In the office within the Elders’ Small Building, Elder Yu Yan’s narrowed eyes kept appraising Yan Zhen. The more she looked at this nephew-in-law, the more satisfied she became.
“You did well, Little Yan Zhen. You actually entered the top ten within three months. What reward do you want?”
Yan Zhen shook his head.
“Auntie has already treated me well enough. There’s no need for a reward.”
“Of course there is.” Elder Yu Yan smiled as she spoke. “Good children must be rewarded, and bad children must be punished. That’s the principle.”
—So Auntie, please don’t treat everyone younger than you like a child.
Yan Zhen broke out in a light sweat, but he said on his lips,
“I don’t need anything right now. Just hold onto the reward for me here with you, Auntie.”
Elder Yu Yan was somewhat surprised, but upon reflection, she realized there really wasn’t much she could reward him with. After all, he was the disciple of the Technique Saint Lord. As for points, he had recently earned a fortune selling pills, and he carried a Level 6 Academy Card—the highest level among the students.
“Then come closer, Little Yan Zhen.”
“?”
Yan Zhen walked over to Elder Auntie in puzzlement. She extended a fair, jade-like hand from her sleeve and patted his head.
“Good boy, good boy~~~”
Black lines appeared on Yan Zhen’s forehead.
“Auntie, what are you doing?”
“Hehe, this will be your reward for now. Tell Auntie later if you want anything else, all right?”
“…”
She had already patted him. How could he say no? Yan Zhen felt like he had suffered a loss.
“Right, I forgot to tell you something. Xuan’er was summoned by the Yu Shizun to the holy land. She’s cultivating under her now, so it might not be easy to meet up.”
“Mm, Mother-in-law already sent me a message. It’s a good opportunity for Mentor Yu Xuan, and as for not seeing each other, we’ll just have to bear it for the time being.”
“Little Yan Zhen, are you still planning to visit the Yu Family?”
“Well, Mother-in-law’s condition hasn’t fully recovered yet, so I should go again. But I don’t have time the next couple of days. I’ll see in a few days.”
“When you have time, let me know. Xiao Lu is probably thinking about her fine son-in-law too, hehe~”
“How is Auntie’s condition?”
Elder Yu Yan extended her hand in front of Yan Zhen and rolled up her wide sleeve, revealing her fair, jade-like arm.
“Feel it.”
Yan Zhen blinked, then placed his hand on Elder Auntie’s wrist and gently rubbed it back and forth. Soon, he sensed a faint dampness on his palm—like sweat, but without the salty wetness. Instead, it carried a fragrant, sweet scent, just like from applying too much Drip Dew.
“Auntie, are you all right?”
“Sigh, it might be because my cultivation went astray recently. The condition seems to have worsened a bit. It had eased up a lot after dual cultivation with you, Little Yan Zhen.”
“Uh, then I’ll make time as soon as possible to treat Auntie again.”
“I wonder how Xiao Qing is doing… Anyway, I’ll leave it to you, Little Yan Zhen~”
After leaving the office, Yan Zhen arrived at the Cliffside Small Building. He instructed Long Ying and Huangfu Wenqing to keep a good eye on the place, then took Zi Xunyi with him into the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
More than a month had passed by now. The fetus should have taken initial shape, so it was time to transfer his daughter’s consciousness into Zi Xunyi’s womb.
Once the transfer succeeded, he would also need to perform a technique to delay the fetus’s development. That way, Ling’er could be born later and avoid exposing Zi Xunyi’s pregnancy when she returned to the Heavenly God Clan.
“Master, I’m counting on you.”
“Don’t worry, Zhen’er. Everything will be fine.”
With the cooperation of the matronly Zi Xunyi from within the dream realm, the Beautiful Female Master successfully transferred Yan Lingji—who had been sealed deep in that dream—into the young Zi Xunyi’s abdomen. There, she merged with the initially developing fetus.
At this stage, the fetus was still merely a shell without any nascent awareness, so the fusion proceeded without any hitches.
Transfer complete, the Beautiful Female Master then performed another technique to extend Zi Xunyi’s pregnancy. The fetus would only emerge after absorbing sufficient energy.
In this manner, not only could the pregnancy remain concealed, but Yan Lingji would also gain an even stronger body.
“This is the pill formula for Fetus-Protecting Pills. Ling’er’s consciousness is still very weak right now, so fifth-grade ones will suffice at the start—their medicinal power is milder. Switch to higher grades once she adapts.”
“Got it, Master. I’ll do my best to refine them.”
“I’ve already refined one batch using the materials you bought, Zhen’er. From now on, you’ll handle it yourself—for practice. But they need to be at least superior grade to consume safely, or there could be issues.”
“I’ll see if I can make supreme grade.”
“You silly child… Go check on Zi Ji.”
Yan Zhen parted the gauze curtain and gazed at his god maiden wife, who lay on the bed caressing her abdomen. Endless tenderness welled up in his heart. He sat at the bedside, took her small hand in his, and held it gently.
“Zi Ji, how are you feeling?”
A maternal gentleness filled Zi Xunyi’s face.
“Yan Zhen, listen carefully.”
“Listen?”
Yan Zhen tilted his head close to Zi Xunyi’s belly and perked up his ears. Moments later, a faint ripple of intent reached him.
“Father… Emperor.”
Yan Zhen’s heart jolted.
“Ling’er! Have you awakened?”
Yan Lingji seemed unable to hear him and continued.
“Father Emperor, I’ve finally seen you again. Your daughter missed you so much.”
Yan Zhen’s breath caught, and an inexplicable sourness stung the corners of his eyes. Never mind if his daughter could hear—he encouraged her anyway.
“You’ll be fine, Ling’er. We’ll see each other again soon.”
Yan Lingji’s intent fluctuations faded into silence, and Yan Zhen grew anxious at once.
“Zi Ji, can you communicate with Ling’er?”
Zi Xunyi nodded.
“Just a few simple words for now. But she’s still very weak, so best to let her rest.”
“You’re right.” Yan Zhen exhaled a breath of turbid air. “I’ll go refine those pills right now. I’ll make sure to produce supreme-grade Fetus-Protecting Pills so Ling’er can recover faster.”
“Don’t rush, Yan Zhen.” Zi Xunyi gently grasped her husband’s wrist. “Ling’er will improve bit by bit, so take it one step at a time.”
Seeing the heartfelt concern in his future wife’s eyes, Yan Zhen felt a warm glow spread through his chest. He murmured soft agreement, then leaned down to plant a kiss on her lips.
After a brief rest, Yan Zhen helped his pregnant wife to her feet. They bid farewell to the Beautiful Female Master, left the Fire Refining Starry Sky, and returned to their room.
Long Ying immediately asked,
“Did it work, Yan Zhen Zhen?”
She got along well with Yan Yan but occasionally played with Yan Lingji too, who was something of a little tagalong for her as well.
“Ling’er’s consciousness has already stirred awake. Now she just needs time to recover gradually,” Yan Zhen replied. “Long Ying, stay here for the next few days and keep Zi Ji company.”
Long Ying nodded obediently.
Yan Zhen turned to Huangfu Wenqing, who bowed her head and said,
“I’ll try not to quarrel with her.”
To her surprise, Zi Xunyi stepped forward on her own, took Huangfu Wenqing’s hands in hers, and smiled softly.
“Huangfu girl, let’s get along peacefully from now on. We’ll be living together eventually, after all.”
Huangfu Wenqing stared in astonishment.
“You… what are you saying?”
“You can’t let go of Yan Zhen, can you? Neither can I. So the only choice is to accept each other. Otherwise, we’ll only end up making the man caught in the middle miserable—and neither of us happy. Don’t you agree?”
“…”
Huangfu Wenqing fell silent.
