【Special Trump Card: One Slash 999: After activation, the host’s next slash can reach the theoretical maximum damage limit of the current realm.】
—Oh ho, I just love a powerful card like this.
Yan Zhen delightfully pocketed his mission reward before slowly descending back onto the city walls.
A wave of emptiness surged through his body. Yan Zhen’s steps faltered, and he nearly tumbled over. That last Flame Extinction Ashless Slash had nearly drained every last drop of his mystic power!
He took out a Mystic Power Recovery Pill and swallowed it, letting out a long breath of relief.
With the fifth-order King Scorpion dead, the remaining sand scorpions lost their leader and quickly scattered in defeat, burrowing into the sand and vanishing in moments.
The chaotic battlefield gradually fell quiet, only for cheers of victory to erupt like thunder.
“Southern Bastion stands unbroken!”
“Commander Ye Mei is mighty!”
This was the third time the Southern Bastion had faced an assault from the Sand Scorpion Army, but it had suffered the fewest casualties yet—thanks to the Serpentess Ye Mei swiftly slaying the lead King Scorpion.
Ye Mei knew full well, however, that without that fire-wreathed youth delivering a devastating slash from above, they might have been doomed.
“Where’s that fire-wreathed youth?”
“No idea. He landed and then vanished.”
“I think I saw him. He jumped off the wall and left.”
“It was that boy with the domineering fire mystic power, right? He looked kind of familiar…”
Ye Mei frowned and gave an order.
“Clean up the battlefield first, then send people to track down that youth. Someone with skills like that can’t be a nobody!”
—And that kid is quite the looker~
Ye Mei licked her lips, a glint flashing in her eyes.
The orthodox snake descendants of the City of Water worshipped the strong… and the beautiful.
…
Yan Zhen had no interest in joining the others’ victory cheers. He slipped back to the inn quietly and found the mystic power lock on his door intact, meaning Yun Xiu hadn’t gone out.
He dispelled the lock, pushed the door open, and shut it tightly behind him.
“Yan Zhen?”
Yun Xiu’s voice came from the inner room, making Yan Zhen’s ass clench in fright.
He steadied himself, shrugged off his black outer robe—stained with green scorpion blood—and hung it on the screen before stepping inside.
Yun Xiu had already dressed in her skirt, clearly intending to head out since Yan Zhen had been gone so long.
Good thing he’d finished the mission in time. Otherwise, if Yun Xiu had stepped in, a couple of sword strikes would have cleaved that fifth-order King Scorpion apart, leaving no chance for him to help.
“Did the sand scorpions attack the city?” Yun Xiu looked him up and down, her brows knitting at the new wounds on his body. “Did you go to the gates to fight?”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek.
“I just lent a hand. Consider it fulfilling Master’s daily training quota.”
His mystic power had nearly been exhausted, and he called that “just lending a hand”? Yun Xiu felt a touch of helplessness.
“Why didn’t you come back and tell me?”
Yan Zhen chuckled sheepishly.
“You were tired. You needed proper rest. Besides, it wasn’t a big deal. It’s all sorted now.”
At those words, Yun Xiu’s face flushed red. After a brief hesitation, she patted the spot beside her.
“Sit down. I have something to say to you.”
Yan Zhen obediently sat, curiosity piqued.
“What is it?”
“It’s about what I mentioned a few days ago.” Yun Xiu’s tone held a hint of resentment. “I said I’d be your secret lover, but… but you can’t treat me like… that kind of woman.”
She whispered the last four words.
That kind of woman? What kind? Yan Zhen puzzled over it for a moment before realization dawned. His few instances of forcefully claiming her must have upset her. He hurriedly explained.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I just couldn’t control myself because you’re… too beautiful.”
Yun Xiu bit her lip.
“I understand that boys your age can be impulsive, but that’s exactly why you need to restrain yourself and focus on cultivation. Getting too lost in romance will only hold back your future.”
“Oh.”
“So, I’m making a Three Rules Covenant with you.”
“Huh?”
“Ahem. First, no more sudden attacks like before—not on me, and especially not on Jiuyou! Otherwise, I’ll treat you like the pervert you are.”
…
Yan Zhen felt awkward. This time had been a desperate necessity, forcing himself on her despite her wishes; the hot spring incident had been Jiu Youyue provoking him first, or he never would have gone after the demoness.
“Second, you have to honor our agreement. If you beat Wenqing in a year, you marry her. This is the most important point. You have to promise me.”
Yun Xiu clearly felt strongly about this, though Yan Zhen had no idea why.
He could only nod silently.
Seeing this, Yun Xiu relaxed with a sigh, her expression softening.
“Finally, as your secret lover, I’ll satisfy your… physical needs on a schedule—once every five to ten days, no more than half an hour each time. Kisses are fine anytime, but no groping. Got it?”
Her cheeks burned crimson by the end, but her beautiful eyes glared stubbornly at Yan Zhen, as if she’d make him pay if he refused.
Yan Zhen blinked, then obediently murmured his assent.
“Don’t just ‘oh’ me. Respond properly!”
Ah, this…
“Okay, got it.”
…
Looking at his adorably cute expression, Yun Xiu felt both exasperated and amused.
“It’s getting late. Rest up. I’ll meditate next door.”
As she rose, Yan Zhen grabbed her slender wrist and pulled her back. Like a delicate maiden without the strength to truss a chicken, she tumbled softly onto his lap.
Yan Zhen wrapped his arm around her slim waist.
“Rest with me. Meditation can wait.”
His voice whispered softly by her ear, laced with an unmistakable undertone.
The key was, she could feel something pressing against her rear.
Yun Xiu’s heart skipped a beat.
It hadn’t been that long since last time—how was this little guy raring to go again?
Yan Zhen couldn’t explain it himself. Ever since that night with Yun Xiu, he’d grown addicted to her body. Especially after she agreed to be his secret lover, an restless urge had been stirring inside him, impossible to shake.
Was this the destructive power of a “first love”? In the script, Yan Zhen and Yun Xiu were always inextricably linked, unable to resist intimacy whenever they met.
But his real “first love” should be his beautiful master.
No, he lacked restraint around her too. It was just that his respect for her made him hold back voluntarily.
Yun Xiu was his fiancée’s master, though. So why did he want to… probe her so badly?
Emmm…
“Let go of me.” Yun Xiu struggled lightly, but to no avail. “You just promised no groping.”
“I haven’t touched your feet. Just your hands.”
Yan Zhen offered a feeble excuse. His mind knew full well that pushing further would earn a System warning to the face, but his body surged with fierce impulse, urging his hand toward the collar of her robe.
—Damn it, hold back!
With great willpower, Yan Zhen suppressed his fiery Second Master. He released Yun Xiu and muttered an apology.
Yun Xiu, who had been wriggling in feigned resistance, froze for a moment before scrambling off his lap.
“You… you should rest now.”
With that, she fled the room.
Yan Zhen sighed wearily, collapsing onto the bed and drifting into a deep sleep moments later.
