A copper hotpot fueled by glowing charcoal sat on the stone table, its clear broth bubbling vigorously and sending up clouds of steam. Around it were platters of meat and vegetables, with two dipping sauce dishes per person—one spicy, one mild.
Yan Zhen picked up a slice of beautifully marbled snowflower beef and swished it through the rolling boil. He dipped it generously into the sesame sauce, then popped it into his mouth.
The rich aroma of sesame hit his taste buds first. With a single chew, the beef’s tender juices and savory fat burst forth, blending perfectly with the sauce in a flavor so mind-blowingly delicious it was off the charts!
Big mouthfuls of meat—now that’s the life!
Yan Zhen reached for another piece, but he noticed Long Ying beside him. She gripped a pair of chopsticks in her tiny hands, delicately trying to spear a chunk of meat from the platter—only for it to slip and plop sadly back into the pot midway.
“Aww, nooo…”
The Loli Dragon Girl pouted unhappily, as if the meat had personally wronged her.
Right—she didn’t know how to use chopsticks. As a dragon of the Dragon Clan, she didn’t eat rice or noodles. Her diet was all meat, big hunks she could grab with her hands.
This girl just wasn’t cut out for hotpot. String-skewered spicy chicken would suit her better.
“Yan Zhen Zhen…”
Long Ying gazed at him pitifully. Without hesitation, Yan Zhen fished out the offending piece and dropped it into the dipping sauce dish in front of her.
“Here you go.”
A smile bloomed on Long Ying’s face. She speared the meat with her chopsticks and devoured it in one big “ahh~”, chewing with vengeful gusto as if getting her revenge.
Yan Zhen couldn’t help but smile.
“What do you want to eat? I’ll dip it for you.”
“I want… cough cough… I am of the Dragon Clan. I like meat.”
With all the delicious food right there, Long Ying had nearly forgotten her elegance. She quickly switched to the refined tone befitting a lady dragon.
Yan Zhen didn’t mind. While dipping meat for himself, he prepared an extra portion for Long Ying.
“Eat up.”
“Thank you, Yan Zhen Zhen~”
Huangfu Wenqing glanced at Long Ying, wondering if the little girl was faking her clumsiness just to get Yan Zhen to feed her.
She knew full well this wasn’t a real child. Soon enough, she’d shift back to her original bombshell form—with assets even bigger than her own.
Ji Ya eyed Long Ying too. In her previous life, she’d known this silly dragon girl sister had a crush on Little Brother Yan Zhen. The signs were already there.
But the Long Ying before her didn’t quite match her memories. To be precise, she was far too quiet, almost like she’d grown up.
Grown up… A spark of insight flashed through Ji Ya’s mind. Could she be a reincarnator too?
After all, Yi Xian’er was precedent enough. It wasn’t hard for Ji Ya to jump to that conclusion.
If Long Ying was a reincarnator, it all made sense.
Not just her, but this Huangfu Wenqing who’d skipped the engagement divorce.
If she was a reincarnator, that explained not breaking off the engagement. In the previous life, Huangfu Wenqing had ended up liking Little Brother Yan Zhen later on anyway.
Ji Ya recalled that at Little Brother Yan Zhen’s grand wedding, Yun Xiu and Huangfu Wenqing—Holy Lord and Saintess of Evergreen Holy Land—had both attended. The looks in their eyes back then had been all too telling, like a master and disciple pair with the same crush.
Ji Ya snuck another peek at Huangfu Wenqing, growing even more convinced of her hunch.
But here’s the problem: she herself had reincarnated, Xian’er had, Long Ying had, and now even Huangfu Wenqing? Wasn’t that too suspicious? What about the other women? Like her two junior sisters, or Yun Xiu? Or even the late Jiuyou sister?
Little Brother Yan Zhen’s cousin sisters might be too… Could it be that every girl who’d fallen for him had reincarnated?
No, that couldn’t be right—the scope would be way too broad.
Yan Zhen was so outstanding; plenty of girls had liked him. They couldn’t all have reincarnated.
The more she thought, the harder it was to stay calm. Her chopsticks fell still.
“Sister Ji Ya, how come you’re not eating? Doesn’t it suit your taste?”
Hearing Yan Zhen’s voice snapped Ji Ya back to reality. She fell into her habitual teasing.
“Actually, Sister doesn’t really know how to use chopsticks either~”
Yan Zhen’s eyes lit up at once. Here we go—Good Big Sister’s seductive charm was kicking in.
He snuck a glance at his fiancée and saw her eyes sharpen. He immediately played along.
“Then let me dip some meat for you too, Sister Ji Ya—what would you like?”
Ji Ya blinked, her heart warming at how openly affectionate he was being in front of his fiancée. She didn’t want to put him in a tough spot.
“No need, Little Brother Yan Zhen. Sister can have Aunt Mu help.”
Oh… Yan Zhen’s hand paused mid-motion.
Aunt Mu heard and promptly fished a slice of fish from the boiling broth, placing it into Eldest Miss’s bowl.
Yan Zhen awkwardly withdrew his chopsticks, thinking to himself that Sister Ji Ya wasn’t following the script.
Huangfu Wenqing, however, picked up on the undercurrent. She realized Ji Ya clearly had designs on her fiancé—far beyond mere siblings.
Another love rival!
Huangfu Wenqing went on high alert. The Two-Year Battle Pact was almost here. Win or lose, she and Yan Zhen would hold the wedding afterward, entering the bridal chamber as husband and wife. She couldn’t afford any slip-ups now.
In the previous life, Ji Ya and Yan Zhen had just a pure sister-brother bond. So why was she making moves on him now?
The atmosphere grew subtly tense.
Once the hotpot was finished, Yan Zhen had the servants clear the dishes and poured tea for everyone.
Huangfu Wenqing took the initiative to probe.
“When did Sister Ji Ya arrive in Martial Tang City?”
Ji Ya had her story ready.
“Two days ago, to inspect the branch stores. I was about to leave when I spotted your airship, so I came to pay a visit.”
“I see. I thought Sister Ji Ya had come specially to wait for Yan Zhen’s return.”
“Heh, you’re teasing me, little sister Wenqing. How would Sister know when Little Brother Yan Zhen would come home?”
“True enough.”
Unless she’s a reincarnator.
Huangfu Wenqing didn’t buy the coincidence.
They’d arrived at dusk, nearly three hours ago. If it really was a chance encounter, she’d have popped in for a quick hello and left. Why show up so late at night?
And the reason for the delay was obvious from Ji Ya’s getup. She’d clearly bathed, changed, done her makeup and hair, decked herself out in jewels until she shone like a star. Did that look like someone wrapping up an inspection and heading out?
No—it was pure lying in wait!
This confirmed it: not only was Ji Ya after her fiancé, but she was a reincarnator too!
If Huangfu Wenqing’s guess was right, Ji Ya had come to “rescue” Yan Zhen.
Too bad—Cloud Heaven Palace wouldn’t be hunting him this time. No chance for her to play heroine saving the handsome hero.
Still, she couldn’t let her guard down. After all, in the previous life, Ji Ya had been one of the people Yan Zhen trusted most.
“So, is Sister Ji Ya planning to leave tomorrow?”
“Not sure yet. It’s rare to reunite with Little Brother Yan Zhen—I could stay a few more days.”
“Won’t that delay your schedule?”
“It’s nothing major… Little Brother Yan Zhen, how long are you staying this time?”
“Two or three days, then off to Cloud Heaven Palace.”
“Oh?”
“Sister Ji Ya might not know, but Yan Zhen and I made a Two-Year Battle Pact. If he wins, I marry into Cloud Heaven Palace. If I win, I marry him. We’ve come back this time to settle the pact and hold the wedding.”
“…”
