After an unknown amount of time, Xuanyan and Lingling finally stepped out of her cave, walking slowly toward the Alchemy Pavilion.
Her hand remained hooked around his arm, fingers curled securely as if afraid he might vanish if she loosened her grip. His own hand rested naturally at her waist, warm and familiar, the touch carrying a quiet possessiveness that neither of them acknowledged out loud.
Every now and then he brushed his fingers along her ash cheek, unable to resist the softness he'd tasted not long ago.Lingling's entire face kept reddening each time he did.
Xuanyan cleared his throat softly, more to steady himself than anything else, then spoke silently in his mind.
System. Show my rewards.
A familiar chime echoed within his consciousness.
[Host: Lingling's Affection has exceeded 50.]
Reward -
• 1000 System Points
• Minor Alchemy Talent
(Your alchemical attainment has risen to an ordinary level.)
Xuanyan's eyes narrowed slightly, not in surprise, but in quiet satisfaction.
Before he could process it fully, another notification followed almost immediately, the timing precise enough to make him suspect the system was enjoying itself.
[Host: Lingling's Affection has exceeded 80.]
Reward -
• 5000 System Points
• Aptitude +5%
• Charm +10
• Luck +10
Xuanyan staggered slightly.
From sheer, mind-numbing disbelief.
So much…?
For a single side character?
His steps nearly tangled beneath him as the weight of the notifications finally sank in. Luck surged. Charm spiked. Even his alchemy talent—something that had been barely holding itself together—had finally clawed its way out of trash-tier existence. The system wasn't just rewarding him.
It was spoiling him.
Lingling felt the hesitation immediately. The moment his pace faltered, she turned toward him, her grip tightening around his hand as concern rushed into her eyes.
"Brother Xuanyan, are you feeling unwell?" she asked softly, her voice laced with genuine worry. "You look pale… did I tire you out?"
The choice of words hit him a little too precisely.
Before Xuanyan could respond, a voice cut cleanly through the air between them—smooth, confident, and entirely uninvited.
"Beautiful fairy," the stranger said, his tone warm with practiced arrogance, "someone as radiant as you surely cannot still be without a Dao partner… or am I fortunate enough that you are?"
The words were delivered with practiced ease, as though rejection had never occurred to him in his life.
Not once did the man spare Xuanyan a glance. It was as if he simply did not exist—an obstacle too insignificant to acknowledge.
Lingling turned slowly.
Not startled.
Not intimidated.
Just… unimpressed.
Instead, she stared at the newcomer with a flat, incredulous expression, the kind that suggested she was seriously reconsidering the intelligence of the world around her. Then she said nothing, her silence heavier than any rebuke.
Xuanyan, meanwhile, did not move.
His calm was deliberate, controlled—the kind that came from already deciding how far things were allowed to go. A faint, courteous smile rested on his face, one that revealed nothing and promised less.
The man in white mistook that silence for permission.
He stepped closer, robes fluttering as if the wind itself had been summoned to announce him. He stopped just short of invading Lingling's personal space, posture relaxed, chin lifted slightly—someone accustomed to being admired, obeyed, and indulged.
His eyes never once left her face.
Lingling's fingers tightened around Xuanyan's arm without conscious thought, her body shifting closer to him. It was a small movement—subtle—but it changed the air instantly.
The man noticed.
A flicker of something sharp crossed his expression before he smoothed it away, straightening as he performed a shallow, theatrical bow.
"I am Bai Yulan," he announced, pride woven effortlessly into his voice. "A disciple of distinguished standing. Fairy, would you honor me by walking the Dao together?"
Lingling turned her head slightly toward Xuanyan instead of answering him.
"Brother Xuanyan," she asked softly, "is this someone you know?"
Xuanyan gently adjusted her sleeve, his tone mild. "No."
Lingling nodded once, as if that settled everything.
"Then I'm not interested."
A few nearby disciples sucked in quiet breaths.
Bai Yulan's smile cracked—not fully, but enough to reveal irritation beneath the polish.
"I am not something to be ignored," he said, voice sharpening. "Fairy, you misunderstand. A woman of your caliber should walk beside someone of equal destiny—someone with a powerful master, an established lineage, and Heaven's favor."
This time, his gaze finally slid toward Xuanyan.
Cold. Measuring. Dismissive.
"And not," he added, nose lifting slightly, "an outer-sect nobody."
Xuanyan inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled.
His expression did not change.
He slid an arm around Lingling's waist, drawing her gently but firmly against him—not possessive, not provocative, but unmistakably deliberate. It was a wordless statement, one that required no explanation.
Lingling gasped softly in surprise, color blooming across her cheeks—but she did not pull away. Instead, her arms curled naturally around him, as if that was where she belonged.
I am standing right here," he said calmly.
Bai Yulan's pupils contracted.
"How dare you," he snapped, composure slipping. "Such intimacy in public—have you no shame?"
Xuanyan met his eyes at last, gaze steady and sharp.
"You approached a woman and proposed dual cultivation without invitation," he said calmly. "In public."
A pause.
"And you're lecturing me about propriety?"
Bai Yulan's jaw tightened.
"That is different," he said through clenched teeth.
"Is it?"Sounds pretty shameless to me."
The air went still.
Then—
Ding.
A system notification flickered before Xuanyan's eyes:
New Protagonist Detected
Xuanyan froze.
Not the dramatic kind of freeze—the kind where the body obeys before the mind has time to scream.
For a breath, he wondered if he'd misread it.
Maybe a glitch , a fatigue.Maybe the system was mocking him again
.
But the words didn't flicker or vanished.
They stayed there—cold, blue, and patient.
A new protagonist.
Xuanyan stared at the notification, disbelief coiling tight in his chest.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
One protagonist had already been more than enough.
Two?
If Heaven kept handing out fate like free samples, he might as well find the nearest cliff and save everyone the trouble.
He rubbed his temples."So you're telling me… there are more of them? Just walking around casually like wild spirit beasts?"
The system buzzed.
[Affirmative. Multiple Heaven-Favored exist in this world.]
[Each possesses , Providence, and narrative protection from previous lifetimes Karma.]
Xuanyan let out a thin, lifeless laugh"Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Can't wait for protagonist number ten to show up with a tragic backstory and a jade-skinned fiancée."
His mind spun.If heaven kept pumping luck into these chosen idiots . And the worst part?
He couldn't kill them. Not directly,the system had been painfully clear:"If Xuanyan dared to confront Heaven head-on, the only outcome waiting for him… was death."
Xuanyan felt his scalp numb.
He had transmigrated into a dog-eat-dog cultivation world and somehow ended up in the one timeline where the dogs had divine protection.
Then a thought struck him.Sharp.
…
Wait… Sister Lingling wasn't Ye Qingfeng's woman in the original story.Is it because she got claimed by this clown first in the original timeline?
His fingers tightened around Lingling's waist, making her look up at him with a confused blush.
Tang Lishen, a few steps away, stiffened—he could feel Xuanyan's amusement, and it only fueled the fire burning in his pride.
Inside Xuanyan's mind, the system chimed again.
[Clarification: This protagonist was meant to meet Mei Lingling during the Alchemy Hall assessment.]
[Host intervened prematurely.]
[Timeline altered.]
Xuanyan snorted internally.
Great. So now I'm stealing protagonists' women by accident?
Lingling tugged his sleeve softly.
"Brother Xuanyan… why are you smiling like that?"
"Nothing," he murmured, brushing her cheek with his thumb. ""Just realizing some people never had a chance."
She blinked, not understanding, then shyly leaned into his touch anyway.
Ahead of them, Tang Lishen's shoulders tensed as he heard that faint, mocking tone.His aura flickered resentment sharpening.