Yan Zhen sensed that Mentor Yu Xuan should have woken up by now as well. After all, the four elders rising earlier had made quite a commotion, yet she lay perfectly still. Was she waiting for him to take the initiative with a good morning kiss?
Of course. As a man, he needed to be proactive about these things!
Yan Zhen opened his eyes and turned toward the inner side of the bed. To his surprise, Mentor Yu Xuan was nowhere in sight. He was just starting to wonder where she had gone when he felt a sudden weight on his leg. Glancing down, he discovered that she had slipped under the covers at some point and was now biting down on him.
“Mentor?”
She surely wasn’t about to edge him, was she? Recalling the punishment she had inflicted last night, Yan Zhen thought it all too likely.
Mentor Yu Xuan nipped at him gently a couple of times to vent her inner frustration before huffing out her words.
“You’re too powerful for me to handle now, but I can always have Master Chen Xi punish you!”
With that declaration, she launched her revenge.
Yan Zhen hissed sharply, sucking in a cold breath as enlightenment dawned. His mentor intended to push him into breaking his vow, dooming him to the beautiful master’s wrath!
“Wait, Mentor—I know I was wrong!”
Yan Zhen flung back the covers in an attempt to forge a soul-deep connection with his mentor wife. But she ignored him entirely, her pink tongue darting out as she battled that twisted dragon mark with relentless determination to tame it.
Up to now, Yan Zhen had been pleasured by many women, but none excelled at this quite like Mentor Yu Xuan. Even Cai Lian, with her naturally serpentine tongue, fell slightly short. As an old married couple, moreover, Mentor Yu Xuan knew every one of his “weak spots,” her every motion doubling his bliss.
Yet now she wielded that skill as a weapon to drain him utterly.
Yan Zhen fought desperately against the waves of ecstasy crashing over him. If he broke his vow, the beautiful master was sure to be furious—especially given her jealousy toward Mentor Yu Xuan.
“Mentor, I swear I won’t do it again. From now on, I’ll discuss everything with you first, all right?”
“Not all right,” Mentor Yu Xuan shot back during a brief pause. “I don’t want to be some tyrannical wife who lords over her husband completely.”
“…”
Evidently, his mentor was dead serious. Her calm demeanor proved it.
“B-but… Mother-in-law and the others are still in the bathroom. They’ll be coming out any moment.”
“So what if they see? Hmph~”
He shouldn’t have brought them up. The mention only spurred Mentor Yu Xuan to greater fervor, until she engulfed him entirely, as if staking her claim that Yan Zhen belonged to her alone.
The bathroom and bedroom stood separated by nothing more than a broad screen. Given the elders’ cultivation, they had sensed the bed’s commotion long ago.
After a quick freshening up, Shui Bailan and Dean Yu Qing positioned themselves on the left side of the screen, while Family Head Yu Lu and Elder Yu Yan took the right. Concealed by the curtain, their lovely faces flushed pink as they watched the young pair.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed hard—no telling who.
Family Head Yu Lu frowned.
“We still shouldn’t let Xuan’er carry on like this.”
Elder Yu Yan hurriedly tugged her second sister back, preventing any interference.
“The young couple is just sorting out their little spat. We shouldn’t meddle.”
“But—”
“Is Xiao Lu feeling jealous?”
“Sister, not this again.”
“Hehe. Still, Xuan’er is awfully skilled at it. Does she service Little Yan Zhen like this often? Which is to say, Little Yan Zhen must love it… Hmm, should I give it a try myself? It does feel rather embarrassing, though.”
Family Head Yu Lu’s thoughts drifted instead to the scene from two nights prior. In her eyes, Yan Zhen preferred that one—even clamping down after passing out.
“Time’s nearly up. We must gather soon.”
“I’ve already sent the Chief Manager to take roll. If everyone’s accounted for except us, it can disband on its own.”
“Sister, deciding things without us?”
“Because I’m the eldest sister. Overstepping now and then is allowed~”
“We still have to pay respects to the Supreme later…”
“A short delay won’t anger the Suprem—oh my.”
Elder Yu Yan clapped a hand over her mouth, astonishment flickering in her eyes. Family Head Yu Lu peered closer and saw son-in-law Yan Zhen finally yielding, cradling his daughter’s head as he unleashed a long, drawn-out sigh.
The room filled with rhythmic gulping sounds. The four covertly watching beauty elders swallowed reflexively in response, Dean Yu Qing staring wide-eyed in shock.
Family Head Yu Lu composed herself.
“It should be… finished by now, right?”
Elder Yu Yan smiled gently.
“Let’s wait a touch longer. There’s cleanup to do.”
The span of a cup of tea later, Mentor Yu Xuan at last spared Yan Zhen. The four beauty elders filed out from the bathroom in turn.
Shui Bailan and Dean Yu Qing’s cheeks burned bright red, their composure clearly lagging behind Family Head Yu Lu and Elder Yu Yan’s.
Family Head Yu Lu spoke as if nothing had happened.
“You two, go wash up as well. Once you’re dressed, make your own way off the ship to Streamside Pavilion.”
The Ship Assembly was followed by a Post-Festival Gathering. The elders convened for their conference, the youngsters mingled separately to get acquainted.
Yan Zhen felt mortified, acutely aware that the elders must have witnessed his humiliation. His mentor had been ruthless this time.
Mentor Yu Xuan nodded assent before linking her arm through Yan Zhen’s and leading him into the bathroom.
Family Head Yu Lu said coolly,
“All right, we’ll head down first. We can’t be late for the meeting—Xiao Qing, why are you woolgathering?”
Dean Yu Qing blinked her eyes and murmured,
“Won’t Xuan’er and the others just—”
Family Head Yu Lu narrowed her lovely eyes, ready to chide her undignified sister, when the bathroom began echoing with unmistakable splashes of water, soft moans, and rhythmic clapping flesh.
The four beauty elders’ expressions turned awkward once more.
Family Head Yu Lu drew a deep breath.
“When did Xuan’er turn so improper?”
Shui Bailan offered a tactful explanation for her niece.
“She did just service Yan Zhen, after all.”
Elder Yu Yan said with a sly grin,
“Little Yan Zhen is something else—still got the stamina to indulge Xuan’er.”
Dean Yu Qing grumbled sourly,
“How could that donkey dick not have stamina? Hmph, shameless little thief!”
“Pay them no mind. Let’s be off.”
“You’re right.”
The four beauty elders departed at a leisurely pace.
Half a shichen passed before Yan Zhen and Mentor Yu Xuan finally stepped off the ship.
Mentor Yu Xuan betrayed no trace of anger or resentment now. She beamed as if bathed in spring warmth, her arm affectionately entwined with Yan Zhen’s as she guided him toward Streamside Pavilion.
Yan Zhen, by contrast, felt deep melancholy. When they entered Fire Refining Starry Sky to pay respects to the beautiful master, she would surely detect it. His precious disciple’s three days of nurtured essence and honed edge—all squandered, deposited deep in his mentor lover’s belly.
They arrived at Streamside Pavilion to a warm reception from the Yu Family members and even the live-in son-in-law, despite their tardiness. Yan Zhen had proven his mettle through strength, after all; a heaven’s proud son showing a bit of arrogance and flair was only natural.
The pavilion’s lower level hosted the youngsters’ gathering, the middle stood empty, and the upper held the elders’ conference.
Both the mingling and the meeting stretched until noon. Once adjourned, attendees returned to their courtyards—or departed outright if duties called.
Yan Zhen and Mentor Yu Xuan waited at the entrance for the four elders. Together, they returned to the main residence, freshened up, and prepared to visit Yu Shizun, seeking her input on the various matters raised at the conference.
Yu Shizun had never before faced such a request. This gesture embodied the Yu Family’s Mystic respect and reverence!
In past years, only Family Head Yu Lu had called upon Yu Shizun, who disdained crowds. This year, however, she brought along her sisters, little aunt, daughter, and son-in-law.
