The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Chen Dong had originally come to find Tian Sisi. Now that she was also in the great hall, he had no choice but to follow the various contingents inside. The rest of the assembled Military Suppression Department personnel were then dismissed.

The inside of the great hall resembled a modern cocktail party. A long table in the center was laden with all sorts of delicacies and fine wines for the guests to enjoy at their leisure.

Fewer than a hundred people were in the hall. Aside from a few Domain Lords, there were the decorative standard-bearers, plus the thirty-six people from the Floating Shadow Realm.

Changyi spoke with a smile, "With the alliance between our realms, we are all now as close as fellow disciples. Please, take this opportunity to mingle and get to know one another. The Military Suppression Department has prepared delicacies and fine wine, so please, help yourselves."

After he spoke, the group from the Floating Shadow Realm seemed to confer for a moment. Then, Leng Tong, Baili Qingcheng, Fu Changyan, and several other Golden Core cultivators followed Changyi and his contingent toward a side hall at the rear. The rest of them began to eat and drink just as if it were a real cocktail party, commenting on and critiquing the delicacies and wines of the modern world.

The Military Suppression Department's standard-bearers, it turned out, weren't just decorative. They went over to the people from the Floating Shadow Realm and began introducing the various foods to them. Just then, chefs brought out authentic, freshly prepared Kyushu delicacies.

Chen Dong hadn't gotten to eat his fill last time, and looking at the dazzling spread of dishes from all over the world, he decided he would eat first and deal with everything else later. Li Zhixuan apparently had the same idea. He decisively mingled with the crowd, a small plate in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other.

There was both red and white wine on the tables. Li Zhixuan had never tasted red wine before and seemed particularly interested in it.

After taking a small taste, he sent a voice transmission to Chen Dong. "This is way better than last time. And it has Spiritual Qi in it. The food before was good, but it didn't have any Spiritual Qi."

Hearing this, Chen Dong quickly joined the feast. After a sip of clear wine, he found it was true. 'The modern world is really keeping up with the times,' he thought. 'The provisions for entertaining envoys from another world are truly extraordinary—all made from Spiritual Objects.'

The Spiritual Qi in this wine was even more potent than the first stage of the Drunken Immortal Brew, and not far off from the second. An idea instantly struck Chen Dong. 'Maybe I could brew and sell Drunken Immortal Brew in the modern world or the Floating Shadow Realm. It'd be a good way to earn Spirit Stones. Not that I'm short on them, but who could ever have too many Spirit Stones?'

Just then, Chen Dong received a voice transmission from Tian Sisi. "Come with me!"

He looked up and saw Tian Sisi standing at a rear exit of the great hall.

Chen Dong sent a voice transmission to Li Zhixuan. "Stay here for a bit. I'll be right back!" He then walked toward Tian Sisi.

He followed Tian Sisi out of the great hall. They took several turns, heading deeper and deeper into the Military Suppression Department's compound.

Chen Dong couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to join their discussion?"

Tian Sisi replied coolly, "I'll leave it to Changyi. He's good at that sort of thing."

"What are they negotiating, specifically?"

"Mostly the transfer of personnel and exchange of resources. The Floating Shadow Realm has had its Spiritual Qi restored for several thousand years, but it's far from peaceful. There is constant conflict, with humans, yao, and demons locked in a three-way struggle. As a result, many Cultivators die in battle. Our realm's Spiritual Qi has only recently been restored, but we have a large population. They want to select people with outstanding Spirit Roots and train them to supplement their own forces. The negotiations are about hashing out the finer details, and I can't be bothered with all that."

Chen Dong's thoughts immediately went to Li Wang. 'Will she be in danger in the Floating Shadow Realm? Though with her cultivation, I probably don't need to worry.' Then he thought of Li Huiran. 'How is she doing, having run off to a place like that?'

Suddenly, Tian Sisi stopped in her tracks. She turned, her brow furrowed. "Who are you thinking about now?"

Chen Dong hastily shook his head.

"Hmph. Good. We're here."

Only then did Chen Dong realize they had arrived at a secluded small hall—or rather, it was more of a courtyard. It looked a bit like Tian Sisi's residence in the Qiankun Realm, only not as large or luxurious.

Tian Sisi took a Token from that mirror of hers and deactivated the Array protecting the courtyard. Chen Dong observed it closely. It was a Second Order Array. 'The modern world really has changed a lot in two years,' he thought.

Once they were inside, she reactivated the Array. "This is where I live," Tian Sisi said. "From now on, you will live here too..."

Chen Dong froze. 'Wait, what does she mean, I'll be living here?' Before he could get the words out, Tian Sisi was already heading inside.

Chen Dong had no choice but to follow her. "I actually came to ask for your help with something!"

Chen Dong suddenly caught a delicate fragrance on the air, mixed with a faint mist. He realized there was a hot spring inside the room.

As if she hadn't heard him, an article of Tian Sisi's clothing fluttered to the floor.

'What...?' Chen Dong's heart suddenly began to pound.

He watched as, piece by piece, Tian Sisi's garments fell away until she stepped into the swirling mist of the hot spring.

"Get in," Tian Sisi said, her voice cold.

Chen Dong cleared his throat dryly and quickly got into the hot spring as well. They faced each other through the steam.

One of Tian Sisi's feet broke the surface, her toes tracing ripples in the water. "Two years ago," she asked coolly, "I tracked your aura all the way to Cloud Cliff Peak. I found the Realm Passage. At first, I thought you'd gone to the Floating Shadow Realm. But based on the question you asked me back then... you didn't go there, did you? So where did you go?"

For a moment, Chen Dong didn't know where to begin.

Tian Sisi's voice was tinged with a plaintive grievance. "If you weren't in the Floating Shadow Realm for the past two years, why didn't you come look for me?"

Chen Dong had never felt so intensely missed before. It was as if a part of his heart was melting. Her words were like those of a wife chiding her husband for coming home late from work—a mix of longing and tenderness.

"I..." Chen Dong could only start recounting everything he had been through over the past two years.