Xiaowei's eyes turned red.
She began to cook the noodles.
She had repeated the exact same process a thousand, maybe ten thousand times.
Yet she never expected to make mistakes precisely when she wanted to perform at her best.
Watching the middle-aged man and her daughter playing outside, she drifted off into a daze.
"I'm sorry, these noodles probably aren't to your taste. Let me cook you another bowl."
After serving the noodles, Xiaowei felt a sudden wave of unease.
This bowl of noodles no longer felt as pure as it used to be.
Lin Shengxian stopped her with a gesture. "No need. This time, I want to try a different flavor."
Xiaowei nodded silently.
"When did you recognize me?"
Lin Shengxian picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks and ate heartily.
Xiaowei didn't leave, her lips parting as if she had something to say.
Clearly, she had recognized Lin Shengxian all along.
Xiaowei slowly sat down.
She brushed aside a few stray strands of long hair, revealing a smile thick with complicated emotions.
"My lord seems to have forgotten that I actually possess an F-grade superpower."
"Though it's not particularly useful, anyone I've seen even once, I can remember their aura forever."
"Besides, my lord, you are so uniquely unforgettable."
Lin Shengxian was taken aback.
He cursed himself mentally for being so forgetful.
Back then, hadn't he made use of Xiaowei's exact ability to track strange beasts?
Though her ability might seem useless at a glance, when paired with a skilled fighter, it had vast potential.
"Back then, I believed with all my heart that my lord was blessed with great fortune and could never die!"
Tears welled up in her eyes. "Yet, in the end, I still couldn't hold on until the very end."
"Nine years ago, I met the children's father."
"He, too, loved the clear-broth beef noodles I make."
"And... he looks a lot like you, my lord."
Lin Shengxian's movements as he ate his noodles stiffened for a fraction of a second before returning to normal.
How could he not understand what was in Xiaowei's heart?
The innocent crushes of youth, a young girl's budding affections.
Yet everything had remained a tentative brush against the surface, never poked through to the open.
"Over the years, thanks to the care of elder Chen Zhenhe, the two of us—mother and daughter—have been able to settle down here."
"Oh, and almost every year, he comes by here to ask after news of you."
Lin Shengxian frowned slightly.
Chen Zhenhe was looking for him?
No one knew that Pangu was Lin Shengxian.
And no one knew that Lin Shengxian lived in Yucheng.
It would be a miracle if Chen Zhenhe could find him.
Thinking of Chen Zhenhe's current appearance, Lin Shengxian couldn't help letting out a sigh.
"Can you promise me one thing? Don't tell Chen Zhenhe that you've seen me."
Lin Shengxian really didn't want to deal with Chen Zhenhe right now.
Xiaowei's eyes turned completely red.
Twenty years of steadfast waiting.
Yet when the moment of reunion finally arrived, the thousands of words she wanted to say were completely blocked in her throat, leaving her utterly at a loss for words.
"You... are you doing well? Are your wife and children doing well?"
In the end, she spoke softly and asked the question.
"Fine, very well," Lin Shengxian said with a bright smile.
"My wife is a researcher, and my son is very driven—he's always at the top of his class at school."
Whenever Lin Shengxian spoke of his wife and son, his face was full of pride.
Xiaowei's expression dimmed slightly. "Is that so? That's good."
Lin Shengxian spoke instinctively, "Xiaowei, it's been hard on you all these years."
Xiaowei smiled, wiping away a tear, and said, "It hasn't been tiring. To be able to see my lord one more time in this lifetime, I have no remaining regrets."
Lin Shengxian smiled bitterly. "Stop calling me 'my lord.' Just call me by my name."
"Right now, I'm just an ordinary unemployed drifter."
Xiaowei said solemnly, "No. In Xiaowei's heart, you will always be the lord I respect most."
"You keep eating; I'll go help you tidy up the guest room."
With that, she covered her face and hurried away.
Lin Shengxian put down his chopsticks and let out a soft sigh.
Deep in his mind, he missed his wife and children even more.
Suddenly, Lin Shengxian froze.
He activated his Detection Eye, intending to help Xiaowei purify the noodle shop.
To his surprise, he accidentally spotted a newspaper from this morning in the trash can.
The newspaper had been torn into shreds.
He offered a bitter smile.
So Xiaowei had seen the newspaper after all.
No wonder her expression had been so strange earlier.
At the thought of this, Lin Shengxian felt a surge of secret regret.
Back at the Dragon-Slaying Platform, he really should have taken the opportunity to beat that old bastard Zhao Wusheng senseless just to vent his frustration.
After all these years, Xiaowei was practically his only loyal little fan girl.
And that son of a bitch Zhao Long had the audacity to slander him like that—it was completely outrageous.
He strode quickly toward the back courtyard.
"Xiaowei, listen to me. Those reports in the newspaper are all made up; the real situation wasn't like that at all."
"I haven't been lingering around places of debauchery, nor have I been smoking immortal mist."
Xiaowei had her back to Lin Shengxian, bending over to straighten the bed sheets.
She had maintained herself wonderfully.
Her skin was like congealed lard, her neck like the slender stem of a grub, her teeth like rows of melon seeds.
Her waist was slender enough to be spanned by a single grip.
Her hips were full, rounded, and resilient.
Her back view alone was brimming with infinite charm.
Lin Shengxian's breath hitched involuntarily, his throat going dry.
Any man in the world who saw such a sight would surely have his heart stirred to ripples.
The moment Xiaowei turned around, she caught sight of Lin Shengxian standing there dumbfounded, and her face flushed crimson in an instant.
"My lord, what are you talking about? Xiaowei believes you, always."
Lin Shengxian hurriedly reined in his wandering thoughts.
However, his Detection Eye had picked up something else entirely.
"Xiaowei, when were you poisoned?"
Xiaowei's physical condition was not right.
The toxins inside her body must have been causing her immense suffering.
Xiaowei replied, "A long time ago. Ever since I came back from the Dragon-Slaying Platform, it's been like this."
Lin Shengxian said with a guilty expression, "It's all my fault. Back then, dragging you up the mountain made me completely overlook your physical limits."
"It really has been hard on you all these years."
Xiaowei brushed back a lock of hair, keeping her tone as light as possible.
"It's nothing, really. I just have to take some detoxifying Chinese medicine every year."
Lin Shengxian said, "Sit down and don't move. Let me help you."
The Demon Refining Heart Scripture was an absolute masterclass at helping people condition and repair their bodies.
Xiaowei's face grew even redder. "Okay, okay."
She had no idea why she was suddenly so nervous.
Fidgeting, she sat down on the edge of the bed, twisting the hem of her clothes in her hands like a nervous bride waiting for her veil to be lifted.
Right at that moment, Lin Shengxian truly had no impure thoughts whatsoever.
Earlier, when he was helping Xiaoxiao regulate her body outside, he had already gathered three types of toxins.
Now he was just seven types short of hitting a thousand—how could he not be excited?
However, his eyes were bloodshot and his expression looked somewhat agitated, which in Xiaowei's eyes was a blatant misunderstanding of his intentions.
"My lord, close the door. It won't look good if the child sees."
She whispered, her gaze so intense it seemed to melt.
Lin Shengxian thought about it, and she was right.
Little Xiaofang was a quirky and mischievous girl who already suspected that he had designs on her mother.
If she were to walk in and see the two of them acting this close, what hell would break loose?
He turned around and closed the bedroom door.
"Xiaowei, don't be nervous. I promise you, there won't be the slightest bit of pain."
"Y-you... why did you take off your clothes?"
When he turned back around, Lin Shengxian felt his scalp nearly explode.
There stood Xiaowei, having already shed her outer garments, looking at him with shyness and soaring anticipation.
The deep affection brimming in those eyes was enough to melt steel.
Lin Shengxian, who had gone years without touching a woman, had his hormones erupt all at once, making it nearly impossible to keep control.
"My lord, your eyes betrayed everything long ago."
"You and your wife must have gone without that for a very long time."
"Xiaowei is willing to do anything for my lord; you don't need to hold back on my account."
"I don't ask for forever, I only wish to share a single night of joy with my lord and fulfill this lifelong wish."
Xiaowei suddenly lunged forward with bold abandon, throwing her arms around Lin Shengxian, parting her red lips as she moved to capture her prize.