I thought she was about to do something serious, with that stern look on her face.
Yan Zhen relaxed a little and politely declined. “Mother-in-law, I’m really fine. Nothing serious.”
But the Family Head Yu Lu kept walking forward. She stopped by the bathtub and looked down imperiously at her live-in son-in-law. “Your Elder Great-Aunt is hurt so badly. How could you possibly be completely unscathed? Get up and let me take a look.”
Yan Zhen quickly clamped his legs together.
The water had medicinal liquid in it, so it wasn’t completely transparent. But with the eyes of a Mystic Ancestor expert, she could see right through it in an instant.
The family head mother-in-law, however, didn’t seem to care at all.
“I’m telling you, I’m fine,” he insisted. “Mother-in-law, all the danger was blocked by Great-Aunt, that’s why she’s hurt so badly.”
“Don’t lie to me, child. Would you really let your Great-Aunt take all the hits for you?” The Family Head Yu Lu saw right through him. “Come on, get up.”
Helpless, Yan Zhen summoned a towel from midair with a gesture and wrapped it around his waist, covering the slumbering Second Master. Only then did he stand up from the bathtub, facing his mother-in-law and shrinking back like a schoolboy who’d been caught doing something wrong.
Seeing his cooperation, the Family Head Yu Lu said no more. She calmly looked him up and down, noting the various wounds—big and small—still marring his body. They were already starting to heal after soaking in the medicinal bath.
The Family Head Yu Lu reached out with her slender jade hand and touched a lightning strike pattern on Yan Zhen’s chest. Her fingertip scraped away a layer of dead skin as she asked, “Does it hurt?”
Yan Zhen shook his head. “No, just a bit itchy. It should be healing soon. After all, I have the Great Crimson Heaven Flame.”
“Has all the Wind-Thunder Power been dispersed?”
“Yeah, I used the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame to clear it out. It’s completely gone.”
Her hand continued caressing Yan Zhen’s chest. When she reached the tip, a tiny purple arc of electricity suddenly sparked, numbing her finger.
“Looks like it’s not completely cleared.”
Yan Zhen felt extremely embarrassed. “It’s just a little residual. No big deal—it’ll dissipate on its own in an hour or two.”
“We can’t take it lightly. This is the power of the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire, after all.” The Family Head Yu Lu’s gaze drifted downward to the towel around his waist. “Especially here.”
With that, she casually tugged the towel away with her soft, pale hand.
Yan Zhen froze for a moment before reacting. His handsome face flushed bright red, and he instinctively reached to cover himself—only for the family head mother-in-law to gently flick his hand away.
“Mother-in-law, what are you—”
“I need to check this properly. This is the most critical part, after all.” A faint blush colored the Family Head Yu Lu’s cheeks too. “If any Wind-Thunder Power lingers here, it could affect your fertility. Back then, your Great-Aunt didn’t pay enough attention to it, which left her with a chronic condition that’s hard to cure.”
Hearing this eased Yan Zhen’s embarrassment a bit. Curiosity got the better of him. “What happened to Great-Aunt when she was young?”
The Family Head Yu Lu leaned down and pinched him gently, inspecting from both sides. Her red lips parted as she explained, “It was my fault. Demon Domain evil cultivators targeted me back then. To save me, your Great-Aunt forcibly used a secret technique to fight one of them. She took some hidden damage without realizing it. When she broke through later, it flared up, causing Qi deviation. She nearly lost her life. We healed her body eventually, but her womb never fully recovered.”
So that’s what happened… Yan Zhen felt a pang of sympathy for his Elder Great-Aunt. He was about to say it wasn’t the mother-in-law’s fault when a tingling, electric itch surged upward from below, making him shudder.
Looking down, he saw the family head mother-in-law lightly scratching him with two fingers—like she was teasing a cat—which was making him swell a bit.
Yan Zhen was mortified. “Mother-in-law?”
She didn’t look away, though her face bore a blush. “Just testing if everything’s functioning normally. I don’t want you ending up like your Great-Aunt, injured without knowing it.”
Yan Zhen gave her a wry look. “I think it’s fine. Can we skip the rest of the check-up?”
The Family Head Yu Lu ignored him and gave a light squeeze. “Does it hurt when it swells like this?”
“N-No.”
“What about down here?”
“That doesn’t hurt either.”
“And the tip?”
“No…”
“After peeling back—”
“It doesn’t hurt!”
The Family Head Yu Lu cleared her throat twice. Seeing Yan Zhen on the verge of getting upset, she reined herself in.
“What’s with this Dragon Mark? It’s hotter here than anywhere else.”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek, avoiding her gaze. “Uh, it’s the power of the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame condensed—like a kind of enhancement.”
“A dragon, huh? No wonder you can handle so many.”
“/（/ /o/ω/o/ /）/”
“By the way, this size—isn’t it a bit—”
“What?”
“…Nothing.” After carefully examining it, the Family Head Yu Lu released her grip, her expression a little unnatural. “Looks like you’re all good. Come to the Yu Family in a few days. I’ll check you again then.”
Yan Zhen hurriedly sat back in the bathtub. He exclaimed in surprise, “Another check-up?”
“Some conditions aren’t visible to the eye, like bloodline strength,” the Family Head Yu Lu said matter-of-factly. “As the Yu Family’s live-in son-in-law, producing strong heirs is the most important thing. After you marry Xuan’er, we’ll do a full, thorough exam. If we find any hidden ailments or injuries, we need to treat them right away—to avoid affecting the baby.”
Yan Zhen blinked. Wasn’t this basically a premarital health check? He hadn’t expected the conservative Yu Family to be so advanced about this.
Though he had no plans to actually become their live-in son-in-law, he approved of their approach on this front.
Check-ups keep you healthy, after all!
“Don’t worry, Mother-in-law. I’ll cooperate fully.”
The Family Head Yu Lu hummed in acknowledgment.
“I’ll head out now. Finish your bath properly.”
Without waiting for his reply, she turned and walked out.
Once outside the bathroom, the Family Head Yu Lu’s breathing grew heavy. The flush on her face spread to her neck and ears.
She clutched her left chest, feeling her heart pounding wildly. That familiar overflowing sensation was back.
It had been cured by him already, but just touching him—or being touched by him—brought the old symptoms roaring back.
—She’d only gotten close for the family’s sake. Why was her body reacting like this?
—Did she have selfish desires after all?
The Family Head Yu Lu reflected deeply but couldn’t find an answer.
She hadn’t told a soul—not her elder sister, younger sister, or daughter. Not even the Yu Shizun.
Lost in thought, the poised and mature beauty didn’t notice someone in the corner watching her emerge from the bathroom, her face flushed with a peachy glow. Shock flashed in the onlooker’s eyes behind her glasses.
“Why is it Sister-in-Law? I thought it was Yu Qing.”
Shui Bailan huddled in the corner, not daring to breathe, terrified her sister-in-law would spot her and silence her.
Only when her sister-in-law’s figure vanished down the hall did Shui Bailan relax with a sigh of relief. She was about to go check on Yan Zhen when her close friend poked her head out furtively and slipped into the bathroom.
Shui Bailan jumped again. Good thing she hadn’t rushed in—she’d have been caught red-handed.
—What was Yu Qing up to?
Shui Bailan crept to the bathroom door and pressed her ear against it. Sure enough, she heard Yan Zhen yelp, then demand irritably, “Little Aunt, why are you coming in? I’m taking a bath!”
Her good friend didn’t disappoint, retorting haughtily, “It’s not like I haven’t seen it before. What’s with the fuss!”
—Yu Qing… heh~
Shui Bailan’s lips twitched. She was utterly speechless.
