Extending life with love

One evening, at the entrance of a slightly old but lively alley, it was time for school to let out.

A girl wearing a school uniform and carrying a backpack with a cartoon rabbit pattern walked out slowly, head down, nibbling on a piece of bread.

She frowned slightly, as if troubled by something—perhaps tomorrow's exam, or perhaps the family's tight finances.

The afterglow of the setting sun outlined her slender figure and childlike profile. Her eyes were clear, yet they held a hint of worry that shouldn't be present at her age.

The five men froze instantly upon seeing the girl! Their hearts skipped a beat for a moment!

Fang Yan's eyes instantly reddened, and he was so excited he almost jumped up, but Ji Qianqiu quickly held him down: "It's my little sister! It's my little sister from when she was little!" He clutched his chest, feeling his heart melt, "Wow! She's so cute! How come she looks so small! Did she not eat properly!"

The chill that had surrounded Ye Wuyang for millennia vanished completely the moment he saw the girl's face, like spring snow melting away.

His gaze followed the small figure intently, and he subconsciously took a small step forward, wanting to use his non-existent body to shield her from the cold wind that might blow from the alley entrance.

Her cold lips moved, but no sound came out; she only felt her heart being violently struck by a bittersweet emotion.

Shen Yunzhou's grip on the Frost Chant Sword loosened completely without him realizing it, and the sharp sword energy around him vanished without a trace.

He simply watched quietly, his eyes gentle, even his breathing soft, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility.

Ji Qianqiu stared blankly for a long time, his mouth agape. Suddenly, he grinned widely, laughing like a three-hundred-pound child who had just stolen a piece of candy: "Hehe...hehe...Junior Sister when she was little...that chubby little face...I really wanted to pinch it..." He subconsciously reached out his large hand, but it passed right through Fang Li's body. He was immediately filled with disappointment, and smacked his lips, saying, "More juicy and cuter than any spiritual fruit I've ever seen in the Immortal Realm!"

The jade fan that Xie Chen had unconsciously conjured in his hand paused in mid-air. His eyes flashed with surprise and pity, as well as a hint of understanding: "So... in this life, she grew up in such a completely different mortal world..." At this moment, his heart, which had been calculating the secrets of heaven, became incredibly soft.

From then on, these five men completely transformed into Fang Li's "spirits".

Unable to intervene directly, they silently took turns using the meager amount of immortal energy they could muster to quietly dispel the cold winds of the night road for her, to scare away those ill-intentioned thugs with their invisible pressure, and even to use their divine sense to search the entire campus to help her find her beloved pen when she accidentally lost it... In a clumsy yet sincere way, they protected her growth.

However, as Fang Li grew older, new challenges emerged.

In junior high, a shy boy blushed and stuffed a love letter folded into a heart shape into Fang Li's hand: "Fang... Fang Li... this... is for you..."

Fang Li paused for a moment, politely accepted the gift, looked at it, and then gave a gentle but distant smile: "Thank you for your kindness, but right now I just want to focus on my studies."

The five people hiding in the shadows reacted more strongly than the person involved!

Ye Wuyang instantly froze the entire alleyway, even the nearby trash cans were instantly covered with thick frost. He stared at the little boy's back and silently uttered a few words: "...the delusions of an ant."

Shen Yunzhou's sword energy swept across a crooked tree by the roadside, instantly stripping it bare of leaves. He coldly said, "...Disturbing her Dao heart deserves to be slain." His killing intent was even stronger than Ye Wuyang's.

Ji Qianqiu slung the axe over his shoulder and roared in a low voice, "You little brat! You haven't even grown your hair yet and you're already trying to chase girls! Believe me or not, I'll give you a good whack with this axe..." Before he could finish speaking, Xie Chen covered his mouth tightly from behind.

While forcefully covering Ji Qianqiu's mouth, Xie Chen helplessly transmitted his voice to the other two: "Brother Ye, Senior Brother Chen! Calm down! The laws of this world are different, and the karmic consequences of harming others are extremely great! Besides... look, didn't Junior Sister handle it very well? She was decisive and efficient." Although he rationally advised against it, he couldn't help but frown and glance at the young boy a few more times.

Fang Yan was furious. If he hadn't been invisible, he would have rushed out: "Hey! Where did this brat come from! How dare you covet my sister! Believe me or not, I'll beat you up!" But Xie Chen stopped him with a stern look.

In high school, Fang Li blossomed into an even more beautiful and refined young woman. She consistently ranked first in her grade, won a speech contest, and broke a record at the sports meet. She was pursued by a constant stream of suitors, and her love letters could practically fill an entire drawer.

From then on, the daily routine of the five became:

Every day, Ye Wuyang would silently use his divine sense to clear out most of the love letters, leaving only one or two that he judged to be the least threatening, and he would sneer in his heart: "...useless things, just taking up space."

Shen Yunzhou would patiently read the contents of each love letter, and then offer a sarcastic comment: "The writing is crude and the words are empty... This boy is impetuous and unfit for any great task."

Ji Qianqiu was particularly wary of the boys who brought him gifts: "Candy? Humph! My junior sister doesn't care!"

Xie Chen then began his rigorous data analysis: "According to observation, Junior Sister receives an average of 3.7 love letters per day and encounters 0.5 attempts at face-to-face confessions... The frequency is too high, seriously affecting Junior Sister's cultivation... Hmm, her learning efficiency." He was the one among them who adapted to the modern environment the fastest, and he even had a virtual notebook to record his observations.

The five of them would occasionally gather together, watching the boys fawning over Fang Li, and unanimously conclude with disdain: "Modern men... are physically weak! They can't even kill a chicken! They lack willpower! They back down in the face of trouble! How can they protect her?"

However, the real crisis occurred at the university.

A gentle and capable senior student appeared. He was not only the student council president and academically outstanding, but more importantly, he was kind and considerate, and his pursuit of Fang Li was meticulous and patient.

Most importantly! This senior's temperament and appearance are exactly the same as Xie Chen's!! He's practically a modern-day Xie Chen!

Xie Chen himself watched as "himself" fawned over Fang Li, and his expression became more complicated than ever before.

Initially, he was able to remain objective: "This person...does act with some method, understands strategy, and knows when to advance and retreat." The subtext: No wonder he's my reincarnation/identity!

Midway through, he began to frown: "Give her her favorite books?... Catering to her tastes. A chance encounter at the library?... A deliberate arrangement. Such methods... are a bit too..." A familiar sense of calculation made him a little uncomfortable.

Later, he watched as "himself" grew closer and closer to Fang Li, studying together, discussing problems together, and participating in activities together... His eyes gradually darkened, and the virtual star chart in his hand creaked as he squeezed it.

A strong emotion welled up inside me.

He was actually jealous of "himself"!

This realization made him feel extremely depressed and bitter.

Ye Wuyang, Shen Yunzhou, and Ji Qianqiu, on the other hand, directed their anger at Xie Chen, staring at him with deathly intensity and coldly snorting, "Hmph! You're obviously no good person! Just like you, full of tricks! All you know how to do is scheme!"

Once, a senior student invited Fang Li to go to the movies, and it was a horror movie.

When a hideous ghost face suddenly appeared on the screen, Fang Li was so frightened that she instinctively flinched.

Modern Xie Chen naturally took her hand and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, it's all fake, just movie effects."

The five people instantly erupted in chaos!

The chill emanating from Ye Wuyang went completely out of control, causing the entire theater's air conditioning system to malfunction. The cooling was blasted at maximum, leaving the audience shivering and complaining. He stared intently at the clasped hands, roaring inwardly, "...Insolence! Let go!"

Shen Yunzhou's sword energy surged uncontrollably throughout the theater, causing several audience members' popcorn buckets to explode with a "bang," scattering popcorn all over them. His eyes were icy: "...Hands! Take them away!"

Ji Qianqiu was so frightened by the ghost face that he covered his eyes and peeked through his fingers. He didn't notice anything amiss and was still commenting on the movie: "My goodness! That scared me to death! Junior sister, don't be afraid! I... I'll help you cut that ghost thing down!" He waved his fist at the air.

Later, the senior student won Fang Li's heart, and the two started dating. Once, they had an argument about their future plans.

The senior student hopes to study abroad and wants Fang Li to go with him.

Fang Li wanted to stay in the country so she could take care of her ailing mother.

As Fang Li spoke, her eyes reddened: "Why can't you understand me? I'm all my mom has left..."

The five people behind him were all on tenterhooks.

Ye Wuyang and Shen Yunzhou glared coldly at the senior, their killing intent rising again: "Selfish...incompetent...made her shed tears...she deserves to die!"

Ji Qianqiu paced anxiously, "Junior sister, don't cry! This bastard! How dare he bully you! I'll throw him out of the country! Throw him to the ends of the earth!"

Xie Chen himself frowned, his fingertips unconsciously racing, analyzing the situation: "If we retreat to advance now, apologize and appease first... then show weakness and explain the difficulties... perhaps we can shift the focus and ease the conflict..." Halfway through the deduction, he suddenly woke up, shaking his head violently, "No! Why am I deducing how to coax... how to appease my junior sister?!" This feeling of giving himself advice on how to pursue his crush made him so frustrated he wanted to vomit blood.

In the end, the senior sincerely apologized, and the two reconciled under the starry sky. The night was gentle, the atmosphere was just right, and the senior gently embraced Fang Li and lowered his head to kiss her.

This scene was like igniting a powder keg!

The chilling aura surrounding Ye Wuyang was instantly drained, followed by an explosion centered on him! The neon lights, electronic advertising screens, and streetlights throughout the entire street went out and froze instantly! The crackling sound of short circuits filled the air! His pupils constricted, and his reason completely evaporated: "...!!!"

Shen Yunzhou unleashed an invisible sword aura that shot uncontrollably into the sky, instantly shredding a low-flying drone conducting nighttime aerial photography into metal dust! The veins on his sword-wielding hand bulged: "...!!!"

Ji Qianqiu roared to the sky, the sound waves materializing and shattering the windows of all buildings within a hundred meters! Car alarms blared incessantly, "Ah—! Bastard! Let go of my junior sister!" He almost materialized and rushed over.

The virtual star chart in Xie Chen's hand shattered with a "crack"! His gentle and refined expression completely collapsed, his face turning ashen: "...Don't...Don't look at what you shouldn't see! What kind of behavior is this!" The stimulation of being cuckolded was just too intense.

Fang Heng blushed furiously and jumped up and down, yelling, "Ahhh! No! Shut up! That's my sister! I'm still here! Are you pretending I don't exist?!"

Time flew by, and it was time for Fang Li's wedding. She wore a pure white wedding dress and smiled happily.

The groom was none other than Xie Chen, who had been by her side for many years and weathered many storms with her.

Amidst the blessings of family and friends, the groom kissed the bride tenderly.

The moment their lips touched!

A crystal-clear, cyan lotus seed phantom flashed briefly across Fang Li's chest!

Xie Chen, who was in a state of intense jealousy and heartache, keenly noticed this subtle change! He was startled, and his eyes flashed with shock and sudden realization!

"Lotus seed! It's the primordial energy of the Chaos Green Lotus!" he exclaimed in a low voice. "So that's how it is... The Heavenly Dao's saying about prolonging life with love is the point of emotional fulfillment... It must be right here! She needs to achieve true happiness and fulfillment in this life, and feel love and peace, before the hidden primordial lotus seed can be triggered to manifest?!"

At this moment, he had mixed feelings.

There was a mix of excitement at discovering crucial clues and an indescribable bittersweet feeling of relief.

Before they could even recover from this massive information overload...

Buzz—!

Light distorts, space folds.

The five people, consumed by jealousy and emotional turmoil, along with their complex and indescribable feelings, were forcibly swept away by a force and instantly disappeared into the sky above the wedding venue.