Although Yan Zhen put on an innocent, bewildered expression, Mentor Yu Xuan—who had been staring fixedly at him—had already caught that fleeting, meaningful glance in his eyes. She was instantly overcome with such Mystic embarrassment that she could barely contain herself.
“It’s just perfume for girls!” she snapped.
She snatched the small bottle of Dawn Dream Dew from his hand and clutched it tightly behind her back, refusing to let him see it.
Yan Zhen cleared his throat awkwardly a couple of times. Her reaction made it obvious that she knew he knew.
This was bad.
He had only just used the Ice Coagulation Dew and Snow Wind Pearl to smooth over the awkwardness from the bathroom incident, and now he had accidentally stumbled upon Mentor Yu Xuan’s personal secret.
If she was dying of embarrassment, how could he—the one who had caused it—possibly fare any better?
He had to do something to make up for it.
After all, in the script, his relationship with Mentor Yu Xuan was supposed to be perfectly harmonious.
Any rift between them could derail the upcoming plot developments.
For instance, in the script, Mentor Yu Xuan fought with the other mentors over cultivation resources on his behalf. They ended up sending their disciples to compete in a wager: the winner would claim double the resources, while the loser got nothing.
If Mentor Yu Xuan held a grudge against him, that whole storyline would never unfold.
Yan Zhen thought it over briefly and quickly came up with a solution:
He would come clean himself, dragging them both into mutual social death.
He didn’t want to do it, but to keep the plot on track, he had no choice but to sacrifice his dignity for the greater good!
However, Yan Zhen’s silence only made Mentor Yu Xuan more panicked. What if he blabbed? If those three girls found out, how could she ever show her face as their mentor again?
“Yan Zhen, don’t tell anyone about the Dawn Dream Dew. I—I haven’t even used it that many times.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Mentor Yu Xuan regretted them. What on earth was she saying? She had just confessed outright!
Shame overwhelmed her, and she felt like she might faint on the spot.
Yan Zhen was equally speechless. Why had the mentor beaten him to the punch on self-exposure? Now he would have to reveal even more just to balance out her embarrassment.
He jumped in quickly.
“I understand, Mentor Yu Xuan. This is just a normal human physiological need—nothing to be ashamed of. Your secret is safe with me!”
Mentor Yu Xuan didn’t dare lift her head, letting the strands of hair on either side of her face hide the flush burning her cheeks.
“As long as you can keep it confidential, that’s all I ask.”
Yan Zhen took a deep breath, struck a sage-like pose, and launched into his self-exposure with a voice deliberately pitched into a soft, feminine lilt.
“To be honest, I often lock myself in my room to practice the family trade.”
The family trade?
Mentor Yu Xuan blinked in confusion, unsure what he meant at first. But with her sharp mind, she quickly pieced it together from the word “also” and the context.
The beautiful mentor raised her head and stared at him in shock. Why was he suddenly bringing this up?
“Whenever I’m working on the family trade, I like to prepare some side dishes to stimulate my little brother. Not Drip Dew, though—usually just the paper waifus from my little booklet, or sometimes real people.”
Yan Zhen paused for a moment.
“For example, the other night, I used the sight of you in the bathroom—your beautiful pose was just too tempting. After all, I’m a sucker for mature older sisters, women with that sophisticated allure like you. It hits my kink right on the head!”
Mentor Yu Xuan’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief. She had never imagined hearing such words from Yan Zhen’s mouth.
He—he had used her to… to do that…
At first, shame and anger surged through her, but the anger quickly faded, replaced by a strange flicker of delight.
She might not know what an “older sister fetish” or “kink” meant exactly, but “mature women” made perfect sense—like someone older than him, such as herself.
Wait—this was a confession? Was Yan Zhen confessing to her?
No, that couldn’t be right. Who confessed like this? No girl would ever say yes.
So what was he really getting at?
He didn’t like her—he just lusted after her body?
But why bring it up at a moment like this?
Right—Yan Zhen had just gained leverage over her. This was his subtle way of hinting that if she didn’t want anyone knowing about the Dawn Dream Dew, she would have to satisfy his lewd demands!
It was blackmail!
Mentor Yu Xuan realized this with a jolt, and her own conclusion left her reeling.
Yan Zhen continued, oblivious.
“As a fellow practitioner of the family trade, I totally get how you feel, Mentor. And you get me, right? So I swear I won’t breathe a word of this to a third soul. You can relax!”
That level of self-exposure ought to do it, Yan Zhen thought to himself. He looked at her expectantly, eager for her reaction.
From what he knew of Mentor Yu Xuan, she would pull rank as his teacher and give him a stern lecture—urging him not to think about such things at his young age, to focus on cultivation instead.
Then he could meekly apologize and promise never to do it again.
Teacher and student reconciled. Perfect.
The awkwardness would dissolve naturally.
I’m a genius—a true master actor!
Mentor Yu Xuan’s mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.
She could hardly believe Yan Zhen was this depraved. Hesitantly, she met his clear, guileless eyes.
Eyes didn’t lie.
“…”
Yan Zhen waited eagerly, hoping she would relent—hoping to claim victory over his own mentor!
Mentor Yu Xuan panicked, a thread of disappointment weaving through her thoughts. The Yan Zhen she liked wasn’t supposed to be like this.
It was all your fault for tempting him, a voice whispered in her mind.
She started to deny it but faltered, lacking conviction.
She was the one who had burst in on him while he was bathing.
She was the one who had counseled him in front of his cousins.
She was the one who had dragged him into her room and let him grope her hands and face—while wearing a loosely tied robe that exposed her collarbone!
If that wasn’t temptation, what was?
No wonder Yan Zhen had developed these impure thoughts about her.
I’m such a shameless woman!
Mentor Yu Xuan berated herself relentlessly.
No, she couldn’t let him stray down the wrong path.
If Yan Zhen craved that sort of thing, then she would give it to him. That way, he wouldn’t go after other girls.
She could guide him back to the straight and narrow during the process—it was her duty as his mentor!
Having resolved herself, Mentor Yu Xuan regained her composure and let out a soft sigh.
Yan Zhen perked up immediately. Just as expected—the lecture mode was activating.
“Yan Zhen.”
“Here.”
“Are you really that interested in… those kinds of things?”
“Ahem, denying it would be a lie. I’m a normal sixteen-year-old guy, after all.”
“Fair enough.” Mentor Yu Xuan gave a shy smile, bit her lip, and steeled her resolve. “From now on, your mentor will teach you everything about that side of things. Any request you make, I’ll satisfy it… Will that do?”
Yan Zhen, who had been braced for a scolding, nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice.
The mentor was always right!
“I know I was wrong. I’ll change for the better—wait, what?”
For the first time, Yan Zhen was utterly dumbfounded.
