“Already recovered?”
Huangfu Wenqing was utterly astonished. At this point in her previous life, the engagement had just been annulled.
“You’re not fooling me, are you?”
“No, I’m not. I’ve really recovered—I can start cultivating again right away,” Yan Zhen said confidently. “If you slack off on your training, I might catch up to you in less than two years.”
Huangfu Wenqing knew full well that he would catch up. No, he would surpass her completely, giving her a taste of utter defeat for the first time.
But later on, she had learned just how much hardship he endured during those two years.
“Congratulations, Yan Zhen. This works out perfectly—we can head to Cloud Heaven Palace together to cultivate. Your talent is probably even higher than mine. You’ll definitely catch the eye of my master or one of the other palace lords and receive the best guidance.”
“No, I’ve already taken a master. I’ll be training with her, so I can’t go to Cloud Heaven Palace. Sorry.”
There was no way Yan Zhen could go to Cloud Heaven Palace. The plot would veer so far off course that he wouldn’t know how to fix it.
“I see. Well, if you’ve already apprenticed, there’s nothing to be done.”
Huangfu Wenqing felt a pang of disappointment. Could it be that Mystic Saint Senior from later on?
She knew Yan Zhen had a master he shared a deep bond with—she’d even met her once—but she wasn’t sure exactly when he had taken her as his teacher.
That Mystic Saint Senior was another stunning beauty, every bit the equal of her own master… The thought made Huangfu Wenqing’s heart sour just a touch.
“Did your master cure your body’s affliction?”
“You could say that.” Yan Zhen smiled faintly to himself, thinking that his actual realm drop was all thanks to the Beautiful Female Master. “I haven’t told anyone else about this yet. I hope you can keep it secret for me.”
“Doesn’t even Yan Meng’er know?”
“Nope.”
“Then it’s a secret just between us?” Huangfu Wenqing’s heart leaped with quiet joy as she promised, “My lips are sealed!”
“Thanks. Want some snacks? I snuck a bit earlier.”
Yan Zhen pulled a package of honey jujube cakes from his storage ring and offered it to Huangfu Wenqing. She blinked her eyes curiously.
“When did you snag those? I didn’t notice at all.”
“Don’t worry about the details.” Yan Zhen popped a piece into his mouth. “Super sweet and chewy—pretty tasty. Want to try one?”
“Then you feed me.”
With that, Huangfu Wenqing tilted her head back slightly, parting her lips as she gazed up at him.
The pose carried an inexplicably teasing allure.
Yan Zhen suddenly recalled how, just the day before, she had clung to his leg in a similar fashion, nearly pushing him past his limits.
Had her persona completely collapsed? Had she turned into a girl who unwittingly radiated that kind of seductive charm?
—Damn it. Even if her persona fell apart, he couldn’t let his own protagonist persona crumble.
Yan Zhen picked up a piece of honey jujube cake and stuffed it into Huangfu Wenqing’s mouth without looking—unaware that he’d slipped his finger in too.
He tried to pull it back, only for his fiancée to catch it gently between her teeth and give it a soft suck.
—Again?!
The slick, warm sensation sent a tingling jolt through his finger like a mild electric shock. Yan Zhen yanked it free in a hurry, pretending nothing had happened.
Huangfu Wenqing wore an equally innocent expression. After swallowing the cake, she licked her lips. “Not bad at all,” she said—not that it was clear if she meant the cake or something else.
“Can I have another?”
—Sure, as long as you get it yourself and drop that expectant look while asking!
Gritting his teeth, Yan Zhen fed her another piece, taking extra care this time to avoid giving her a chance at his finger.
Huangfu Wenqing looked a little regretful but didn’t press for more. She was just about to say, “Now it’s my turn to feed you,” when Yan Zhen swiftly stowed the remaining cakes away.
—Spot-on prediction!
“…Stingy.” The girl muttered under her breath, then quickly spotted another opening. “Yan Zhen, you’ve got some cake crumbs on your lip. Let me wipe them off.”
“No need. I can handle it.”
Yan Zhen moved to use his sleeve—
Slap. His hand didn’t even rise before Huangfu Wenqing clamped down on it.
His other arm was still linked with hers.
Both hands secured.
With a mischievous smile, Huangfu Wenqing said, “Let me take care of it.”
A bead of cold sweat formed on Yan Zhen’s forehead. “W-Well… that’s fine, but you can’t wipe it like this. Mind letting go first?”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Huangfu Wenqing’s face darted forward. Her pink tongue brushed softly over his lips, leaving a glistening trail.
“There. All clean.”
Yan Zhen’s mind went blank, his face flushing crimson.
“Ah, still not quite. One more time.”
“???”
“Mmm, sweet flavor. These honey jujube cakes really are delicious.”
“…”
“Tomorrow we have to part ways, and who knows when we’ll meet again. It’s not too much to savor the moment a few more times, right?”
“!!!”
By the time their lips parted, Yan Zhen’s head was swimming with heat. He stared at Huangfu Wenqing, who had somehow ended up perched on his lap, her arms looped around his neck and a look of pure satisfaction on her face. He was at his limit.
Or rather, past it.
Huangfu Wenqing nestled against Yan Zhen’s shoulder, rubbing her cheek lightly against his neck as she murmured to herself, “Yan Zhen, I’ll be waiting for you. This time, I won’t lose again. For my master… and for myself, I’m going to beat you fair and square.”
Unbeknownst to the pair, a pair of pink eyes peered straight at them from behind the bushes in the nighttime gloom, their pupils twisted into perfectly lemon-shaped orbs.
Damn that Huangfu Wenqing—using her fiancée status to sneak off and steal kisses. Yan Meng’er hadn’t even gotten to kiss him properly; the most she’d managed before was a quick peck on the cheek.
And wasn’t this wicked woman supposed to show up at their door to annul the engagement? Why had things turned out like this? Not only was she copying Yan Meng’er by becoming Cousin’s devoted little slave, but she’d actually kissed him!
Could Huangfu Wenqing have been reborn too?
It wasn’t impossible.
Watching their intimate embrace, Yan Meng’er chomped down on her handkerchief and tore at it viciously.
—I’m so jealous!
The next morning, the Huangfu Family contingent set off on their journey.
Before departing, Huangfu Xiong presented Yan Zhen with a gift: a protective jade talisman.
The talisman contained the power of a Mystic King, enough to withstand a full-force strike from any One-Star Mystic King or lower.
“Kid, this old man doesn’t know what you’re scheming,” Huangfu Xiong said, “but since you haven’t given up, then work hard at it. If you can really defeat Wenqing in two years’ time, I’ll sing your praises myself.”
“Thanks, Grandpa Huangfu.”
“What ‘Grandpa Huangfu’? Just call me Grandpa!”
“Uh… Thanks, Grandpa.”
“Hahaha!”
With that, Huangfu Xiong departed in high spirits.
Huangfu Wenqing gave Yan Zhen a little wave, glancing back every few steps as she followed the group.
Amid the crowd, Yan Meng’er waved enthusiastically too, thinking to herself that the wicked woman was finally gone.
It was all that woman’s fault for butting in—these past couple of days, she hadn’t gotten any alone time with Cousin at all.
Now that the interloper was gone, it was her turn again!
“Cousin~ Meng’er brewed a big pot of red bean sugar water. Will you come have some later?”
—Cousin loves red bean sugar water. I’ll snag his heart through his stomach!
But Yan Zhen turned her down. “Sorry, Meng’er. I’ve got things to do. We can have it tonight.”
With that, he hurried off, leaving Yan Meng’er standing there with a pitiful pout.
—Cousin… Meng’er won’t give up!
