After a quick bath, Grandpa came looking for him, saying that Huangfu Xiong had sent someone to invite him out for drinks.
It was clear that Grandpa really wanted to go. The old man didn’t have many true friends, and Huangfu Xiong was one of them. He had only held back out of concern for his grandson’s feelings, without giving an immediate answer.
Yan Zhen smiled and said, “Since Grandpa Huangfu is sincerely inviting you, then you should go, Grandpa. You can’t let one little thing ruin your years of friendship.”
Yan Lie sighed. “It’s my fault for being useless and dragging you down, Zhen’er.”
“Don’t say that, Grandpa. During those three frustrating years when I was down in the dumps, if it weren’t for your constant encouragement, I might not have held on.”
“Zhen’er…”
“Don’t worry, Grandpa. Nothing like that will happen again. In the future, whenever people talk about Yan Lie’s grandson, they’ll do it with reverence—oh, right, Grandpa, here, this is for you.”
Yan Zhen took out a Pure Yuan Pill from his storage ring.
This was the evolved version of the Major Yuan Pill, perfect for Mystic Generals to cultivate with.
Before refining the fourth Extreme Flame—the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire—Yan Zhen couldn’t raise his cultivation yet, so he had no immediate use for it.
After soothing his grandfather’s emotions, Yan Zhen closed the door to his room, then opened the window and slipped out using the Starry Sky Dance.
There were still two—or three—people over there who needed his comforting.
Sighing to himself, Yan Zhen realized he had unwittingly become the very sort of “master juggler of time” he used to look down on.
He arrived at the double suite, and the door opened automatically. It closed again after he entered. He couldn’t help thinking that it was worthy of a Mystic Ancestor Expert’s handiwork—Mystic Power manipulated with precision finer than any physical light or sound sensors.
Inside the room, Long Ying was floating in midair, snoring away like the ultimate lazy slacker, utterly adrift with nothing to rely on. Meanwhile, Cai Lian and Yi Xian’er sat on the soft couch, locked in a fierce game of Go.
This wasn’t some casual pastime to kill time. It was a cutthroat battle, each move with black or white stones aimed at shattering the opponent’s confidence and dignity.
They drew on the Power of Heaven and Earth with every placement, sending ripples of intense Mystic Power through the air and conjuring vivid scenes on the board.
A white serpent clashed against a black flood dragon, howling and twisting together in savage bites that even disturbed Long Ying’s sleep. Her little brows furrowed tightly, as if she were having a nightmare—probably of being chased by some little monster.
If they hadn’t contained all that energy to the board, the entire inn would have been reduced to rubble.
Though the two women weren’t out for blood, they showed no mercy once the game began.
After all, his Snake Snake Wife Cai Lian was a reincarnator with memories of her past life. Though the war between Shadow Moon Kingdom and the City of Water hadn’t started yet, the grudge between them had been forged long ago.
This was different from the petty squabbles between Senior Sister Xue’er and Senior Sister Xinyan. Those two just couldn’t stand each other on a personal level. But between Cai Lian and Xian’er, it was a clash between nations.
Yan Zhen sighed helplessly, pondering how to ease the tension between them. As he walked over and glanced at the board, he considered his approach.
He wasn’t much of a Go player—barely knew the rules—but that didn’t stop him from reading the situation.
The serpent and flood dragon were tearing into each other evenly matched.
The compressed energy on the board was already terrifying. If they kept going, it might explode.
“Ahem, that’s enough. I declare this game a draw.”
Neither woman paid him any mind, staying laser-focused as the white serpent and black flood dragon ripped at each other even more viciously.
Yan Zhen raised an eyebrow and said loudly, “You two really get along so well. Playing together this late at night.”
The moment the words left his mouth, both women whipped their heads around, glaring at him furiously. In unison, they snapped,
“Who the hell gets along with this fiend/snake woman!”
As they lost focus, the clashing visions of serpent and dragon shattered. The oppressive pressure in the room vanished, and the atmosphere returned to normal.
Yan Zhen felt the heat now. He quickly raised his hands in surrender. “Just a figure of speech. No need to take it seriously.”
Realizing what had happened, the women lost their interest in continuing the game. They shot Yan Zhen another glare—clearly, his remark had offended both at once.
“Have you two eaten?”
Yi Xian’er replied coolly, “Mystic Ancestor Experts hardly need food.”
Cai Lian added, “This Seat doesn’t care for the local cuisine.”
“…I, I wanna eat. Nom nom nom, Yan Zhen Zhen, so yummy~”
“What?”
Yan Zhen turned to see Long Ying talking in her sleep. He wondered what kind of dream could string “Yan Zhen Zhen is yummy” together like that.
Wild Dragon Diary?
Suddenly, he felt a twinge of danger. He recalled that in the script, when he shared a bed with her, this Rice Bucket Loli loved chomping on his arm. He’d wake up with a row of tiny tooth marks that stung like hell.
“If you’re not eating, how about we all go out for a stroll? The capital’s huge—bound to be fun spots.”
Yi Xian’er blinked her beautiful eyes. “Are you inviting me? Or this snake woman?”
“Can’t it be both?” Yan Zhen said weakly. “We can bring Long Ying along too.”
Cai Lian snorted coldly with haughty disdain. “Going out with some fiend? That would tarnish this Seat’s dignity!”
“But you came all this way. You can’t just hole up in the inn the whole time, right?” Yan Zhen gave a wry smile. “Don’t you get bored?”
His Snake Snake Wife huffed again and turned away, ignoring him.
Yi Xian’er looked aside too, clearly displeased.
—Idiot, why not just invite one of us? Who wants to go out with this fiend/snake woman!
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek awkwardly and muttered, “If neither of you wants to go out, do you just want to stay in the inn and get frisky?”
At those words, both women turned back at once, ready to retort. But their eyes fell on their lover’s handsome face.
His eyes, his nose, his lips—every feature sent their hearts racing, their bodies heating up. Memories of their past tangled intimacies flooded their minds. The rebuttals caught in their throats as a faint blush crept over their cheeks. They looked down guiltily.
“It’s not like that. You’re overthinking it, Yan Zhen.”
“This Seat is just a bit tired, that’s all!”
“…”
Yan Zhen blinked. He’d only said it offhand. But judging by their reactions, did they actually want to get frisky?
Suddenly, he remembered a line he’d read before: Long-distance couples plan grand outings when they finally reunite, but end up spending the whole day making love in the hotel.
—Whoa… he might have just uncovered a major truth.
The question was, who to get frisky with?
Both together was definitely off the table. Suggesting that would get him beaten to a pulp.
“Ahem, since we’re not going out, let’s rest early then… Especially you, Cai Lian—you’re carrying Yan’er, so don’t overdo it. Oh, right—I refined a bottle of Fetal Protection Pills. Take one before bed.”
Yan Zhen pulled out the bottle from his storage ring, poured out a pill, and offered it to his pregnant wife.
Cai Lian reached for it, but Yan Zhen pulled his hand back slightly, signaling her to take it with her mouth.
