Yan Zhen suspected that Elder Great-Aunt had some unspoken difficulties, which was why she was drawing close to him under the guise of the “shared husband” tradition.
Yet when she had kissed him just now, she had been so immersed in it, completely lost in the moment as she greedily savored his lips and saliva. It was impossible to fake that kind of genuine affection.
It was all too strange. Ever since his return to the academy, the elders of the Yu Family had been acting oddly toward him.
“Next time I see Mentor Yu Xuan, I’ll discuss it with her. I have a feeling that Great-Aunt and the others are hiding something.”
Yan Zhen returned to the Yan Huang Tower. First, he refined a furnace of Fetal Stability Pills and handed them to Cai Lian. Then he refined a furnace of Fasting Pills and gave them to Long Ying. After chatting briefly with Meng’er and the others, he dove back into the Fire Refining Starry Sky, where under the supervision of his beautiful female master, he worked to stabilize his mystic power.
It was not until late at night that Yan Zhen emerged from the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
Cai Lian had already bathed and changed into a bright red spaghetti-strap nightgown. She leaned against the headboard, breathing evenly in sleep, with a light screen from the Reflecting Light Mirror hovering in front of her.
Yan Zhen approached on tiptoe and glanced at the screen. It was playing footage of his battles in the Inner Academy, currently at the moment of his duel with Wen Canglan.
So this was what Wife Lady occasionally pulled out to watch—and no wonder she always put it away whenever he drew near. She must not have wanted him to see it.
Yan Zhen smiled knowingly to himself, thinking that Wife Lady was just too adorable. He sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to gently caress her smooth, radiant cheek.
The moment his fingers made contact, Cai Lian woke up. She jolted in alarm at sensing someone beside her but relaxed once she focused and saw it was Yan Zhen.
“Done with your cultivation?”
“I promised you this morning that I’d spend the night with you.”
The Sovereign Lady huffed lightly, about to say something tsundere to maintain her aloof facade. But then she noticed her Reflecting Light Mirror was still on. Her cheeks flushed bright red in an instant, and with lightning-quick reflexes, she snatched it up and stored it in her storage ring.
She glanced at her husband, who looked utterly composed, as if nothing had happened. Realizing he must have seen everything, a wave of intense embarrassment surged through her. She quickly explained, “As I mentioned before, this is something Little Sister Meng’er gave This Sovereign to pass the time.”
Yan Zhen gave a faint “Mm.”
Cai Lian bit her lip and continued, “All the clips she collected are about you. This Sovereign said no, but that girl insisted on shoving them over. Not wanting to disappoint her good intentions, This Sovereign had no choice but to make do with watching them.”
Yan Zhen blinked and let out an “Oh.”
Seeing his utterly nonchalant expression only made Cai Lian feel even more mortified. She stressed, “Battles between low-tier mystic cultivators have zero appeal. This Sovereign only watched the first playback before getting so bored that I fell asleep!”
Yan Zhen glanced at the “battery level”—the mystic energy was nearly depleted, meaning it had probably looped from start to finish five or six times. He’d noticed her watching it days ago.
Looking at his blushing Snake Snake Wife, Yan Zhen didn’t call her out directly. Instead, he chuckled and said, “I see. I thought you were just tired and dozing off, Cai Lian.”
The Sovereign Lady turned away in shy annoyance.
Yan Zhen drew her tenderly into his arms and whispered softly in her ear, “Sorry, Cai Lian. I kept you waiting.”
Cai Lian refused to admit it. “This Sovereign wasn’t waiting.”
Pretending not to hear, Yan Zhen wrapped one arm around her slender waist and cupped her slightly flushed face with the other.
“If you’re tired next time, rest early. You’re pregnant—you can’t push yourself.”
The Sovereign Lady finally softened, lowering her head slightly and nestling obediently against Yan Zhen’s chest. She pouted, “This Sovereign isn’t as fragile as you think. I was just a bit drowsy.”
“You must have depleted too much energy. Yan’er is cultivating in your belly and needs a lot of it. Fasting Pills alone definitely aren’t enough—have you not eaten anything these past few days, Cai Lian?”
Seeing Yan Zhen’s frown, Cai Lian instantly felt guilty and defended herself, “This Sovereign isn’t hungry.”
Yan Zhen shot his pregnant wife an exasperated look. “Hungry or not, you have to eat. Later, I’ll have Meng’er make some nourishing medicinal cuisine for you.”
“Why bother Little Sister Meng’er…”
“How is that a bother? When she’s pregnant someday, you can look after her more.”
Cai Lian fell silent.
Yan Zhen tilted his head and brushed a gentle kiss against her lips, soothing her. “Since you’re tired, Cai Lian, we’ll skip it tonight. Get some early rest—I’ll head back to cultivate.”
With that, he patted her small hand and started to rise, only for her to yank him back.
Yan Zhen turned in surprise, but she looked away to the side. “You have to keep your word. Don’t try to fool This Sovereign.”
He chuckled helplessly. “Alright, alright. I won’t go. I’ll stay right here with you.”
Cai Lian bit her lip, looking a bit upset. “That’s not what you said this morning.”
Oh…
Yan Zhen thought carefully and suddenly understood.
This morning, he had said he’d “dote on” her—not just “accompany” her.
—So Wife Lady was acting spoiled with him?
With that realization, Yan Zhen felt even more affection for his overly tsundere pregnant wife. Without further hesitation, he leaned in and kissed her moist, red lips.
Cai Lian’s eyes fluttered half-closed as she yielded sweetly to him. Soon, under his advances, she melted into a puddle of softness, reclining weakly on the bed with her arms hooked around his neck, allowing him to claim her skin as he pleased.
Only when Yan Zhen paused his teasing caresses did the Sovereign Lady open her dazed, crimson slit-pupiled eyes. She gazed at her husband with desire, silently begging for his favor.
The couple came together seamlessly, their gasps and moans echoing through the night.
Downstairs, everyone except the soundly sleeping Long Ying found it impossible to meditate peacefully. They could only pull up their covers and force themselves to sleep.
The night passed uneventfully. The next day, after bathing, Yan Zhen went to the Inner Academy Exchange to buy some medicinal ingredients and mystic beast meat. He had Meng’er help cook them into a pot of medicinal cuisine, then brought it to Cai Lian and indicated she should finish it all.
Of course, when it came to food, he couldn’t forget the Rice Bucket Loli’s share—though hers was made separately.
Under Yan Zhen’s sharp-eyed supervision, Cai Lian had no choice but to obediently finish the not-so-tasty medicinal cuisine. At the end, she let out a tiny burp and hastily covered her mouth.
Only then did Yan Zhen nod in satisfaction. He activated the Star Shifting Fire Seal and dove into the Fire Refining Starry Sky to continue stabilizing his mystic power.
Jumping from One-Star Mystic General straight to Nine-Star Mystic General was indeed a bit exaggerated. Only after stabilizing his mystic power could he connect to the power of heaven and earth and advance toward the Mystic King Realm.
Yan Zhen estimated he could break through within a month.
Once he reached Mystic King, it would fulfill the final condition for System-chan’s upgrade.
He wondered what form System-chan would take.
He used to find it annoying, but during these days without it, there were no warm prompts or little “mwah”s, and Yan Zhen felt a touch of loneliness.
Five days later, Yan Zhen successfully stabilized his mystic power. As he circulated it, purple lightning arcs flickered across his body, greatly enhancing his offense, defense, and mobility.
Now, if he encountered a Mystic King again, he could crush them with one hand.
A Mystic King’s advantage of wielding the power of heaven and earth would vanish before his Four Extreme Flames.
After emerging from seclusion, Yan Zhen hadn’t even had time for much intimacy with Wife Cai Lian when a deafening thunderclap boomed outside. Then, a loud, resounding voice echoed across the sky:
“Which one of you is Yan Zhen? Come out and face this old man!”
—Thunder Supreme had arrived.
