The Sweetness of Misconception

Du Chen's gaze followed the sound, and he was momentarily stunned. It was Porter. Why was he here?

The husband recruitment event on Azurestone Isle was hosted by the Saint Dak family. Betty, driven by her past sisterly bond with Somiya, had come to assist. Consequently, Azurestone Isle was now jointly sealed off by the two great families, and no one could easily leave or enter until the event concluded.

Porter anxiously arrived at the pathway on the Azurestone Isle side of the cross-sea bridge, only to be immediately blocked by guards. He hastily tried to explain himself to them, yet his eyes were fixed on Du Chen, incessantly waving to catch his attention. He gasped out, "Francis, it's me, Porter!"

Seeing someone disrupt the proceedings, Somiya couldn't help but say with displeasure, "Francis, tell your friend to wait. You first need to explain things clearly to us..." Betty, standing nearby, suddenly tugged at her, signaling with her eyes for Somiya to rein in her impatience.

Then, Betty eyed Porter from a distance with a strangely discerning gaze. Indeed, she was an unparalleled Grandmaster of Spiritual Power from the Thunder Halberd family, a rare gem in her generation. She had personally informed Du Chen, while explaining Annie's memory issues, that the disparity in Spiritual Power between men and women was vast, making impersonation nearly impossible!

With her formidable Spiritual Power, Betty discerned something... and her thoughts drifted to certain peculiar circumstances.

Before, she had only heard Annie mention a classmate named Porter, but she had never met him. He lived a reclusive life, his whereabouts almost shrouded in mystery.

But now, recalling all the anecdotes Annie had shared about their study tour—such as Francis and Porter spending a night together in the ancient castle of The Undead, the two of them crossing a ravine hand-in-hand in the Misty Forest, and Du Chen's favorite action: punching Porter's chest...

In his previous life, Du Chen had been born into a gang, imbued with the concept of brotherhood and loyalty since childhood. Thus, for over a year, he had been exceptionally considerate towards Porter, whom he treated like a younger brother. In their interactions, he unconsciously displayed the casual irreverence and unrestrained familiarity he shared with his gang brethren in his past life... And all of this, through Annie, had reached Betty's ears.

Glancing at Porter, and considering all these circumstances, Betty suddenly turned, her eyes narrowed as she squinted at Du Chen, her gaze exceptionally peculiar. "Francis, is she your friend?"

Du Chen's attention was solely on Porter. He casually replied, "That's right! He's my good friend, Porter! We can discuss our matters later; Porter wouldn't come looking for me without good reason. Something big must have happened!"

Betty nodded, carefully pondering Du Chen's phrase "good friend, Porter" in her mind. She sighed, seemingly understanding something. "Somiya, let Porter in!" She gave a bewildered Somiya a knowing glance, then shook her head.

...

High in the sky, Deboning and Galas had soared above the clouds, locked in a ferocious battle that was entirely invisible to those below.

Galas, transforming into a Starlight Aura, trailed a long stellar tail across the night sky, resembling a comet spiraling through the firmament. Below them lay the clouds, and the silver moon, obscured by dark clouds, hung naturally high above. Yet, its light seemed to shrink from vying with Galas's starlight, flickering as if to avert its gaze.

Deboning, meanwhile, contained his battle qi, his entire form like a single point of cold radiance. He assailed the Starlight Aura from left and right, locked in an inseparable, deadly dance.

"Exhilarating! To encounter such a master, this journey has truly been worthwhile!" Galas roared with excitement.

Deboning wielded his steel hook without a word, yet the smile at the corner of his lips was hard to conceal. After battling for so long, both had a good grasp of the other's capabilities. A long time ago, Deboning had explained the world's experts to Du Chen: aside from the God-like figures of the Pontiff, the Dragon God, and Francis's Maternal Grandfather Byron-Gale – individuals who rarely made a move – Roland was the strongest in the current era. Flaying and the other four from the Five Peaks of Myriad Streams came next, followed by Tendon-Severing, Corpse Dissolution... and Deboning himself!

Back then, Deboning had just barely scraped into the top ten renowned experts in the world. Yet today, this suddenly appearing Galas, if he were to contend with those ten, would surely rank in the top five—and Deboning was still standing as his equal! It was clear that his recent, inexplicable surge in power had truly made him much stronger!

Aside from following his young master, he felt no different from before. It was conceivable that his sudden advancement in strength was undoubtedly linked to his young master! Haha, having followed his young master for just over a year, he had not only fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming the Grand Pontiff of the church, but his power had also advanced tremendously! Such was the case that, even without a Spiritual Contract, he would willingly serve his young master!

A surge of heroic pride welled in Deboning's heart at this thought. "Truly exhilarating! Again!"

The Starlight Aura and the Cold Radiance clashed once more!

But at that very moment, a dark crimson blade light, crimson as fresh blood and radiant as twilight, flashed without warning between the Starlight Aura and the Cold Radiance. The blade light quivered, parting the two fiercely battling combatants.

A figure silently materialized, entirely shrouded in a mist of black and crimson. Amidst the biting qi-gale at high altitude, only the faint rustle of a black robe was heard, flapping vigorously against the wind. "Deboning, what's going on?"

It was Flaying!

Deboning succinctly recounted what he had overheard while hidden within the Precious Lotus Scripture. After listening, a sinister laugh echoed from within Flaying's mist.

"Another master has arrived? Excellent!" Galas fixed his gaze on Flaying.

Stepping through the air, Flaying slowly advanced towards Galas. Suddenly, a ribbon of crimson light flashed from within the black and crimson mist. Galas, already on guard, met it with his Starlight Aura. With a clang, the crimson light dispersed, and the Starlight Aura retreated. On the surface, it seemed like a draw, but in truth... only the two of them knew the actual outcome.

"You are only fit to defeat Zigurd without his sacred artifact and Divine Pet by his side!" Flaying scoffed heavily. "The person you wish to see has already arrived. Will you go down and watch the spectacle, or wait here for me to flay you alive!?"

Galas's gaze lingered between the two of them, then he laughed heartily. "Two against one? Only a fool would stay! Haha, besides, I'm genuinely curious to see who Francis's beloved truly is!" With that, he swooped down through the clouds, unabashedly going to watch the spectacle.

Deboning let out a contented long whistle, then approached Flaying and asked curiously, "Where does the young master have a beloved? Who are you telling him to watch?"

The mist around Flaying dissipated, revealing Frith's countenance. He shrugged and chuckled eerily, "If there's no beloved, can't we simply invent one? Heh, sometimes, misunderstandings can be so delightful..."

He turned and flew away, a hint of urgency in his tone. "I have important matters to attend to. You keep an eye on this Galas, and make sure he doesn't cause any trouble!"

Deboning was taken aback, but Flaying had already flown far away.

...

On Azurestone Isle, under Somiya's gesture, the guards allowed Porter onto the island. Du Chen immediately rushed to meet him.

Seeing Porter breathless and in a hurried demeanor, Du Chen frowned slightly. He could imagine that whatever made a Three-Star Fighter break a sweat couldn't be simple; perhaps Porter had rushed here at top speed, expending all his battle qi.

Something or someone connected to both him and Porter... Could it be Porter's teacher, his own Aunt Sherine!?

Du Chen was greatly startled by his own thought!

"What's wrong?" Du Chen grasped Porter's arm, asking anxiously. This was a common action for someone in distress, but in Betty's eyes, it took on a different meaning. Damn it, they were in such constant physical proximity, yet neither felt unnatural about it—what did that mean!? Francis and Porter's relationship must be far from ordinary!

Porter, who had grown accustomed to Du Chen's physical familiarity over the past year, gasped, "Francis, Teacher Sherine coughed up blood and fainted! Beibei said only you can save her!"

It was indeed Aunt Sherine!

Du Chen grew gravely anxious. Grabbing Porter's hand, he went before Somiya and Betty. "Aunties, a human life hangs in the balance. I must go save her first; I will explain everything else another day!"

Without waiting for the two women's consent, he habitually punched Porter's chest with the back of his hand. "Let's go!" Like a streak of light, Du Chen sped towards the Battle God Isle library.

Porter chased close behind, but his power as a Three-Star Fighter was no match for a Five-Star Du Chen. "Wait for me! Teacher is in a secret chamber in the library; you won't find it without me leading the way!"

"Understood!" Du Chen, finding Porter too slow, circled back, grabbed Porter's hand, and with his battle qi circulating, the two sped off together!

The young masters on Azurestone Isle were baffled, but upon seeing Du Chen depart, they all collectively sighed in relief.

There was no helping it; Young Master Francis, with his golden hair and handsome appearance in white robes, simply standing on Azurestone Isle, put too much pressure on them!

Somiya, being reasonable, understood that human life was more important and did not prevent Du Chen from leaving. Yet, her face showed indignation as she called out, "Nephews, continue your contest!" Then, pulling Betty to a corner, she whispered, "Damn it, we'll go find him tomorrow and make him clarify who his beloved truly is... Betty, what's wrong?"

Betty lowered her head dejectedly and gave a wry smile. "No need to go find him. I understand now; Annie and Frinda truly have no chance!"

Somiya asked, puzzled, "What on earth are you talking about? What do you mean 'no chance'?"

"Did you see Porter just now? Annie mentioned that 'she' is Francis's good friend in the Student Council, and Francis always looks out for 'her', taking 'her' along for Student Council tasks to earn 'her' academic credits and capital! During their study tour, the two not only battled Aberrant Beasts together but even spent the night in the same room..."

"And what of it? That only proves the depth of their friendship!" Somiya grew even more confused.

Betty sighed. "Somiya, where's your cleverness from back then? If Porter were truly just an ordinary student, then 'her' relationship with Francis would merely be that of classmates and friends. But..." She whispered something into Somiya's ear. "Still don't understand? They even shared a bedroom once!"

Somiya was stunned for a moment. "You mean... you weren't mistaken!?"

"I truly wish I was mistaken! But in truth, aren't you aware of my Spiritual Power cultivation? Look at them, walking off hand-in-hand: Francis completely unconcerned, Porter utterly natural... Was it not the same when Frinda's father shook your hand? Like grasping your own left hand with your right!"

Somiya's face flushed slightly, and she whispered, "So, Porter is Francis's..."

Betty nodded. "Francis truly didn't lie. According to Annie, Porter is merely a commoner – a vast disparity in status from Francis – but also highly knowledgeable and fond of reading. Although Porter has disguised 'her' appearance now, judging by 'her' skin and figure, 'her' looks must be exceptional... Now that I think about it, the person Francis described the other day was indeed Porter!"

Somiya also gave a wry smile. "So we were all wrong! Seeing Porter attend school in disguise, 'she' must have some unspeakable secret – this must be why Francis would rather be wrongly accused than reveal 'her'! Alas, we wronged Francis! But what about Frinda and Annie?"

"Enough, enough!" Betty waved her hand, as if utterly fatigued. "Francis has proven he has a beloved. With the standing of our two families, can we still shamelessly break up their engagement and force a marriage alliance? Besides, we just said that once Francis proved he truly had a beloved, we would never make things difficult for him! That was a guarantee made on the honor of our two families!"

The two women sighed repeatedly.

After a long while, Betty said, "I'll go explain everything to Annie. Sigh, you figure out how to deal with this mess here!"

Somiya frowned, a wry smile on her face. "What mess? These young masters are merely pawns... It seems my Frinda can only marry 'him' now!"

That 'him' was currently lurking in the distance, silently observing everything.

And Deboning was watching him – Galas!

"This Porter is..."

"Hmph, do I need to say more?" Deboning, following Flaying's instructions, answered Galas vaguely!

"Heh heh, Francis truly hid it well; even I was deceived!" Galas flicked his sleeve with an air of nonchalance, gazing towards the starry sky as the light around him gradually blossomed.

"Apologize to your young master on my behalf. Since he has a beloved, my words still stand: better to tear down ten temples than to break a single marriage... This predicament with Frinda, I shall resolve!"

Deboning stepped sideways, blocking Galas, who intended to leave.

"What? Still want to fight?" Galas's hands trembled, and starlight pulsed around him.

Deboning said coldly, "You think you can just leave like that!?"