He laid Su Qingning on the bed but didn't leave immediately. She was now accustomed to curling up in his arms when she slept, just like a cat, and that was exactly what she was doing now.

At some point, Su Qingning had grown accustomed to the feeling of sleeping in Lin Xiao's embrace, as it made her feel incredibly secure. Perhaps the reopening of the bar had exhausted her, because it wasn't long before she fell asleep.

She looked like an infant in her deep sleep, and Lin Xiao couldn't help but plant a gentle kiss on her forehead before getting up and leaving the room.

Shen Jingzhe was sitting in the living room, waiting. When she saw Lin Xiao descend from the stairs, she stood up, a gleam of expectation in her eyes.

"Can you detoxify me now?" she asked coldly.

Lin Xiao countered, "Are you tired?"

Shen Jingzhe looked at him suspiciously, not understanding why he would ask such a question.

Lin Xiao explained with a smile, "Well, I have to go out for a bit. If you're tired, I can treat you now. If not, you'll have to wait until I get back for the antidote."

"What are you going out for?" she asked icily.

Lin Xiao answered frankly, "To drink!"

A piercing, cold light burst from Shen Jingzhe's eyes. "So, you'd rather go drinking than treat my poison?"

Anger was evident in her voice. As Lin Xiao was about to speak, she pressed on, "So, in your eyes, am I just a free bodyguard?"

She was angry.

"Damn it, have you forgotten you came here to kill me?" Lin Xiao retorted.

Shen Jingzhe froze, shock filling her clear eyes.

Yes, she had forgotten. She had forgotten that her entire purpose for getting close to Lin Xiao was to assassinate him.

She fell silent.

But Lin Xiao pressed on, "Shen Jingzhe, after I cure you, can you guarantee you won't kill me?"

She became even more silent. Clearly, she couldn't make such a promise.

"Search your heart. If our roles were switched, would you cure me? Damn it, the fact that I'm willing to help you at all is generous enough. What's wrong with you protecting my wife in return?"

Shen Jingzhe was left speechless.

"Still angry now?" Lin Xiao asked again.

"None of your business!" she retorted, annoyed.

"Alright, go take a nice bath and wait for me, you hear?"

"I got it!" Shen Jingzhe snapped.

Lin Xiao got up and left.

That old man Bei Kuang was truly wealthy, having quietly bought a house in Hidden Dragon Villa. Of course, compared to the prime unit Lin Xiao now occupied, Bei Kuang's home was hardly worth mentioning. But such details were clearly trivial to Bei Kuang. He was living here solely to serve Lin Xiao better.

The food and wine were already prepared, and they were all top-grade. Lin Xiao wasn't hungry, but he joined Bei Kuang for a drink nonetheless.

"Dragon Lord, I'll toast you first!" Bei Kuang said.

"Why?"

Bei Kuang smiled sheepishly. "I was foolish back then, insisting on killing you. I apologize for my actions."

"That's nonsense," Lin Xiao replied. "You could say we became acquainted through our fight. Besides, you didn't kill me, did you?"

Bei Kuang nodded. "Dragon Lord, your luck is heaven-defying; of course I couldn't kill you. Besides, I asked your master and learned your cultivation was just a step away from being invincible. So why is it so lackluster now?"

"What, you couldn't tell my wife has an astonishing level of cultivation in her Dantian?" Lin Xiao countered.

Bei Kuang was taken aback. "I knew... so, the cultivation in your wife's Dantian is yours?"

"Correct."

Bei Kuang's heart skipped a beat. "Then, Dragon Lord, you possess the Nine Dragons Sacred Body?"

Lin Xiao nodded.

Lin Xiao wasn't the least bit surprised that Bei Kuang knew of such a physique. After all, he was a veteran of the martial world; there was little he hadn't seen or heard of.

Bei Kuang, however, was growing more and more shocked.

This kind of constitution was thought to exist only in legends. The stories said that those with this physique were peerless, once-in-ten-thousand-year geniuses. Not only were they born with heaven-defying luck, but they also grasped anything they learned instantly. Most importantly, a person with this physique was destined to become king of the world. According to unofficial histories, the Ancestral Dragon himself possessed this very body.

"Dragon Lord, I'll toast you again," Bei Kuang said, his voice brimming with excitement. His hands trembled as he raised his cup.

Lin Xiao didn't refuse. They clinked their glasses and downed the contents in one go.

After three rounds, Bei Kuang asked cautiously, "Dragon Lord, if you don't mind my asking, what are your plans now?"

"To stay by my wife's side. And to find the Mountain and River Map."

"The Mountain and River Map? The one from the legends, which contains an unparalleled cultivation technique and holds the key to the Dragon Veins of the Nine Provinces?"

Lin Xiao nodded, and Bei Kuang's respect for him deepened.

"Dragon Lord, I'll toast you again!"

"What's this one for?"

Bei Kuang grinned. "No reason. I just wanted to. I believe that one day you will become the king of the world, standing above the clouds to gaze down upon all of humanity!"

Lin Xiao waved his hand. "I don't have such grand ambitions. In truth, I just want a simple life—a wife, kids, and a warm hearth."

Bei Kuang was amused by Lin Xiao's words and downed his drink with a laugh. After refilling both their cups, he said seriously, "But Dragon Lord, surely you know that with a physique like yours, a quiet life is impossible. You are destined to be a dragon, and a dragon must soar above the Nine Heavens."

"We'll see. For now, my goal is simple: live my life with my wife."

Bei Kuang chuckled. "I never would have thought the Dragon Lord was such a romantic."

"Blame my sixth master. He had me reading romance novels when I was a kid. Damn it, the seed was planted early on!"

Bei Kuang burst into laughter.

By the time they finished drinking, it was already past three in the morning. Despite consuming six bottles of some unknown, potent liquor, neither man was drunk. Bei Kuang was unaffected due to his heaven-defying cultivation, while Lin Xiao was simply immune because he had eaten that dragon.

After bidding Bei Kuang farewell, Lin Xiao returned to the villa.

Shen Jingzhe was still awake. She was lying naked on the bed, waiting for Lin Xiao.

Waiting for him to give her the antidote. The thought that he'd gone out drinking instead of treating her first left a sour taste in her mouth. She was protecting his wife with all her heart, yet he seemed to think nothing of her. She knew, of course, that their arrangement was purely transactional—he would cure her poison, and she would protect his wife—but still, she was annoyed.

Just as she was stewing in her irritation, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open.

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