Thanks to Katy for the kofis. enjoy the bonus chapters!!

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Lu Xiao was stunned.

Even he hadn’t imagined Qin Zhou could be the very village chief who raised his father.

But he quickly snapped out of it and shot a glance at Uncle Wen.

Of course, it had to be Uncle Wen.

At worst, he’d slept with his father’s junior apprentice—unlike Uncle Wen, who’d even… cough, kept it low-key.

Wen Jue: “…”

Didn’t this brat get beaten enough last time?

As their eyes locked, Lu Qi had already begun pleading for forgiveness.

“The Fertility Pill—I had Lu Yi fetch it for me. Village Chief, punish me instead.“

”We’ll discuss that later,“ Qin Zhou said. ”Now isn’t the time for that. What do you plan to do with these?“

He was referring to the corpses.

”Slit open their Qi Seas, extract their Nascent Souls, drain them dry, and release their spirits. That way, they won’t be delayed in becoming fine heroes eighteen years from now.” Wen Jue answered.

A sphere of spiritual energy floated beside him, drawn entirely from the spiritual palaces of those righteous Nascent Soul cultivators. He had other uses for it.

After handling these, Wen Jue said, “Lu Qi, Lu Xiao, go collect the other corpses in this secret realm. Xiao Baiyi, go help them.”

“And you?”

“I’m going to retrieve someone’s storage.” Wen Jue shot a glance at Qin Zhou.

Qin Zhou smiled faintly, “I’m in no hurry.”

“I am!” Wen Jue snapped, “I haven’t withheld a single thing from you.”

Qin Zhou: “Very well. Shall I accompany you?”

“As you wish.”

Qin Zhou’s eyes betrayed his resignation.

Seeing this, Lu Qi grabbed Lu Xiao with one hand and took Xiao Yibai with the other. “Well then, Village Chief, we’ll be on our way. Next time, we’ll bring Lu Xiao to pay you a proper visit.”

“Goodbye, Village Chief!” Xiao Baiyi called out.

“Alright.”

Lu Xiao, having come to terms with it, brightened up. “Grandpa, I’ll come back next time!”

Even Qin Zhou was taken aback by that “Grandpa.” He nodded. “…Alright.”

And so, they split into two groups, each heading their separate ways.

As Qin Zhou and Wen Jue walked together, Lu Xiao’s voice drifted faintly behind them—

“Dad, how should I address Uncle Wen then? Should we each stick to our own terms, or follow Grandpa’s generational hierarchy…?”

Lu Qi rolled his eyes. “Nothing’s set in stone yet. Shut up for now!”

Nothing set in stone?

Qin Zhou thought to himself, Lu Qi was absolutely right.

Wen Jue led Qin Zhou out of the secret realm like that.

He didn’t speak along the way, just walked with his head down. He didn’t walk too fast either, keeping a pace that the Golden Core cultivator Qin Zhou could just about keep up with.

Qin Zhou believed the warehouse couldn’t be too far away; otherwise, Wen Jue wouldn’t be walking.

Sure enough, the place even felt somewhat familiar to Qin Zhou—not far from Boundary City, right along the path they’d taken from the lower realm, near the teleportation gate itself.

Back then, Qin Zhou hadn’t been able to see it, but now, with a wave of Wen Jue’s hand, a staircase leading straight to the clouds materialized beneath their feet.

The object hidden within the clouds was also familiar to Qin Zhou.

A massive barrier stone.

The very stone that formed the barrier separating the upper and lower realms.

No matter how many times he saw it, Qin Zhou always found himself staring at the barrier stone for a few extra moments.

Wen Jue led him up the stairs.

As they neared the barrier stone, the overwhelming surge of spiritual energy hit his face, momentarily taking his breath away.

The barrier stone was enormous. Viewed up close, it stood at least as tall as two adult men.

“You are the master of this barrier,” Qin Zhou thought, though it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Only Wen Jue could weave a barrier stone of such immense scale.

“Not me. I wove the barrier, but the one who endowed it with power is the Dao.”

“The spiritual energy can’t sustain itself. That’s why the Upper Realm and the Lower Realm were separated. The Way of Heaven protects mortals while also restraining their growth. If more cultivators entered the Immortal Realm, the depletion of spiritual energy would only accelerate. Sooner or later, this place would vanish.”

“So, to maintain this barrier, every thousand years, you lure greedy cultivators into the secret realm with the promise of its treasures. Those who perish… are they simply lightening the world’s burden?” Qin Zhou interjected. Was that also the reason they were labeled as fiends…?

“Lightening the burden…” Wen Jue pondered, as if savoring the meaning of those words. Then he shook his head. “It’s not solely about burden reduction. Maintaining the barrier between the lower realm and the upper realm demands vast amounts of spiritual energy. Call it killing two birds with one stone.”

As he spoke, Wen Jue produced the spirit energy sphere brimming with essence. It rose slowly, drifting toward the barrier stone until it finally merged completely within it.

“This barrier is my bargain with the Dao,” Wen Jue said, lightly tapping one face of the triangular barrier stone to open a portal. “The Dao seeks to prolong its existence, and I, too, refuse to witness its disappearance.”

With that, Wen Jue stepped directly into the barrier.

Qin Zhou remained silent, following him inside.

Inside the barrier stone lay an entirely separate space.

Here, night reigned, studded with countless stars.

“No one but me can enter this place,” Wen Jue stated. “The storage is over there. Everything remains intact. Occasionally, I borrow items, returning them afterward.”

“Feel free to take inventory. Over the years, the only thing missing has been a Fertility Pill. But I’d say trading one Fertility Pill for a grandson isn’t a bad deal.”

He didn’t even need to guide Qin Zhou to it—the storage crate sat in the corner, impossible to miss.

“Alright.” Qin Zhou knew the warehouse was safe in Wen Jue’s hands.

Seeing him silent, Wen Jue pouted. “Go get it.”

“What’s the rush?” Qin Zhou sat down casually, gazed at the star-filled sky, then turned to stare at Wen Jue. “Before the warehouse, I’d rather hear you call me ‘Village Chief’ first.”

He patted the seat beside him, motioning for Wen Jue to sit.

Wen Jue could disobey him, but Lu Yi couldn’t.

No matter how reluctant, Wen Jue had no choice but to move over.

Between him and Qin Zhou, the roles of villager and village chief came first. Everything else came later.

As Wen Jue sat down as instructed, he saw the calmness in Qin Zhou’s expression. He knew then that this man had probably known who he was long ago.

“When did you figure out it was me?” Wen Jue’s emotions were complex. “I don’t think I ever gave anything away… I hope.” By the last word, even Wen Jue sounded a bit unsure.

Beside him, he looked every bit the well-behaved child. It was a stark contrast to the figure who had taken lives with a flick of the wrist amidst the swirling yellow sand earlier.

Qin Zhou studied him before replying, “Not that long ago, to be precise. Everything leaves traces, and I’d harbored suspicions all along. But when you tested me—asking for that sugar-coated hawthorn—that’s when I was certain.”

“That early?” Wen Jue was taken aback. Asking for candied hawthorn—wasn’t that when Qin Zhou touched his face, causing him to storm off in a huff, only to meet again in the lower realm?

“Then how long do you think it took me to recognize you?”

He wore the hairpin he’d given him, possessed a face so radiantly beautiful even a casual touch felt extraordinary, and treated fifth-tier elixirs like candy… His speech, his temperament—there were always traces of his former self.

It was hard not to recognize him.

Wen Jue turned his face away, refusing to admit he felt a flicker of joy.

Wait.

So…

“After that, you were just toying with me?” Wen Jue suddenly realized something.

That time, he asked for candied hawthorn, hadn’t Qin Zhou retorted, ‘Didn’t your father tell you eating too much candy rots your teeth?’?

Qin Zhou: “…No.”

Wen Jue: ?

He found that hard to believe.

Qin Zhou sighed helplessly. “Wasn’t it you who didn’t want to acknowledge me? Being this village chief… well, strictly speaking, that was thousands of years ago. You might not necessarily want to recognize me.”

Wen Jue was taken aback. “Why wouldn’t I want to acknowledge you?”

He was just afraid of acknowledging the wrong person.

“I was mistaken,” Qin Zhou chuckled softly. “Lu Yi did want to see me.”

“Who says that themselves?” He never thought he’d hear the words “Lu Yi” come from this man’s mouth.

“So, should you lock me up now? Locking me up might be for the best—then I wouldn’t have to envy Galaxy anymore.” Qin Zhou’s voice carried a hint of amusement.

Wen Jue froze.

That line sounded familiar.

Wait—

It was just now in the secret realm, when he’d spoken to himself…

After a moment’s pause, Wen Jue’s entire face flushed crimson.

Suddenly, Wen Jue sprang to his feet and turned to leave.

Qin Zhou grabbed him by the arm. “Where are you going?”

“To die.” Wen Jue stared skyward, utterly despondent.

Qin Zhou tightened his grip, and Wen Jue tumbled back with almost no resistance, crashing backward.

Just as he was about to fall onto Qin Zhou, Wen Jue twisted his body with lightning speed. His palms scraped the ground just in time, landing him kneeling beside Qin Zhou, trapping him between his legs.

From a distance, it looked as if he were straddling Qin Zhou.

He glared at Qin Zhou in shock, his eyes screaming, What the hell are you doing?

Qin Zhou couldn’t see his face, but he was satisfied with this position.

Qin Zhou placed his hand on Wen Jue’s hipbone and pressed down, making Wen Jue sit squarely on his lap.

“Locked up is fine too,” Qin Zhou said.

He wouldn’t lock him up, but he wanted to.

Wen Jue was certain Qin Zhou wasn’t joking in the slightest.

Yet shock surged through him.

This was his village chief?

This was the old man he’d imagined? Though he hadn’t truly thought of Qin Zhou as an old man, this scene had never appeared in Wen Jue’s dreams, not even for a second.

Now, seeing that face, reading that earnestness, Wen Jue’s heartbeat quickened instead.

He… had no idea this man could be so…

He swallowed, a flutter of attraction stirring within him.

“Locked up… you won’t be able to escape. If you try to run, I’ll break your legs myself.” Wen Jue summoned his demonic aura, his long fingers pressing against Qin Zhou’s throat in a threatening gesture.

”Mm.” Qin Zhou caught the wrist resting on his chest. Wen Jue’s wide sleeve slid down, revealing skin smooth as silk beneath his palm. His fingertips gently stroked the skin, his eyes dark and intense.

Wen Jue: “…”

“I… I’ll go get the warehouse for you.” Wen Jue panicked. How could this person be… so…

Wen Jue tried to pull away, but Qin Zhou pinned his entire waist.

Qin Zhou: “Don’t move. Let me look.”

Look at what? Before Wen Jue could voice his confusion, Qin Zhou’s hands already pressed against his face.

“To see if my Lu Yi still looks like the one in my memories.”

Alarm bells rang in Wen Jue’s mind. Someone who hadn’t had a partner in nearly ten thousand years had never engaged in such intimate actions with anyone.

Yet another voice seemed to echo in his head—

But he said, “My Lu Yi.”

Wen Jue lifted his chin slightly, his eyes reddening. “You’ve already touched this face…”

“Mhm.”

“Then why can’t I see it?” Qin Zhou’s finger pressed against Wen Jue’s lower lip.

Wen Jue propped his pale neck, his throat rolling slightly—

“Because those who abandon me shall never behold my true face.”

At these words, Qin Zhou froze, staring at Wen Jue. But Wen Jue turned his head away, like a sulking child.

“No.” Qin Zhou gently stroked his lip. “I didn’t abandon you.”

He wanted to come back, but… he couldn’t.

After finishing the exam, his first move was rushing home to fire up his computer. But the server shutdown notice made his breath catch in his throat.

Later, he graduated with honors, crafting countless vibrant game worlds with code. Yet he could never play the game he had played for over eight years again.

Perhaps because even the most dazzling game worlds couldn’t replicate the living, breathing people of that village.

“You just say it’s gone and it’s gone?” Wen Jue was getting annoyed. He grabbed Qin Zhou by the collar. “I even thought I must have done something wrong! That’s why… you…”

“That’s why you sent me to Cangyun Sword Sect and then vanished.” His voice trailed off, tinged with a hint of tears.

His sense of injustice was no less than Xiao Bai’s.

“What kind of hairpin gift is that! Do you even know what a hairpin symbolizes? How could someone who gives a hairpin just vanish like that?” Wen Jue couldn’t contain his fury. He leaned in and bit down hard on Qin Zhou’s neck.

He trembled like a frightened beast, shoulders quivering, fierce yet utterly defeated.

Qin Zhou leaned back slightly, letting him bite without so much as a flicker of discomfort. He even echoed—

“Mm. I am the worst village chief.”