Dean Little Aunt was a Mystic Ancestor expert, while Shui Bailan was merely a Mystic King, two major realms apart. Even if she intervened, it would take her some time to fully dispel the lingering lines of Water Mystic Force on Yan Zhen’s chest.
However, she knew full well that the Yu Family had spared no expense in entertaining Yan Zhen this time around. The wine at the banquet was Superior Grade spirit liquor—potent enough to inebriate even a Mystic King, let alone a mere Mystic Master like him.
So it was no surprise that her close friend hadn’t woken him despite all the fussing around his chest…
This gave her the time she needed to slowly erase those lines of Water Mystic Force from his chest, preventing any awkward suspicions when he awoke.
Sigh. What a handful he was.
Shui Bailan tugged at the sleeve of her right hand with her left, while her right hand glowed with a layer of icy mystic light. Forming her fingers into a sword, she gently pressed the soft pads of her two fingers against Yan Zhen’s chest.
The tender fingertips traced slowly along the faint blue lines, soon reaching the tip of his heart.
Feeling the firm little nub there, Shui Bailan’s cheeks flushed with a hint of red. This spot had received special attention from Dean Yu Qing, leaving behind a particularly stubborn residue of Water Mystic Force. She had no choice but to rub it gently, her plump fingertip circling over it.
Suddenly, a soft grunt escaped Yan Zhen in his sleep, and his brows furrowed slightly, as if the sensation was too much to bear.
Shui Bailan’s face reddened further. She was clearly just cleaning up after them, yet it felt like she was the one doing something illicit.
Doing something improper to her sleeping nephew-in-law—didn’t that make her no better than Yu Qing?!
No, there was a difference. She was doing this for the harmony of the family, not out of selfish desire… Besides, she only admired Yan Zhen, unlike Yu Qing, who was smitten without realizing it and even secretly did naughty things to him.
“Mentor… it hurts…”
Yan Zhen mumbled in his sleep.
Shui Bailan jumped in fright, thinking he had woken up. But his eyes remained closed, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Hurts? Where does it hurt?”
She glanced at his chest, wondering if she had accidentally hurt him, but a quick scan revealed no injuries.
Her gaze followed the centerline of his body from head downward, until it landed on the prominent little mound below. Shui Bailan’s expression froze in embarrassment.
If that’s where it hurt, there was nothing she could do—not suitable in her position, and besides, she wasn’t exactly an expert.
Then Yan Zhen murmured again:
“Mentor… help me…”
The words sent her imagination running wild. Her mind flashed back to the shocking scene she had witnessed that afternoon in the White Jade Spring—the first time she had ever seen anything quite so bold.
“Is this kid having a dream like that? Did Yu Qing’s antics stimulate him that much?”
After all, her best friend’s behavior had been utterly outrageous. Any hot-blooded young man would have reacted, and it could easily influence his dreams.
Come to think of it, she wasn’t entirely blameless either. To put it bluntly, here she was caressing his chest muscles with her fingers.
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became, and her hands strayed from their task.
Shui Bailan steadied her mind and refocused on dispelling the Water Mystic Force lines from his chest.
She had already erased half of one line, with a line and a half remaining.
Yan Zhen let out a dissatisfied hum:
“Mentor… bite it…”
The boyish, coquettish tone was something Shui Bailan had never heard from him before. It stirred an odd feeling deep within her.
In her mind, boys were either mischievous troublemakers, stubbornly proud, or awkward and half-mature… From Yan Zhen’s usual demeanor, he seemed to fall into the last category.
Yet here was a sixteen-year-old Six-Star Mystic Master wielding Three Extreme Flames—a Heaven’s Proud Son of limitless potential—revealing such a childish, endearing side.
Is this how Yan Zhen and Xuan’er usually got along? It made sense; Xuan’er was quite a bit older, so it was natural for him to act spoiled around her.
For some reason, Shui Bailan’s heart began to race. She knew he wasn’t talking to her, but she felt an inexplicable sense of fulfillment. As if possessed, she paused her actions and let her gaze drift to that restless little mound.
Dean Yu Qing had already untied Yan Zhen’s belt earlier, and she hadn’t had time to refasten it. It remained loose.
After a brief hesitation, Shui Bailan extended her slender, boneless white hand and grasped it gently.
So hot… Was it because of the Dragon Mark?
Shui Bailan bit her lip, telling herself she was just helping her distressed junior nephew as an aunt, nothing more.
And so, while continuing to dispel the Water Mystic Force from his chest, she soothed the ferocious Dragon Mark.
How did a Dragon Mark even appear there, anyway?
Shui Bailan let her thoughts wander.
Little did she know, all her actions had been witnessed.
At the doorway, the Family Head Yu Lu and Elder Yu Yan stared in utter shock at their little sister-in-law’s bold moves. They had never imagined she would go that far.
After the banquet, Elder Yu Yan had wanted to check on the drunken Yan Zhen, while the Family Head Yu Lu wanted to see if her daughter had returned to her room. They arrived at the courtyard together.
But inside, with the lights brightly lit, it wasn’t Yu Xuan by Yan Zhen’s bedside—it was Shui Bailan!
That alone was surprising enough, but the real issue was Yan Zhen on the bed: his belt undone, robes parted, exposing his chest in an undignified sprawl. And Shui Bailan was caressing his chest muscles while relieving his “pressure.”
They wondered if their eyes were playing tricks, mistaking their daughter for their sister-in-law. But a blink and a closer look confirmed it was indeed the little sister-in-law.
This…
It was one thing if her own sister had feelings for her son-in-law, but now the sister-in-law too? And even more outrageous—she had actually laid hands on him!
The two women quietly retreated to the courtyard.
“Sister, back when Little Yan Zhen was in the Outer Academy, did something happen between him, Yu Qing, and Bailan?”
Elder Yu Yan shook her head in equal confusion.
“Probably not. Little Yan Zhen was only there for less than half a month.”
“Then why would they—”
“No idea~ Although I do like Little Yan Zhen quite a bit, it’s not to that extent.”
“Sister…”
The Family Head Yu Lu looked at her elder sister with a hint of wavering.
Elder Yu Yan chuckled.
“What’s wrong with that? Little Yan Zhen is so adorable—who wouldn’t like him?”
The Family Head Yu Lu knew what kind of “like” her sister meant, but thinking of her sister and sister-in-law’s behavior left her anything but calm.
She was quite satisfied with this son-in-law, but satisfaction was one thing. If his presence strained the relationship between her daughter, sister, and sister-in-law, she would rather do without him.
After all, those three were the people closest to her.
In the matrilineal Yu Family, women always came first.
“Don’t overthink it, Little Lu. This isn’t a bad thing,” Elder Yu Yan said with a beaming smile. “Since Little Bailan likes Little Yan Zhen, why not betroth her to him? From his perspective, he’d probably prefer someone familiar over some stranger from the Yu Family.”
“What about Yu Qing?”
“For Little Qing, let her decide… If she really wants Little Yan Zhen, she can talk it out with Xuan’er.”
The Yu Family wasn’t without precedents of borrowing seed from brothers-in-law when suitable husbands were scarce.
A matrilineal family’s ethics differed somewhat from the outside world.
No rush—take it one step at a time.
Inside the room, Shui Bailan felt the temperature in her palm rising higher and higher. She glanced over, and that simple sketch-like Dragon Mark seemed almost alive, emanating a strange allure that drew her in completely.
Gulp. Shui Bailan swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.
She had successfully dispelled one line of Water Mystic Force, leaving just the other. But she had lost all interest in continuing; her mind was wholly captivated by the sinister Dragon Mark. Involuntarily, she leaned closer.
A scorching breath washed over her face, and Shui Bailan’s breathing grew heavy. Behind her glasses, her eyes faintly took on a heart-shaped glimmer.
At that moment, Elder Yu Yan’s voice drifted in on the evening breeze:
“Little Yan Zhen, are you asleep?”
Shui Bailan snapped awake, her eyes widening. She hastily released Yan Zhen, jumped back from the bed, putting distance between them, and panted softly.
Her ample chest heaved up and down, her usually cold features flushed crimson.
Regaining her composure, Shui Bailan quickly pulled the velvet quilt over Yan Zhen’s body. She took a deep breath, feigned nonchalance, and walked to the door. Seeing the Family Head Yu Lu and Elder Yu Yan approaching in their elegant, luxurious gowns, she bowed in greeting.
“Sister-in-law, Sister Yu Yan.”
Elder Yu Yan asked “curiously”:
“Little Bailan, what are you doing here?”
Shui Bailan habitually adjusted her glasses on her nose bridge and replied calmly:
“I brought Yan Zhen some Sobering Soup.”
The Family Head Yu Lu glanced at the tray and bowl on the table. She had ordered the maids to prepare the Sobering Soup, so her sister-in-law’s excuse wasn’t particularly clever.
“Is Son-in-Law Yan Zhen asleep?”
“He was already snoring soundly when I arrived, so I was just going to leave the Sobering Soup and go. Perfect timing—you two showed up.”
The Family Head Yu Lu remained expressionless, thinking: If she weren’t feeling guilty, why explain in such detail?
Shui Bailan adjusted her glasses again:
“Then, Sister-in-law, Sister Yu Yan, I’ll head back to my room.”
The Family Head Yu Lu didn’t call out her sister-in-law’s bluff and simply said, “Go ahead.” With that, Shui Bailan hurried away.
The Family Head Yu Lu’s gaze shifted to Yan Zhen on the bed. Noticing the mound under the covers, her expression grew a touch unnatural.
Elder Yu Yan, on the other hand, showed no such restraint and remarked in surprise:
“This kid’s got spirit even in his sleep. Maybe he could light a few more lamps for the Yu Family.”
The Family Head Yu Lu gazed quietly at Yan Zhen’s face, then turned to her sister.
“Sister, are you looking for a child?”
Elder Yu Yan’s expression didn’t change; she still smiled warmly.
“Not yet, and I can’t have one anyway. I’d need to reach Mystic Ancestor Peak at least—otherwise, forcing it might cause a miscarriage.”
The Family Head Yu Lu fell silent. Her sister’s Qi Deviation that had ruined her fertility had been her fault.
“Alright, Little Lu. Since Little Yan Zhen’s asleep, let’s head back too.”
“First, let’s help Son-in-Law Yan Zhen get dressed properly, so he doesn’t get suspicious when he wakes up.”
“Good point. I’ll handle his top; you do the pants, Little Lu.”
“…”
The two graceful women in fine gowns approached the bed and lifted the quilt covering Yan Zhen.
“What’s wrong, Little Lu?”
“Sister, why… why is there a Dragon Mark wrapped around it?”
“It feels a bit eerie—probably the power of the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame. Little Bailan seemed bewitched by it just now.”
“It won’t have any side effects, will it?”
She meant to ask whether the Evil Dragon Power might affect the inheritance of the Yu Family bloodline. After all, the Yu Family bloodline was a necessary prerequisite for cultivating the Timely Rain Scripture.
Elder Yu Yan shook her head slightly, her lustrous hair swaying with the motion.
“It shouldn’t affect him. It’s merely a manifestation of a wisp of draconic power, one that will only make his abilities stronger. That’s a good thing.”
The Family Head Yu Lu nodded lightly.
“Sister makes a good point.”
“Let’s go.”
Just as they had arrived in that leisurely manner, the two beautiful matriarchs departed with the same unhurried grace. Once they had gone, Yan Zhen slowly opened his eyes from where he lay on the bed. He blinked a couple of times, his mind gradually clearing.
—Earlier… that hadn’t been a dream, had it?
“Emm…”
