The Family Head Yu Lu had a dream.
In the dream, she arrived at a remote branch of Mystic Academy and became a mentor there.
To return to her family, she needed at least one disciple to graduate under her guidance.
But she refused male students and only accepted female disciples, so she went an entire year without any results.
That was until a young man appeared. His talent was so extraordinary that she couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration for him. She took him on as her disciple.
Thus, she became his mentor, and he her student.
To teach him with her full attention, she even let him move into her courtyard.
Living under the same roof, teacher and student spent their days together, cultivating side by side. Their relationship quickly warmed, soon growing as close as that of siblings.
She was an excellent cook. Every time she prepared a meal, he would devour it ravenously, singing her praises nonstop.
She took great pride in this and grew to love cooking even more, constantly feeding her devoted disciple.
He proved himself worthy of her efforts, advancing rapidly under her tutelage. In his very first Monthly Assessment, he claimed the top spot.
He promised her that he would take first place in every test from then on, making their teacher-student duo the most dazzling pair in the entire academy.
True to his word, he dominated every assessment, filling her with immense pride and earning the envy of the other mentors.
Yet, a man and woman living together inevitably led to moments of friction. After several accidental, ambiguous touches, she realized she could no longer see him merely as her student or little brother.
Somehow, without realizing it, she had fallen for him.
But her family forbade free love; they only permitted arranged marriages to a live-in son-in-law.
Unwilling to sink deeper, she began consciously keeping her distance from him. By sheer coincidence, however, this only spurred the innocent young man into launching an awkward but earnest pursuit.
How could she resist such passionate advances? After struggling time and again, she finally surrendered—on the day he, battered and bruised, claimed the crown of the Nine Stars Ranking before the entire academy and confessed to her publicly in front of every mentor and student.
The two began a sweet romance.
He saved up some spirit stones and bought her a bracelet as a birthday gift.
Deeply moved, she finally confided her family troubles to him.
He showed no resentment, declaring his willingness to become her live-in son-in-law for her sake.
Gathering their courage, they returned to the family—only to face the expected obstructions.
For her sake, he gave his all in battles against the other live-in son-in-law candidates, ultimately passing the clan’s grueling trials.
He joined the family as her husband. They held the wedding ceremony and became man and wife.
On their wedding night, worth a thousand gold, she lay on the big red bridal bed, gazing at her handsome husband with shy anticipation. She obediently accepted his loving attentions.
Two months later, she was found to be pregnant, bringing joy to the entire household.
A year after that, she gave birth to a child—a cute, adorable little girl.
Pale-faced, she nestled against her husband’s chest, cradling the infant in her arms.
“Husband, let’s give our child a name.”
“Emmm… How about ‘Yu Xuan’?”
“Yu… Xuan?”
“‘Xuan Grass’ brings forgetfulness of worries. I hope our daughter grows up carefree and full of joy.”
She—or rather, the Family Head Yu Lu—blinked in stunned silence. She suddenly remembered who she was. Fixing her gaze, she realized her handsome husband was none other than that rascal, Yan Zhen!
At that moment, the infant in swaddling clothes let out a petulant babyish whine:
“Mother’s such a big dummy! Stealing her daughter’s sweetheart! Xuan’er hates you the most!”
“Xuan’er! No, don’t—”
…
In the morning, as the sun rose high, golden light danced across the lake surface on Rain Heaven Island, sparkling dazzlingly with every ripple.
The island, after a night of slumber, gradually awoke under the caress of the morning breeze, ushering in a brand-new day.
In Mentor Yu Xuan’s room, upon the delicately feminine scented bed, the Family Head Yu Lu abruptly opened her eyes. She blinked rapidly a couple of times before realizing it had all been a dream.
“Hoo…”
She exhaled in lingering trepidation. Then a strange sensation made her look down. Yan Zhen lay sprawled comfortably on the outer side of the bed, one arm draped beneath her neck. She was curled tightly against him, her little hand resting on his chest, her legs tangled intimately with his.
The position was quite similar to how they had fallen asleep the night before. The only difference was that he had been the clingy one last night—by morning, it was her!
The Family Head Yu Lu’s heart fluttered. How had she ended up drawing so close to him on her own? If this scoundrel noticed, wouldn’t it give him more leverage over her?
Seeing that Yan Zhen was still asleep, she carefully tried to disentangle her limbs. But the moment she stirred, he sensed it and woke up.
He stared at the ceiling for a blink, then turned to face her, as if just piecing it together.
“Good morning, Family Head.”
The Family Head Yu Lu swiftly withdrew her hand and feet, replying coolly:
“Since you’re awake, go wash up. After breakfast, head back to the holy land for cultivation as soon as possible. Don’t think becoming the Saint Son means you can slack off—quite the opposite. The Saint Son must work even harder to set an example…”
She prattled on deliberately to mask her inner fluster, only for Yan Zhen to cut her off effortlessly:
“I want a good morning kiss, Family Head.”
The Family Head Yu Lu shot back without hesitation:
“No.”
“Then I won’t get up.”
“Stay in bed forever, then. Wait for someone from the holy land to come drag you away.”
“I’ll just sneak into the Family Head’s bed to sleep.”
“…”
The Family Head Yu Lu steadied her breathing in silence, then turned with a blank expression and planted a quick peck on his cheek.
“There. Now get up.”
“That doesn’t count as a good morning kiss.”
Unfazed, the Family Head Yu Lu retorted:
“That’s exactly how you kissed me last night.”
Yan Zhen declared righteously:
“That was a good night kiss.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Of course there’s a difference. A good night kiss wishes sweet dreams, so it’s gentle. A good morning kiss wakes the body fully, so it needs passion.”
“Go find someone else. I don’t know about that stuff.”
The Family Head Yu Lu tried to rise, but Yan Zhen barred her with his arm.
“No worries if you don’t know. I’ll teach you, Family Head.”
Hearing this, the Family Head Yu Lu instantly regretted her words. Seeing the fire in his eyes, she shrank back involuntarily.
“You—don’t—Mmph!”
When the kiss ended, the Family Head Yu Lu was breathless with tension. Yan Zhen, however, asked leisurely:
“Did you learn it, Family Head?”
She shook her head instinctively to refuse, but Yan Zhen continued:
“Not yet? Let me teach you again.”
Before she could protest, he sealed her lips once more.
Moments later, the buttons of her collar came undone one by one. Soon after, the hem of her long skirt was hiked up to her waist.
…
It was half an hour later when the Family Head Yu Lu finally left her daughter’s room. Clutching her chest and pressing her thighs together, she employed a Mystic Ancestor expert’s Shifting Form Exchange Technique to hurry back to her own courtyard. There, in the bath chamber, she soaked in the water, remaining silent for a long time.
—That damn rascal! Making her do such indecent things again!
Fuming with shame and anger, the Family Head Yu Lu resolved not to see him off. But soon, her heart softened.
—Who knew how long it would be before he returned this time?
She retrieved a bracelet from her storage ring—a shimmering band like a flowing river. It coiled into an exquisite water dragon above her palm, hovering back and forth. She gazed at it intently for a while, then infused it with her mystic power.
“Roar~”
The water dragon’s eyes lit up as it willingly wrapped around her fair wrist, reverting to the form of a bracelet.
The Family Head Yu Lu gently caressed its surface. Her gaze softened, and the corners of her taut lips curved into a faint smile.
