No matter how he looked at it, Yun Xiu was his first love in the script, and her appearance and demeanor perfectly matched his XP System.
In the script, Jiu Youyue noticed Yan Zhen’s fondness for Yun Xiu. She worried that he might side with Yun Xiu and turn against her, so she tried to seduce him.
When Yun Xiu found out, she warned Yan Zhen not to get too close to Jiu Youyue—or to fall for her, for that matter.
After all, Jiu Youyue was a demoness from the Demon Domain, and their positions were inherently opposed.
But Yun Xiu didn’t want to drag Yan Zhen into it, so she never revealed Jiu Youyue’s true identity.
The earnest Yan Zhen misunderstood and thought Yun Xiu harbored feelings for him too. To dispel her doubts, he seized the moment and said:
“If we’re talking about liking someone, I actually like you more.”
Yun Xiu paused for a moment after hearing that. She hadn’t expected the young man before her to develop feelings for her that went beyond his years—after all, she only saw him as a child. She gently refused him:
“You should focus on your cultivation at your age.”
Yan Zhen wasn’t discouraged. He knew full well that a mere Mystic Scholar like him couldn’t match a Mystic Lord like her. So he assured her:
“Before I turn thirty, I’ll become the strongest person in the Five Great Kingdoms.”
“The current strongest in the Five Great Kingdoms is a Three-Star Mystic Ancestor,” Yun Xiu said with a faint smile. “There are significant hurdles from mystic general to Mystic King, and from Mystic Lord to Mystic Ancestor.”
“A Mystic Ancestor, huh… I’ll do my best.”
Once he found the Extreme Flame, Yan Zhen’s cultivation would soar. Of course, refining the Extreme Flame carried immense risk—one misstep and he’d perish. He was gambling with his life.
Yun Xiu had no idea about any of this. She just saw it as the confidence and hot-blooded passion of youth.
“If you want to advance your cultivation quickly, joining a sect is a good option. A genius like you, reaching the Mystic Master Realm at fifteen or sixteen, would receive top-tier treatment in any sect.”
“I’m already a prospective graduate of Mystic Academy.”
“Academies offer more freedom than sects, but their training isn’t as intensive,” Yun Xiu mused. “You’re from the Garo Kingdom, right? You could try joining Cloud Heaven Palace. I know some people there—I could write you a recommendation letter.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Zhen’s expression darkened.
“Cloud Heaven Palace is too big for the likes of me. I’ll pass.”
At that moment, Yun Xiu sensed Yan Zhen’s hostility toward Cloud Heaven Palace, but she didn’t dwell on it.
If she had realized sooner that “Chen Zhen” was actually Yan Zhen, the young city lord of Martial Tang City whom her own disciple had jilted, perhaps none of the later events would have happened.
Sigh~
Hearing Yan Zhen’s “confession” again stirred entirely different emotions in Yun Xiu compared to her previous life. First came shock, then delight.
But after the delight came worry, because she couldn’t accept his feelings.
She was about to respond as she had before, but then she remembered Jiu Youyue’s aggressive advances. Rejecting him now would only push him straight into the demoness’s arms.
—In her previous life, Jiu Youyue had only pretended to seduce him. This time, she meant it. With her beauty and wiles as a demoness, captivating a young man like Yan Zhen in the throes of his first crush would be effortless!
“We’ve only known each other for two days. How can you talk about liking me?”
Yan Zhen was speechless. He thought, Didn’t you just ask if I liked Jiu Youyue?!
Her line didn’t match the script at all, so he couldn’t respond as planned. He’d have to improvise.
Yun Xiu would gently refuse him, and all he needed to do was subtly convey that he’d work hard on his cultivation to catch up to her someday.
“Liking someone just happens. It has nothing to do with how long you’ve known them. There’s love at first sight, after all.”
“There isn’t that much love at first sight. It’s just a line bad men use to deceive innocent girls.”
Yan Zhen felt a pang of guilt. He did have strong feelings for Yun Xiu—her looks and aura nailed his XP System perfectly—but it wasn’t true “love” yet.
Pretending to confess just to stick to the script? Yeah, that was pretty deceptive.
Bad man confirmed.
“Appearance and demeanor are part of what I like,” Yan Zhen argued. “Your face is genuinely beautiful—it caught my eye right away. Your bearing is elegant and noble, utterly captivating… And your personality, from our interactions so far, is just as I imagined: cool and aloof, yet with a gentle heart underneath. There might be sides of you I haven’t seen yet, but everything I know so far? I like it all.”
In her previous life, Yun Xiu had never heard such a moving confession from Yan Zhen. Every word touched her heart, and a shy smile bloomed on her exquisite face, impossible to hide.
“You… really like me that much?”
“Yes.”
Yan Zhen’s tone was firm. Then he lowered his head slightly and waited silently for her rejection.
Yun Xiu probably liked him now too, but it was more gratitude and admiration—gratitude for saving her life, admiration for his pure and brave spirit. As for romance, it was just that bit of embarrassment from him seeing her body.
He figured she’d reject him with something like “We’re too far apart in age” or “You’re not mature enough yet.”
Sure enough, Yun Xiu said:
“The truth is, we’re not right for each other.”
“I understand,” Yan Zhen said, sounding dejected. “I’m just a lowly Mystic Scholar. I don’t have the right to pursue a proud daughter of heaven like you. But I will—”
“That’s not what I meant.” Yun Xiu reached out and gently covered Yan Zhen’s mouth with her small hand, her beautiful eyes filled with reproach. “Let me finish.”
Yan Zhen blinked and nodded.
“I can’t be with you. There are deep reasons for that, which you’ll understand in a year,” Yun Xiu said softly. “But if you really want to be with me… then until we leave the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range, let’s be together.”
“Huh?” Yan Zhen froze. “What… does that mean?”
“Oh, come on. I mean, just until I leave. You can be my boyfriend—do the things couples do—but after we get out of here, it’s over.”
What?! There’s an operation like that?
Yan Zhen was stunned, but he quickly realized Yun Xiu wanted to repay his life-saving grace this way.
“You don’t have to pity me like this, or repay me. What I want isn’t— Mmph!”
His words cut off as Yun Xiu’s lips sealed his. They felt soft and slick like jelly, with a faint sweetness.
Her cool little hands cupped his face. Her pink lips sucked gently, moving from bottom to top, then top to bottom. Then the tip of her tongue slipped out, probing softly and licking tenderly.
It was a light, delicate kiss.
After a long moment, their lips parted. Both gazed at each other, faces flushed.
Yun Xiu whispered:
“Don’t you get it now?”
Yan Zhen looked utterly baffled.
—I get jack squat! Why’d you go straight for the kiss like Jiuyou? Where’s the rejection?!
