablet, frowned, and looked at the thing on the screen. "What is this?"

"Tablet PC".

Xie An frowned even more deeply. Xie Shuci looked at him holding the thing in his hand as if facing a great enemy and couldn't help but find it a little funny. He leaned down, opened the book, and said, "This book describes you as a ruthless and cold-hearted pervert who did all sorts of evil. Later, you met Sikong Ye, and you had a love-hate relationship before finally getting together."

Xie An's face darkened, and he abruptly threw the tablet back, his expression as if he had swallowed a fly.

"Be gentle! You know how expensive this thing is." Xie Shuci picked up the tablet with a pained expression, wiped off the dust, and couldn't help but say, "Back then, I thought Sikong Ye must be out of his mind to like you."

Xie An pursed his thin lips and stared at Xie Shuci. "So, on the day you learned my identity at the Meng family, you said that the person I should like is Sikong Ye?"

“Yes!” Xie Shuci nodded matter-of-factly. “After all, you two are the official couple.”

Xie An's expression grew even more sour.

Xie Shuci continued, "Not only that, a large part of the reason I was so afraid of you before was because after I entered your world, my identity was that of a minor character who was chopped up by you at the slightest disagreement. How could I not be afraid of you under such circumstances?"

Xie An paused for a moment, then looked up at Xie Shuci and said, "I did kill you once."

Xie Shuci: "?"

Xie An said, "According to the calculations, the best time to refine the Book of Reincarnation was ten years ago. I used the Qiankun Mirror to go back to ten years ago, which was when I reversed the formation of the Heavenly Pillar and transferred the spiritual power of the Floating Pagoda Realm to myself, and suffered a backlash and went into a demonic state. It was also the day I met you."

Xie Shuci was stunned. "So, you really did kill me with a single blow, and then ten years later you used the Qiankun Mirror to go back to the day you killed me?"

Xie An nodded. "Mm."

Xie Shuci was a little confused, "Then why didn't you kill me this time?"

Xie An paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you want to hear the truth?"

"to be honest!"

Xie An sighed helplessly and said, "Because Bixie said that you are an anomaly, which is not tolerated by the Heavenly Dao, and can be... sacrificed to the Book of Reincarnation."

"Damn it! So you were pretending to be pitiful and deliberately getting close to me just to use me as a sacrifice! You little blind man, you're so wicked! What happened next? How did you change your mind?"

"You were almost sacrificed in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm."

"when?"

"After you obtain the Qiankun Mirror, my original plan was to use you to get the Qiankun Mirror and then make you the third sacrifice in the Book of Reincarnation. As long as we obtained the Qiankun Mirror, even if my plan with Bixie failed, we would have a chance to start over," Xie An said calmly.

"So you regretted it back then?"

Xie An nodded. "Yes, I regret it. But even if I didn't regret it, Bixie doesn't intend to make you a sacrifice. The sacrifices in the Book of Reincarnation need to be exchanged for a condition with Bixie."

Xie Shuci nodded as if he understood, "At that time, I hadn't seen the Evil-Repelling Sword yet, so I didn't make any exchange. Xie An, you're good at pulling back from the brink... wait a minute."

Xie Shuci suddenly remembered something and looked at Xie An with a suspicious expression, "So, you were the last person to use the Qiankun Mirror?"

Xie An glanced at him noncommittally.

Xie Shuci roared, "Was that idiot who set up the idiotic Hundred Killing Array on the Qiankun Mirror really you?!"

Xie An: "..."

“I warned you before not to take the Qiankun Mirror.”

Xie Shuci glared at him. "How can I not go? You suddenly vanished into thin air, Chu Wenfeng and the others are all dead, and I'm the only one still capable of moving around."

Xie An remained silent, looking down at the tablet, and suddenly changed the subject: "Who wrote this book?"

Xie Shuci rolled her eyes at him, looked down at the tablet, and said, "Birds and Beasts, what an awful pen name. And your novels are terrible too. What a terrible plot and what a terrible couple."

Where is this person?

Xie Shuci looked at him in surprise, "What do you want to do?"

Xie An remained expressionless and succinctly stated: "Kill her."

Xie Shuci: "..."

"Brother, this isn't the cultivation world. You know that murder is illegal, right? We can't do that. We have to do as the Romans do and be law-abiding citizens."

"I can do it without anyone noticing..."

"No! Please don't! She's just a lousy novelist, why are you taking it seriously?"

Xie An pursed his lips. "Where exactly is she?"

"What else do you want to do?!"

"I made her change it."

"..."

Xie Shuci couldn't possibly let him go find someone, so he coaxed and tricked him into resting in the room for one night. The next morning, he and Xie An changed clothes and took the king out the door.

The king was very uncomfortable being leashed for the first time, and he snuggled pitifully against Xie Shuci.

The prototype of the Great King was too eye-catching, so Xie Shuci had no choice but to pat its head soothingly and say, "Bear with it for a moment. In my hometown, walking a dog without a leash is the same as the dog walking itself."

"Awooo!" the king protested in dissatisfaction, but it was a wolf! A majestic and handsome Crimson Snow Wolf!

"Okay, I'll take you out for something nice to eat later."

"Ouch." Well, for the sake of the good stuff, I'll just have to put up with this injustice.

Not to mention that the King is not used to it, Xie An is also quite uncomfortable with this outfit.

He was wearing a simple black shirt and dark jeans, which made him look lean and slender, like a model.

Xie Shuci originally wanted Xie An to cut his hair to a normal boy's length, just like himself, but Xie An absolutely refused. Xie Shuci had no choice but to let him keep his medium-length hair, making him look like a medieval nobleman, which was particularly eye-catching.

As soon as Xie Shuci stepped out of the residential compound, he regretted it.

Last night, Xie Shuci introduced Xie An to many modern facilities and equipment. Xie An was smart and remembered them quickly. When he passed the automatic gate at the entrance of the community, he took the lead and stood outside the gate, looking back at Xie Shuci who was talking to the gatekeeper.

Xie Shuci chatted with the gatekeeper for a few minutes, then looked up and noticed several young girls on the roadside secretly glancing at Xie An. Xie An seemed to notice this and looked over with a cold expression.

His gaze was so sharp that the group quickly averted their eyes and hurried past Xie An.

Xie Shuci quickly moved to Xie An's side and whispered, "Be gentle, don't scare him."

As soon as Xie Shuci finished speaking, a car on the side of the road suddenly honked its horn. Xie An had never heard such a sound before and found it extremely noisy, so he looked over in displeasure.

Fearing he might cause trouble, Xie Shuci quickly pulled him a few steps to the side and said, "Don't do anything reckless. Let me tell you, these things are perfectly normal in modern society, and they didn't mean any harm."

"Hmm," Xie An replied reluctantly.

"Aww!" The Great King is quite adaptable.

He was very strong, following behind Xie Shuci and the other person, looking around here and there.

Passing by a convenience store, he saw sizzling sausages on the grill through the window. His saliva dripped down his face. He tugged at the string with his mouth to attract Xie Shuci's attention, then looked at the sausages in the window and then at Xie Shuci.

Xie Shuci understood what it meant, and turned to Xie An beside him, asking, "There are grilled sausages here, would you like some?"

Xie An glanced at it and shook his head.

"Alright, you and the king wait here for me."

Xie Shuci handed one end of the dog leash to Xie An, and then went into the convenience store.

When Xie Shuci bought two grilled sausages and walked out of the convenience store, he heard several girls talking outside.

"What an adorable dog!"

Does it have a name?

"Awooo!" Yes! They call themselves the King!

The king, that little sycophant, rubbed his head against the hands of several beautiful ladies.

"So cute!"

What is its name?

Xie An seemed a little uncomfortable being surrounded by several girls, but remembering what Xie Shuci had said, he didn't immediately chase them away. Instead, he calmly said, "Your Majesty."

"Its name is Great King? What a cute name."

"Is it a husky? It seems a bit different from a regular husky."

Xie An said, "Red Snow Wolf."

"Awooo!" That's right, it's not a dog, it's the Crimson Snow Wolf with the strongest fighting power!

Xie Shuci: "..."

Aren't you afraid of being considered crazy for saying that?

As expected, upon hearing Xie An's reply, the girls chuckled, "Little brother, you're so cute too."

"The way this young man talks nonsense with a straight face is just like me when I was in my cringey teenage years."

"By the way, what does this young man do? Is he a model or an actor?"

Xie An was a little annoyed by the question and did not answer.

"Is the young man waiting for his girlfriend?"

Xie An pursed his lips, his patience dwindling.

Xie Shuci originally wanted to watch the excitement from the sidelines, but seeing Xie An's impatient look, he was a little worried that Xie An might make them "disappear" without anyone noticing in a fit of anger, so he quickly took the sausage in his hand and went over.

"Sorry for the long wait."

Xie Shuci jogged over to the group.

Xie An immediately handed the dog leash to Xie Shuci and retreated to the side from the encirclement.

Several girls smiled when they saw Xie Shuci and asked, "Is that your dog?"

Xie Shuci nodded, "Yes."

"It's so cute, is it a husky?"

Xie Shuci said, "I think so. It's a dog a friend gave me. Actually, it's very mischievous..."

"Xie Shuci, are you coming or not?"

Xie An, standing to the side, called out in displeasure.

Xie Shuci quickly said to the group, "Sorry, my boyfriend is urging me to go, I have to go now."

Xie Shuci waved to the group, picked up the Great King from the ground, put the sausage to its mouth, and under their surprised gazes, turned and walked to Xie An's side.

Xie Shuci took a bite of another grilled sausage in his hand, then held it to Xie An's lips, saying, "Try it, it's not bad."

Xie An hesitated for a moment, but seeing how much the King and Xie Shuci were enjoying their food, he lowered his head and took a bite.

Holy crap!

Suddenly, several screams came from behind. Xie Shuci chuckled inwardly, turned around, winked at them, and left.

Along the way, they attracted a lot of attention as they walked together, and several girls even dared to ask for their contact information, but Xie Shuci refused them all.

Once they reached a slightly quieter spot, Xie An rubbed his temples and asked, "Where are we going?"

Xie Shuci noticed that his complexion wasn't very good, and remembered that this was his first time encountering these unfamiliar things, and that the street was indeed very noisy with all sorts of sounds, so he might still be a little unaccustomed to it.

"I want to go see Auntie. Why don't you wait for me at home? I'll be back tonight."

"No need."

Xie Shuci turned to look at the jewelry store next door, signaling him to wait a moment. She went in and bought a pair of earplugs. "Put these on, they should help a little."

Xie An did not refuse, took the earplugs, and said, "Now I know why you used to be so noisy."

Xie Shuci: "..."

Was I noisy before?

"Yeah, once she starts crying, it never stops."

"..."

"You're talking nonsense. When have I ever cried? It was just the wind blowing me."

Xie An glanced at him and said, "However, I like making you cry."

Are you crazy?

"If you cry, I'll want you to cry even harder."

"You're just sick."

Xie An did not deny it and put on the earplugs.

His aunt's home was in the same city where Xie Shuci was studying at university. He chose this university because he wanted to be able to visit his aunt more often.

Xie Shuci hailed a taxi. The driver didn't allow pets, but Da Wang, the little lapdog, came up to the driver's window and looked at him with pitiful eyes, his eyes brimming with tears. The driver, a grown man in his thirties, couldn't bear such a blow. Seeing that Da Wang was a docile little puppy, he made an exception and let them into the car.

Sitting in the back seat, the king moved around curiously in Xie Shuci's arms, full of curiosity about everything around him.

In contrast, Xie An closed his eyes and tensed up as soon as the car started moving, leaning against Xie Shuci with his brows furrowed tightly, seemingly disliking this feeling of being out of control.

Xie Shuci felt a pang of sympathy and asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

Xie An hummed in agreement. "I'm controlling myself."

Xie Shuci was taken aback. "Control yourself? What?"

"Kill him."

Xie Shuci: "..."

Xie Shuci felt the driver glance at them through the rearview mirror. Xie Shuci said with a forced smile, "Don't resort to violence all the time; it's illegal."

Xie An said, "You said it, I remember."

Therefore, it's about controlling yourself.

After nearly an hour's drive, the two people and their dog finally arrived at their destination.

Leading Xie An out of the carriage, Xie An let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Xie Shuci smiled and led them upstairs.

I rang the doorbell, and soon after, hurried footsteps sounded, and the door was opened.

"Aunt Wu."

"Xiao...Xiao Ci? What brings you here?"

"I came to see you and say goodbye."

...

Xie Shuci chatted with Aunt Wu for a long time and learned that Aunt Wu's son and daughter-in-law were divorced, her son was working away from home, and she was taking care of her grandson alone at home. She did have some minor health problems, but she was recuperating and there was nothing seriously wrong.

Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief and told Aunt Wu about his upcoming trip to a distant place, in which he might never return.

Aunt Wu remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

She wiped away her tears and nodded.

It was nearly evening when I left Aunt Wu's house.

Xie Shuci stared blankly at the lights gradually coming on in the distance, then suddenly said, "Xie An, I thought I would miss this place."

Xie An turned his head and stared intently at Xie Shuci.

"This is the world I grew up in. There are many things that don't exist in the cultivation world: television, cell phones, computers, and things that you absolutely can't eat in the cultivation world. I thought that after returning here, I would be reluctant to leave, and I even thought about letting you stay in this world with me. But it seems that I'm not reluctant to leave here. Don't you think I'm too heartless?"

Xie An said, "No, it's because you're not happy in this world."

"But I really like it here. It's peaceful here."

Xie An paused for a moment, then asked, "You like me even more than you like me?"

Xie Shuci chuckled, "How could that be! You're my absolute favorite, okay?"

"Awooo!" the king cried out as he followed the two. "Where are they?"

Xie Shuci bent down and picked it up, saying, "You are also my absolute favorite."

Upon hearing this, Xie An frowned in displeasure. "What do you mean?"

Xie Shuci blinked innocently, "I like them the same way."

Xie An's face immediately darkened, and he walked forward without saying a word.

Xie Shuci caught up with him in a few quick steps, and said, "Alright, alright, I was just teasing you. You're my absolute favorite, Your Majesty is my most beloved, okay? Are you satisfied now?"

Xie An glanced at him and said, "I only like you."

"Aww..."

The king looked at his mother in disbelief, tears welling in his eyes. His mother really didn't like him…

Xie Shuci felt as sweet as honey, and lifted the king up in front of him again, "And it?"

Xie An said, "I don't dislike it."

The king was taken aback. Doesn't not dislike mean he likes it?

The king was immediately overjoyed and even wanted to lick Xie An's face.

Xie An took a half step back in disgust, but the king wasn't bothered; it was already used to its mother's disdain anyway.

So Mother likes it! Mother really does like it!

Xie Shuci hadn't expected the little guy to be so easy to coax, and couldn't help but chuckle.

Walking onto the deserted, tree-lined path, Xie Shuci couldn't help but chuckle, "Xiao Xun, Heavenly Dao Saint, you're such a grown man, how can you still be jealous of a little dog?"

"Aww!" That's right!

"Don't you think you're childish?"

"Aww!" That's right.

Xie An glanced at him and said, "Nonsense."

Xie Shuci pouted, "Yes, I'm talking nonsense. You're not as frank as you were when you were a child. You were so cute when you were little, answering every question."

Xie An turned to look at him, "Not even half as frank as you are in bed."

Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, and so was the king.

"Huh?" What are you saying? I can't understand you.

After realizing what had happened, Xie Shuci's face instantly turned red from her forehead to the roots of her neck.

Xie An looked at him with a half-smile and continued, "It's a pity that Xiao Xun was too young to appreciate it."

Xie Shuci's cheeks burned, and he angrily retorted, "Xie An! You're being a pervert!"

Xie An turned and left with a flourish.

When it comes to how to handle Xie Xiaoci, Xie An is number one, and no one "dares" to claim second place.

On the way back, Xie Shuci received a phone call from the police station.

Upon answering the phone, a commanding voice came from the other end: "Is this Comrade Xie Shuci?"

Xie Shuci paused, "Yes."

"This is the police station."

"Officer? What can I do for you? I've never done anything wrong!"

After a moment of silence, the person on the other end said, "I'm 24 this year."

Xie Shuci: "Okay, police officer."

"..."

"Is Xie Shuci inside that strange box?"

Just then, Xie Shuci heard a familiar voice faintly coming from the other end of the phone.

"Give me."

The next moment, the voice became clearer, "Xie Shuci, you son of a bitch! What kind of hell is this place? Get me and my senior brother back right now!"

Immediately afterwards, Xie Shuci heard Chu Guiyi's voice again: "Brother, please don't take offense. Wen Feng has always been impatient. The Chu family of Yingzhou will compensate you for the things he destroyed in the future."

Xie Shuci: "..."

He was silent for a few seconds, then said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Chu Wenfeng, give this strange box to the uncle in uniform next to you."

Uncle in uniform: "..."

I already told you I'm only 24, why are you still calling me uncle?

Chu Wenfeng glared at him and said, "He's talking about you? Tell him to get over here right now, or I won't let him off the hook."

The policeman's lips twitched. "Okay, Patriarch Chu, please wait a moment."

Chu Wenfeng raised his chin slightly. "Mm."

The police officer took the phone. "We contacted you through the police station's records. They said he's your friend and seems to have some mental issues. Why don't you come over and take him to the hospital for a checkup?"

Xie Shuci looked blank. "Okay, officer. Thank you, officer."

The police officer held back for a moment, then said, "You... can call me brother."

"Okay, brother."

"..."

Under the loving gazes of the police officers, Xie Shuci completed the registration and led Chu Guiyi and the other person away.

Before leaving, I heard an older policeman next to me sigh, "Why are these two perfectly fine young men talking nonsense?"

Amidst Chu Wenfeng's grumbling, Xie Shuci, for the first time ever, didn't retaliate. Only after leaving the police station did he put his arm around Xie An's shoulder, laughing so hard he was shaking.

"I'm laughing so hard... Patriarch Chu..."

Chu Wenfeng: "..."