The unique scent belonging to her beloved youth wafted into her nose. Their sweat mingled together, and their body heat seeped through their clothes, shifting from a cozy warmth to a sweltering heat.
Yan Zhen knew full well that Mentor Yu Xuan loved her cleanliness, so he deliberately hugged her while drenched in sweat—a little act of retaliation.
Her previous punishments had nearly always involved planting strawberries, each one taking forever, and he’d had to be careful afterward not to let them show. Honestly, it had been a real grind.
Now the tables had turned. It was his chance to “grind” her a bit.
“Mentor, don’t I smell super ‘manly’ right now?”
Mentor Yu Xuan lay against Yan Zhen’s chest, her eyes half-closed as she took a deep breath, a hint of intoxication crossing her face.
“Mm, your scent is wonderful. I love it.”
Uh.
Yan Zhen felt a touch awkward. This wasn’t quite what he’d imagined.
“Won’t the mentor think it reeks?”
Mentor Yu Xuan shook her head slightly. Then she stretched out her lotus-like arm to hook around Yan Zhen’s neck. Her pink tongue tip darted out, gliding gently over the side of his neck before she sucked at it like jelly, drawing in every glistening bead of sweat and leaving behind a faint lip print.
She licked her lips with a seductive smile.
“It tastes like sunshine.”
Yan Zhen shivered. The spot she’d licked tingled with a mix of numbness and itchiness, reminding him of a noble, glamorous vampire princess feeding.
Except Mentor Yu Xuan didn’t drink blood—she drank sweat.
Come to think of it, she seemed oddly fixated on the “moisture” his body produced. Even when planting those strawberries before, she’d always cleaned it up first, nice and slow.
—Mentor Yu Xuan was starting to resemble a juicer girl more and more. The kind who squeezed until not a drop remained!
Yan Zhen felt the pressure mounting and quickly said, “That’s enough punishment, right? The mentor can let go of me now.”
“No way,” Mentor Yu Xuan rejected flatly. “When I punished you before, it lasted at least half an hour. Yours has to go at least that long for fairness’ sake.”
With that, she hugged him even tighter. Her ample breasts pressed firmly against his chest. Because of the way she lifted her shoulders, her collar loosened just a bit. From above, his line of sight dipped right in.
Yan Zhen considered himself a proper gentleman and didn’t dare linger. He stole one glance and looked away.
But he was starting to buckle under the strain.
Mentor Yu Xuan’s body was far too tempting—like a ripe water peach, so full that a gentle squeeze would make sweet juice overflow.
“But Mentor, I’m getting kinda hot.”
“Hot? Then—”
Mentor Yu Xuan summoned her Water Mystic Force, forming a ring of cool water flow around them both.
“Better now, right?”
“Ah, this…”
Mentor Yu Xuan caught the reluctance in his tone. She bit her lower lip lightly with her shell-like teeth, her eyes pleading.
“You’re leaving tomorrow. Let me hold you just a little longer, okay?”
That look shattered Yan Zhen’s defenses in an instant. The restlessness inside him settled, replaced by a gentle warmth. He smiled and said, “If the mentor doesn’t mind, you can hug me as long as you want.”
“You said it yourself. Then we’ll stay like this all the way back,” Mentor Yu Xuan replied, her lips curving up shyly. “If you get uncomfortable, the mentor will take care of it for you.”
“Ahem.” The warmth in Yan Zhen’s heart vanished in a flash, replaced by embarrassment. “I-I’m fine. Not uncomfortable at all.”
“Liar. Look how spirited it is~”
Yan Zhen was mortified, wanting to crawl into a hole. Mentor Yu Xuan leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Close your eyes.”
Yan Zhen hesitated but ultimately gave in to impulse and shut his eyes.
Once she confirmed he wasn’t peeking, Mentor Yu Xuan slowly lowered herself and began soothing him with her heart—and more. When things got messy, she cleaned it up meticulously, like a devoted little puppy.
Yan Zhen leaned back against the wooden post, head pillowed on it as he faced the sky with eyes closed in feigned sleep. He used one hand to steady himself on the ground, the other gently stroking Mentor Yu Xuan’s silky, lustrous hair.
Her hair truly felt like water—soft and slightly damp to the touch. Thanks to her cultivation of Water Mystic Force, the inner layers were dyed a layer of water blue, while the outer strands remained black. It was quite distinctive, no doubt a deliberate style choice on her part.
That beautiful jade face framed by the hair usually hid behind a pair of oval glasses, enhancing her intellectual, bookish aura. But she’d removed them before training, leaving her stunning features fully exposed. Her water-blue eyes drooped slightly, focused on her second round of service.
Only when Yan Zhen’s body and mind had fully calmed did Mentor Yu Xuan sit back up. She licked her lips and murmured softly, “You can open your eyes now.”
Yan Zhen’s neck was getting sore by then. At her words, he immediately brought his gaze forward—and locked eyes with Mentor Yu Xuan’s face, flushed with lingering desire and blooming like a flower.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. Instead, he pointed at his own lip with his index finger.
Mentor Yu Xuan blinked, then realized and hurriedly wiped it off with her hand. When she looked closely, her face burned crimson all the way to her ears.
Yan Zhen awkwardly averted his gaze. His mind wandered to Gintoki’s signature perm or Bu Jingyun’s instant-noodle mop—curly hair could embody a soul, pure mischief, or something downright naughty.
After a long silence, Mentor Yu Xuan spoke first.
“Yan Zhen, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Mm?”
Yan Zhen turned back, meeting her gaze.
“I-I haven’t given you my body because Grandma placed a Hereditary Ban on me. If you took my Primordial Yin, it would trigger the ban, stripping away all your cultivation and turning you into a cripple.”
“Oh, oh, I see.”
“Once the ban is removed, I-I’ll give myself to you. Completely. All of me.”
“Uh, s-sure?”
One finished speaking, the other finished listening, and both flushed beet red.
Yan Zhen was naturally aware of Mentor Yu Xuan’s Hereditary Ban.
The Yu Family was matrilineal; women held the power in the clan, making the choice of man all the more crucial.
He couldn’t be too strong, or he’d overshadow them. He couldn’t be too weak, or it’d be embarrassing. And he had to be willing to marry in. For the heir, the restraints were incredibly strict: she had to preserve her purity until marriage.
With that ban in place, Mentor Yu Xuan wouldn’t dare cross that final line with her beloved, or she’d end up harming the one she loved.
Another stretch of silence followed.
“It’s getting late. Let’s head back, Mentor.”
“Before that, let’s hit the market. I’ll make you a big feast today.”
The two bought heaps of premium ingredients at the market. By the time they returned to the residence, Yan Meng’er, Yan Ruyu, Mi Xue’er, and Xiao Xinyan were already bustling in the kitchen. Each wanted to prepare a “farewell banquet” for Yan Zhen.
