Yan Zhen arrived once again on Rain Heaven Island, navigating the path with ease under the guidance of the Yu Family Chief Manager. They made their way to the Listening Tide Pavilion, where he met the Yu Family Head Mother-in-Law.
Refreshments had already been laid out on the pavilion. The family head mother-in-law gestured for her sisters, little aunt, and son-in-law to take their seats. This time, it was not the formal arrangement of a stern inquiry but positions close beside her, as if signaling that Yan Zhen was now the closest to her.
“Son-in-Law Yan Zhen has climbed into the top ten of the General Star List?” A flicker of surprise crossed the family head mother-in-law’s strikingly cold features as she turned her gaze to Yan Zhen beside her. “You managed to defeat a Seven-Star Mystic General with only the cultivation of a Seven-Star Mystic Master?”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek, looking bashful as he replied, “Just luck.”
“He only pulled it off thanks to that Flame Sword,” the Dean Little Aunt shot back. “Before that, someone was getting thoroughly dominated.”
This childish ghost… The Mentor Aunt quickly tried to smooth things over.
“Once Yan Zhen brought out the Flame Sword, he won the duel with a single strike. I was stunned watching it. Is that Flame Sword a secret treasure bestowed upon you by the Technique Saint Lord?”
Yan Zhen shook his head and answered honestly, “It’s the lifebound sword I forged myself using Gold-Silver Fire.”
At those words, all four beautiful elders betrayed their astonishment. Clearly, this lay beyond their understanding.
The Elder Great-Aunt asked curiously, “You mean you forged a real greatsword from the illusory Extreme Flame?”
“Yes, it took me over half a year to succeed, and this was my first time using it.”
“No wonder.” The family head mother-in-law nodded. “What’s the sword’s name?”
“Extreme Tyrant Sword,” Yan Zhen said, a bit embarrassed. “The ‘Extreme’ from Extreme Flame and the ‘Tyrant’ from overbearing.”
“Good name.” The Elder Great-Aunt praised it. “Extreme Tyrant—utmost dominance. The Extreme Tyrant Sword embodies the pinnacle of overbearing might. That aura truly lives up to its name.”
—Too embarrassing! Great-Aunt, don’t repeat it like that. I only named it that way following the script—it wasn’t serious at all!
Yan Zhen’s cheeks burned with mortification. He had no idea why the script’s version of him chose such a punny, unserious name.
“Ahem, Mother-in-Law, how has the mentor been faring at the holy land?”
“I visited her once. Xuan’er’s cultivation has advanced to Three-Star Mystic General, and her vitality is strong. Still, it’s clear she misses you.”
“For some reason, my messaging talismans aren’t getting through.”
“The holy land has a barrier. You need their special talismans for contact. Just bear with it for now. With your cultivation progress, you’ll graduate the academy and enter the holy land in at most a year.”
“I understand, Mother-in-Law.” Yan Zhen cleared his throat twice before getting to the main point. “How has your condition been?”
The words hung in the air, and the atmosphere fell silent. The four beautiful elders froze mid-motion, their gazes—the Elder Great-Aunt’s, Dean Little Aunt’s, and Mentor Aunt’s—all focusing on their second sister.
The family head mother-in-law quickly composed herself. She took a leisurely sip of tea, set the cup down on the table, and then replied, “No major issues. Son-in-Law Yan Zhen needn’t worry.”
“I’ve come this time for the second round of dual cultivation. If your condition has flared up again, Mother-in-Law, please don’t hide it.” Yan Zhen took the Elder Great-Aunt’s hand, placed it before him, and rolled up her sleeve. “Great-Aunt’s symptoms were the mildest to begin with. Two sessions should have cleared them up. But after your cultivation went awry, they seem to have worsened, nearly matching Mother-in-Law’s now.”
With one hand laid on the table by Yan Zhen, the Elder Great-Aunt propped her cheek with the other, narrowing her lovely eyes in a troubled expression that somehow made her seem rather endearing.
“Your cultivation went awry?” The Dean Little Aunt gasped with concern. “Big Sis, are you all right?”
“Sigh, don’t ask. I just tried to break through to Six-Star Mystic Ancestor, but I nearly suffered Qi Deviation. I suppressed my mystic power in time, but the skin seepage got even worse.”
“That’s… that’s too unlucky! I’ve been thinking of attempting Three-Star Mystic Ancestor myself lately.”
“It’s not bad luck,” Yan Zhen said solemnly. “Until your conditions are fully resolved, you shouldn’t attempt breakthroughs. The failure rate will be high.”
“Why?”
“Because prolonged channeling makes the symptoms surface, distracting you—like every time after cultivation.”
“…”
The Dean Little Aunt fell silent. If the conversation continued, she couldn’t be sure Yan Zhen wouldn’t say something to leave her utterly mortified.
The Mentor Aunt stifled a laugh at the sight.
All four gazes turned back to the family head mother-in-law. After a long hesitation, she spoke softly, “Over these two months, it’s flared up five times—better than before. But each time, there’s this itchy longing in my heart. I… I end up recalling the days when I nursed Xuan’er.”
As she finished, two red clouds quietly bloomed on the family head mother-in-law’s cheeks.
The great-aunt, little aunt, and aunt all looked puzzled, but the innocent Yan Zhen blinked and understood instantly.
Recalling nursing her daughter meant yearning for that sensation of being suckled…
—Cough, cough. No wonder the family head mother-in-law struggled to say it. Forcing it out of her was a bit much.
“Then, no time like the present. Let’s prepare and start the dual cultivation… My mystic power has grown stronger, but I’ll still need the White Jade Spring to replenish.”
“For the White Jade Spring, I’ve already sent the Chief Manager to fetch it,” the family head mother-in-law said, regaining her icy poise. “We can do the dual cultivation in the open-air bathhouse—no need to go to the back mountain.”
“I’m fine either way.”
Yan Zhen glanced at the Elder Great-Aunt and Dean Little Aunt; neither objected.
After waiting about a quarter-hour, the Yu Family Chief Manager—that old woman—retrieved the White Jade Spring from her storage ring and poured it into the bath pool of the open-air bathhouse.
Yan Zhen eyed it and asked puzzledly, “No partition this time?”
The family head mother-in-law shook her head. “The Great Crimson Heaven Flame would incinerate it. I considered a Fifth-Order Cold Jade Board or Fifth-Order Blindfold Cloth, but worried it might hinder your performance. On second thought, no need—we’re all family. No point in such strict barriers.”
Yan Zhen’s heart stirred faintly. He sensed the mother-in-law’s attitude toward him had shifted significantly, verging on genuine closeness.
—Heh heh, can’t lie—I’m a little happy about that~
“Rest assured, Mother-in-Law. I absolutely won’t peek!”
The family head mother-in-law hummed in acknowledgment. The Elder Great-Aunt patted his head with a fond smile, while the Dean Little Aunt crossed her arms and glared at him warily.
With the White Jade Spring prepared and the array formation inscribed, the three Yu sisters temporarily withdrew.
With the Mentor Aunt’s help, Yan Zhen stripped down to his Long-Trunked Little Elephant Boxer Shorts and stepped briskly into the bath pool, immersing himself in the milky-white spring water.
Then the Mentor Aunt smiled and said, “Yan Zhen’s ready. Yu Qing, Sister Yu Yan, Sister-in-Law—who’s first?”
The Dean Little Aunt flushed red with embarrassment and snapped, “You little devil Bailan—can you not phrase it so weirdly? It sounds like us sisters are lining up to drain him dry!”
The Mentor Aunt batted her lovely eyes innocently to herself: Isn’t that exactly it? Taking turns dual cultivating with him—by the end, even with the White Jade Spring’s replenishment, you lot will have squeezed Yan Zhen’s mystic power dry.
