Chapter 98

On the first day of officially dating, Luo Han realized that the first obstacle between her and her immortal boyfriend was...their vastly different concepts of love.
Her boyfriend was flawless in many ways—striking beyond reason, dressed in white purer than fresh snow, brilliant, refined, and unfailingly courteous. But when it came to certain beliefs...he was surprisingly old-fashioned.
Luo Han spoke gently, trying to cushion the blow. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, truly. I’m really moved that you take our relationship so seriously. But...this isn’t how these things normally go. It’s too fast.”
Who proposes a wedding the day after a confession?
Are you crazy?
Ling Qingxiao was still watching her in silence. That look made her feel a little guilty. She couldn’t take it anymore and quickly added, “It’s not your fault or anything. Everyone thinks differently, and misunderstandings happen. Just three years can make a generation gap—they say. And between us, it’s a thousand years plus cultural differences. It’s perfectly normal that we see love and marriage differently.”
But her words didn’t seem to comfort him. His brows lifted slightly. “That’s what you wanted to tell me?”
“No, no!” she said quickly, her voice softening. “I just meant, maybe we could start by being in a relationship—get to know each other slowly. If we’re really compatible, then we’ll naturally move toward marriage.”
And because she couldn’t help herself, she added, “We’re still young. There’s no need to plan that far ahead just yet.”
Ling Qingxiao understood her words—he just couldn’t comprehend them. To him, lovers and spouses were essentially the same. Dating was marriage. One heart, one promise, sealed as one.
Now Luo Han wanted to separate what should’ve been a single thread into two paths. And truth be told, a vague unease was growing in his chest.
He pressed that discomfort down and still responded gently, “All right. We’ll do as you wish. Don’t be nervous. However you want it, that’s how we’ll do it.”
Luo Han let out a long sigh of relief.
But watching her relax, Ling Qingxiao’s heart grew heavier.
They resumed walking down the corridor. The earlier disagreement had been settled, yet the atmosphere was oddly subdued. Before long, they reached Luo Han’s courtyard. Ling Qingxiao stopped at the entrance and said, “Rest well. If anything happens, send me a message right away.”
“Okay,” she nodded. As she stepped inside, she noticed he was still standing there, watching her.
Fingers brushing the carved wood of the doorframe, she suddenly called out, “You’re upset, aren’t you?”
“Not at all,” he answered without hesitation.
“So, you are upset,” she sighed. “Are you in a hurry to leave? If not...I’d like to talk.”
Since she asked, Ling Qingxiao wouldn’t refuse. They went inside together. Luo Han sat down on the low platform first and even scooted over a little, gesturing to him. “Come sit.”
Ling Qingxiao gathered his robes and sat across from her.
Luo Han paused, a little choked. Actually...she meant for him to sit next to her.
She quietly slid back to her original seat, telling herself: it’s fine, this is a conversation anyway. Seating doesn’t matter.
She thought back to Ling Qingxiao’s upbringing and could somewhat understand how this confusion had come about. He hadn’t grown up in a safe, loving environment. He’d never seen what a healthy relationship looked like. His parents had been a catastrophic example. In his mind, family meant responsibility, and spouse meant contract. He’d never been taught that the foundation of marriage should be love.
Which explained why, after confirming their feelings yesterday, he had taken it as a de facto engagement.
Luo Han tried to explain patiently, “What I meant yesterday was...we should try being a couple first and let things develop naturally. Emotional bonds aren’t like cultivation—they can’t be measured with numbers. They grow in stages. Normally, people are drawn to each other, they tentatively test the waters, slowly get closer, and then confess. Even after that, it’s not like they just jump straight into marriage. Love and marriage are two different things.”
She paused and asked, “Are you following me?”
“I understand,” Ling Qingxiao said. “Please, go on.”
She decided to believe him for now. “Once two people start dating, they still need time to deepen their feelings before even thinking about marriage. The difference between love and marriage is...well, to give an example—when you’re dating, it’s enough if the two of you are happy. But marriage is different. You have to consider each other’s families, make sure your values and lifestyles align, and you need both emotional and financial stability.”
Ling Qingxiao nodded slightly. “None of those are issues for us. First, you have no parents, and mine have no say in my affairs—so that’s point one handled. Second, we’ve traveled together many times and I’ve noticed no incompatibilities in our habits. But if there are any, I’ll change. You don’t need to adjust a thing. Third...Zhongshan may not be the most powerful faction, but it’s more than enough to guarantee the safety and comfort of my wife and children.”
Luo Han was speechless.
She had been trying to explain why marriage wasn’t something to rush. Instead, he’d taken her every concern and checked it off like a list.
She struggled to push back, “That just means we meet the external conditions for marriage. It doesn’t mean we’re ready. Marriage is a commitment—a form of restraint. It’s the willingness to override your own instincts for someone else’s sake. To marry, you not only need to understand the other person, but understand yourself as well. And honestly...I don’t think we’re there yet.”
She looked at him earnestly. “So let’s start by dating. Take time to understand one another, become a part of each other’s lives, and let everything else happen naturally. All right?”
Ling Qingxiao nodded slowly. “I understand.”
Luo Han looked at him suspiciously. “Do you really?”
Of course he understood. Not in the way she might expect—not that he had grasped some profound truth hidden in her words—but he understood what lay beneath it all: Luo Han had turned him down because her feelings weren’t deep enough yet.
She didn’t love him enough.
Ling Qingxiao had originally thought it didn’t matter. If she didn’t love him yet, then he would just give her more love—double, triple, as much as she needed. As long as they were together, sharing each day, surely affection would follow. And even if it didn’t...as long as she stayed, that would be enough.
But Luo Han didn’t think that way. To her, marriage without love was a shackle. If she knew that walking forward meant stepping into a cage, she’d refuse from the very start.
So Ling Qingxiao stepped back. He said, “All right.”
Someone with nothing...can’t afford to take risks.
Luo Han had been discussing differences in their views on relationships, but at that moment, hearing his resigned tone, she suddenly felt like she was the cheating husband being forgiven by a long-suffering wife. And she was the one in the wrong.
She was stunned. After a moment, she cautiously asked, “So...we’ll start by cultivating feelings?”
“Yes,” he said simply.
Luo Han quickly shoved the strange feeling aside and began thinking excitedly about what couples normally did together. She thought back to all the TV shows, books, and dramas she’d seen in her previous life, and confidently declared, “Usually, developing feelings begins with small steps. The first is holding hands, then hugging, then kissing, and...um…”
She trailed off. She desperately searched for a proper, elegant way to say have sex but came up with nothing. Ling Qingxiao looked at her calmly and asked, “And then?”
Luo Han struggled for a long time but still couldn’t bring herself to say “and then sleep together.” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “That’s it. Just those three steps.”
Ling Qingxiao was a man of immense patience and persistence. When he was young, many of his peers would cry in frustration over their failures with formation diagrams, smashing their arrays in anger. But Ling Qingxiao never once lost his temper. If it failed once, he’d try again. If it didn’t work today, there was always tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the next day. He had nothing but time.
He was not a gambler—but he was a hunter who could wait.
Originally, he saw confession and marriage as one seamless event. But now, per Luo Han’s reasoning, he had to insert an intermediate stage called “dating,” which had three official checkpoints: holding hands, hugging, and kissing.
…Possibly a fourth one. He was genuinely confused—where had Luo Han learned these ideas?
Clearly the demon realm and beast realm were bad influences. Such poor moral environments, too easy to corrupt the young.
Luo Han had no idea Ling Qingxiao had already drafted a brand-new action plan for their “dating phase.” She saw that he was quiet and figured she’d successfully persuaded him.
Thrilled, she started pondering what other things couples could do together. The more she thought, though, the more frivolous and impractical the ideas seemed. Finally, she turned to Ling Qingxiao for help. “Do you know if the Six Realms has anything like a relationship guide? Like ‘100 Things Every Couple Should Do Together’?”
Ling Qingxiao thought seriously for a moment and asked, in all sincerity, “What’s that?”
Right, this was the Immortal Realm. Of course there was no such thing.
Luo Han racked her brain but couldn’t recall what couples in her past life typically did, so she stood and summoned a demon realm servant. “Is there a market for romance books around here?”
The servant was stumped. He scratched his head. “My lady, I...can’t read. I’m not sure what kind of book that is. Do you want to read one?”
Luo Han sighed and pressed a magic crystal into his hand. “Go to the largest bookstore outside and ask for the best-selling book for couples—any format is fine. Just bring it to me. You can keep the change.”
The demon servant was overjoyed, bowed repeatedly, and ran off. When Luo Han returned to the room, Ling Qingxiao asked, “Why the sudden interest in storybooks?”
“It’s not that I want to read them,” Luo Han corrected him. “I want to use them for inspiration. We can’t just sit around reading scriptures and cultivating, right?”
Ling Qingxiao nodded solemnly. “That’s fine.”
“No no no.” Luo Han quickly backpedaled. “I meant something more relaxing.”
Thanks to generous tipping, the servant returned quickly, beaming as he handed her the book. “My lady, I scouted all five bookstores in the city and hand-picked this one for you. I guarantee you’ll be pleased.”
Luo Han accepted the book without a second thought. “Thanks.”
Before leaving, the servant added, “If you ever need help again, you must call for me, okay? Just shout ‘Xiao Wu’—I’m always nearby!”
Luo Han nodded and turned back to the room. Sitting down, she flipped through the book and said absentmindedly, “As expected, the demon realm is different. Even their romance books are so thick. I thought one little volume would be enough.”
She opened the cover—completely unprepared for what she saw—and immediately slammed it shut with a bang. Ling Qingxiao looked over and reached for the book. “What is it?”
Luo Han pressed her elbow down firmly on the cover, shaking her head hard. “Nothing! Just a normal romance story. Totally ordinary!”
His hand rested on the spine while she used both hands to press it shut, practically putting her full weight on the book. Ling Qingxiao raised a brow. “Really?”
“Really!” Luo Han’s head shook like a rattle drum. Afraid he wouldn’t believe her, she even offered, “I mean—I can read it aloud if you don’t believe me!”
Ling Qingxiao tapped the spine lightly and suddenly withdrew his hand, calmly returning to his seat. “All right. Go ahead.”
Luo Han forced herself to open the book again, eyes fixed only on the topmost lines, and began to read aloud, voice stiff and slow:
“Couples should trust each other, respect one another, avoid arrogance and impatience, and proceed step by step. Sometimes, doing small things together can deepen feelings—like traveling to unfamiliar places, watching the sunrise and sunset together, reading or painting together, and, um…”
She trailed off.
She couldn’t keep it up. This was impossible. She’d just asked the servant to buy the most popular couples’ book in the demon realm, and this was what he brought back?
Sure, it technically listed things couples could do—but all of them were...positions. Every single one.
Luo Han was utterly mortified. After a moment, Ling Qingxiao asked patiently, “And...what else?”
Luo Han forced herself to keep going. “There’s more...I just need to flip the page.”
She actually wanted to keep reading. Ling Qingxiao couldn’t take it anymore and reached out to grab the book. Luo Han knew that once the book left her hands, she could kiss it goodbye. No way would he let her touch it again. She clung to it tightly. After a few failed tugs, Ling Qingxiao raised an eyebrow. “Still not letting go?”
“It’s just a normal romantic booklet…” Luo Han tried to defend herself.
If Ling Qingxiao wanted to take it by force, she wouldn't be able to stop him. But he didn’t want to hurt her, so instead, he simply stood up and walked around to her other side to look directly at the book. Startled, Luo Han instinctively hugged the book to her chest. Ling Qingxiao, ever reliable in serious moments, ignored her pitiful expression and ruthlessly confiscated the book.
At this moment, he looked exactly like a strict schoolmaster. Luo Han’s confidence deflated immediately—until she remembered that he wasn’t her teacher, he was her boyfriend.
Her courage instantly returned. She tightened her grip and even threatened, “I’m already an adult. You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t read. If you keep this up, I’m going to get mad. Really mad—”
Before she could finish, the book was yanked from her hands.
Luo Han was internally in tears. It was completely useless. This man had no heart.
Ling Qingxiao flipped through a few pages, and even his brows twitched. Luo Han knew this was bad and quickly lunged forward, hugging his waist tightly and pleading, “Don’t throw it away! Books are the carriers of culture and wisdom. Every page holds deep knowledge—how can you just toss it aside?”
It was the first time Ling Qingxiao had heard such outrageous reasoning. He was furious. “You’re actually trying to justify this?”
“I don’t care,” Luo Han clung to him like a koala. “I’m not letting you. If you’re going to throw away that book, then throw me away with it!”
With someone like Ling Qingxiao—who couldn’t be swayed by threats or pleading—you had to rely on sheer shamelessness. He didn’t have the heart to push her off or walk away. In the end, he could only sigh, “Sit down properly first.”
She had only clung to him lightly before, but now that she was actually hugging him, Luo Han realized that Ling Qingxiao’s waist was...really slim. She grabbed his hand and dragged him to sit on the bed. “If you’re that worried, we can read it together. That’ll count as ‘reading together’ from the couples’ to-do list.”
Ling Qingxiao said nothing. Silence, in this case, meant agreement. Luo Han quickly scooted next to him, held his hand, and flipped the page. “Okay, now for the second picture.”
The book opened—artful, suggestive illustrations greeted them, with just the right amount of descriptive scene-setting. The demon realm really was professional. The drawings were sensual without being vulgar, beautiful but not obscene. The scenes were creative and detailed, and though no critical parts were exposed, they left just enough to the imagination to keep one wondering.
Luo Han was impressed and turned to the next image. But Ling Qingxiao pressed his fingers on the edge of the page, refusing to let it turn. Luo Han couldn’t move it, so she looked up at him. He was frowning. “I don’t think this is appropriate.”
“This is part of a couple’s intimacy,” Luo Han said. “You need to get used to your new role. Stop acting like my elder.”
That successfully shut Ling Qingxiao up. Luo Han flipped the page again—only to find there were no people in the picture.
Puzzled, she asked, “Why is there no one here?”
Ling Qingxiao didn’t know whether to explain or not. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Maybe the details are...implied.”
Luo Han looked again—and her eyes suddenly widened in realization. She turned to Ling Qingxiao, her gaze now full of suspicion. “You...you figured it out with just one glance?”
Ling Qingxiao paused, then declared firmly, “I did not.”
“You knew what I was about to ask, and you still said no?” Luo Han huffed and turned the page. “So you can start fires, but I can’t light a single lamp. Hmph.”
Ling Qingxiao rubbed his forehead. He was actually getting a headache.
Truth be told, he had no desire to read this kind of material. But Luo Han was reading it with such gusto that he was worried there might be inappropriate or misleading content. So he forced himself to skim through it, just to be safe. About halfway through, the images started getting more and more bizarre—clearly the artist had run out of material and was just making things up.
Ling Qingxiao glanced at one particularly absurd picture and muttered, “Complete nonsense.”
They were sitting close, so Luo Han heard it clearly and immediately turned to him. “What nonsense?”
He hadn’t expected her to hear that. Looking slightly embarrassed, he said, “This pose...is unrealistic. The force distribution is all wrong.”
Luo Han was stunned.
It took her a while to process, then she looked at him like he was some rare species. “You’re really…”
She paused, searching for the right words. “…extremely meticulous.”
It was the first time in her life she’d seen someone analyze the physics of an intimacy illustration. Probably the last time too.
But thanks to Ling Qingxiao’s comment, she couldn’t help but evaluate the feasibility of each pose as she kept reading. Her viewing experience was utterly ruined.
The later pages weren’t as enjoyable anyway, and soon she reached the end. Ling Qingxiao let out a quiet sigh of relief and moved to store the book away. “All right, you’ve seen it. Time to refocus.”
Seeing that he was about to stash it in his storage space, Luo Han quickly stopped him. “Why are you treating me like a stranger? Just leave it here with me.”
Ling Qingxiao remained unmoved.
Luo Han realized that threats and ultimatums didn’t work on him. His heart was made of stone—he couldn’t be manipulated. So she changed tactics and suddenly switched to a pitiful expression, full of grievance. “You don’t trust me? I’ve let you keep so many of my things, but you never let me hold anything for you.”
That was a blatant lie. Completely unfounded. Ling Qingxiao stayed calm and said patiently, “That’s not true. If you’d like, I’ll give you my entire storage space.”
Before Luo Han could respond, he added, “Except for this book.”
Luo Han was speechless.
She started to seriously doubt those stories where the cold male lead eventually melts. Was it really possible to soften an ice block with love?
Ling Qingxiao wasn’t just an iceberg—he was a glacial fortress made of solid steel.
Just as Ling Qingxiao was about to withdraw his hand, Luo Han steeled herself. She sat up halfway and boldly wrapped her arms around his neck. “Tell me—what’s more important, the book or me?”
For the first time, Ling Qingxiao truly felt the difference between a friend and a lover. Friend, lover, spouse—perhaps they really were three separate categories. At the very least, he’d never seen any couple around him behave like this.
He froze from the waist up, arms still resting on the table. But now that Luo Han’s arms were wrapped around his neck, he couldn’t move an inch. Stiffly, he said, “Don’t try to change the subject. These aren’t even related matters.”
“So you’re saying I’m being unreasonable now?”
Ling Qingxiao raised a brow, clearly thrown off. Where did that come from? He tried to reason with her. “Calm down. What you’re saying doesn’t follow any logic.”
“And you think you’re the logical one?” Luo Han asked mournfully. “Then who is, in your eyes?”
Ling Qingxiao gave up. There was no point in arguing—when Luo Han wanted to, she could probably talk a dead man back to life. He sighed. “What exactly do you want?”
“I already took the initiative and hugged you, but you don’t even react. So which is it? Is the book more important, or am I?” she demanded, all righteously aggrieved.
Ling Qingxiao’s fingers twitched.
Of course, he knew exactly what she was doing. But affection...affection was more potent than any poison—it overrode reason, dissolved discipline. Even when one’s head stayed clear, the heart did not obey.
Slowly, hesitantly, Ling QingXiaolifted his hand and placed it on Luo Han’s waist.
Her waist was slender and soft—so different from his own physique. Their robes were loose as always in the Immortal Realm, and when his arm tightened slightly, the fabric folded into delicate creases, making her narrow waist seem even more fragile, barely a handful in size.
And in the instant that Ling Qingxiao was lost in thought, the book disappeared.
Luo Han had quietly stored it in her own spatial pouch. Satisfied, she released her grip and sat back in place with a light tone: “All right, that’s everything we needed to talk about today. Let’s end it here.”
In other words: Ling Qingxiao could leave now.
It took him a moment to register what just happened—and when he did, he was left speechless.
He had actually—for once—let beauty cloud his judgment.