This didn’t add up. In the script, Yi Xian’er was supposed to be quite “toxic.” When they entered the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range together to seek traces of extreme flame, even a touch would taint him with baleful qi, requiring gold-silver fire to dispel it.
How come in reality she wasn’t “toxic” at all?
“Has Sister Ji Ya agreed?”
“Of course she has—right, Sister Ji Ya?”
Ji Ya didn’t want to agree, but rejecting Yi Xian’er right after forming their alliance would look bad. Gritting her teeth, she consented.
She had been looking forward to this midnight twosome with Little Brother Yan Zhen, planning some thrills even more exciting than games!
With an extra person, everything felt constrained. After all, she didn’t want anyone besides Yan Zhen to see her uninhibited side—not even another woman.
“It’s not right to leave Little Sister Xian’er alone. My bed is plenty big anyway. Three of us will fit with room to spare.”
A wooden basin sat by the bed, steaming with hot water.
The two women flanked Yan Zhen on the bed, explaining that with the weather turning cool, a pre-sleep foot soak would help them sleep soundly.
Six feet crowded into the wide basin, drawing contented sighs from all three.
“Xian’er, you don’t snore in your sleep, do you?”
“Who snores? How rude!”
As she spoke, Yi Xian’er lifted her dainty jade foot and planted it on the back of Yan Zhen’s.
He didn’t mind. Though stepped on, he felt no pressure—rather, the sole of her foot was soft like cotton, cozy and comfortable.
“Sister Ji Ya, do you snore?”
“You shouldn’t ask a girl such things, Little Brother Yan Zhen~”
With that, Ji Ya pressed her exquisite bare foot onto his other one, playfully prodding with her toes as if to punish his impoliteness.
Yan Zhen remained unfazed and switched topics. “Then let’s figure out how the three of us should sleep.”
Ji Ya rubbed her foot against his as she said, “Big sister likes sleeping on the outside. You take the middle, Little Brother Yan Zhen, and Little Sister Xian’er can have the inside.”
“But doesn’t Sister Ji Ya sleep alone?”
“Alone on the outside.”
“I don’t like being sandwiched.”
To be precise, sleeping wedged between two women reminded him of his cousins’ sandwich service, which could easily stir his desires.
Damn his male instincts—he had zero resistance to such arrangements, especially with his good big sister and Yi Xian’er both being stunning beauties full of allure.
“Better put Xian’er in the middle.”
“Isn’t the whole point of bunking together to get used to it?” Yi Xian’er clamped his toes with hers playfully. “Besides, you’re the lead in the treatment. We both need to acclimate to contact with you.”
Yan Zhen shot a look of distaste at his good big sister, then at Yi Xian’er, voicing his displeasure.
The two women burst into charming laughter.
After the soak, they each fetched a clean towel to dry Yan Zhen’s feet before handing theirs over for him to return the favor.
He knew there was no such thing as a free meal… Yan Zhen grabbed a towel in each hand and wiped the water from their feet.
With that done, they extinguished the lights and climbed into bed, lying down in a row and pulling up the covers.
Ji Ya on the outside, Yan Zhen in the middle, Yi Xian’er on the inner side.
Neither Ji Ya nor Yi Xian’er had ever shared a bed with him in their previous lives. Lying together like this had only ever been a dream—and now it was real. Sure, there was an extra third wheel, but it was still bliss.
“No kicking off the covers, you two.”
Yan Zhen gave the warning before closing his eyes to sleep peacefully. But Yi Xian’er patted his arm. She rolled to face him, draping her pale hand over his elbow, and pouted.
“Why go to bed so early? Are you a little kid or something?”
“Once you’re in bed, what else are you supposed to do but sleep?” Yan Zhen replied, utterly speechless. “Play cards? I don’t want to get so hyped up that I can’t drift off.”
“Aiya, not cards, silly. We’re going to whisper secrets, of course. Big Sis wants to learn a bit more about Little Brother Yan Zhen~”
Ji Ya rolled over to face him as well, her slender hand sliding over in the process.
Yan Zhen opened his eyes again. He glanced left and right before saying helplessly,
“What do you want to talk about? Go ahead and say it. I’ll listen.”
“Gossip, naturally. Like, how did Little Brother Yan Zhen get Mentor Yu Xuan so head over heels for him? Or how he managed to devour his own little cousin and big cousin? Big Sis is dying to hear all about it~”
As she spoke, Ji Ya traced lazy circles on Yan Zhen’s chest, sending an itchy tingle through him.
Yi Xian’er froze for a moment at her words, then quietly pinched Yan Zhen.
“Is there really something like that?”
Cold sweat broke out on Yan Zhen’s brow. He never imagined Good Big Sister would air his dirty laundry at a time like this. What if Yi Xian’er pegged him as a total player and refused to be friends? She was supposed to be his one and only confidante in the future.
“It’s all just misunderstandings. Nothing worth talking about.”
What happened with Mentor Yu Xuan really had been one big mix-up. Through a twist of fate, it had evolved into their current awkward, in-between relationship—neither purely teacher and student nor full-on lovers. Yet in truth, they were far more intimate than anyone might guess.
As for Meng’er and Cousin Ruyu, his family had basically ordered them to throw themselves at him. He’d had no choice but to step up and take responsibility—though to be fair, he did like them both quite a bit.
“What kind of misunderstanding? Big Sis wants to give one a try too.”
“I’m curious as well.”
“Aiya, I don’t even know where to start. Better to sleep—save my skin while I can.”
With that, Yan Zhen dropped off in an instant, little bubbles even forming at his nostrils as he snored.
The two women exchanged a glance. Seeing that he truly had no intention of spilling the beans, they let the matter drop.
—It seemed the rivals in this life outnumbered even those from his previous one.
They shifted a little closer, pressing even more snugly against Yan Zhen, before drifting off into peaceful slumber.
They slept especially soundly that night.
The night passed without incident.
When Yan Zhen stirred awake the next morning, the two women were still lost in dreams, each clutching one of his arms. The slightest movement pressed soft, tender, bouncy flesh against him.
On Yi Xian’er’s side, the collar of her rather modest nightclothes had come unbuttoned somehow, allowing her ample breasts to spill out as if by magic. More than half were on display now, rising and falling with each breath in a way that made it nearly impossible not to stare.
Good Big Sister, meanwhile, had shrugged off her thin gauze outer layer, leaving only a tube top and short skirt. From his vantage point, Yan Zhen had a perfect view of her magnificent assets—even catching a glimpse of rosy pink at their peaks.
He didn’t dare look for long. Careful as could be, he tried to ease his arms free, only for their unconscious grips to tighten in their sleep.
—Forget it. Time for a quick snooze.
When Yan Zhen woke again, the women were already up and about. He slipped into his clothes, gave himself a simple wash, and stepped out of Good Big Sister’s boudoir into the dining hall. Even Aunt Mu and the Twin Bodyguards were already there.
“Little Brother Yan Zhen, come have some breakfast.”
“I was just about to go fetch you.”
Yan Zhen offered them a polite greeting before taking a seat at random and grabbing a steamed bun to munch on.
“Little Brother Yan Zhen, why don’t we go out shopping after we eat?”
“I’ll tag along too.”
Yan Zhen murmured his assent, though inwardly he knew strolling around was off the table. Trouble would be knocking soon enough.
Sure enough, before they could even set foot outside, a maid hurried over to report,
“The Chamber President has come to pay a visit, along with the Second Shopkeeper and Third Shopkeeper. They say they’ve found an alchemist who can cure you of that hidden ailment.”
