Lu Changtian froze.
In his memories—when had it started?
When had he grown impatient with his junior sister's sparring requests?
It was clearly him who first asked her to train with him often…
So why had everything changed?
He no longer guided her with patience.
No longer waited for her at the training grounds each day.
In the past, even when Li Qingran was clumsy, he'd smile and offer encouragement, going over their practice carefully.
Later, no matter how hard she worked, all he saw were flaws, stupidity, and lack of sword talent.
Heh…
So that's how it was.
It wasn't Li Qingran who had changed.
It was him.
If Li Qingran—at Foundation Establishment—truly wanted to hurt Mu Baishuang and the others, they never could've stopped her.
From beginning to end, it had just been venting.
Venting their dissatisfaction at not gaining more from her.
Li Qingran had always treated them as senior brothers. As family.
But they—lost themselves in the sound of her calling them "Senior Brother."
Everything became something she owed them.
Lu Changtian finally understood.
"Kill me or cripple me, do as you wish. This is what I owe you."
He couldn't even look Li Qingran in the eyes. Just lowered his head with a heavy sigh.
"Abolish your own dantian."
Li Qingran sheathed her sword and turned away, leaving only a slender and unyielding figure behind.
Lu Changtian bit his lip, clenched his fists… and slowly relaxed them.
"If… if I destroy my own dantian, will you forgive me?
Qingran, would you… come back to Chixiao Peak?"
That swaying silhouette never turned back.
The frigid wind blew sharp against the skin.
Carried within it—two cold, final words:
"I won't."
---
"YES!"
In front of his phone, Chen Huaian slammed a palm onto his thigh, eyes bright with glee.
"THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! Ruthless! No room for pity—smack them ALL back! Hahaha!
Good job, my Qingran baby! Worth every penny I spent!"
He had genuinely been worried the devs would pull some cheap sympathy stunt—
What if Qingran felt sorry, got guilt-tripped into going back to Chixiao Peak?
Cue full cast repentance arc… cue regretful senior brothers groveling… vomit.
He could practically see it: him, the mysterious senior, suddenly reduced to a side-character who helps the sect that once kicked her out.
Just thinking about it made him sick.
What's the difference between that and NTR?!
Thankfully—the devs were sane.
[Thank you for supporting our game! Your exclusive gaming helmet has been delivered!]
A notification popped up.
'THUD'—sounded at the door.
Chen Huaian launched himself off the couch like a missile.
He opened the door, looked around with practiced wariness, then smirked and picked up the package.
Inside was a sleek, black gaming helmet that looked like a sci-fi motorcycle helmet.
On its surface was the game logo: "Virtual Girlfriend", and a chibi version of Li Qingran printed on the side.
Chen Huaian slowly typed out a "?".
The black cat beside him slowly typed a "?", too.
"...This thing won't explode on my head, right?"
"Looks kinda shady. This game never seemed like one that needed VR…"
The black cat narrowed its eyes:
[I-if I'm not mistaken… that's a damaged Immortal Artifact.
Just who IS this guy?! Is he some descendant of the Ancestral Dragon?!]
Chen glanced at the cat, puzzled.
"Why are you shaking?"
The cat meowed, then quickly ducked its head to lick its paw, clearly flustered.
"I'm just a normal kitty. A tiny, harmless kitty.
I know nothing. I saw nothing."
---
Chen Huaian, after a moment of hesitation, still put on the helmet.
He might not trust the devs.
But he trusted the 300,000 yuan he had already spent.
[Connecting to "Virtual Girlfriend"...]
The screen flashed black.
And then—
He froze.
Li Qingran walked up to him, step by step.
Looking around—the plaza of Qingyun Sect?
"Holy crap! Is this VR tech really that advanced?!"
He had tried the latest VR gear at an arcade before.
It looked realistic, sure, but still had that typical disconnect.
Not this.
This felt real.
He could see the fine blood vessels under her skin.
He could hear grains of sand shifting underfoot.
It felt like she was truly there.
Well—almost.
There was still a subtle, invisible barrier between him and this world.
He couldn't quite touch it.
But still—he was satisfied.
300k?
Not a loss.
Not at all.
---
"Today, I—Lu Changtian—shall cripple my dantian!"
"To atone for my sins.
To earn Qingran's forgiveness.
Even if I die, I regret nothing.
Master—please, grant me this!"
He rose to his feet, ready to strike his dantian—
But a thunderous roar echoed above.
His body froze, mid-motion.
"You fool!"
"After all the effort I put into cultivating you,
You want to throw it all away for one girl?!"
"Useless waste! Get your ass to the Reflection Cliff!
Wall-gaze until you grow a brain!"
Just as Lu Changtian was about to cripple himself—
Qingxuan Daoist finally cracked.
He was his favorite disciple, after all.
Xiao Yifeng came second.
Mu Baishuang, though not particularly talented, made the list for being sweet-tongued.
But Lu Changtian was the first.
The amount of effort he'd poured into him—how could he just watch it go to waste?
---
Chen Huaian saw this and nearly exploded.
"Oh hell no! The devs are really gonna feed me this crap ending?!"
Then—another pop-up:
[Your Character Avatar has been activated. You may now freely interact.
Cultivation: Full Nascent Soul Stage. Duration remaining: 21 hours.]
[Free speech enabled. Note: All dialogue choices affect the story.
Your words reflect your character. Think carefully.]
Chen Huaian quickly swallowed the "goddammit" he almost blurted.
His expression straightened.
He coldly snorted:
"I said—no one interferes today."
"Qingxuan Daoist."
"Don't say I didn't warn you."