Having been lavishly praised by System-chan the night before last, Yan Zhen had gotten a bit carried away. Faced with the temptation of his two beautiful cousins, he offered no resistance and fully indulged in their joint ministrations. He even ignored the system’s gentle reminder, brushing it off with a cheeky quip.
When he woke the next morning, Yan Zhen opened his eyes to a vision filled with red system warning interfaces. It startled him so badly that he nearly shot out of bed.
【Ding! System stern warning: Due to the host’s excessive indulgence in desire, the persona has deviated from the script and is in a highly dangerous state.】
【Please awaken in time, host. Properly play the protagonist role and maintain the corresponding persona.】
【Protagonist’s current persona: Ruthless yet righteous, abstinent but brimming with passion, harboring a deep obsession with growing stronger, single-mindedly pursuing power.】
【Host’s performed persona: Affectionate yet righteous, wavering amid desires, with a moderate obsession for growing stronger, single-mindedly completing tasks.】
【Persona completion: 69%】
—Holy crap! He woke up to find the world nearly collapsing! That was way too terrifying!
Yan Zhen’s face didn’t look too good.
【Ding! System friendly reminder: The host can perfect the persona by showing off and slapping faces, or through cultivation breakthroughs, raising the completion to over 90%.】
—Got it, System-chan. I’ll get right on it.
【Please do your best, host. Strive to complete all key plotlines soon, become the strongest in the world, bear this realm’s heavenly mandate, and save all beings from peril. Heart hands and a kiss~】
The system’s kiss had leveled up, suggesting it was still quite satisfied with his previous performance. The warning must have been because he’d gone way overboard last night.
Yan Zhen glanced to either side at Yan Meng’er and Yan Ruyu, who still slept in blissful disarray beside him. Like him, the two women were completely naked. The thin blanket covering them failed to hide their alluring curves—full where they should be, pert where they ought to be. Their bare shoulders and collarbones gleamed with exquisite, sensual beauty.
Both his arms were lightly embraced by them, sunk into deep, snowy cleavage. The sensation was warm and plush, and he could even feel their heartbeats and breaths.
A pressure weighed on his lower body too. Meng’er and Cousin Ruyu each had one beautiful leg draped over his, their six dainty feet peeking out from under the covers.
It was as if they’d tacitly agreed to split him down the middle, leaving him unable to move even after waking.
—So this is what it feels like to wake up with two people beside you.
Though the Snow Wind Pearl kept the room filled with chilly air, it was peak summer. Clinging so tightly still felt a bit stuffy.
And under such stimulation, Yan Zhen felt himself stirring with energy once more.
Yesterday afternoon, Mentor Yu Xuan had forcibly activated sage power for him once. Last night, he’d triggered another round at 1+3x potency. By all rights, his legs should be jelly today. Yet after a single night’s sleep, he felt inexplicably ready to go again.
Was this some hidden protagonist trait? His recovery had always been impressive.
But right now, that trait was a hindrance. He couldn’t afford to indulge in worldly pleasures again.
Dull light filtered through the window; dawn had broken outside.
Yan Zhen carefully extracted his arms from their embrace, then shifted their legs aside. Despite his gentle movements, he still woke Yan Meng’er and Yan Ruyu.
With a soft whimper, the two women opened their eyes in succession. Their long lashes fluttered like butterfly wings, their gazes still hazy with sleep.
“Morning, Cousin~”
Yan Meng’er let out a tiny yawn, mumbling drowsily as her small hand rubbed at the corner of her eye.
Yan Zhen found her utterly adorable and smiled. “Morning, Meng’er.”
He turned to the other side. “Morning, Cousin Ruyu.”
Yan Ruyu buried her face in the pillow, her cheeks flushed a vivid pink. She mumbled a muffled “Morning.”
She’d been so enthusiastic during the act, but now she was all shy.
It made Yan Zhen want to tease her just to see her reaction. But he knew his cousin was thin-skinned; pushing too far might make her lash out in embarrassment. Better not.
“Time to get up, you two.”
Yan Ruyu didn’t dare rise, saying shyly, “You go first. I’ll lie here a bit longer.”
“I wanna snooze more too~”
Yan Meng’er flopped over like a dead fish, facing upward as her eyelids slowly drooped shut.
The girl wasn’t usually one to dawdle in bed, but last night she’d pushed herself too hard to make sure Yan Zhen was fully satisfied.
“Lazybones.”
Yan Zhen shook his head, circulated the Qi Vortex Technique, and drew the scattered clothes on the floor into his hand. He picked out his boxer shorts, slipped them on, then got out of bed. He opened the wardrobe, changed into his Mystic Academy uniform, freshened up simply, and headed to the courtyard.
Through the window, he saw Mentor Yu Xuan bustling in the kitchen. Water Mystic force flowed around her, swiftly processing ingredients.
Cooking was both a hobby and a cultivation method for Mentor Yu Xuan.
It was quite similar to pill refining. Through years of practice, even without awakened spiritual power, she’d honed her mystic power control to a finesse surpassing her peers among mystic cultivators.
She could wield her mystic power freely, shaping arrows of varying power and form on a whim to suit any foe.
Breakfast wouldn’t be ready anytime soon. Yan Zhen thought for a moment, then leaped onto the roof to sit in meditation and breathe.
The early morning was key to the day.
For mystic cultivators, the world’s spiritual energy was most vibrant at dawn, making breathing exercises twice as effective then.
After one cycle of meditation, Yan Zhen descended from the roof and entered the dining hall.
The seating at the table had changed.
Yan Meng’er and Yan Ruyu had moved to his sides, flanking him left and right. Across from them sat only Mi Xue’er.
The atmosphere was profoundly awkward, growing even stranger with Yan Zhen’s arrival.
“Morning, Senior Sister Xue’er, Senior Sister Xinyan.”
At his greeting, both women fixed him with eerie stares, as if to say they weren’t feeling great at all.
“You’re up early, Little Brother Yan Zhen. I figured you’d sleep till the sun scorched your butt.”
“Sunk in lust.”
Their words left Yan Zhen awkwardly embarrassed. He gave a sheepish grin and took his seat.
Yan Meng’er immediately snuggled up to him, whispering secrets.
Mi Xue’er and Xiao Xinyan’s expressions soured further.
Thankfully, Mentor Yu Xuan emerged right then with breakfast—one bowl of cool noodles per person, except for Yan Zhen.
He blinked, whining plaintively, “Mentor, where’s my breakfast?”
Mentor Yu Xuan turned back to the kitchen and hauled out a clay pot. “No breakfast for you today. Drink this soup instead. Finish the whole pot and all the solid bits.”
She lifted the lid, releasing a rich aroma of medicinal herbs and meat that set everyone’s mouths watering.
Mi Xue’er suddenly found her cool noodles unappetizing. “Mentor, what soup did you make for Little Brother Yan Zhen? I want some too.”
Xiao Xinyan asked curiously, “It smells like you added a ton of tonic herbs. Why make him drink this?”
Mentor Yu Xuan’s lips quirked up. “It’s a kidney-tonifying, yang-fortifying broth.”
Kidney-tonifying, yang-fortifying? The four women instantly grasped her implication. Blushes bloomed on their cheeks, none more so than Yan Meng’er and Yan Ruyu, who were mortified.
Yan Zhen, the culprit, nearly blacked out. He wished he could claw a three-bedroom apartment right there to hide in and hang a sign:
Socially dead. Don’t disturb.
