Yu Shizun wanted to say she didn’t like it, but under his burning gaze, she simply couldn’t get the words out. In the end, she could only reply:
“I don’t know.”
To Yan Zhen, however, her “I don’t know” was as good as a yes. A faintly smug smile crept across his face as he gently turned her beautiful visage toward him and kissed her once more.
Yu Shizun let out a soft whimper. Her small hand instinctively rose to his face, as if to push him away, yet the pull of his lips drew her into reciprocating the deep kiss.
They exchanged saliva and affections until they were both thoroughly satisfied, finally parting with heavy breaths as they gazed at each other, both wondering if they should take the next step.
Yan Zhen tightened his arms around her, pressing her already feverish, graceful body flush against his own. Waves of softness transmitted through the intimate contact, stirring his desires.
“Will you marry me, Yu Shizun?”
Yu Shizun didn’t answer. She merely shook her head stubbornly, her water-blue hair swaying gently with the motion.
Yan Zhen knew it wouldn’t be that easy. He held her as they slowly descended back to the central disc, then released her.
Seeing him let go, a pang of bitterness welled up in Yu Shizun’s chest. Still, she turned away from him, her back to Yan Zhen as she said coolly:
“Don’t waste your efforts on me. Xuan’er and the others are already yours. You should focus on treating them well—that’s what you ought to be doing.”
Yan Zhen pretended not to hear her words. Fortunately, he had experience now; the him from his previous life would probably have lost his temper.
Having a temper was fine, but throwing it wasn’t always the best move.
Yu Shizun hadn’t put her veil back on, so Yan Zhen could clearly see her expression. Speaking such disingenuous words clearly didn’t sit well with her—her face had paled slightly, tugging at his heartstrings.
Thus, Yan Zhen reached out once more, wrapping his arms around her slender waist from behind. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered:
“Yu Shizun, saying things like that is awfully heartless of you.”
As he spoke, his hand slid directly over her chest, as if checking whether she truly had a heart.
Yu Shizun’s body stiffened, a deep flush surging onto her cheeks. She immediately seized his wrist, trying to pry away that mischievous hand.
“…Let go.”
“No.” Yan Zhen’s tone was resolute, and his movements grew a bit rougher. “Yu Shizun keeps saying hurtful things. I have to get revenge somehow.”
“Let go right now.” Yu Shizun bit her lip lightly, struggling not to let any strange sounds escape. “What I said… is the truth. You should listen. Don’t act like a child—ah~”
Yan Zhen gave it a gentle pinch, cutting off her lecture:
“I’m not a child anymore.”
Yu Shizun’s body trembled lightly, her breathing growing erratic:
“Then behave.”
“Only kids behave. Adults have their own minds.”
“That’s sophistry—mm—sophistry.”
“Does Yu Shizun hate me now?”
“…Hah, if you behave, I’ll naturally dote on you like Lady Chen Xi does.”
“If I said I wanted to marry you, Master would definitely support me.”
“Th-that’s… a different matter entirely.”
“Yu Shizun always has an excuse, no matter what.”
A hint of dejection seeped into Yan Zhen’s voice as he withdrew his teasing hand.
Yu Shizun’s eyes were slightly glazed over from the pinching and kneading, her face flushed like she’d drunk fake liquor. As the pressure on her chest lifted, she gradually recovered, blinking dazedly as if puzzled why he had stopped. Realizing what she was doing, she hastily straightened her disheveled collar, covering her proud bosom.
It took a good while for the faint numbness and stinging to fade. Once she’d calmed her emotions, Yu Shizun glanced back at Yan Zhen. Seeing his sullen expression, she opened her mouth as if to speak, hesitated, and ultimately held back any words of comfort.
“Go back. Spend more time with Xuan’er and the others.”
“…”
Yan Zhen sighed helplessly.
This was somewhat similar to what had happened with Yun Xiu. She didn’t outright reject his advances, but she refused to accept his proposal.
As a transmigrator, Yan Zhen couldn’t fully grasp this kind of stubbornness. But people in this native world placed special emphasis on matters of status and reputation.
He needed to stay calm. He couldn’t keep entangling her endlessly like in his previous life—that would only let her lead him around by the nose. Instead, he should try to unravel the knot in her heart.
Yu Shizun’s knot was undoubtedly tied to the Yu Family. Unraveling it wouldn’t be easy on his own; he’d need help from Mentor Yu Xuan and Yu Lu Mother-in-Law.
With a rough plan forming in his mind, Yan Zhen’s mood improved a bit. He changed the subject:
“I’ll be heading to the Yu Family in a few days. Why don’t you come with me, Yu Shizun?”
Yu Shizun stole a glance at him, thought for a moment, then went along with his suggestion:
“Mm. It’s been a while since I went back. I should pay a visit.”
“Then I’ll come find you when the time comes.” Yan Zhen stood up and patted the dust off his rear. “Yu Shizun, go ahead and refine that Nirvana Fruit first. I’m going to take one too and see if I can awaken any special talents.”
In his previous life, Yan Zhen hadn’t awakened any talent after consuming a Nirvana Fruit. But he wasn’t one to give up; maybe this time he’d get lucky.
“I’m off.”
“Wait.” Yu Shizun rose as well, stepping in front of him to tidy his rumpled clothes. “As the Saint Son, you need to pay attention to your image at all times—there, all set. You can go now.”
Yan Zhen let out a soft hum:
“I won’t give up, Yu Shizun. Don’t think you can escape.”
Yu Shizun flicked his forehead with a bent finger, slipping back into her usual elder tone:
“You’d do better to listen to me properly.”
Yan Zhen winced in pain but couldn’t very well manhandle her again, so he huffed and departed.
The spatial rift tore open and sealed shut. This time, Yan Zhen was truly gone.
Yu Shizun let out a wistful sigh, caressing the spot on her chest he’d tormented too roughly. She still had the illusion that his hand lingered there. She returned to the water for another bath, washing clean before donning her bellyband and intimate pants, then slipping into her water-blue skirt. Only then did she retrieve her veil and cover her face once more.
She had returned to being the Yu Shizun of old—the Rain God Peak Lord, one of the Jialan Seven Sages, and the guardian deity of the Yu Family.
By now, it was deep into the night. Upon returning to Holy Son Peak, Yan Zhen naturally headed straight for Rain Flower Cave to find Mentor Yu Xuan and Aunt Shui Bailan. As expected, Yan Meng’er, Yan Ruyu, Mi Xue’er, and Xiao Xinyan were there too.
After a night of indulgence, Yan Zhen went into secluded cultivation.
He had ten Nirvana Fruits in total—one each from the Dragon God Clan and Snake God Clan, plus eight more in his possession. He’d given one to Yu Shizun, leaving seven.
He kept one for himself and one each for his two daughters, which used up three and left four. It wasn’t easy to divide them evenly, so he’d have to discuss with Beautiful Master whether they could be combined with other herbs to refine into pills.
Putting aside stray thoughts, Yan Zhen regulated his breathing, then retrieved a Nirvana Fruit from his storage ring and began consuming and refining it.
Three days later, Yan Zhen smoothly advanced to Nine-Star Mystic Venerable Peak, just one step away from Supreme. At the same time, his comprehension improved significantly, allowing him to finally grasp “Three Lives Myriad Things,” a technique usable only in the Heavenly Saint State. From now on, he could fuse three or more Extreme Flames in battle.
On top of that, Yan Zhen awakened an extraordinarily special talent.
