Chapter 955: Call Me Brother-in-Law

At the same time.

Yuan Realm Divine Palace.

As he emerged from the palace, Qi Yuan's mood was rather complex. Although he had successfully cleared up the previous misunderstanding with his Dao Companion and they had reached a preliminary reconciliation, there was still a long way to go before they could return to their former state of intimacy.

After all, from Wu Miaozhen's perspective, he had disappeared without a word for millions of years and suddenly "changed his mind" today; it would be hard for anyone to accept that immediately.

Human emotions are not machines; it's impossible to have a seamless transition where everything returns to how it was just by saying so.

Most importantly, Wu Miaozhen had grown from an innocent young girl in the Primordial Era to the current ruler of a realm. Having weathered countless trials and tribulations and bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting all living beings in her realm, she could not possibly be a simple-minded romantic.

Of course, judging by the fact that Wu Miaozhen still maintained a "Never-Changing" level of affection, this goddess had not let the passage of time erode the deep feelings in her heart.

This point alone was enough to move a certain scumbag.

Qi Yuan believed that as long as he visited frequently, he would eventually restore this relationship to its former state.

The reason he had explicitly refused Wu Miaozhen's kindness earlier and chose to continue standing against Tai Hao, who had already ascended to Immortal Emperor, was not just because he didn't want to give up without a fight. Another reason was that he didn't want to drag the Yuan Realm into this conflict.

Although Wu Miaozhen was confident she could resist the Immortal Court with the support of her home-field advantage, it also meant that the currently idyllic Yuan Realm would likely turn into a battlefield, a scenario Qi Yuan was absolutely unwilling to see.

While he was lost in thought, he saw a white lotus flower floating over cautiously, greeting him in a sheepish tone:

"Grand… Grand Helmsman, are you alright?"

There was a clear hint of guilt in its voice.

At the sight of the shifty-looking Xiao Hei, who was acting as if nothing had happened, Qi Yuan felt a surge of anger and scolded it with an unfriendly expression:

"You scoundrel, you have the nerve to ask? Didn't I tell you to help keep the Madam steady? Where did you run off to at the critical moment? You almost got me killed!"

"Grand Helmsman, your Sub… Subordinate didn't do it on purpose…"

Xiao Hei was momentarily speechless and stammered out an explanation:

"Shortly after your Subordinate entered, I was hit by the Madam's Shift Technique and was teleported away in a daze. Your Subordinate rushed back as fast as possible and just saw you coming out of the palace…"

This explanation was reasonable enough. Qi Yuan couldn't be bored to argue with the fellow and waved his hand, saying:

"Fine, since it wasn't intentional, I'll forgive you this once. If you're this unreliable next time, this Grand Helmsman will change your name to Da Hei… no, Shen Hei!"

Hearing this threat, Xiao Hei's lotus body trembled in fear as it repeatedly promised:

"Rest assured, Grand Helmsman, your Subordinate will definitely be careful next time."

Just as the World-Extinguishing Black Lotus was busy pledging its loyalty, an angry female voice drifted from not far away:

"Hmph! You, surnamed Qi, actually have the nerve to show your face here. Do you really think this Empress won't kill you?"

Looking toward the source of the voice, Qi Yuan immediately saw a beautiful goddess in a phoenix crown and official robes, looking at him with a face full of rage. It was none other than his Dao Companion's Junior Sister, Shui Yunshan.

Before he could reply, he saw Xiao Hei quickly block Shui Yunshan's path and accuse her with righteous indignation:

"Woman, if you want to be disrespectful to our Grand Helmsman, you'll have to get past me, Xiao Hei, first!"

"What?"

Seeing this, Shui Yunshan was momentarily stunned, a look of surprise appearing in her eyes as she looked at Qi Yuan.

One should know that in the past, the World-Extinguishing Black Lotus had never treated Yuan Wu Immortal Lord as the Heaven and Earth Society Grand Helmsman. Now, it had completely changed its tune, loyally defending him in such a manner, which was truly beyond her expectations.

Before Shui Yunshan could snap out of it, Qi Yuan had already stepped forward and said with a smile:

"So it is Fairy Shui. It has been a long time. Your grace is even more radiant than before; it is truly worth celebrating."

As he spoke, he curiously sized up her reshaped divine body and quickly reached a conclusion:

It seemed Wu Miaozhen still hadn't grasped her best friend's pain point. When helping her condense her divine body, she followed a one-to-one perfect restoration, failing to solve a certain pressing issue.

In other words, she was still as flat as a board…

On the other side, Shui Yunshan naturally didn't know what he was thinking, otherwise she would have probably lunged forward to strangle him on the spot. She was just a bit surprised by how he addressed her.

In the past, Yuan Wu Immortal Lord would only call her Holy Empress, rather than the obviously more casual "Fairy Shui."

While Shui Yunshan's eyes flickered, a secret Voice Transmission reached her ears:

"I heard from Miaozhen that you didn't hesitate to marry that boy Xuanyuan Hao to protect the interests of the Yuan Realm. Seeing how loyal and righteous you are, I won't expose your past attempt to set a trap for Miaozhen…"

Hearing this, Shui Yunshan's expression changed slightly, and she looked at Qi Yuan in disbelief.

She naturally remembered that during the Primordial Era, she had tried to entice a certain someone into an affair to sabotage the marriage alliance between her Senior Sister and the Seventh Prince.

Unexpectedly, she had entrusted the wrong person. Not only did she fail to achieve her goal, but she also gave him leverage over her and was forced to cooperate with the Heaven and Earth Society, participating in the kidnapping of Xuanyuan Hao.

This past event was extremely secret; no one knew about it except herself and the real "Chen Jinnan."

Now that this matter had been called out by the man before her, it meant that the fellow who had stirred up so much trouble in the Primordial Era had truly returned!

Seeing the shadow recording talisman peeking out from the man's sleeve, Shui Yunshan completely confirmed her suspicion. Beyond her shock, her gaze toward Qi Yuan softened significantly. After a moment of silence, she said faintly:

"It really is you. I wonder if I should call you Chen Jinnan or Qi Yuan?"

Qi Yuan gave a faint smile and replied playfully:

"Chen Jinnan is just a pseudonym. Calling me Qi Yuan would seem rather distant. Since you and Miaozhen call each other sisters, just call me Brother-in-Law."

Shui Yunshan: "…"

This bastard, even after all these years, is still as annoying as ever!

By now, she had completely confirmed Qi Yuan's identity. Suppressing her indignation, she said expressionlessly:

"Qi Yuan, I have some matters to discuss with you. Follow me."

With that, she didn't wait for Qi Yuan's reply and directly transformed into a streak of rosy light, soaring into the sky.

Watching the direction she left, Xiao Hei stepped forward and volunteered, feeling a bit uneasy:

"Grand Helmsman, should your Subordinate follow you just in case?"

"No need."

Qi Yuan shook his head and instructed Xiao Hei:

"Go to the Yunmeng Great World first and hold the fort. I'll have a mission for you to do then."

Before his voice had even faded, his figure flashed as he quickly followed.