Let me explain, it's not what you think.

The past cannot be undone, but the future can be changed.

From now on, I will treat them well, which will also be a comfort to my brothers.

Now that we have the resources, we'll share them with a few of our brothers in advance.

……

That night, Jiang Huaiyu cried.

Because Lu Chen had caught up with her in terms of strength, she lost her only advantage and was naturally no match for him.

And Lu Chen, in front of Wang Feng, finally understood his own heart.

Jiang Huaiyu is his.

As everyone gradually woke up, they discovered that Lu Chen had been waiting for them for a long time.

"Hey, I was thinking of sneaking away so as not to make you sad, junior brother, but you got up so early to wait for me!" Lin Tian patted Lu Chen's shoulder with a smile.

"Senior brother, you're wrong about that. It's only right that I see you off. Why did you even think of sneaking away? Next time we meet, you'll have to punish yourself with three drinks!"

"Alright, alright! This time it was my fault, brother! Next time I'll punish myself with three drinks!"

As Lin Tian spoke, his gaze unconsciously drifted to Zhuang Jingbai before he strode away from Zi Yao's palace.

Mei Ji, who was following behind, gave Lu Chen an ambiguous look, and then pulled Lin Xi away as well.

Last night, she vaguely heard Zhuang Jingbai crying, but for some reason, she just couldn't wake up!

She guessed that Zi Yao was secretly preventing her from waking up, but she didn't expect that her perception was extremely strong!

If her senses are correct, Zhuang Jingbai... should already be with Lu Chen. No wonder she always radiates maternal glow these past few days; it turns out she's already given birth!

Hu Wei, Wang Feng, Zhuang Jingbai, and Jiang Huaiyu also exchanged a few words with Lu Chen before leaving.

Zhang Fan was the last to leave.

"Senior brother... last night, I think I heard crying coming from your room, and it was that kind of..."

What did you do last night?

"what?"

Lu Chen was a little confused.

However, at this moment, most of his inner demons had subsided, and he immediately spoke naturally:

"It's exactly what you're thinking, Junior Brother! You know, Tantai Qingxue betrayed me, so why can't I betray her? That's why I got together with Xiaoyu, the nanny here!"

As Lu Chen spoke, he pulled Yu Ning to his side and embraced her.

The latter's face turned red instantly, and it was as if steam was coming out of his forehead.

For a moment, Lu Chen and Yu Ning's hearts were pounding.

"what?"

Zhang Fan felt his heart skip a beat, and a strange sadness welled up inside him.

His initial thought was the same: since Yu Ning had already found someone, why couldn't he find another one? This little Yu in front of him... was quite good!

Unexpectedly, her senior brother beat her to it!

"What's wrong, junior brother? You don't look well."

"No, no, then I'll just stay here and wish you well, senior brother!" Zhang Fan cupped his hands in greeting and prepared to leave.

Lu Chen stopped him and handed him a piece of amethyst.

"Take this. This thing contains pure energy, enough for you to break through to the Golden Core stage! We are all cultivators, and cultivation should be our ultimate goal! What if your cultivation level increases in the future, and the infertility poison in your body resolves itself?"

"Yes, Senior Brother is right. I shouldn't get caught up in romance; cultivation is the most important thing for me!"

Zhang Fan didn't stand on ceremony, took the amethyst from Lu Chen's hand, and then left with a bow.

After seeing everyone off, Lu Chen felt a little lost.

He still prefers living with his fellow apprentices, because he feels most relaxed when he's with family and friends.

But now, he has to be responsible for all the women.

With that thought in mind, he released Yu Ning and went into Jiang Yu's room alone, intending to confront her.

"Huh? You... what brings you here?"

Jiang Yu had been mentally disturbed all night and was still reciting Buddhist scriptures, her mind still unsettled. She never expected that Lu Chen would enter her room so directly.

"I have to take responsibility for you."

Jiang Yu: "??!"

"What I mean is, we...we need to be together!"

Jiang Yu's pupils dilated slightly.

She looked at Lu Chen and found him to be very serious.

"You are the mother of my child. You're staying here because of some Lion Clan rule. Since you can't leave, I can't just pretend I didn't see you, can I? That would be irresponsible of me!"

Jiang Yu's face changed from white to slightly red, and then from slightly red to crimson, like a magnolia whose petals were forcibly pried open, each petal resisting.

"I...I won't be with you..."

"You can't do anything?" Lu Chen took a step forward.

Jiang Yu subconsciously took a step back, her waist hitting the edge of the table. She looked at Lu Chen with eyes full of resistance.

She opened her mouth as if to say "I don't want to," but ultimately didn't say it.

However, Lu Chen understood her meaning and did not press her further.

"If you don't want to, then why stay? Why are you being so good to me, even going to find me Golden Soul Crystals?"

"Jiangyu, everything you do is different from what you say."

Jiang Yu's eyelashes trembled suddenly.

She hadn't expected Lu Chen to misunderstand her! Her kindness towards him was only for…

But now that the die was cast, she could no longer think of any reason to refuse Lu Chen.

"I...I haven't decided yet."

Lu Chen looked at her reddened ear tips and sighed.

Feelings do need to be nurtured, and he was indeed getting a little impatient.

"Alright, let's take it slow then."

"Hmm." Jiang Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

But the next second, she found Lu Chen standing beside her, reaching out to put his arm around her slender waist!

In an instant, her back stiffened like a sheet of iron!

Having lived a life of Buddhist seclusion for hundreds of years, she had never had such intimate contact with any man before!

At this moment, Lu Chen's arm was on her waist, his palm pressed against her side through the thin fabric of her clothes, the temperature like a ball of fire, making her body tense.

She didn't break free.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't dare.

She was afraid that if she made any big moves, it would displease Lu Chen and he would kick her out! She was also afraid that if she broke the rules of the Lion Clan, a powerful figure in the Lion Clan might take action against her and her family in the future!

She was even more afraid... she didn't want to break free at all.

The Buddhist mantra for purifying the mind, recited for hundreds of years, vanished completely in that moment; only one thought remained in my mind… He was touching me!

Lu Chen made no further move.

He held her close and looked down at the Buddhist scriptures spread out on the table. The scriptures were the Heart Sutra, written in neat and beautiful handwriting, clearly copied by her own hand.

"Is this what you usually watch?"

Jiang Yu did not answer; she was too nervous to speak.

Lu Chen didn't mind and continued speaking to himself: "I can't understand Buddhist scriptures, but if you're willing to teach me, I can learn. However, I won't learn the rules and regulations of Buddhism."

"I……"

Lu Chen looked down at her lowered eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Take your time, I'm not in a rush."

The candlelight on the table flickered, casting a glow on the overlapping shadows of the two people.

Jiang Yu never managed to teach Lu Chen anything, but at some point, her back and waist became less stiff.