Tongues did wag but strangely, Ruo Han didn’t throw a tantrum like how Shen Long thought he would. Instead, the man took everything in calmly even when he was told they had become mates in some sense thanks to emergency treatment.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to save you and the cultivation you worked so hard for. Sorry, I made the dragon’s vow without your consent, I’ll take full responsibility for everything. You will not be disgraced as an alpha, ever.”

For a long time, Ruo Han was silent as everything was still too much for him to take in. Sure, he felt something strange about his golden core and cultivation level ever since he woke up but to think that Shen Long would give him the dragon’s vow… didn’t he give it to his last bride? Wasn’t that why for the last eighty years nobody could contact him? Didn’t the dragon god fall from grace because of grief? The dragon’s vow was proof of true love. Ruo Han thought that Shen Long’s bride had been killed which plunged him into despair, explaining his behaviour.

“I don’t understand,” the cultivator frowned. “Even if you didn’t give the dragon’s vow to your last bride whom you loved so much, why would you give it to me? You don’t know me…”

Shen Long raised his brow. Did Ruo Han think that he still couldn’t remember anything? He’d have to correct that.

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked. “I remember it all now. We became soulbonds and I saw all of your memories when that happened although I have a few questions. Why didn’t you ever tell me that you had feelings for me for the last few centuries? How could you keep such a ridiculous promise to send me virgin brides with that sort of description every ten years? What were you thinking?”

Ruo Han didn’t know what to say. In fact, he was extremely lost. Wasn’t it Shen Long who wanted those virgin brides? The dragon god must have lived for too long that he no longer remembered the things of the past. With a disappointed sigh, Ruo Han shook his head tiredly.

“Forget it,” he said. “You must have remembered wrongly. I won’t become your burden as the mate of the dragon god. However, please don’t become too familiar with me. I don’t want to become somebody else’s replacement.”

Replacement? It was Shen Long’s turn to be confused. Why was Ruo Han saying the same thing as Ruo Yan? Who were these people thinking about? Why did everyone think that they were someone else’s replacement? This didn’t make sense. From Ruo Han’s memories when they established the soulbond, Shen Long found out about the cultivator’s secret feelings for him ever since the time they spent together as teacher and student. Shen Long unknowingly became Ruo Han’s new meaning of life and the dragon god was flattered. However, the cultivator didn’t make those feelings known or obvious because he didn’t want to become the dragon god’s burden but Shen Long didn’t understand that until now.

“I think it is you who misunderstood something,” he told the other alpha. “You’re not a replacement for anyone. The one I’ve always liked was you.”

Ruo Han didn’t buy it immediately. He still had many doubts. “But the bride that you loved… the loss of communication for eighty years… your attitude when you entered the Academy…?”

Shen Long sighed. “Seeing as you find it hard to believe my words, would you believe me if I showed you the truth about what happened? We’re soulbonds, there should be no secrets between us. Not memories and certainly not feelings.”

His resolution and sincerity made Ruo Han falter. For the longest time, he kept his feelings for his god under wraps. Ruo Han was more than content being needed by Shen Long in any way possible. If Shen Long wanted him to start a sect in his name to spread his teachings, Ruo Han would make it the best sect on Earth. If Shen Long desired a virgin bride of certain standards every ten years, Ruo Han would do his best to raise the best batch of potential brides for Shen Long to choose from. It didn’t matter how many sacrifices he had to make, as long as he was still of use to Shen Long, that was Ruo Han’s happiness. His name was given by Shen Long, his entire being belonged to the dragon god. If his god fell, Ruo Han was determined to follow after him and attempt to stop his corruption even at the cost of his life.

Ruo Han asked for nothing in return through all his years of devotion. He never wanted his feelings to become Shen Long’s shackles. His god was powerful and free-spirited. He looked the most handsome when he was flying in the sky, unbridled. His smile and boisterous laughter gave Ruo Han strength to continue fulfilling his duty. Ruo Han always prayed for Shen Long’s happiness even if that person wasn’t him. He had long accepted the bittersweet reality that his love was unrequited.

Now that Shen Long was claiming otherwise, the alpha dared not breath. Should he squash that tiny flame of hope in his chest before it burned everything down or should he give it a chance to see what Shen Long wanted him to see? Was he ready for the truth and yet another heartbreak? Was he strong enough for this?

Shen Long noticed Ruo Han’s hesitation and sighed. He should have known that it wouldn’t be this simple. Ruo Han was like an iceberg, difficult to understand and impossible to read.

“You’re not anybody’s replacement, that’s the truth. I saw your memories… during that time when I told you I liked brides who are male virgins who have mild tempers but aren’t weak and are intelligent enough to hold conversations, I was just teasing you. The last bride you sent me really shocked me. Ruo yan looked almost exactly like you and it has really been a long time since I last saw you so I mistook him for you. It was why he put a curse on me, he was hurt that throughout his time spent with me, I never once called his name correctly. You aren’t his replacement. In fact, I wronged him badly by treating him as you.”

Ruo Han’s breath hitched in his throat and Shen Long held out his hand. “Do you trust me? I want you to know the full story. I’m not the monster I became when I first came into the Academy. I’ve really recovered my memories this time and I don’t regret giving you the dragon’s vow.”

Uncertain but willing to place his trust in his god again, Ruo Han took Shen Long’s hand and viewed Shen Long’s memories for the last hundred years. He held on even if his head felt like it was going to split into two. He recognised Ruo Yan in Shen Long’s memory and watched as his disciple twisted Shen Long’s mind, eventually turning him into the heartless monster that almost killed Ringo. Ruo Yan’s curse and influence to hate omegas and potential bride candidates made Shen Long behave very differently. The dragon god’s lack of memories also made him do a lot of things that he now felt remorseful over.

Even after viewing all of Shen Long’s memories, the pain didn’t stop and Ruo Han had to control his facial expressions tightly so that they didn’t show. His head throbbed and the cultivator tried to meditate it away. Shen Long really wasn’t lying. They’d become soulbonds by chance and it wasn’t a forced decision. The dragon god really did want to give the vow to him even if it was very delayed. The process of falling for Ruo Han wasn’t immediate but Ruo Han didn’t know if he should be ashamed about the stories that his disciples told Shen Long.

“Do you believe me now? It’s not a whim. I’d grown to like you a lot before I know it and I’m sorry you had to suffer so much. However, I promise you that from now on, I won’t let you suffer alone. I’ll make it up to you. Anything that you want, I will do my best to get it. Leave your sect when we graduate and don’t send any more brides. We’ll travel the world and create good karma together.”

Ruo Han didn’t turn that idea down. Travelling the world with a cultivation partner is the greatest romance for every cultivator.

“I believe you,” he smiled and the dragon god beamed. Then, Ruo Han pulled him down onto his bed. “Why don’t we go for a trial run? As dual cultivators, shouldn’t it be obvious what happens in the bedroom?”

Shen Long blinked. It took a while for his brain to make the connection and when he did, there was a toothy grin on his face. “Understood. You’re still recovering, I’ll do all the work today. Good thing we have special reasons to skip class. I like how your pretty little mind works. This will help you regain your strength faster, I should have thought about it.”

Ruo Han wanted to roll his eyes at the bad flirting but he decided to use that time and get rid of their clothes instead. It was obvious that Shen Long was the one who dressed him while he was unconscious because the sash of his robe was tied messily. Thankfully, there was no need to redo it and the knot came undone easily.

The change in view made Ruo Han blush. His god had a great body. Those muscles were proof of his power and the scars were reminders that Shen Long prevailed and lived through thousands of battles to talk about them. Yet, when a powerful man like him straddled someone else to prepare themselves behind, nothing could be more arousing.

The cultivator watched as Shen Long’s impressive manhood came to life. He might be feeling weak and was still recovering from the damage done to his golden core and meridians but Ruo Han wasn’t one to remain passive in the bedroom. There was still one thing he was curious about. Would Shen Long remember what they were about to do once it was over? The last few times they did it, the dragon god wasn’t in his regular state of mind thanks to the curse.

“Are we going all the way?” he asked nervously, interrupting Shen Long who already worked up a light sheen of sweat.

“I’ve cleaned out my behind,” Shen Long grunted and half-moaned when his fingers reached deeper. “It would be a waste not to go all the way. Besides, it’s more effective to cultivate together when we’re connected.”

Ruo Han couldn’t deny it. However, he wasn’t too sure about it. “What if you transform again? Your eyes… they turn purple when you lose it.”

Shen Long grinned and kissed his lover. “I won’t lose it this time. The curse is no longer affecting me. Even if it turns purple, it would only mean that I’m reverting to my dragon form. This transformation won’t hold very well if you make me feel good.”

Ruo Han didn’t need to be told twice. His goal would be to make Shen Long lose it completely tonight to the point of being unable to retain his transformation.

“Have you ever received it from the back?” he rasped and felt the hot weight slick in his hand. Shen Long gasped when Ruo Han increased his pace and let his head drop on his lover’s shoulder.

“N-no… you’re the first and the last.”

His answer made Ruo Han’s heart squeeze with too much happiness. “You don’t want to switch? It must be difficult for you as an alpha to receive. Compared to you, I’m more feminine, maybe it’s easier for-”

Shen Long shook his head. “No! It doesn’t matter to me. For you, I can leave my pride aside. Tonight I just want to make you feel good. If you really want to bottom, we can do it another time but tonight, just stay there and enjoy the ride.”

Hearing the dragon god’s reply, Shen Long felt slightly guilty about the times he did those things to Shen Long when the dragon god was out of it.

“Hey,” Shen Long gasped when Ruo Han’s hand stopped midway just when he was very close. His lover appeared distracted so he used a hand to bring Ruo Han’s chin up so that their eyes met.

“What are you thinking about when I’m fired up and ready to go?”

Brought back to reality, Ruo Han felt guilty. “I’m sorry about all those times when I took advantage of you. I really shouldn’t have… I don’t deserve this. Maybe you should really let me bottom tonight, that way we can-”

Shen Long kissed him feverishly and nipped him on the bottom lip hard enough to draw blood as they parted. His eyes shone brilliantly and Ruo Han felt his throat dry. The guilt in him welled up enough to make him soften but Shen Long’s next words were like a cooling salve to his burns.

“Two wrongs don’t make a right. I did many bad things too so let’s call it even and forgive each other. Tonight, we start fresh, alright? Don’t go soft on me right now. It’s difficult to stretch myself out and you’re not small either.”

[Smut scene was cut here and made available only to pa+reons for USD1 per month. The total length of this chapter is 3.5k words. Kindly support me as the creator for value-added content. No amount of complaining will make me publish it for free because the smut scene will not affect the story-telling. Unreasonable insults to the author without justified reasons will also not be tolerated and will be reported. Thank you for the support and if you're alright with regular content, please continue enjoying the rest of Time Cross Academy.]

Coming down from the intense first round, Ruo Han fell to his side as he pulled out, completely spent. Shen Long twitched on the bed beside him and found his way to Ruo Han’s side, bringing the exhausted cultivator into his embrace as they panted for oxygen in between slow and sloppy kisses.

Slowly, they came down from the mind-blowing high and spent some time simply looking at each other’s eyes and studying each other’s faces seriously for the first time. Ruo Han smiled. This man was really his now.

While Ruo Han basked in the happiness of their relationship, Shen Long had other worries and a small frown made its way onto his face. Ruo Han who was observing him noticed that right away.

“What’s wrong?”

Shen Long averted his eyes. “I just realised how many bad things I’d done ever since I entered the academy. That vampire-exorcist is a friend of yours, isn’t he? I almost killed him back then.”

Ruo Han wrapped his other arm around Shen Long who was silently reflecting on his actions and regretting it.

“It wasn’t you,” he told the dragon god spirit. “The curse affected your mind and if it really bothers you, we can look for all the people you’ve done wrong to and apologise together. I’ll be there with you.”

Shen Long nodded and yawned. Ruo Han smiled. “Go to sleep, we can think about it together later.”

Unable to reject the idea, Shen Long quickly slept and the cultivator allowed himself to rest for a little longer before he got up. He would send Michael and Ringo a text to explain the situation and arrange a meeting after he bathed them and cleaned the place. But before that, Amanda should know about the new change in their relationship. Even if they became lovers, he was still Shen Long’s custodian appointed by the principal.

Author’s Note: Special Switch bedroom scene coming soon on Patreon for USD1 per month publishing on V-day 2021!