Dean Yu Qing looked equally baffled.
“What did Your Supremacy mean just now? Were you talking about Xuan’er?”
Grand Mentor Shui Bailan glanced at her niece’s husband, then at her sister-in-law. Realization dawned on her, mingled with Mystic shock.
Elder Yu Yan gazed worriedly at her second sister, unsure how to break the silence.
Mentor Yu Xuan turned to her own mother and said softly, “Mother, are you hiding something from us?”
Silence fell over the room, thick and heavy. Everyone stared at the Family Head Yu Lu, awaiting her response.
The Family Head Yu Lu shot a glance at Yan Zhen. Her lips parted, but she hesitated, words caught on the tip of her tongue.
Sensing her second sister’s dilemma, Elder Yu Yan spoke up. “Little Yan Zhen, I’m thirsty. Could you fetch a pot of tea from downstairs?”
Yan Zhen wanted to hear what the Family Head Mother-in-Law had to say, but Elder Great-Aunt was clearly trying to send him away. He couldn’t very well cling on shamelessly.
“Alright, I’ll go get it.”
Once Yan Zhen had left the room, the Family Head Yu Lu finally spoke, her voice slow and measured. “I originally planned to serve Son-in-Law Yan Zhen alongside you, to bind him completely to the Yu Family.”
The three women in the room were stunned, doubting their own ears—all except Elder Yu Yan, who knew the truth and let out a quiet sigh.
“Second Sister, what did you say?” Dean Yu Qing asked in confusion. “How could you decide something like that on your own—”
Grand Mentor Shui Bailan pressed her. “Sister-in-Law, why go to such extremes? Is it because Yan Zhen’s future achievements will be so great?”
Xuan’er was a reincarnator, and she’d already confessed as much to them—that Yan Zhen would become the first Emperor in history.
Though they weren’t entirely convinced, Yan Zhen’s potential was undeniable. It wasn’t impossible, and investing early made sense.
The Family Head Yu Lu replied calmly, “Yan Zhen becoming a Mystic Venerable is a sure thing. With him joining us, the Yu Family could fill the gap left by our lack of top-tier powerhouses and truly become a Super Force. It’s been the clan’s long-cherished dream. When the opportunity arose, as Family Head, I had to seize it.”
A Super Force was one backed by a Mystic Venerable, second only in status to holy lands—like the Black Horn Empire in the eastern region.
The Jialan Continent boasted Ten Great Superpowers, most intertwined with the holy lands, and the Yu Family was among them.
But compared to the others, the Yu Family lacked a Mystic Venerable to carry the banner, aside from the Yu Shizun. At Super Force gatherings, they faced disdain and deliberate slights, as if others were saying the Yu Family didn’t belong.
The Yu Family’s matrilineal structure already set it apart as an oddity in the wider world. Once critics had an excuse, the mockery and scorn were relentless.
To counter this, successive Family Heads had aggressively recruited external Mystic Venerables as honored guests. But such experts were rare, and finding women among them proved nearly impossible.
There had been one once, but she turned out to be a wicked lord from the Demon Domain, secretly infiltrating the family’s power core. Yu Shizun discovered her and slew her with two slaps.
After that, the Yu Family never dared recruit at the Mystic Venerable level again. Instead, they focused on nurturing clan prodigies, hoping one might break through the Mystic Ancestor bottleneck.
Sadly, they didn’t realize their bloodline and techniques imposed limits. A slew of brilliant Nine Star Mystic Ancestors, yet none ascended to Mystic Venerable!
The greatest duty of every Yu Family Head was to cultivate a Mystic Venerable loyal to the clan—including the Head herself!
Thus, beyond managing affairs, the Family Head could never neglect her own cultivation.
Dean Yu Qing and Grand Mentor Shui Bailan knew this well. The former was especially ambitious, determined to become the Yu Family’s second Mystic Venerable after the founding Head!
“But even so, you didn’t have to go that far,” Dean Yu Qing said, her voice rising with agitation. “We’ve restarted cultivation with the improved Timely Rain Scripture. We’re no longer bound by bloodline or technique restrictions. Becoming Mystic Venerables is only a matter of time. Why bet everything on that little bad egg?”
“Dean Yu Qing has a point,” Grand Mentor Shui Bailan agreed, a rare occurrence with her scatterbrained best friend. “Your Supremacy herself said you and Sister Yu Yan will both reach Mystic Venerable within a decade. Sister-in-Law, sacrificing yourself to keep Yan Zhen here must stem from some other reason.”
Elder Yu Yan chimed in. “It’s because Little Yan Zhen is the Flame Saint Lord’s one and only disciple. Keeping him fully in the Yu Family would indirectly tie the Flame Saint Lord to us as well. And since Your Supremacy holds the Flame Saint Lord in such high regard, this connection through Little Yan Zhen and the Flame Saint Lord would make her pay more attention to the Yu Family going forward.”
After all, the Yu Shizun wasn’t Yu Family blood. She claimed it was to avoid favoritism, but really, she just didn’t care enough to intervene.
With Yan Zhen around, though, the Yu Shizun clearly involved herself more—like just now, when Yan Zhen had summoned her with ease. They couldn’t do that so simply. Unless it was an emergency of the highest order, the Yu Shizun rarely appeared or responded.
“Enough about that,” Mentor Yu Xuan interrupted suddenly. “What if Yan Zhen overhears? He’d be upset.”
Elder Yu Yan fell silent at once. She knew it wasn’t right, which was why she’d shown Little Yan Zhen such exceptional care—to ease her own guilt.
Mentor Yu Xuan continued, “I just want to know: Was this your own idea, Mother, or did Your Supremacy order it?”
The Family Head Yu Lu paused before replying, “It was my own decision. Though I did seek Your Supremacy’s approval.”
“No wonder she phrased it that way!” Dean Yu Qing exclaimed in realization. “Your Supremacy must think you and that little bad egg have already been intimate, breaking open your vital gate…”
“Yu Qing!” Grand Mentor Shui Bailan frowned, cutting her off. “That’s enough.”
Dean Yu Qing came to her senses and saw her niece’s pained expression. She clapped a hand over her mouth.
The atmosphere in the room turned rigid.
The Family Head Yu Lu spoke again. “That was just the original plan. I’ve abandoned it now, so you needn’t worry.”
Grand Mentor Shui Bailan and Dean Yu Qing’s eyes lit up. Elder Yu Yan was mildly surprised, but Mentor Yu Xuan’s face remained impassive.
The Family Head Yu Lu went on. “From now on, I’ll treat him well as his mother-in-law. That’s enough. Any other arrangements would be superfluous.”
“Little Lu…” Elder Yu Yan smiled with relief. “You’ve finally come to your senses.”
Her second sister’s temperament was aloof and mistrustful of others, leading her to such drastic measures.
Interests could sway people, but not win hearts. Overly shrewd scheming would only backfire.
There was genuine affection between people, after all.
Mentor Yu Xuan let out a deep sigh, full of helplessness. “Yan Zhen probably still doesn’t know about your intentions, does he, Mother?”
The Family Head Yu Lu’s face was expressionless. “He hasn’t noticed yet.”
Hearing this, Mentor Yu Xuan understood the source of the milky fragrance Yan Zhen had mentioned. He’d been unaware, fed it only after waking from his stupor.
In other words, Mother had done it of her own accord!
For some reason, she felt deeply aggrieved and blurted out, “Mother, you like Yan Zhen too, don’t you?”
The Family Head Yu Lu froze.
