Listening to the conversation between the two women, Yan Zhen broke out in a cold sweat. Although he knew Zi Xunyi was only threatening verbally and wouldn’t actually go through with it, as a man, this was the moment for him to step in.
Yan Zhen stood up and cleared his throat. “Zi Ji—”
No sooner had he spoken than Zi Xunyi flung her personal handkerchief at him. It was rolled into a neat ball that landed squarely in his mouth.
—Well, then.
Yan Zhen blinked innocently, pulled the fragrant scrap of cloth from his mouth, and tucked it away.
Huangfu Wenqing’s expression shifted through a range of emotions. She wanted to snatch it back, but she was no match for Zi Xunyi, and the consequences of refusal were more than she could bear. In the end, she swallowed her pride.
“Fine, you win this time!”
Zi Xunyi gave a faint smile. “A wise choice. Then it’s settled. You’ll live here from now on. Remember to perform your duties as a maidservant properly. Oh, and change how you address us—call me ‘Lady Zi Ji,’ call Yan Zhen ‘son-in-law,’ and call Little Long Ying ‘Lady Long Ying.'”
Huangfu Wenqing clenched her fists, grinding her teeth. “Don’t push your luck!”
“Never mind, titles are a minor thing. I won’t quibble with you over it. But if you pay lip service while acting against my orders, I’ll make another copy of that footage and send it straight to Cloud Heaven Palace in the Garo Kingdom for your master to see what a disgrace her disciple has become. Heh heh heh…”
“Mmph…”
Huangfu Wenqing was deeply unsatisfied. She’d only just grown a little closer to Yan Zhen, and now her rival had schemed against her.
—What kind of God Maiden of the Heavenly God Clan was this? All she knew were dirty tricks!
But if her master really saw that scene from earlier, what would she think?
The dragon mark was so distinctive. If her master had ever been intimate with Yan Zhen, she would surely recognize it as his.
With her master’s intelligence, she would quickly realize that the young man she’d fallen for was her disciple’s fiancé.
Her master fancied Yan Zhen, but Huangfu Wenqing was his rightful fiancée, the one who could openly be intimate with him while her master could only yearn from afar.
Just imagining it filled Huangfu Wenqing with a thrill of excitement, like she’d cuckolded her own master.
“Heh heh~”
Zi Xunyi frowned. Huangfu Wenqing had suddenly cracked a creepy smile, sending a chill down her spine.
—Is this woman a little twisted? Or am I imagining things?
Huangfu Wenqing quickly schooled her expression back to normal. She turned to Yan Zhen. “It’s getting late. I’m heading back to my room. You should rest early too.”
Yan Zhen nodded and patted his fiancée’s head with a gentle smile. “Don’t overthink it.”
All of Huangfu Wenqing’s petty frustrations evaporated in an instant. Without so much as a glance at Zi Xunyi, she strode out of the room.
Now only Zi Xunyi and Yan Zhen remained. He spoke first. “Ahem, Zi Ji, that…”
Zi Xunyi swiftly hid the Reflecting Light Mirror behind her back. “No means no. This is my key leverage against that fish-stealing cat. I can’t have her getting too cocky!”
With that, she slipped the mirror into her storage ring.
Yan Zhen scratched his head and ventured, “Are you upset?”
“Who’s upset?” Zi Xunyi turned her face away. After a pause, she suddenly asked, “Has Mentor Yu Xuan done something similar to you?”
—Cough, cough.
Yan Zhen flushed deeply and mumbled a weak affirmation.
The thought of Mentor Yu Xuan serving Yan Zhen just like Huangfu Wenqing—tongue out and all—had brought him such bliss made Zi Xunyi’s heart sour even more.
“You know full well you can never be with them. Why not just reject them outright?”
Yan Zhen smiled faintly. “Fate can’t be forced. Better to let things unfold naturally.”
Zi Xunyi huffed softly. “Bad man.”
Yan Zhen wrapped his arms around Zi Xunyi’s slender waist and drew her into his embrace. She didn’t resist, but she placed her hands on her chest to keep some distance between them, as if to say she wouldn’t get too close to a bad man.
Yan Zhen pulled her in more firmly until their bodies pressed nearly together.
“I’m not bad. I just want to be naughty with you~”
Zi Xunyi’s cheeks flushed crimson. She pouted. “Who wants your naughtiness…”
Yan Zhen tilted his head to admire his future wife’s delicate pink earlobe, then leaned in close and whispered, “Stay with me tonight, alright?”
As he spoke, his lips brushed lightly against her ear, sending a tingling shiver through her that warmed her from head to toe.
Zi Xunyi bit her lip and murmured, “What about Little Long Ying sleeping alone?”
“Don’t worry about her. She only wakes up when she’s hungry.”
Yan Zhen’s hand gently stroked Zi Xunyi’s back. The silk of her purple nightgown felt exquisite, and a faint warmth radiated from her skin—she was clearly aroused.
“Relax. I won’t do anything. I just want to teach you some… relevant knowledge. Okay?”
Zi Xunyi bowed her head and fell silent.
Yan Zhen took the hint. With a princess carry, he scooped her up, walked to the bed, and sat down.
Zi Xunyi settled sideways on his lap, her arms looping around his neck. The wide sleeves of her nightgown slipped down, baring her arms—fair as fresh snow.
Her flawless face, powdered like porcelain, now glowed with a rosy flush. Her luscious lips sought his proactively, offering a sweet kiss.
As Yan Zhen returned it, he tugged loose the sash of her elegant nightgown.
The bed curtains drifted down automatically, veiling the scene on the bed.
That night, Yan Zhen earnestly lectured his future wife well into the wee hours—not just with words, but with demonstration. He even covered the Dual Cultivation Secret Method guaranteed to ensure conception. Midway through, Zi Xunyi pulled out the Reflecting Light Mirror to play the footage as a reference for her studies. They finally drifted off in each other’s arms as dawn approached.
Before things got serious, he had to lay a solid foundation for Zi Xunyi. Otherwise, as an innocent girl, how could she keep up with him?
Their premature union was to craft a vessel for their daughter. Zi Xunyi couldn’t afford to tap out too quickly; she needed to match his pace.
In other words, he didn’t expect her to reach the level of his cousin, but she certainly couldn’t end up like his little cousin.
In the next room, Huangfu Wenqing had been listening intently to their every move. Hearing the door close while Zi Xunyi’s presence lingered inside left her so worked up she barely slept a wink.
Only Long Ying, tucked away in Zi Xunyi’s old room on the second floor, slumbered peacefully until noon. Her stomach growled loudly enough to wake her.
The loli dragon girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, sat up, and glanced around the empty room. She hopped off the bed on her stubby little legs and padded out.
Sniffing the air, she followed Yan Zhen’s scent. Her tiny feet pattered on the stairs.
Soon, Long Ying reached the third floor, right outside Yan Zhen’s door. She blinked at the firmly shut entrance, then glided forward like a ghost, passing straight through it.
Originally, Long Ying only had the Talent of Strength, relying on overwhelming force to shatter all techniques. After consuming the Nirvana Fruit, she’d gained Space Talent as well. With a flap of her Phoenix Wings, she could cross thousands of miles in an instant. Slipping through a door was child’s play for her now.
The loli dragon girl entered the room and toddled slowly toward the curtained bed, her little face still heavy with sleep.
“Yan Zhen Zhen, time to get up~”
