Chapter 28: Daytime in 1314

A small, warm-yellow pendant lamp was lit in the living room, making the entire space feel cozy and bright. A plate of fresh, glistening fruit sat on the coffee table, and the television directly across from it was broadcasting a cultivation drama he had never seen before. On the screen, a woman in white was locked in a duel amidst the clouds; the special effects were vivid and realistic, and the dialogue was dramatic and rhythmic.

Jiang Xiaoyu froze at the threshold, turning back to check the door number—1314. It was correct. He poked his head further into the living room, his face written with disbelief.

Stepping inside, he tossed his keys onto the coffee table and sank into the soft sofa, muttering, “How did I not notice a TV in here last night…”

“Brother, you’re back.”

A sweet voice drifted from the kitchen area. Jiang Xiaoyu sprang from the sofa as if he’d been shocked.

A girl with long, flowing hair, dressed in comfortable loungewear, walked out of the kitchen with two cups of tea in her hands, smiling brilliantly.

Seeing him bounce up in such an awkward state, she set the tea down and sat on the sofa opposite him, laughing until she could barely breathe.

Jiang Xiaoyu couldn’t describe his current state of mind. If he said he was scared, the atmosphere was too relaxed; if he said he was surprised, everything felt too real to be anything but true.

The girl finished laughing and handed him something.

Jiang Xiaoyu took it and let out a yelp: “You charged my phone?”

Dongfang took a small sip of her tea and said leisurely, “You asked me to look at the photos yesterday, but the phone was dead. After that, you didn’t say much before you got scared and ran off, hiding in Wanxing’s room all night. The phone just stayed in my room. 1314 gets hit by the sun during the day, which allows me to suppress Lengyue enough to regain control of the living room, so I charged your phone for you.” She set her cup down, sat upright, and gave him a sweet smile. “There, that’s it.”

Jiang Xiaoyu had no idea what to say. He subconsciously opened his phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and flipped to that photo of his cousin—white top, long hair, white dress, side profile.

He looked at the screen, then back at the Dongfang sitting across from him. The girl in the photo had plain, unremarkable features, while the girl on the sofa had brows and eyes as beautiful as a painting.

No matter how he looked at it, they couldn’t be the same person.

Dongfang looked at him with a mischievous smile: “Brother, drink your tea. This is the Fire Dragon Flower tea unique to our Sun Clan. One sip can significantly boost your mental energy. With its help, in less than three months, you won’t have to worry about your duration being too short when you summon me.”

His head was spinning with questions. How could he possibly dare to drink this tea of unknown origin? He hurriedly waved his hand and said, “I’m not thirsty. You have it.”

Dongfang tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, looked down at the rising steam in her cup, and sighed softly: “I was too impulsive last night. I didn’t explain anything clearly and rushed into signing the Light-Dark Covenant with you. It’s only reasonable that you don’t trust me.”

She paused, her voice turning softer. “Brother, one day you will know: in this 1314, Dongfang is the one who treats you the best.”

Jiang Xiaoyu sighed: “Can we talk?”

He handed her the phone. “Look at this photo first.”

Dongfang took it, confused. “Who is this girl?”

“My cousin.”

“Just this one cousin?”

Jiang Xiaoyu thought about it seriously: “Yes.”

Dongfang smiled and handed the phone back. “Then I’m not your cousin.”

Jiang Xiaoyu was dumbstruck. He hadn’t expected Dongfang to answer that way.

Before he could speak, Dongfang dropped an even bigger bombshell.

“Since I’m not, then Lengyue definitely isn’t, and Wanxing is even less likely. That leaves only one explanation.”

Jiang Xiaoyu’s heart skipped a beat: “Wh-what explanation?”

Dongfang looked at him, enunciating clearly: “You are not any of our cousins at all—you are Wanxing’s lover.”

“Huh?!”

Dongfang crossed her arms, leaning back into the sofa, as if trying hard to recall something.

“Wanxing is a very special existence—so special that Lengyue and I once considered teaming up to kill her.”

Jiang Xiaoyu sat up straight: “Tell me more.”

Dongfang nodded.

“I told you yesterday that the three of us are trapped in 1314 and take turns going out every thirty years, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“I possess the power of Light. When I go out, I face a world of aberrations. I have to constantly hunt them to raise my cultivation.”

Jiang Xiaoyu’s hands shook: “A world of aberrations?”

Dongfang gave a slight nod: “Right. With every aberration I kill, my Light power grows stronger.”

“Lengyue goes out of 1314 and faces a Xuanhuan world. She has to reclaim her twelve scattered fragments of divine power to raise her own cultivation.”

“Wanxing is the most abnormal one! All she does all day is play. When she’s bored, she mumbles about how wonderful her husband is—a total love-struck fool! The most infuriating part isn’t that; it’s that she doesn’t even need to cultivate to raise her power. At first, we thought she was a natural prodigy, but later we realized she was leveling up by drinking my Fire Dragon Flower tea and eating Lengyue’s osmanthus cake.”