Hearing Yan Zhen’s direct question, Elder Yu Yan opened her deep blue eyes and gazed at his handsome yet somewhat boyish face. Then, with a gentle smile, she said, “Of course I like you. Xiao Lu, Xiao Qing, Bailan, Xuan’er, Xiao Yudie… everyone likes Little Yan Zhen. I’m no exception.”
Yan Zhen wasn’t satisfied with that answer. He glared at her and said, “Great-Aunt knows that’s not what I mean.”
“Then what do you mean?” Elder Yu Yan narrowed her beautiful eyes again, pretending to be clueless. “Little Yan Zhen, just say it outright. No matter what it is, I’ll listen carefully.”
She was pulling this trick on him.
In the past, Yan Zhen might have been at a loss for words, but now he handled such situations with relative ease, if not perfectly.
Yan Zhen clamped his mouth shut and silently pressed himself down onto Elder Great-Aunt. Then he leaned his face in, looking like he was about to kiss her.
Seeing this, Elder Yu Yan quickly closed her eyes, receiving his kiss with feigned modesty.
However, after a good while, no tingling sensation came to her lips. When she opened her eyes again, she found Yan Zhen silently staring at her.
Elder Yu Yan’s face grew warm with embarrassment, but she blinked and tilted her head, acting as if nothing had happened. “What’s wrong, Little Yan Zhen?”
Yan Zhen said, troubled, “I was about to ask what’s wrong with you, Great-Aunt. I can feel that you truly care for me and don’t have any weird ideas about me. So why are you doing this?”
Elder Yu Yan smiled softly. “This is just another way of showing affection.”
“There’s no way that’s normal.”
“Do you hate me, Little Yan Zhen?”
“It’s not hate, it’s just—”
“As long as you don’t hate me.” Elder Yu Yan spoke shyly. “My body has a little problem—it’s hard for me to have children—so I couldn’t find a suitable husband. And since you’ve already seen all of me, it only makes sense for us to be together… Do you understand?”
Seen all of her? Did she mean during that dual cultivation session when her clothes were corroded by the acidic Water Mystic Force?
That had been an accident, and it wasn’t like he’d seen everything. She had been sitting cross-legged in meditation at the time, so her private parts had definitely been out of view.
Yan Zhen broke into a cold sweat.
“But I’ve already… with Mentor Yu Xuan—”
“Hehe, no need to worry about that. The Yu Family actually has an old tradition that’s been mostly forgotten, called ‘Shared Husband.’ Women in the clan who don’t want to take a husband or can’t find a suitable one can share a husband with their sisters and use his bloodline to fulfill the duty of bearing children and expanding the family.”
Yan Zhen knew a bit about this from the script. It was mentioned there too.
This tradition was feudal nonsense, like how some ancient great clans in the Celestial Dynasty would exchange concubines—only with genders reversed.
Due to certain ethical issues, the Yu Family had abandoned it a hundred years ago. So why bring it up now?
“Shared Husbands are supposed to be between peers, right? Great-Aunt, you’re a generation above me.”
Cousin Sister Yudie would make more sense.
As long as Mentor Yu Xuan agreed, Cousin Sister Yudie or other sisters in the clan could use Yan Zhen the live-in son-in-law’s bloodline. Those who didn’t cultivate the Timely Rain Scripture could even sleep with him.
Of course, Mentor Yu Xuan wouldn’t agree, and Yan Zhen himself wouldn’t either. After all, he had no intention of becoming the Yu Family’s live-in son-in-law; he planned to marry Mentor Yu Xuan instead.
“In special circumstances, it can be between aunt and nephew too.” Elder Yu Yan spoke warmly. “Since Xiao Qing hasn’t taken a husband yet, and Xiao Lu’s husband has passed away, we have to look to close relatives in the previous or next generation. Compared to some stranger, I prefer you, Little Yan Zhen.”
“This…”
What kind of special development was this?
Yan Zhen remembered that in the script, Elder Great-Aunt remained unmarried her whole life because she couldn’t have children. She had no interest in romance and devoted herself entirely to cultivation, which was admirable.
Why was she suddenly trying to take a husband now, even resorting to “Shared Husband”?
He thought this, but he couldn’t very well say, “Great-Aunt, why not just stay single?” That would be too heartless.
“Has Mentor Yu Xuan agreed?”
“Xuan’er has always felt sorry for me. As long as you nod, Little Yan Zhen, she won’t object.”
—No, no, no! Mentor Yu Xuan wouldn’t agree!
She knew Yan Zhen wanted to marry her, not become the Yu Family’s live-in son-in-law.
Yan Zhen wanted to say more, but he heard Elder Yu Yan say dispiritedly, “Does Little Yan Zhen despise me because I can’t bear children?”
“Ah? No, no!” Yan Zhen waved his hands frantically. “I don’t mean that at all.”
But Elder Yu Yan let out a heavy sigh, her brow furrowed with sorrow, as if the whole world had abandoned her.
It was the first time Yan Zhen had seen the ever-smiling Elder Great-Aunt make such an expression, and his heart ached for her.
For a woman, infertility was a devastating blow. And for Elder Great-Aunt, it had also cost her the chance to inherit the family head position—a double strike.
How could he wound her pride on this matter?
“Great-Aunt, don’t be sad. I really don’t despise you.”
Elder Yu Yan let out a soft hum. “Little Yan Zhen is not only cute but also has a gentle personality. No wonder Xuan’er likes you so much, hehe.”
Seeing her force out a pale smile, Yan Zhen’s heart twisted. After a long internal struggle, he finally surrendered. “I understand, Great-Aunt. I agree.”
Elder Yu Yan was taken aback. “Little Yan Zhen, have you thought this through?”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek, looking bashful. “Actually, I like Great-Aunt quite a bit too. You’re beautiful and gentle, just like Mentor Yu Xuan.”
Hearing such praise, Elder Yu Yan wavered, wondering if it was too much to play on Little Yan Zhen’s concern for her like this.
But thinking of her poor second sister, Elder Yu Yan steeled her resolve. She’d make it up to Little Yan Zhen later somehow—after all, he was hers now.
“Then it’s settled.” Elder Yu Yan reverted to her squinted-eyed smile, beaming. “Thank you, Little Yan Zhen~”
Yan Zhen scratched his head, unsure how to respond.
“Little Yan Zhen, could you hold me a bit longer?” Elder Yu Yan pressed her advantage. “The aura of Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame emanating from you seems to suppress the Wind Thunder Power in my body, making it easier to dispel.”
“Oh, sure.”
Since it was related to Elder Great-Aunt’s injury, Yan Zhen nodded without hesitation. But staying pressed on top of her like this felt too awkward.
Yan Zhen thought for a moment, then helped Elder Great-Aunt sit up and hugged her slender waist from behind, letting her lean against his chest.
Looking down, he could see the bulging fabric of her robe. This size was the second largest he’d ever seen, just a bit smaller than his beautiful female master’s.
The key was, from that accidental glimpse before, the tips weren’t protruding but rather indented—quite unique.
—Cough, cough. Why was he thinking about that now? He’d promised himself to forget it.
Yan Zhen sensed his shifting attitude toward Elder Great-Aunt and quickly composed himself. He began circulating his Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame to help her dispel the Wind Thunder Power within her.
Held like this by him, Elder Yu Yan inexplicably felt at ease. She closed her eyes and focused on expelling the Wind Thunder Power from her body.
