Chapter 161: Truth or Dare—Lin Qi’an Is Too Unbelievable!
At first, Zhao Yunji’s feelings for Lin Qi’an were complicated.
She was initially drawn to his extraordinary Dao Physique, and her sister Zhao Qingmeng’s constant teasing only fueled her conflicted emotions. It was a confusing mixture of admiration and annoyance.
But as time passed, spending more time with Lin Qi’an allowed her to understand the man himself. Now, the tiniest spark of genuine affection had begun to grow within her heart.
“Alright, I won’t hold back then.”
“Wait, there’s one condition,” Lin Qi’an said.
“What condition?”
“If your cultivation progresses to the point where you can fully summon the Five Elemental Lightning of the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, you must help me with something.”
Lin Qi’an needed the Five Elemental Lightning to fully awaken the emperor weapon Thunder’s Bane.
An emperor weapon’s power was unparalleled, and once awakened, it would elevate his strength immeasurably. Zhao Yunji was the perfect candidate to assist with this.
“Deal!”
With the agreement in place, the two consumed the Thunder Dragon Pill and began refining it.
Threads of crackling lightning swirled around them as they meditated. By the time they finished, half a day had passed.
Both woke up almost simultaneously, clearly feeling the enhancements to their strength. Lin Qi’an had advanced one minor stage in cultivation, and his divine technique Heavenly Sword Lightning Summoning Technique improved as well.
Zhao Yunji’s comprehension of thunder techniques had deepened significantly, leaving her ecstatic and deeply grateful to Lin Qi’an.
—
When they emerged from the Lotus Realm, it was already nighttime. The air was cool and crisp under the starlit sky.
In the courtyard, a group of women had gathered around a table. If any man from the outside world saw who was seated there, he would undoubtedly lose his mind.
There was Su Xueni, Ran Yuwei, Zi Lianyou, Zhao Qingmeng, and Lin Liuli. Even Mo Shuiqiu and Lu Miaoyin had come. And now, with Zhao Yunji joining them, there were eight women in total.
Each one was a peerless beauty, admired by countless men as celestial goddesses.
Yet here they were, all gathered in Lin Qi’an’s small courtyard, drinking tea, enjoying snacks, and chatting under the moonlight.
It was a scene that only Lin Qi’an had the capability and status to bring about. For anyone else, this would be an unattainable dream.
“Your Highness is here!”
The moment Lin Qi’an appeared, the women eagerly pulled him over to sit among them.
Surrounded by such stunning beauties, their delicate fragrances lingering in the air, it felt like being in the middle of a divine garden.
“Now that Brother Lin is here, let’s play a fun game!” Zhao Qingmeng suggested with a mischievous grin.
“Elder Sister Yunji probably has no interest in such trivial matters. You might as well leave early,” she added with a teasing tone.
“I’m staying!” Zhao Yunji immediately countered, clearly determined to join in.
“What kind of game is this?”
“It’s called Truth or Dare!” Zhao Qingmeng announced gleefully.
Lin Qi’an blinked in surprise but quickly understood. It had to be something he had taught her in his previous life.
“How do you play?”
“What are the rules?”
The women’s curiosity was piqued, and they leaned in eagerly.
“The rules are simple. We roll dice, and the person with the lowest roll chooses either truth or dare. The person with the highest roll gets to give the command,” Zhao Qingmeng explained.
The women found the idea exciting and exhilarating.
“What kind of commands can we give?”
“Anything! As long as it’s within reason. A bet is a bet, and the loser must follow through—no backing out!”
“Let’s get started! I can’t wait!”
Lin Qi’an coughed lightly, sensing a bad omen.
“Elder Sister, perhaps you should sit this one out. You’re a Taoist, and this isn’t exactly appropriate for you.”
“Why should I listen to you? Taoists have far fewer restrictions than you think!” Lin Liuli retorted defiantly.
Unable to dissuade her, Lin Qi’an could only sigh and let her join.
The dice rolling began, and everyone took their turns.
Zhao Qingmeng rolled the highest—a six, six, and five. Zhao Yunji, however, rolled an abysmal total of four, putting her at the bottom.
Having lost in the very first round, Zhao Yunji was almost fuming. But with the rule prohibiting the use of spiritual energy, she had no way to change her fate.
The others, curious and eager to see how the dignified Zhao Yunji would handle this, became quiet spectators, watching with anticipation.
“Elder Sister, what a coincidence!” Zhao Qingmeng smirked.
“Now, will you choose truth or dare?”
Zhao Yunji hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth. “Truth.”
She felt that answering a question would be easier than performing some embarrassing dare. Speaking the truth shouldn’t be too hard, right?
Lin Qi’an knew immediately that she was doomed. Falling into the hands of Zhao Qingmeng—the mischievous little fox—meant there was no way out.
“Alright then, Elder Sister, remember you must tell the truth and nothing but the truth!”
“My question is: After you broke off your engagement with Brother Lin, have you ever regretted it?”
Everyone: …
Zhao Yunji: …
Lin Qi’an: …
The question was so awkward it made everyone’s scalp tingle. They couldn’t even imagine how Zhao Yunji would respond. The women all held their breath, silently watching her.
Zhao Yunji took a deep breath, calming herself. After a moment of thought, she answered slowly, “I… have regretted it.”
“!!”
“?!”
The entire group was stunned.
No one expected the Princess Zhao Yunji to actually speak the truth! Given her personality, everyone assumed she’d coldly state that she didn’t regret breaking off the engagement.
This completely overturned the impression she’d left on the world! Even Zhao Qingmeng was momentarily stunned, clearly caught off guard.
Lin Qi’an, too, found it hard to believe. ‘This girl really told the truth? It’s just a game of Truth or Dare. If she lied, no one would even know… She’s too honest for her own good.’
“He’s such an outstanding man—rarely seen in this world. Talented, handsome, and unparalleled in potential. Tell me, who among us here wouldn’t feel a little moved?”
“Even my younger sister has become a clingy little kitten. Regretting the past isn’t anything extraordinary. It’s just human nature!” Zhao Yunji, in an impressive display of quick thinking, cleverly dragged everyone else into her response to mask her own embarrassment.
It was a move both strategic and graceful—completely within the game’s rules! Even Lin Qi’an, despite his shameless reputation, felt a bit flustered from all the praise.
Zhao Qingmeng had hoped to see Zhao Yunji humiliated but ended up being implicated herself. She sighed, deciding not to press further. Zhao Yunji had passed this round.
—
The next round began.
This time, Mo Shuiqiu rolled the highest, while Lu Miaoyin had the lowest score.
These two had a shared history: one was the Saintess of Yunmo, and the other, the Saintess of Qinglian. They were also both literary enthusiasts and close friends.
No one in the group expected a basic question like, “Who’s your crush?” After all, the answer was obvious—they all admired Lin Qi’an.
Mo Shuiqiu smiled mischievously and asked, “Miaoyin, what’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done with the Crown Prince?”
”The most embarrassing thing?”
The obvious answer was sharing a bed, and everyone found it uninteresting.
But Lu Miaoyin hesitated for a moment, her voice trembling as she shyly muttered, “It was… being brewed into tea for the Crown Prince.”
Everyone: ???
As everyone knew, Lu Miaoyin was a Camellia Spirit. Stunned, all eyes turned to Lin Qi’an with expressions ranging from disbelief to shock.
Lin Liuli’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment. “Lin Qi’an, you really are something, aren’t you?!”
“I never expected this! Your Highness, I’ve seriously underestimated you!” Su Xueni exclaimed.
“Tch, the Crown Prince’s tastes are unmatched,” another chimed in.
“Brother Lin, you’re incredible!” Zhao Qingmeng added.
“Lin Qi’an, you…” Zhao Yunji couldn’t even finish her sentence.
Ran Yuwei gasped. “Who would’ve thought? Aside from incubating eggs, His Highness does this kind of thing too!”
“Incubating eggs? Tell us more!”
“What’s this about egg incubation?”
“Spill it! We need to hear this!”
Lin Qi’an: ’Can we not? Why are you all trying to socially destroy me right now?’
Once he explained the egg incubation process in detail, everyone was left stunned.
“So Jiuying was brought into this world that way?”
“Sisters, the Crown Prince is truly something else!”
“He looks so proper on the surface, but underneath… wow.”
—
The final round began.
Lin Liuli rolled the lowest, while Su Xueni rolled the highest.
Lin Qi’an suddenly felt another sense of foreboding.
Su Xueni, despite her celestial appearance—like a flawless moon goddess—was someone whose thoughts were as devious as they came.
Lin Liuli, on the other hand, was genuinely innocent. There was no way she could outplay Su Xueni.
“Now, Elder Sister Lin, will you choose Truth or Dare?”
“D-Dare,” Lin Liuli stammered.
After hearing the invasive questions in the previous rounds, she chose dare, hoping to avoid any embarrassing questions about her personal life.
“Let me think,” Su Xueni said, lightly tapping her chin as if deep in thought.
“Alright, Elder Sister Lin, I dare you to choose one person here and kiss them on the forehead.”
While not overly outrageous, asking a dignified Taoist to kiss someone was undoubtedly mischievous. Still, with mostly women present, it wasn’t an impossible request.
The dare wasn’t excessive, but Lin Liuli hesitated for a long time, her gaze circling the group over and over.
The problem was that she wasn’t particularly close to any of them. Most were new acquaintances, with whom she’d only chatted briefly over tea.
The only one she felt familiar with… was Lin Qi’an.
She stood up.
Dressed in a simple black-and-white Taoist robe with her hair tied in a bun, her long, jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back.
She wore no makeup, yet her beauty was ethereal. As she walked slowly to Lin Qi’an, everyone stared with mouths agape.
“Close your eyes,” she commanded.
“Sister, you…”
“Shut up and do as I say!”
“…Fine.”
Everyone was stunned into silence.
Lin Liuli leaned down and gently kissed Lin Qi’an on the forehead.
‘It’s fine. I’m not really a Lin. We’re not blood-related,’ she reminded herself over and over in her heart.
The kiss was quick—a brief touch before she immediately pulled back.
“Sister, can I open my eyes now?” Lin Qi’an asked hesitantly.
“Never mind. I might as well kill you!” Lin Liuli fumed, her face flushed with embarrassment.
“What?! You kissed me, and now you’re mad at me?”
“…Shut up.”
—
The night, despite its twists and turns, brought the group closer together.
