The proof of Emperor Wu began with daily rewards for diligence.

Chapter 98 Strangers in a Foreign Land, Extraterrestrial Demons

Pei Lingyu seemed to have important business to attend to, as she arrived and left in a hurry.

She only experienced the true essence of swordsmanship for half an hour before leaving on her own.

But the words left behind by the other party caused Chen Jue to frown deeply.

"Now that you know Pei Qingying's situation, you still remain devoted to her. From now on, treat her well."

"The Soul Nourishing Pill is good, but it can only solve the immediate problem."

"If you want to help alleviate her pain, you must first become strong yourself."

"After that, whether it's stealing, robbing, or anything else—it's all fine."

"However, it's impossible to use the Pei family's power—"

Pei Lingyu's words were ambiguous and unclear.

Chen Jue was not good at riddles. After thinking about it for a long time, he was worried that a misunderstanding might occur, so he finally decided to go directly to Pei Qingying and ask her in person to clarify things.

He insisted on getting his girlfriend's address.

To his astonishment, he discovered that Pei Qingying lived right across the artificial lake, her house facing his across the water.

—This little girl.

Chen Jue didn't know what to say.

He climbed over the wall into the courtyard and found that the lights in the Western-style building were already on.

Pei Qingying wore a light pink satin jacquard strapless dress with a light chiffon cardigan over it. Like a schoolchild being disciplined, she sat upright in the center of the living room with a lifeless look in her eyes.

"————" Chen Jue felt a sudden tightness in his heart for no reason.

The anxious mood that had been building was quickly extinguished by the desolate scene.

Should I not be in such a hurry?

After all, she was still just a child.

Chen Jue walked into the hall, took off his outer garment, and draped it over Pei Qingying.

"You're not a martial artist. It's late at night and the dew is heavy. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold wearing so little?"

Upon hearing Chen Jue's soft complaint, Pei Qingying's almost lifeless eyes regained a spark of life.

She looked up at Chen Jue and saw that his gentle eyes still held the same deep emotions as always, like warm stars.

She burst into tears, startling Chen Jue, who rushed forward, hugged the little girl, and frantically patted her back.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?!" Chen Jueren felt a little numb.

He was just very concerned about Pei Lingyu's nonsensical words, and he was also worried about the girl's situation.

Therefore, I wanted to come over and ask in person to find out the whole story in order to prepare a solution.

But for some reason, it made the little girl burst into tears.

And those words that were originally justified and intended to be questioned.

Now it's all become thorns stuck in my throat, I can neither speak out nor swallow them down.

"That wicked woman, Pei Lingyu, did she tell you everything about me?!"

"I... I can't be your girlfriend anymore?" Pei Qingying burst into tears, crying so hard that Chen Jue felt his scalp tingle and his head explode.

"She didn't tell me anything, she just said some random things."

"Don't get agitated!"

Chen Jue was truly impressed; he never expected the child's emotional reaction to be so intense.

But this also means that the little girl's secrets are far from simple, and he must find out.

He couldn't pretend he didn't know and let the little girl face those complicated things on her own.

"So what did she say to you?"

"She only said you need a Soul Nourishing Pill—and told me to treat you well."

Pei Qingying slipped out of Chen Jue's embrace and looked up at him suspiciously.

"Why would she say these things to you out of the blue?"

"I'm refining a Soul Nourishing Pill; she might have misunderstood."

Chen Jue recreated the scene from that time.

Pei Qingying was speechless, never expecting such a coincidence.

Chen Jue gently stroked her small hand in his palm, his tone sincere and firm.

"We are boyfriend and girlfriend, and we will definitely get married in the future."

"You shouldn't be hiding something from me."

Pei Qingying's eyes were still misty as she looked up at Chen Jue, who was so close to her.

This guy is really good-looking; every inch of his bone structure and face is etched in her heart.

Perhaps I should try to believe him, and if I lose the bet, I should just die and give my life back to the Pei family.

"I—I'm not actually the third young lady of the Pei family." Pei Qingying composed herself and changed her tone.

"Huh? You were picked up by them?!"

Chen Jue, now a self-proclaimed expert, confidently declared, "I saw this episode on my mother's phone. It's about babies switched at birth, and years later, the real and fake heiresses have a showdown!"

At this point, he added with a look of sudden realization, "No wonder the Pei family was so cold to you. It turns out the real heiress has returned, and they're all targeting you."

"Pfft!"

Pei Qingying was amused by Chen Jue's lifelike expression, and her originally heavy mood was relieved a lot.

"There aren't that many short drama plots." Her joyful eyes dimmed.

"Actually, it's more serious than that."

"I—" Pei Qingying dropped a bombshell in Chen Jue's heart: "I am not actually from this world."

Chen Jue's pupils shrank sharply. He guessed that Pei Qingying's secrets were definitely not simple, but he did not expect them to be this complicated.

Pei Qingying continued, "I once lived in another world where there was no martial arts and the technology was more advanced—"

—”

"Unfortunately, I didn't have time to experience the beauty of that world before I was diagnosed with progressive muscular dystrophy at the age of ten."

"Later, I was bedridden at home and could only pass the time by reading long online novels."

"Later I died of heart failure, and when I woke up, I had come to this world—"

A hint of melancholy appeared in Pei Qingying's eyes.

"Later I learned that my soul had possessed the body of the Pei family's third young lady who drowned—"

"But the Pei family has too many powerful members; they saw through my true form almost immediately."

"Some suggested scattering my soul, others suggested imprisoning me—"

"But the Pei family has many elders who watched Pei Qingying grow up."

"Just because I was wearing Pei Qingying's skin, they couldn't bear to kill me and let me live in the mansion."

"But both of them had a thorn in their hearts, so they continued to live their lives in this awkward and hesitant manner."

Chen Jue was stunned, and his nose even felt a little sore.

He never imagined that "Little Bitter Gourd's" background would be so convoluted and so bitter.

"So, it's not that you lack natural talent, but that the Pei family forbids you from practicing martial arts?"

Chen Jue thought he had found some answers to his questions.

"No, the Pei family left me to my own devices. They neither taught me their family's secret techniques nor forbade me from practicing martial arts on my own."

"Miss Pei's body has excellent physical constitution, but my soul is not compatible with my body."

"Although the Pei family sometimes helps suppress it, the pain of soul separation is still common in martial arts cultivation, which makes it impossible for me to actively accumulate qi and blood, let alone condense true qi."

"Sigh!" Chen Jue sighed and reached out to hug Pei Qingying.

"Those were tough days, weren't they?"

"Actually, no."

Only after revealing her secret did Pei Qingying realize that Chen Jue didn't care much about her background.

Those feelings of gain and loss were quietly blown away by Chen Jue, like a gust of wind.

"Back then, I wrote so many books, from martial arts to cultivation novels, from Western fantasy to xuanhuan (a genre of Chinese fantasy) —"

"Back then, I had so many netizens interacting with me. People from Zhongyu even helped me promote and adapt the online game for free, and gave me a huge amount of wealth that I could never spend in ten lifetimes. I didn't have any hardship at all."

"So you're that unparalleled novelist on the internet—" Chen Jue proudly ruffled Pei Qingying's hair.

"But I'm not talking about that time—" He rested his chin on the top of the little girl's soft hair, coaxing and comforting her, "I'm talking about when you were bedridden in your past life—"

— Pei Qingying's bright smile, which she had just managed to maintain, shattered once again.

Her almond-shaped eyes filled with tears, and she hugged Chen Jue tightly.

"I knew it, you're my favorite!"

Pei Qingxiang looked like a little koala clinging to Chen Jue, and burst into tears again.