Yan Zhen carried Yun Xiu into the main hall of Sitting Forgetting Hall, then continued walking deeper inside.
“Yun Xiu, where’s your room?”
Yun Xiu kept her mouth shut.
Yan Zhen smiled leisurely.
“Fine, if you won’t tell me, then we’ll do it right here in the grand hall—”
“—T-Turn left.”
Yan Zhen huffed and followed her directions. He passed through the main hall and arrived at the place where she usually meditated.
Only after crossing Sitting Forgetting Hall did they reach Yun Xiu’s sleeping chamber.
A restraint seal guarded the entrance to the sleeping chamber. At Yan Zhen’s urging, Yun Xiu reluctantly reached out to “unlock” it. He pushed the door open and led her inside, passing through layer after layer of beaded curtains until they finally reached the bed at the far end.
The bed was crafted from mystic jade, wisps of mystic qi drifting from it. Sleeping on it was equivalent to slow cultivation.
Festive red opaque canopy curtains hung over the bed, and the bedding and pillows featured dragon-and-phoenix embroidery. Apart from the absence of paper-cut double happiness symbols, the setup was practically identical to a bridal chamber.
Yan Zhen paused in surprise and looked down at Yun Xiu in his arms. Her face had flushed all the way to her ears. She hurriedly buried her head against his chest, not wanting him to see her utterly embarrassed expression.
“It’s prepared for you and Wenqing,” Yun Xiu explained forcefully. “I planned to give you this room and move to the one next door myself.”
Yan Zhen let out an “oh” but didn’t expose the Beautiful Palace Lord’s little scheme. His expression simply softened a touch. He gently placed her on the bed and was about to remove her shoes when Yun Xiu spoke up.
“Wait, Yan Zhen!”
Yan Zhen paused.
“What is it?”
Yun Xiu propped herself up, her pretty face red as she said, “I want to bathe first.”
Yan Zhen eyed her suspiciously.
“Are you really wanting to bathe, or just trying to stall?”
“Of course it’s to bathe.”
“Then I’ll bathe with you. How about I scrub your back?”
“Mmm~”
Seeing Yun Xiu in such a coy and bashful state, Yan Zhen was stunned. Was she not playing tricks after all and actually wanted a romantic bubble bath with him?
“Wenqing mentioned there’s a warm pool nearby. Where is it? Never mind, I’ll find it myself.”
His spiritual sense spread out. The entire sleeping chamber appeared in his mind, save for the areas protected by restraint seals.
To the left, through one door, lay the changing room, and beyond that was a natural hot spring nestled between the palace and the rear mountain wall.
Three sides were walled off in a semi-outdoor design, offering a view of a patch of sky and the scenery atop the rear mountain.
Bubbles gurgled up from the pool water, which had to be over fifty degrees.
Yan Zhen withdrew his spiritual sense, pulled Yun Xiu up from the bed, and led her by the hand to the poolside.
“Looks pretty nice.”
Yun Xiu took the initiative to explain, “This hot spring flows down from the mountaintop. There’s an extreme flame called Azure Flame up there. It was born from absorbing sunlight and wind-attribute sword qi, ranking 106th on the Extreme Flame List. The mountain spring is heated by the Azure Flame into this hot spring, and the water contains traces of sharp sword intent. It’s quite beneficial for sword cultivators trying to comprehend sword intent.”
“Azure Flame…”
Her words jogged Yan Zhen’s memory. In the script, after he destroyed Cloud Heaven Palace, he had indeed obtained Sharp Flame from this very place.
The extreme flames ranked 100 to 108 on the Extreme Flame List were all materials for forging his sword. With Gold-Silver Fire as the core, incorporating Illusion Flame, Crimson Flame, Sunset Flame, Yellow Flame, Verdant Flame, Azure Flame, Nether Flame, and Phosphorus Flame—the eight extreme flames—would allow the Extreme Tyrant Sword to reach completion as the Extreme Emperor Sword, attaining ninth tier!
“Don’t you need extreme flames for your cultivation? You could take the Azure Flame whenever you have time, for future use.”
“We’ll see. Its rank is too low; it’s not suitable for me to refine.”
“Couldn’t your sword use it?”
“Yeah—wait, hold on.” Yan Zhen’s face filled with suspicion. “Did I ever tell you that my Extreme Tyrant Sword can fuse with other extreme flames?”
“…I-I guessed.” Yun Xiu inwardly cursed her slip of the tongue. “Wenqing told me your lifebound sword was forged from an extreme flame, so I wondered if extreme flames could be used to evolve and upgrade it.”
“It can, but it’s not that easy. Ahem, this isn’t the time to talk about that.”
“Oh. Then stand still. I’ll help you undress.”
How forward. Yan Zhen was curious to see what tricks this silly woman would pull to avoid him this time. Tonight, he definitely wouldn’t let her escape.
—Ugh, why does this feel like one of those clichéd urban power fantasy novels, where the heroine pulls out all the stops to fend off the villain trying to defile her?
—Damn, I’ve accidentally turned into the antagonistic villain opposite the protagonist.
Good thing System-chan was upgrading. If it detected this, he’d probably get slapped with an Interface-to-the-Face spell.
With that thought, Yan Zhen adjusted his mindset. He obediently spread his arms, letting Yun Xiu undo his belt like a dutiful little wife. She removed his clothes and pants one by one, hanging them on the nearby screen.
When only the Long-Trunked Little Elephant Boxer Shorts remained, Yun Xiu’s movements paused. Then she bit her lip and took off the childish shorts.
Clutching the shorts, Yun Xiu stood up, her face flushed crimson as she said, “You go ahead and soak. I’ll join you in a bit.”
Yan Zhen shot her a sidelong glance.
“Then you’ll dawdle behind the screen stripping for a cup of tea—or even a full quarter-hour?”
“Just a moment.”
“I don’t believe you. Unless you undress right in front of me.”
“Wha—no way~”
“I want to watch. I’m always the one undressing you. Let me see you do it once.”
Yan Zhen’s tone took on a wheedling lilt, striking straight at Yun Xiu’s heart.
Compared to that naughty little wolf-dog Yan Zhen from moments ago, she much preferred the cute, lovable little puppy-dog version.
Yun Xiu wavered immediately.
“You get in first.”
Yan Zhen obediently leaped into the pool, swam a joyful lap, then returned to his spot. He rested his hands on the pool edge and gazed up at her expectantly from below, as if to say, “Hurry up, I can’t wait.”
Yun Xiu’s skin was even thinner than Cai Lian’s; she wasn’t used to this kind of teasing. Making her undress under his direct stare was truly asking too much.
Meeting Yan Zhen’s bright, eager eyes, Yun Xiu bit her lip. She gently tugged the tie at her waist, loosening her sash and letting it drift to the floor.
Seeing his eyes light up even more, Yun Xiu felt more shame than joy. Her tender white hands grasped the lapels of her wide outer robe and slowly shrugged it off, revealing her smooth fragrant shoulders and alluring collarbone.
Yan Zhen’s breathing quickened at once.
The normally aloof, fairy-like Yun Xiu—who always blushed in front of him—was putting on a private “strip show” just for him. It was impossibly arousing.
She removed another undergarment and skirt, leaving only her final layer of cover.
The white bellyband gleamed with the luster unique to supreme-grade silk under the lights. It was embroidered with a white crane amid clouds in a remarkably simple style, just like her personality.
Yet beneath that plain bellyband hid two ample swells that stretched the crane’s head plump, contrasting sharply with its slender bird legs. Far from retaining its original ethereal air, it instead exuded an erotic allure.
Her intimate pants matched perfectly, pure white and hugging her perky rear in a perfect curve.
Seeing her hesitate, Yan Zhen cleared his throat twice as a reminder to continue.
But Yun Xiu refused to move, instead covering her chest with her hands and shooting him a pleading look.
