Chen Xi, the Beautiful Female Master, was a true all-rounder in the Technique Refining Path. She excelled in pills, artifacts, talismans, arrays, and beasts. Her greatest mastery lay in pill refining, which had reached the Ninth Tier—Saint Rank. Her skills in artifacts, talismans, and arrays were at the Eighth Tier, while beast taming, her weakest area, still hit the Seventh Tier. This was precisely why she was hailed as the Flame Saint.
Yan Zhen felt that as the Beautiful Female Master’s one and only personal disciple, he couldn’t claim to master all four fields, but he should at least inherit half her prowess—that meant pill refining plus artifact forging.
The two disciplines shared striking similarities. Master one, and the other came naturally by analogy. Besides, Yan Zhen already had experience forging the Gold-Silver Fire into a sword, so picking it up wasn’t too difficult.
Before nightfall, he had grasped the basics of forging and even crafted a Third-Tier mid-grade Flame Ring from the materials at hand.
The ring emitted a faint fiery glow, yet it felt cool to the touch, not hot at all.
Its main material was Third-Tier Fire Crystal Stone, refined to even greater purity and clarity. Within it condensed substantial fire mystic power, enough to rapidly restore a fire-attributed Nine-Star Mystic Master’s mystic power to full.
On the open market, this Flame Ring could fetch a million crystal coins.
“Not bad.” Yan Zhen held the Flame Ring up, examining it from every angle with his head tilted back. He nodded in satisfaction. “This’ll make a fine keepsake.”
Chen Xi blinked, then ventured, “How about giving it to your master?”
Yan Zhen froze for a moment before asking weakly, “Do you mean… as a proposal ring?”
Chen Xi flushed with shyness. “Doesn’t your precious disciple’s proposal ring have a share for your master?”
Yan Zhen waved his hands hurriedly. “Of course it does! I planned to give the first one to you, Master. It’s just that this Third-Tier Flame Ring is hardly worthy of you. I want to give you something better.”
“This is the first ring you’ve ever refined. To your master, that makes it more meaningful than any other… Your master wants this one, Zhen’er. Is that all right?”
The more she spoke, the redder Chen Xi’s cheeks grew, as if she were the one eagerly demanding the ring from her precious disciple.
Yan Zhen hesitated for a long while, gazing into the longing and bashfulness in the Beautiful Female Master’s blue eyes. Slowly, understanding dawned on him.
Of course. In her eyes, what difference was there between a Third-Tier Mystic artifact and a Sixth-Tier one?
Even an ordinary stone ring or weed ring, once worn by a Nine-Star Mystic Saint like the Beautiful Female Master and imbued with her saintly aura over time, would transform into something extraordinary.
The tier didn’t matter at all. What she craved wasn’t some “priceless treasure,” but something “genuine.”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek, equally shy. “All right then. Since you’ve asked like that… h-here—”
Relief washed over Chen Xi’s face. She smiled faintly and extended her snowy white jade hand from her black sleeve. “Will you put it on for your master?”
Yan Zhen murmured his assent. He pinched the glowing Flame Ring between thumb and forefinger while cradling her delicate, endearing hand with the other. Gently, he slid the ring onto her middle finger.
It fit perfectly—so perfectly that Yan Zhen was astonished. He’d forged it on a whim, without measuring her size.
Perhaps this ring was always meant for the Beautiful Female Master.
“There you go, Master.”
Chen Xi raised her hand, fingers together, her beautiful eyes blinking as she admired the Flame Ring on her middle finger. Inside the ring, a line of text flowed: “For the most beloved Master.”
Her heart melted. Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, brimming with boundless affection.
“Zhen’er, does it look good on your master?”
Yan Zhen took the Beautiful Female Master’s hand and planted a kiss on the ring. He grinned. “It looks stunning.”
Chen Xi felt utter bliss. She threw open her arms and pulled her disciple—her lover—tightly into her embrace.
“Zhen’er, your master is so happy.”
Yan Zhen’s handsome little face nearly vanished into the Beautiful Female Master’s G-cup peaks. The ultimate softness enveloped his head, sweet fragrance filled his nostrils, and he could even hear the pounding of her heart—proof of how deeply moved she was.
Yan Zhen hugged her back, rubbing his face in her cleavage before mumbling, “Now that you’ve put on my ring, Master, you’re going to marry me. I’m the happiest one.”
The pair lingered in tender intimacy for a long time before Yan Zhen finally bid farewell to the Beautiful Female Master and left the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
Chen Xi stood on the altar, occasionally lifting her hand to gaze at the glowing ring, a captivating smile gracing her lovely face.
“Zhen’er, my dear Zhen’er, hee hee~~~”
Yan Zhen appeared in Mentor Yu Xuan’s room just as she returned. He hurried over to greet her.
“Are you done with everything, Mentor?”
Mentor Yu Xuan sighed softly. “I’ve practically memorized those important matters, but Mother still insists on repeating them over and over.”
“Er, that just shows how much your mother—the family head—cares. She has to set a good example.”
“Sigh~ There’s a banquet tonight. Are you going, Yan Zhen?”
“I’m not hungry yet.” Yan Zhen smiled faintly and took Mentor Yu Xuan’s hand, leading her back to the room. “You look tired, Mentor. Rest first.”
“I want to bathe.” Mentor Yu Xuan turned to her lover, her gaze flirtatious and her tone husky. “Want to join me?”
Yan Zhen’s mouth twitched. He was speechless. “You know I’m conserving my energy for body refining. Why do you keep tempting me like this?”
Mentor Yu Xuan covered her mouth and giggled. “I’m tempering your resolve… It’s a mentor’s duty~”
Yan Zhen shot her a sidelong glance, then suddenly scooped up his Mentor Wife and dashed into the bath chamber.
—Time to show true skill.
He was a man with the Special Trump Card: Golden Finger. Even if Second Master was resting for now, he could still show Mentor Yu Xuan what he was made of!
Through the screen, billowing steam rose amid splashing water. The enchanting moans of a woman echoed endlessly in the bath chamber.
Some time later, the sounds faded, leaving only soft, lingering breaths.
In the bath pool, Yan Zhen leaned against the wall, holding Mentor Yu Xuan’s alluring jade body in his arms. Her face was flushed, her eyes dazed. He chuckled. “Want to go again, Mentor?”
It took her a while to recover. She shot her lover a coquettish glare. “Y-you… Doesn’t that hurt you too?”
“Heh heh, I can hold out.”
“You hurt the enemy by a thousand and yourself by eight hundred. Look at you, so smug.”
“If you’re still not convinced, Mentor, let’s go another round.”
Mentor Yu Xuan promptly clamped her thighs together and crossed her arms tightly over her floating breasts. “N-no more! It feels weird… It’s not like we’re both enjoying it…”
Yan Zhen had no intention of continuing. He held her and soaked for a bit longer before they got out, changed into nightclothes, and headed to the entertainment room to play a stacking game.
Just as they were about to settle the winner, a servant girl’s voice called from outside. The family head wished to speak with the Little Uncle.
“My mother-in-law wants to see me? Is something up?”
Yan Zhen frowned in puzzlement. Mentor Yu Xuan smiled. “No need to worry. I’ll go with you.”
But the lead servant girl shook her head. “The family head requested only the Little Uncle.”
The young couple exchanged stunned looks.
