Chapter 159: A Husband’s Secrets!

The following morning, Damian descended into the spacious lobby of his residence and immediately discovered three familiar beauties seated around a table.

Mu Qingyao and Shen Xueyi were conversing in hushed tones, occasionally exchanging glances that suggested their discussion concerned something rather private.

Ning Ruomei, meanwhile, sat opposite them with her chin resting against one hand, staring toward the courtyard with an expression of profound boredom.

Damian’s gaze briefly passed over the demonic cultivator before settling upon his two wives.

Interestingly, Ning Ruomei seemed considerably less attractive than he remembered.

Of course, the woman herself hadn’t changed in the slightest, and her exquisite appearance would undoubtedly continue attracting countless admirers throughout the Azure Water Sector.

However, Damian’s appreciation had diminished substantially, leaving him with little more than the recognition that an extremely troublesome prisoner happened to possess a beautiful face.

And Ning Ruomei noticed!

Her violet eyes followed his indifferent glance, and a sinking sensation developed within her chest as he passed her without the slightest hesitation.

Damn it!

She had already suspected something like this might happen when she saw Qingyao and Xueyi descending from the upper floor earlier that morning.

Both beauties had been walking with a certain awkwardness, occasionally slowing their steps and exchanging embarrassed looks.

Anyone with sufficient experience could understand what that meant.

The rice had been cooked!

Ning Ruomei had privately lamented that two of the Azure Water Sector’s most celebrated beauties had finally fallen into the clutches of that shameless man.

However, beneath her contempt lay a far more pressing concern about her own circumstances.

She was becoming less attractive to Damian!

Or rather, she was losing whatever influence her attractiveness might have possessed over him.

Ning Ruomei wasn’t foolish enough to believe that physical beauty made someone invincible, but she had spent enough time around powerful cultivators to understand its practical advantages.

Beautiful female prisoners were often treated differently from ordinary captives, especially when their captors entertained the possibility of eventually obtaining their affection.

And she was convinced that this distinction had contributed substantially to her continued survival.

’Heh!’

’This man can pretend it’s because those two foolish women convinced him to keep me alive, but would they have treated me so comfortably if I looked like some hideous old witch?’

In her opinion, an ugly enemy who had attempted Damian’s murder would probably have been executed long ago.

Yet here she was, seated in luxurious accommodations and personally supervised by two beautiful women rather than imprisoned in some miserable dungeon.

Ning Ruomei considered that sufficient evidence that her appearance continued providing a measure of protection, regardless of what Damian himself believed.

Unfortunately, such protection would become increasingly unreliable if he completely lost interest.

The young woman lowered her gaze, her mind racing as she considered how to recover the initiative.

She couldn’t afford to become someone Damian found entirely disposable!

......

"Good morning, my beautiful ladies! I trust you both slept wonderfully?" Damian greeted cheerfully, approaching the table with an appreciative smile.

Qingyao immediately turned toward him, her beautiful face brightening despite the faint embarrassment that appeared when their eyes met.

Xueyi offered a calmer greeting, although the small smile upon her lips made it obvious that she was equally pleased to see him.

Damian embraced Qingyao first, giving her a satisfying kiss before turning toward Xueyi and offering her the same affectionate treatment.

Neither woman resisted, although Qingyao’s cheeks grew noticeably red when she noticed their captive observing them from across the table.

"You’re rather energetic this morning, Husband," Qingyao remarked with an amused smile, settling back into her seat.

"Naturally! I’ve got two beautiful wives, a prosperous business and an entire cultivation world waiting for me to make my fortune. Why wouldn’t I be energetic?" Damian replied shamelessly, drawing a soft laugh from Qingyao.

He pulled a chair between them and settled down, accepting a cup of tea from Xueyi before briefly examining the room.

Ning Ruomei remained seated opposite them, her expression returning to its usual cold indifference.

However, Damian had no intention of allowing such a dangerous prisoner to overhear what he wanted to discuss.

He casually employed his Divine magic, a <escape><Glyph of Warding></escape> manifesting around Ning Ruomei’s position, its formation establishing an isolated prison that prevented sound from entering the enclosed space.

The demonic cultivator immediately looked toward the glowing boundary, her expression darkening as she recognized that Damian had deliberately excluded her from the conversation.

Damn it once more!

With that particular nuisance handled, Damian turned toward his wives.

"Alright, ladies, there’s something important we should discuss about our future household. You’ve both agreed to marry me, and after everything that happened yesterday, I think it’s time you learned considerably more about the man you’ve chosen," Damian announced, setting down his teacup.

The two beauties immediately became attentive.

However, neither appeared particularly surprised by his announcement, which reminded Damian of an interesting cultural difference he had gradually noticed between Shengyuan and Valoria.

Although both worlds possessed societies resembling different periods of Earth’s premodern history, their attitudes toward privacy and personal relationships were remarkably different.

Shengyuan was a world where personal strength often determined an individual’s position in society, and cultivation depended heavily upon secret techniques, inheritances and private opportunities.

Consequently, cultivators treated personal information as extraordinarily sensitive, with unauthorized inquiries into someone’s background or abilities frequently interpreted as hostile intentions.

Valoria was hardly some perfectly trusting paradise, but its society placed considerably greater emphasis upon cooperation, institutional accountability and interpersonal transparency.

Excessive secrecy could make someone appear suspicious, especially when that person intended to work closely with others.

The difference in the severity of the taboo was enormous!

Otherwise, Janet would never have dared spend so much time pestering Damian about his secrets while they were still merely traveling companions.

Yet Qingyao and Xueyi had behaved completely differently.

Despite everything Damian had accomplished, neither woman had seriously interrogated him about his origins, family lineage or mysterious abilities.

Even after agreeing to become his wives and beginning to plan a family with him, they had continued respecting those boundaries.

Damian appreciated their restraint, but he also believed that marriage deserved a greater degree of openness.

"First, you should know that I’m not originally from Shengyuan. In fact, I wasn’t even born in this world," Damian began, watching their expressions carefully.

Qingyao blinked, while Xueyi straightened slightly.

Damian smiled before continuing.

"My home was a planet called Earth, a world without cultivation sects or the kind of supernatural power you’re accustomed to. I was born into an ordinary family there, grew up like an ordinary child, and originally intended to become a mechanical engineer," he explained conversationally.

Naturally, that revelation immediately captured their interest.

The two women had encountered plenty of strange cultivation backgrounds, but the idea that their future husband had originated from an entirely separate world was considerably more extraordinary.

Nevertheless, both remained quiet, allowing Damian to explain his circumstances without interruption.

He began with his parents.

Paul Baines had worked as an HVAC technician, while Angela Baines had been a nursery school teacher. Their family had enjoyed a comfortable life during Damian’s childhood, with enough money for ordinary pleasures and enough affection that he had rarely felt deprived.

Unfortunately, everything changed when he was sixteen.

His mother suffered a devastating illness, with bacterial meningitis and complications from her existing sickle cell disease inflicting catastrophic damage upon her brain. Although the doctors managed to save her life, Angela never properly regained consciousness, leaving the family responsible for enormously expensive long-term medical care.

Qingyao’s expression gradually changed as Damian continued.

His father subsequently developed a mysterious terminal condition that caused portions of his body to freeze from within, eventually attracting the attention of military researchers. Paul ultimately agreed to surrender his remains for unrestricted research in exchange for financial support toward Angela’s medical expenses.

And then he died.

Damian explained how he had abandoned his engineering studies, accepted various temporary jobs and eventually spent years working in a warehouse to support himself while continuing to repay the family’s debts.

Finally, he described the accident.

"I’d already been injured at work, but the company offered additional overtime, and I needed the money. During another shift, I lost my footing while moving freight, struck my head and died on the warehouse floor," Damian concluded, his expression remaining remarkably calm.

The table fell silent.

Mu Qingyao stared at him with reddening eyes, her lips trembling slightly as she struggled to reconcile the cheerful man sitting beside her with the miserable life he had just described.

Then she abruptly leaned forward and embraced him.

"Oh, Husband! You’ve suffered so much..." Qingyao murmured sorrowfully, drawing Damian’s head against her generous chest and holding him with almost maternal tenderness.

Damian blinked in surprise, finding himself suddenly surrounded by warmth and the familiar fragrance of his Evergreen beauty.

Across the table, Shen Xueyi’s expression had become extraordinarily cold.

"Those people who exploited your circumstances deserve punishment. If we ever encounter them, Husband, I will personally ensure that they receive appropriate retribution," Xueyi declared firmly, her eyes shining with unmistakable anger.

Damian almost laughed.

That was practically the same reaction Paulina had displayed when he first revealed his history to the Four Valkyries!

Fortunately, he’d learned something from that earlier conversation.

Rather than dismissing their feelings or immediately attempting to turn everything into a joke, he allowed Qingyao to embrace him while acknowledging Xueyi’s concern.

"Thank you, both of you. I won’t pretend those years were pleasant, and I appreciate that you’re angry on my behalf," Damian replied sincerely, gently squeezing Qingyao’s hand.

"But I’m here now, and I have opportunities I never imagined possessing back on Earth."

Qingyao reluctantly released him, wiping the corners of her eyes before settling beside him again.

Xueyi nodded, although her expression suggested that the unfortunate executives of Apex Meridian Logistics had acquired another dangerous enemy without even knowing it.

Damian then moved to the truly extraordinary part of his explanation.

His ability to travel between worlds!

......

"I didn’t remain dead. Somehow, I arrived in Valoria, another world with Mana, Classes, Skills and an entirely different method of supernatural advancement," Damian explained, raising one finger.

"And shortly afterward, I awakened a special ability that allows me to travel between Valoria and Shengyuan."

Qingyao’s eyes widened while Xueyi’s reaction was considerably more dramatic, her usual composure momentarily disappearing as she looked toward Damian with unmistakable astonishment.

"Two worlds? Husband, are you saying that you can freely travel between Shengyuan and another complete world?" Xueyi questioned, leaning forward with intense interest.

"Exactly! It’s how I obtain many of the unusual products I’ve been selling, and why my abilities don’t always resemble conventional Daoist Arts," Damian confirmed, clearly enjoying their reactions.

He proceeded to explain Valoria’s supernatural structure, describing the relationship between Mana, Classes, Skills and the Overworld System.

Unlike Shengyuan’s cultivation traditions, Valorian advancement involved gaining Levels and developing abilities through an externally recognized progression framework.

And Damian could benefit from both methods!

Naturally, that alone was enough to leave the two cultivators astonished.

However, he hadn’t finished.

He explained his unusual talent for acquiring and mastering different abilities, his access to powerful forms of magical and Divine spellcasting, and the extraordinary advantages he possessed when learning and improving Skills.

Then came his ability to process, combine and improve materials and equipment through supernatural means.

Damian also described how some of the equipment he created could continue developing through meaningful use, allowing him to gradually improve personally crafted treasures rather than constantly replacing them.

He avoided revealing the existence and detailed workings of the Dual Realm Exchange System itself, just as he had when explaining his circumstances to the Four Valkyries.

Nevertheless, he provided enough information for Qingyao and Xueyi to understand the practical scope of his extraordinary capabilities.

Each revelation seemed to strike the two women harder than the previous one.

What kind of absurd person could cultivate through Shengyuan’s traditional methods while simultaneously acquiring power through an entirely separate world’s advancement system?

And what kind of inheritance allowed someone to accomplish so many seemingly impossible things without suffering the limitations that ordinary cultivators considered unavoidable?

By the time Damian finished, both beauties had fallen completely silent.

Qingyao stared into her teacup, her earlier excitement gradually disappearing beneath an expression Damian found difficult to interpret.

Xueyi looked equally thoughtful, occasionally glancing toward Qingyao as though attempting to confirm something without speaking aloud.

Damian raised an eyebrow.

Huh?

That wasn’t quite the reaction he expected!

After revealing his secrets to the Four Valkyries, he had received a mixture of astonishment, enthusiasm and numerous questions about the practical benefits of his abilities.

Naturally, he hadn’t expected Qingyao and Xueyi to react identically, but their sudden silence was rather peculiar.

Shouldn’t they be delighted?

Their future husband possessed extraordinary potential, tremendous resources and opportunities that could eventually benefit their entire family!

Instead, both women looked increasingly troubled.

"Alright, what’s going on? You two look as though I’ve just announced that the heavens are about to collapse," Damian asked, studying their expressions with growing curiosity.

Qingyao lowered her gaze.

Xueyi, however, looked directly into his eyes.

"Husband, if you want, you can terminate the marriage arrangements. We can remain your mistresses instead," Shen Xueyi stated calmly, although there was an unmistakable heaviness beneath her voice.

Damian froze.

What?!

Had he heard that correctly?

He turned toward Qingyao, expecting her to immediately protest such an outrageous suggestion. However, the Evergreen beauty merely looked at him with a sorrowful expression before slowly nodding.

Damian’s astonishment gradually gave way to understanding.

Oh, you two...

They felt inadequate!

The realization struck him almost immediately, especially when he considered how extraordinary his revelations must have sounded from their perspective.

Previously, Damian had already represented an almost impossibly desirable marriage candidate.

He was handsome, talented, wealthy and capable of performing feats that even Foundation Establishment cultivators struggled to understand.

Moreover, he had personally rescued their families, strengthened their sects and demonstrated tremendous potential for future advancement.

That alone made him a peerless catch by the standards of the Azure Water Sector.

But now?

Now they understood that even those extraordinary accomplishments represented only a small fraction of what he could eventually achieve!

Damian wasn’t merely some talented young cultivator who happened to possess an unusual inheritance.

He could travel between worlds, cultivate through different supernatural systems and accumulate resources whose value could overturn the balance between entire organizations.

The possibilities were almost limitless!

And what were Mu Qingyao and Shen Xueyi compared to that?

Two beautiful women from relatively ordinary Foundation Establishment sects, whose individual cultivation talents, while impressive locally, hardly represented anything extraordinary when measured against the wider cultivation world.

Even their beauty, once considered sufficient to make them famous throughout the Azure Water Sector, suddenly seemed insignificant beside the unimaginable opportunities available to Damian.

They no longer felt as though they had secured an exceptional husband.

They felt as though they were attempting to monopolize a treasure whose value exceeded their qualifications by an absurd margin!

Damian understood the problem, and his expression became increasingly serious.

There were several obvious ways he could respond.

He could gently embrace them, reassure them that their cultivation and backgrounds meant nothing to him, and promise that he would always treasure them regardless of how powerful he became.

Alternatively, he could adopt a sterner approach, reprimanding them for doubting his affection and insisting that they should never question their position within his household again.

Both approaches possessed their merits.

And both might even work!

At least temporarily.

The problem was that neither response would necessarily address the insecurity that had already begun taking root within their hearts.

A few affectionate words could make them feel better today, while a stern declaration might convince them that Damian genuinely intended to honor their marriage arrangements.

However, the underlying comparison would remain, quietly resurfacing whenever they encountered someone more powerful, more beautiful or more influential.

And as Damian continued advancing, those comparisons would only become more severe.

Today, they were worried about their suitability as the wives of an extraordinary Qi Condensation cultivator.

What would happen when he reached Foundation Establishment?

Golden Core?

Nascent Soul?!

Would they spend their entire lives measuring themselves against his achievements, slowly convincing themselves that they had become increasingly unworthy of standing beside him?

Damian’s expression darkened.

In an ordinary relationship, such insecurities could gradually undermine affection and trust, creating resentment even where none had previously existed.

But this was Shengyuan!

Here, unresolved emotional conflicts could interfere with cultivation, destabilize someone’s Dao Heart and eventually develop into something cultivators genuinely feared.

A Heart Demon!

Damian looked between Qingyao and Xueyi, recognizing that their current state was far more dangerous than a momentary lack of confidence.

He couldn’t afford to mishandle this.

Not when the consequences might follow them throughout their entire cultivation journeys!

Damn it, I need to resolve this properly, and fast!