Feeling the softness pressing against his arm, and gazing at Long Ying’s stunning jade-like body so close before him, Yan Zhen was momentarily stunned.
Not captivated by the sight, but utterly shocked.
She had clearly reverted to her loli form—how had she suddenly transformed back into her mature, voluptuous self?
According to the script, Long Ying wouldn’t shift back to her onee-san form until after they left the Yang Pole Secret Realm and he faced encirclement by the Cloud Heaven Palace.
They had only just emerged, and here she was, already in her full-grown glory?
“Long Ying, what’s going on—”
The onee-san Dragon Princess blinked at him with a dazed, adorable expression.
“What’s wrong, Yan Zhen Zhen?”
“Didn’t you notice?” Yan Zhen averted his eyes from the dramatic curves of her landscape. “You’ve changed back to your original form.”
Long Ying glanced down at herself and let out a puzzled “Eh?”
“When did that happen? That’s so weird!”
She flashed a cheeky grin.
Whatever, if she’s changed, she’s changed. No more need for the little stool, anyway.
With that, she tossed aside the small stool beneath her and settled directly onto the bottom of the bath barrel, her hip and shoulder pressing snugly against Yan Zhen.
“…”
Yan Zhen hurriedly scooted over, putting some space between them.
Long Ying promptly glued herself back to his side, clutching his arm even tighter and squishing her ample breasts against it until they deformed slightly.
Yan Zhen froze, not daring to move a muscle. He stared straight ahead, silently reciting a line from the Original Clear Heart Technique—”Women Are All Big Pig Hooves”—to banish his wandering thoughts, steady his mind, and suppress Second Master’s surging qi flame.
Long Ying was blushing fiercely on the inside too, but she knew that if she wanted to shatter the childish image Yan Zhen had of her, she needed to go all out. She had to make him see that she wasn’t some immature brat, but a full-figured young woman!
Someone like Ji Ya might opt for subtle seduction with a sexy outfit and coy teasing. But Long Ying? She went straight for the direct approach!
“Yan Zhen Zhen.”
“Uh—yeah?”
“Does Yan Zhen Zhen dislike me like this, back to my original self?”
“It’s not that I dislike it… I’m just not used to it.”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
That was his honest feeling—and it lined up perfectly with how the scripted Yan Zhen reacted to her grown form.
He could ruffle the loli dragon girl’s hair anytime, scoop her up or set her down without a second thought, even scrub her clean in the bath. But the onee-san Dragon Princess? That was a whole different story. Men and women had their boundaries, after all, and it would take days of constant interaction to bridge that subtle gap.
“Which part exactly feels off?” Long Ying feigned confusion. “Is it because I’m taller than Yan Zhen Zhen now? Does that make you feel inferior?”
“Er, no.” Yan Zhen rolled his eyes. “Besides, aren’t we the same height?”
“Nope. I’m a full inch taller than Yan Zhen Zhen.”
Long Ying raised her hand to measure the tops of their heads, her tone carrying a hint of smug pride.
At her words, Yan Zhen couldn’t resist glancing over. A vast expanse of flawless, snowy skin filled his vision. The onee-san Dragon Princess’s dark tresses draped over her chest, partially veiling her heavy, soft breasts—but not entirely. Amid the cherry-pink strands peeked a deeper crimson hue, gleaming like jewels in the warm bathwater.
Yan Zhen whipped his head away, quietly regulating his breath to quell the blood starting to boil within him.
Then he heard Long Ying mutter under her breath:
“Yan Zhen Zhen’s gotten bigger too, huh.”
Yan Zhen’s face burned crimson with mortification. He hastily drew up his knees, clamped his thighs together, and cupped himself with his hands, struggling to keep a straight face.
“Ahem. Cut it out.”
Long Ying covered her mouth and giggled, poking fun at him.
“Is Yan Zhen Zhen feeling shy?”
“No.” Yan Zhen denied it at once, putting on a solemn front. “It’s just a normal physiological response to physical contact.”
“But your face is all red.”
“It’s the hot water… Yours is red too, isn’t it?”
—Even those little cherries have turned into rubies, jabbing into my arm. Don’t think I haven’t noticed!
Long Ying, however, seemed blissfully unaware of her own body’s reactions. She kept his arm in a vise grip, even rubbing against him now and then on purpose.
“I’m not blushing. It’s just the hot water for me too.”
“Then we’re good.”
“…”
Long Ying eyed the hand Yan Zhen had clamped so securely over himself. “Yan Zhen Zhen, doesn’t that feel uncomfortable?”
The familiar line jogged Yan Zhen’s memory of how Mentor Yu Xuan had first “helped” him that way. He shook his head vigorously.
“I’m fine! Not uncomfortable at all!”
“Really?”
“Just let go of me, and I’ll be perfect.”
An image flashed in Long Ying’s mind of that day in the bath chamber with Huangfu Wenqing and Yan Zhen. Her cheeks flushed deeper, her body growing hotter still. She murmured,
“Aren’t you supposed to eat it?”
—Eat it?! Holy crap!
Yan Zhen jolted like he’d been shocked, clamping his hand down harder. “D-don’t get any wild ideas! That’s not for eating!”
Long Ying fixed him with a soulful stare.
“You’re lying. I saw it. The bad woman gobbled up Yan Zhen Zhen in one bite, and you looked like you were enjoying it…”
—Huh? Bad woman—Wenqing? And that “one bite” means… oh.
Sudden realization dawned on Yan Zhen, leaving him awkward beyond words, toes curling. So she’d witnessed that scene? No wonder she’d bolted off to Zi Xunyi’s side without a peep.
—How the hell am I supposed to explain this? I don’t want to corrupt the kid!
“That was… uh, just fooling around with Wenqing.”
“Then I want to fool around too.”
“That’s only for engaged couples.”
“Mm. Does Yan Zhen Zhen fool around with Sister Xunyi?”
“Ahem, not yet. It depends on what the girl wants. Sure, it might start forceful, but you can’t actually force it.”
“Sister Xunyi doesn’t want to?”
“Well, that’s the situation for now—hey, we’ve been soaking long enough. I’m starving. Let’s get out and grab some food.”
Yan Zhen desperately steered the conversation elsewhere, but Long Ying latched on, dropping a bombshell.
“I want to taste the kind of spirit milk that bad woman ate.”
—Spirit milk? Yang Flame Spiritual Milk or something…? Hiss!
Yan Zhen’s scalp prickled, his mind flooding with thoughts of “that’s criminal” and “forbidden fruit beyond reach.” He forced a strained smile.
“That stuff doesn’t taste good at all. Come on, I’ll take you to the dining hall. You can order whatever you want.”
Long Ying eyed him suspiciously.
“Doesn’t taste good? But the bad woman devoured every last drop—even licked her fingers clean.”
In her book, licking your fingers was the ultimate compliment to a delicacy!
Yan Zhen squirmed uncomfortably, her vivid description stirring up memories of that day’s sensations and setting his heart racing.
Yan Zhen-True Self: Stop talking about it! Just let me die!
Yan Zhen-Second Master: Hey! Ha!
“I said it doesn’t taste good, and that’s final. That was… medicine, for treating an illness.” Quick as a flash, inspiration struck Yan Zhen. “Wenqing ran into a little hiccup with her cultivation, so she had to take that medicine… And medicine never tastes good, right?”
“Fine.” Long Ying clearly wasn’t thrilled with the excuse—she smelled a fib—but relented. “If it’s medicine, I won’t eat it.”
Yan Zhen let out a huge sigh of relief. “Alright, let’s go. Time to eat, fill up, rest, and tonight I’ve got business with Zi Ji.”
