Yan Zhen froze for a moment. He’d only been thinking about paying Yu Shizun a visit, but he’d completely forgotten how to broach the subject.
He had judged that she might have something urgent precisely because she’d connected with him twice in a row. The problem was, he couldn’t exactly say that out loud.
The situation was just too awkward. It was best to maintain an unspoken understanding and stay silent. Once he opened his mouth, things would only get more embarrassing.
“Um…”
Seeing him hemming and hawing, Yu Shizun grew a bit tense herself. Could it be that this young man was about to come clean?
It made sense—no one wanted to be caught in the middle of something private.
But how was she supposed to explain it to him? Just tell him all three times were accidents? Would he even believe her?
Yu Shizun blinked her beautiful eyes and said softly, “This Seat didn’t mean to interrupt you and Xuan’er during your intimate moment. Somehow, This Seat just happened to run into you.”
What? Yan Zhen had been racking his brain over how to explain his own visit, but now he was utterly stunned. It took him a good while to react, and his handsome young face quickly flushed a deep crimson, burning hot.
She’d said it! Yu Shizun had actually said it out loud! Why on earth had she brought it up?
Yan Zhen felt like he was dying inside as his ten toes curled tightly in his shoes.
“Uh, yeah… I get it.”
Yu Shizun cleared her throat twice and took a messaging talisman from her sleeve, handing it to Yan Zhen. “This is a special messaging talisman from the holy land. In the future, This Seat will notify you ahead of time before coming over. You can use it to let This Seat know if you have any matters as well.”
Yan Zhen stepped closer and took the messaging talisman from Yu Shizun’s hand. When he opened it, he saw that the only contact was Yu Shizun herself.
He already had two others. The first one he’d bought back then could reach Mentor Yu Xuan, Yan Meng’er, Yan Ruyu, Mi Xue’er, Xiao Xinyan, and Sister Ji Ya. The second had come from his fiancée and could connect him to Huangfu Wenqing, Yun Xiu, and Jiu Youyue.
This made three.
“Thanks, Yu Shizun.”
Yan Zhen put it away and glanced at her. Since she’d already brought it up, there was no need for him to beat around the bush anymore. “Are you here to see Master, Yu Shizun?”
Yu Shizun murmured in agreement.
“Is Lady Chen Xi available?”
“Master should be meditating inside the Fire Refining Starry Sky. Let me take you in.”
“In that case, I’ll have to trouble you.”
With that, Yu Shizun drew close to Yan Zhen and proactively wrapped her arm around his waist.
Her faint, elegant fragrance washed over him, like a thin veil draping over their surroundings. Yan Zhen tensed up uncomfortably, but he raised his right palm and activated the Star Shifting Fire Seal.
As space twisted around them, their figures gradually faded away, reappearing atop the altar in the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
The moment they landed, Yu Shizun sensed something unusual within the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
At the top of a Heavenly Pillar on the edge of the plaza, brilliant colored lights were blooming, along with a surging aura from a Mystic Ancestor expert. Faintly, the shadow of a massive serpent coiled there.
With Yu Shizun’s sharp eyes, she could even make out a woman in a colorful skirt seated cross-legged within the serpent’s shadow.
Yu Shizun asked curiously, “Who is that lady?”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek, a shy note in his voice. “That’s my wife, Cai Lian.”
“Your wife?” Yu Shizun showed a flicker of surprise before realization dawned. “From your previous life, you mean?”
“Yeah. How did you know, Yu Shizun?” Now it was Yan Zhen’s turn to be surprised, though he quickly pieced it together. “Did Mentor Yu Xuan tell you?”
Yu Shizun nodded slightly. “Xuan’er did mention it to This Seat. She said you had two wives in your previous life—one was the Myriad Snake Queen from a branch of the Snake God Clan in the City of Water, and the other was Your Highness Zi Ji, who only recently returned to the Heavenly God Clan. Both of them might have their past-life memories, just like Xuan’er.”
Yan Zhen murmured in acknowledgment. “That’s right. And it’s not just them—even my daughters crossed over… It’s a long story. I’ll explain it properly to you sometime later, Yu Shizun.”
Yu Shizun gazed deeply at Yan Zhen. “In that case, it sounds like you have no intention of joining the Yu Family through marriage.”
Yan Zhen didn’t deny it. “I’m sorry, Yu Shizun. I really can’t abandon them. The reason I agreed to the marriage was just to placate my mother-in-law and keep her from finding another husband for Mentor Yu Xuan. What I truly want is to marry her properly.”
“With Yu Lu’s temperament, she’ll never agree to let Xuan’er marry out—unless you can reach the Mystic Venerable Realm within ten years.”
“You don’t think I can do it, Yu Shizun?”
Yu Shizun fell silent for a moment before saying slowly, “Xuan’er told This Seat that you broke through to the Mystic Saint Realm at the age of thirty-three. With the power of the 108 Extreme Flames, you seized control of the world’s destiny and became the first Emperor in the history of the Mystic Heaven Continent.”
Yan Zhen felt an odd wave of shyness and scratched his cheek. “Uh… was it like that?”
“This Seat didn’t entirely believe you could surpass even Lady Chen Xi, but your accomplishments have truly been eye-opening. This Seat looks forward to your growth, so This Seat won’t breathe a word of the marriage matter to Yu Lu or the others.”
“Really? Thank you so much, Yu Shizun.”
Yu Shizun swiftly changed the subject, her gaze shifting away from Yan Zhen’s face as she scanned the surroundings. “Where is Lady Chen Xi?”
The altar was completely empty, which surprised Yan Zhen as well. His beautiful master usually sat cross-legged at the center, meditating in seclusion. Why wasn’t she there today?
“Master, are you around?”
Ding~
A visible ripple of colorful waves spread through the starry sky above their heads, and then a clump of multicolored flames descended—it was the Starlight Glazed Fire.
As the Starlight Glazed Fire gradually dispersed, a stunning Saint with white hair and a black skirt appeared before Yan Zhen and Yu Shizun.
“Master!” Yan Zhen called out happily. “I thought you’d gone somewhere.”
“This teacher was helping She Ji with her advancement.” Chen Xi smiled faintly by way of explanation before turning to Yu Shizun. “Little Yu’er, what brings you to see This Seat?”
“Shishi greets Lady Chen Xi.” Facing the woman who had once saved her life and shown her the path forward, Yu Shizun was deferential and humble, even referring to herself by her pet name. “Shishi has come to disturb Lady Chen Xi this time to discuss the issue with my cultivation anomaly.”
Chen Xi studied Yu Shizun carefully, her willow brows furrowing slightly. “Your anomaly has worsened. You’d best not attempt to advance in the near future, or you run the risk of Qi Deviation.”
Yu Shizun’s anomaly had worsened? Yan Zhen’s expression shifted as he looked at her with concern.
“Lady Chen Xi’s insight is as sharp as ever. During my last seclusion, my mystic power nearly went out of control.” Yu Shizun spoke with calm detachment, as if she weren’t discussing her own condition. “The anomaly seems to be worsening—growing more severe by the day. Lady Chen Xi, could you perhaps let Yan Zhen dual cultivate with Shishi, that is…”
Chen Xi nodded. “Zhen’er has now reached the Mystic King Realm. With the power of the Fire Refining Starry Sky, he should be able to dual cultivate with you and resolve the imbalance of yin and yang in your body—Zhen’er, are you willing to help Little Yu’er?”
“Of course I am,” Yan Zhen replied immediately. “Leave it to me. I’ll do my best to cure Yu Shizun’s cultivation anomaly.”
At those words, Yu Shizun turned her head and gazed at Yan Zhen’s handsome young face. A soft tenderness flickered in her beautiful eyes.
