Huangfu Wenqing quietly approached the changing room and peered inside through the open door.
Amid the swirling white steam of the warm pool, two figures stood in the center, locked in a tight embrace.
To be precise, one person stood while the other clung to him like a koala, their intimacy enviable and Mystic.
Though the view was somewhat hazy, Huangfu Wenqing recognized them instantly. They were her master, whom she revered above all in both her past and present lives, and her fiancé, whom she loved more than anyone across those same lifetimes.
The intensely shocking scene set her heart pounding wildly, as if the blood in her veins had surged to life, cheering and roaring in triumph.
Her face alternated between flushed red and ghostly pale. Her expression flickered between exhilaration and sorrow before finally settling into a dazed, breathless haze.
“Master… Yan Zhen…”
Biting her index finger, Huangfu Wenqing watched, lost in a trance.
Inside the warm pool, Yun Xiu’s delicate frame suddenly shuddered violently. Her arms clamped tightly around Yan Zhen’s head, her legs locked around his lower back, while muffled whimpers escaped her lips.
Only after a long moment did the tremors subside.
Yan Zhen settled back into the water and spat out the glistening berry bead from his mouth. His hands released Yun Xiu’s buttocks, allowing her to sit astride his lap. Instead, he began gently stroking her smooth back and cheeks, soothing the lingering tide of passion within her.
Yun Xiu regained her senses and nuzzled his hand affectionately with her stunningly beautiful face. She even planted a kiss on the back of his hand, as docile as could be.
“Yan Zhen…”
Having kissed his hand, Yun Xiu leaned in to kiss Yan Zhen himself, clearly eager for more.
But just then, a faint muffled hum echoed from the doorway.
Yun Xiu, who hadn’t fully lost herself yet, snapped back to full awareness.
That voice? She extended her mystic power to sense her surroundings and was stunned to discover her disciple standing right beside the door, apparently peering toward them!
Panic seized Yun Xiu on the spot.
In her past life, Huangfu Wenqing had occasionally stumbled upon moments of intimacy between Yun Xiu and Yan Zhen. It hadn’t been overly embarrassing—after all, lovers caught in private passion were only human.
But things were different now. Yan Zhen’s engagement to Huangfu Wenqing remained unbroken, making him, in name at least, Yun Xiu’s own disciple son-in-law.
Yun Xiu recalled Jiu Youyue’s teasing remark:
“The fair-skinned beauty with generous curves—my stunning master—and her boyish disciple son-in-law packing a monster: the stories too scandalous to ignore.”
The thought unleashed a powerful wave of taboo guilt, causing her body to clench involuntarily. Yan Zhen hissed sharply through his teeth.
“Yun Xiu…”
“Wait, Yan Zhen,” Yun Xiu whispered urgently. “Stop for now. Wenqing—mm—Wenqing’s right outside the door. We can’t keep going.”
Wenqing was here? Yan Zhen’s heart stirred, though his face betrayed nothing.
“But I’m not finished yet. You’d really leave me aching like this?”
“I—but we’ll get caught, mm~”
“If we get caught, fine by me. It’s perfect, actually.” Yan Zhen rose from the water, still holding Yun Xiu. “I told you, I want everything. Now’s the time to lay it all out with her!”
Yun Xiu grew frantic.
“No, Yan Zhen, we can’t!”
Ignoring her pleas, Yan Zhen cupped Yun Xiu’s buttocks—keeping their intimate connection unbroken—and walked step by step toward the door.
Yun Xiu buried her face in the crook of Yan Zhen’s neck and shoulder, ostrich-like, desperate not to make a sound.
She had steeled herself mentally to some degree, but in the moment, shame overwhelmed her.
As a traditional woman, this utter defiance of propriety shattered every boundary she held dear.
Splash-splash-splash.
Their wet bare feet slapped against the ground, the sound crisp and deliberate—courtesy of Yan Zhen.
Step by step, the young man finally arrived before his fiancée, the beauty cradled securely in his arms.
Huangfu Wenqing wore a light green dress that complemented her deep green tresses, creating a captivating sight.
She had taken cover behind the doorframe, only half her body visible. Her eyes darted timidly between her fiancé and her master, drawn inexorably to the point where their bodies joined. She swallowed hard.
“Yan Zhen… Master… you—you—”
Yan Zhen gave a gentle bounce to the soft form in his arms.
“Sorry, Wenqing. The truth is, I’ve known Yun Xiu for ages, and we’ve been together intimately for just as long. She’s my first love. I know she’s your master, and I know our engagement still stands. But I won’t give her up because of that. At first, I planned to end things with you so Yun Xiu and I could be together openly. But after a year together at the academy, I realized I’ve grown to like you too.”
As he spoke, Yan Zhen watched his fiancée’s reaction closely. There was scarcely any anger on her face. Could his confession really not be scummy enough?
This was outrageous already. Cai Lian would have drawn a blade by now!
Or was this the calm before the explosion—the quiet fury of the seemingly meek?
Wenqing wasn’t some meek pushover, though. She was sharp as a tack.
Yan Zhen sensed something was off, but with things this far along, he pressed on.
“If it were possible, I’d want both of you. Who wouldn’t crave a master-disciple threesome, especially with goddesses like you two? But I know that’s a pipe dream. You have your pride, your dignity. I’m not fool enough to hope you’d agree to share me with Yun Xiu. We’ll settle it in tomorrow’s showdown—”
“I—I agree!”
Huangfu Wenqing cut him off in agitation. Yan Zhen nodded solemnly, as if expecting as much.
“I know I’ve hurt you, and yeah, I admit I’m a total scumbag—”
His words halted abruptly. Yan Zhen stared in bewilderment, convinced he’d misheard.
“Wait, what? Agree? Agree to what?”
Huangfu Wenqing glanced at her master, who stood with her back turned and said nothing. Steel yourself against the shame, she thought, then spoke.
“I’m willing to be your woman—together with Master.”
Yan Zhen froze. He’d long known his fiancée had remarkable tolerance, but accepting a shared arrangement with her own master? This was betrayal squared. Any other woman would have turned vengeful by now.
—Wenqing, what’s going on with you? How could you possibly accept this?
It couldn’t be!
His mind reeled in chaos. He scrambled to adjust his words.
“You’re willing? B-but Yun Xiu doesn’t seem on board, so maybe—”
“No, Master’s willing too!” Huangfu Wenqing offered a shy smile. “Right, Master?”
Yun Xiu wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and vanish. For her disciple—the girl she cherished like her own daughter—to witness her in such a compromising state…
“Master’s just embarrassed, but I know she wants this.” Huangfu Wenqing bit her lip. “Truth is, push her even a little, and she’ll fold for you completely. She’s got no resistance when it comes to you.”
Yan Zhen blinked, his thoughts still a jumbled mess. He glanced at Yun Xiu’s profile and ventured:
“Yun Xiu, do you want to serve me alongside Wenqing?”
Yun Xiu refused to answer.
“If you stay silent, I’ll take that as a yes.”
Still, she said nothing—silent assent!
Yan Zhen felt as if he were living a dream too wild even for fantasies.
“Yan Zhen…”
Huangfu Wenqing called his name softly. She had already slipped out of her clothes and now approached him, her eyes hazy with desire.
“I want to join you in the bath too. May I?”
