The Daily Life of the Immortal King

"Dinner's ready! Qiulin, Wanwan, come and eat!"

Fan Qiuming emerged from the kitchen carrying dishes. At home, he was the kind of man who could cook and take care of others—a true homemaker. But outside, he became a dependable older brother capable of fending off troublemakers. He had poured all his energy into ensuring Fan Qiulin’s quality of life; before he realized it, he had become a doting brother. Out of a devotion to Qiulin’s well-being, he had also set out on the path of cultivation.

"Coming!" the two girls responded in unison.

After just a few hours together, their relationship had already grown close—they spoke of almost everything. Yet the matter of Fan Qiuming’s cultivation remained a secret from them.

As soon as the three sat at the table, Qiuming asked, "Did you both wash your hands?"

When they nodded, he handed them their chopsticks.

"Wanwan, you have to try my brother’s cooking! It's delicious!" Qiulin urged.

Shangguan Wanwan picked up a piece of meat, tasted it, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Mmm... This is really good! I didn’t expect you to have such skill in the kitchen."

"Of course," Qiuming replied, unabashed. "If you like it, have some more."

In no time, the dishes and even the rice pot were cleared. After the meal, Shangguan Wanwan volunteered to wash the dishes. Qiuming went to help her, and those who understood, understood.

As they washed, she asked, "Qiulin said you weren’t always this nice to her?"

"That’s a long story," Qiuming replied simply. "You could say the body is still his, but the soul is no longer the original Fan Qiuming. I’m someone else now."

He hoped she would understand.

"You mean, your soul is the one from Mingxuan, and you’ve replaced the original Fan Qiuming’s soul?"

"Smart!" he said, passing her a clean dish for rinsing.

"I keep it from her because you know her personality—she’d get caught up in things she shouldn’t. The world isn’t as simple as you think. Cultivators, demons, monsters—they all truly existed before. Ordinary people are insignificant before them, hardly worth mentioning."

Qiuming sighed. He knew well how cruel the world could be; he had once stood at the top of the food chain.

"By the way, what stage are you at now? Each stage has nine sublevels—you’re currently in the Body Tempering stage, right?"

"About... the sixth sublevel, I suppose," she replied, tilting her head as she thought, not noticing the soap suds on her cheek.

Qiuming wiped his hands dry, then gently brushed the foam from her face. "Careful, detergent isn’t good for your skin."

"Th-thank you," she stammered, her cheeks flushing.

"Wow, bro, you really are something!"

They turned around to find Qiulin sitting at the kitchen door.

"When did you get here?" Qiuming asked, surprised. She’d made no sound, and he wondered if she’d overheard anything.

"Just when you wiped the foam from Wanwan’s face!"

Relieved she hadn’t heard more, Qiuming urged, "This has nothing to do with you. Go watch TV in the living room."

Qiulin made a face at him, clearly not intimidated. "By the way, I want a computer too."

"We’ll talk about it when we get back to Shanghai," Qiuming refused. They weren’t staying here long, and moving a computer would be a hassle—even with a storage ring, setting up a computer was no easy task.

"Fine!" Qiulin didn’t press the issue.

When Shangguan Wanwan finished the last dish, she clapped her hands and stretched. "Finally done."

"Bro, I want to get some fresh air. I’ve been cooped up for days," she said.

Qiulin truly hadn’t been out in days—she was either at Mao Shiyi’s house or her own.

"Alright, just a moment," Qiuming replied, heading to his room for his phone. It had been off for days, charging in his room.

The moment he powered it on, countless missed calls appeared.

"What the—so many missed calls? Who could that be?" he wondered.

Just then, another unfamiliar number rang—one that had called before.

"Hello? Who is this?" he asked.

Finally, Xuanlong’s voice came through. "You’re finally answering. Any later and I’d have thought you died in Wutong Mountain."

Qiuming chuckled, "Sorry, my phone was dead for a few days while I was inside..."

"I knew it! You’re not one to get into trouble so easily. Just..." Wolong’s voice entered the background. Hearing Qiuming’s voice, he relaxed.

"Recall the team from Wutong Mountain. The divine relic’s already been taken—no one knows by whom. The other families won’t say anything either. Let’s leave it at that."

Xuanlong’s disappointment was evident—he had no idea the relic’s new owner was Qiuming himself.

"There were some surprises with this mission, but you’ll still get the reward. The money’s been wired to your card. I’m just glad you’re alright. Now leave Peng City as soon as possible. Things aren’t stable there."

With that, Xuanlong hung up. Qiuming noticed how terse he’d become, as if something was troubling him. Still, it was clear Peng City was about to see trouble.

"Bro, are you done yet? You’re so slow!" Qiulin’s voice called from the other room, reminding him of his promise to take her out.

"Coming!" He pocketed his phone and hurried out.

At dusk, Qiuming pushed Qiulin’s wheelchair along the seashore, with Shangguan Wanwan close by his side. A couple walked toward them, deep in their own world, the man holding a dog’s leash.

Qiuming whispered to Wanwan, "Don’t they look a bit like the three of us?"

She glanced at the couple and their dog, then at Qiulin, and couldn’t help but laugh.

Hearing herself compared to a dog, Qiulin protested, "You’re the dog! Your whole family—"

She caught herself just in time, realizing she’d insulted herself as well. "No, wait, just you! Hmph! Stupid brother!" She turned her gaze to the sea.

The two adults shared a smile, content with the quiet peace of their lives.

...

Meanwhile, within the Dragon Sect...

"What did you say? The Peng City team was nearly wiped out? What happened?" Xuanlong roared at his subordinate.

"Weren’t they fine before? What did the survivor say?"

"He’s still unconscious, critically wounded. Every injury could be fatal—they’re trying to save him. But there’s a large amount of spiritual energy residue on him..."

At the mention of spiritual energy, Xuanlong’s face changed. For now, they could only passively absorb spiritual energy—they couldn’t use it. If the injuries were truly caused by spiritual energy, this was serious.

"If someone can already wield spiritual energy, that could spell disaster for us. None of us can use it yet—anyone who can is a threat. Assign another reconnaissance team to investigate, but if things go wrong, retreat immediately—lives come first. Do everything you can to save that man."

Xuanlong sighed heavily. "How did it come to this?" He slammed his fist on the table, cracks radiating across its surface.

"Wolong, what about your side?" he asked, steadying himself on the table.

Pushing up his glasses, Wolong replied quietly, "The day before yesterday, I tracked down some leads in Peng City, but when I tried to follow, he got away. I couldn’t gauge his cultivation, but he’s at least beyond my level."

"Again... It’s as if they’re toying with us. Peng City..."

"When will headquarters send reinforcements?"

...

"Bro, look! There’s so much fun stuff over there!" Qiulin exclaimed.

Strolling through the night market, the countless novelties captured Qiulin’s attention, and she urged Qiuming to keep up. He was already starting to regret coming out with her. Their walk soon led them toward the mall, and from there it was endless shopping—proving once again that shopping was in a woman’s nature.

Even though Qiulin’s legs were weak, it didn’t slow Qiuming down as he wheeled her along.

When the two girls entered a lingerie store, Qiuming waited outside, as it wasn’t convenient for him to enter. Suddenly, a wave of spiritual energy swept over the entire mall. Qiuming felt it instantly and scanned the surroundings.

He quickly pinpointed someone on the rooftop, but with the sun setting, he couldn’t see the figure’s face clearly. Qiuming extended his divine consciousness.

The person on the roof seemed to sense Qiuming’s probing and swiftly withdrew his own spiritual sense, fleeing in haste.

"So they’ve appeared... cultivators in this world," Qiuming thought, eyes fixed on the spot where the stranger had stood. He didn’t know what the other wanted, but it was clear things were about to get complicated.

"There’s no time to rest—I have to advance my cultivation quickly. The next step is to break through to Qi Refining."