Under Elder Yu Yan’s gesture, Yan Zhen boarded the cabin of the small airship and took a seat in the back row.
Cousin Sister Yudie followed him, sitting down beside Yan Zhen. Then she stared at him silently without a word.
“Everyone buckle up. We’re taking off.”
Elder Yu Yan’s tone brimmed with excitement, as if she couldn’t wait to race at full throttle. Neither of the two in the back paid her any mind, though.
Stared at by Cousin Sister Yudie, Yan Zhen broke out in a bead of cold sweat.
“Senior Sister Yu Die, why are you staring at me like that?”
Cousin Sister Yudie crossed her arms over her chest and overlapped her legs with a humph.
“You should call me Cousin Sister, not Senior Sister. Penalty: say it again.”
Yan Zhen tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Cousin Sister.”
The short-haired girl, brimming with heroic spirit, looked thoroughly satisfied. She reached out and slung an arm over Yan Zhen’s shoulder in a classic bro move.
“Be honest with me. Were you and Little Long Ying the ones who snatched the Magma Ape Ore in the Yang Pole Secret Realm a couple days ago?”
Yan Zhen, of course, wasn’t about to admit it. He shook his head with an innocent expression.
“What Magma Ape Ore? I’ve been in cultivation the whole time. No idea.”
“It doesn’t matter if you deny it. I know it was you two…” Cousin Sister Yudie huffed. “You’ve got some guts, snatching loot from one of the Top Ten Societies. If anyone figures out it was you and Little Long Ying that day, she’ll be fine, but you’re done for.”
Yan Zhen played dumb.
“I’m a model student. Who’d dare bully me? Great-Aunt wouldn’t let them off the hook, right, Great-Aunt?”
Elder Yu Yan was lost in the joy of piloting and ignored him.
With a bang, the small airship shot forward. In mere moments, it reached the Outer Academy and came to an abrupt halt.
Cousin Sister Yudie was prepared for it, but Yan Zhen nearly flew out of the cabin. He rubbed his reddened nose from the impact, thinking to himself that the Great Elder seemed so steady and composed, yet she was a wild racer at heart.
Yan Zhen looked forward and saw that the airship had stopped in front of the top floor of Rain Heaven Pavilion. Soon, the long-unseen Dean Little Aunt and Mentor Aunt stepped in from their beauty leans and sat down across from Yan Zhen and Cousin Sister Yudie, with a table between them.
Yan Zhen blinked and greeted them politely.
“I’ve come to pay my respects, Little Aunt. And to you, Aunt.”
Dean Yu Qing huffed, looking all haughty and tsundere.
Grand Mentor Shui Bailan inclined her head slightly, her tone mild.
“You child—climbing onto the General Star List in just half a month. That’s quite the surprise. It seems Xuan’er’s judgment is spot on. No wonder even the Supreme indirectly approved of your relationship.”
“You’re too kind, Aunt,” Yan Zhen said humbly. “It was just luck.”
Dean Yu Qing sniped sarcastically.
“What’s with the smugness? You were just showing off with that weird Flame Sword Embryo!”
Yan Zhen chuckled coldly.
“That’s the Lifebound Sword Embryo I forged with Gold-Silver Fire. It’s not your run-of-the-mill Mystic Artifact. All in all, it’s my own power. Got a problem with that, Little Aunt?”
“You’re the one with the problem, you little brat!” Dean Yu Qing immediately caught the double meaning in his words and fired back. “Don’t call me Little Aunt! I’m not your Little Aunt!”
“Fine, I won’t call you that. Big deal.”
“What did you say!?”
“I say one, two, three, wooden man. Better move or you’ll lose points~”
Yan Zhen hummed the tune to himself. The lighthearted melody made Cousin Sister Yudie’s beautiful eyes light up. She thought it sounded great.
Dean Yu Qing’s blood pressure, however, skyrocketed. For some reason, seeing him pull that cheeky act with his innocent boyish face just got under her skin.
What irked her even more was that she couldn’t just smack him. And what irked her most was that even if she did try, she might not be able to teach him a lesson—thanks to that Extreme Flame Killing Move of his and the Spatial Secret Treasure he could use to escape!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. In all her years, from spoiled Eldest Miss to Outer Academy Dean, she’d never endured such grievances!
Grand Mentor Shui Bailan hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
“Come on, Yu Qing. You’re the elder here. Why get worked up over a kid?”
Dean Yu Qing jabbed a furious finger at Yan Zhen.
“This kid’s not cute at all! I don’t approve of his engagement to Xuan’er!”
Grand Mentor Shui Bailan was a bit speechless.
“They’re just dating right now. No one’s talking marriage yet.”
“Doesn’t matter. I don’t approve!”
“…”
Yan Zhen snorted disdainfully.
—So what if you don’t approve, Dean Little Aunt? Yu Shizun already gave the nod. No sweat~
“Little Qing, don’t talk nonsense,” Elder Yu Yan scolded from the pilot’s array disk, steering with one hand. “Little Yan Zhen, don’t bully your Little Aunt. Have some manners.”
“Who’s being bullied by him!” Dean Yu Qing’s face flushed red. “A puny little Six-Star Mystic Master like him? Even if I stood still and let him hit me, he couldn’t scratch me!”
Yan Zhen teased.
“Really? I don’t buy it. Wanna test it?”
“Test away! Who’s scared?”
“Come at me.”
“You come at me…”
They locked eyes in a stare-down.
Grand Mentor Shui Bailan and Cousin Sister Yudie, sitting beside the pair, could almost see a kitten and a puppy butting heads in a fierce standoff.
Grand Mentor Shui Bailan sighed softly, while Cousin Sister Yudie laughed.
“Little Aunt Qing and Cousin Brother-in-Law get along so well.”
Dean Yu Qing bristled at that and glared at Cousin Sister Yudie.
“You little brat, which eye of yours sees us getting along? I’ll dig it out and swap in a brighter one!”
Cousin Sister Yudie stuck out her tongue and stopped provoking the ill-tempered Dean Yu Qing.
Yan Zhen quieted down too, too lazy to keep bickering with Dean Little Aunt.
—Childish!
The cabin fell suddenly silent.
The airship sped through the clouds, trailing a streak of watery light across the sky.
Cousin Sister Yudie spoke up abruptly.
“Cousin Brother-in-Law, what was that song you were humming earlier? It sounded so good.”
Yan Zhen responded indifferently.
“Just something I made up. No clue what it’s called.”
“Liar. You know exactly what it is, but you don’t want to tell me, right?”
“…It’s called ‘One Two Three Wooden Man.'”
“No idea. Could you sing it again for me?”
“It’s a girl’s song. Not really for guys.”
Yan Zhen glanced at Cousin Sister Yudie, thinking she seemed bold and straightforward, a real tomboy at heart, but deep down she was all girl—loving pink and cute animals.
“I’ll sing you ‘Ji, You Are Too Beautiful’ instead.”
“Huh?”
“Ji, you are too beautiful, oh baby. Ji, you really are too beautiful, oh baby… The sight of you coming my way stirs me up… You’re mine, I’m yours—”
When he finished the song, Yan Zhen felt unsatisfied. The cramped cabin didn’t let him pair it with the killer dance moves, robbing it of its soul.
He looked around and saw Cousin Sister Yudie blushing furiously. Mentor Aunt and Dean Little Aunt stared at him with weird looks.
“Obscene!” Dean Little Aunt scolded. “Where did you learn such a shameless song!”
Even Mentor Aunt seemed displeased.
“Yan Zhen, don’t get too carried away.”
Cousin Sister Yudie, who had been fairly chummy with him before, quietly scooted her butt away, putting some distance between them. With a straight face, she said,
“Sorry, Cousin Brother-in-Law. You’re not my type.”
