The small blue box was square and perfectly ordinary at first glance, but Mentor Yu Xuan’s eyes lit up nonetheless. She had a vague idea of what might be inside.
This size—it had to be either earrings or a ring. Mentor Yu Xuan stared fixedly at the little box in Yan Zhen’s hand. She watched as he set it down on the table and slid it toward her.
“Open it and take a look.”
Mentor Yu Xuan tried her best not to seem overly eager. She picked up the box and opened it with careful fingers. Her pupils reflected a shimmer of watery light.
Nestled inside the small box was a suspended ring that rippled with liquid light. Its band flowed like waves of water, and engraved upon it were the words: “To my beloved Mentor Yu Xuan.”
Mentor Yu Xuan’s breath caught. Surprise and emotion flooded her face.
“Yan Zhen,” she said, “did you refine this yourself?”
Yan Zhen smiled and nodded. With a crook of his finger, the Rain Ring rose into the air on its own.
Now Cai Lian and Long Ying could see the gift as well. Both women’s hearts jolted in unison.
Could it be—
Mentor Yu Xuan gazed dreamily at the Rain Ring hovering before her.
“Is this really for me?”
“Of course it is,” Yan Zhen replied, though his tone shifted. “But—there’s a condition.”
“What condition?”
“If you accept this ring, Mentor, it means you’re accepting my proposal. You’ll marry me. Will you marry me?”
This… this was a proposal!?
Tears instantly welled up in Mentor Yu Xuan’s eyes.
Though the two of them already had a formal betrothal arranged by the Yu Family, Yan Zhen had never confessed to her properly. Their relationship had always been driven by her own initiative. Even if she believed her efforts were worthwhile, a trace of regret had lingered in her heart.
She had never imagined that Yan Zhen would take the initiative to propose.
Her nose twitched with excitement as she replied, “Of course I will, you fool!”
Yan Zhen smiled in satisfaction. The Rain Ring hovering before Mentor Yu Xuan dissolved into a ribbon of gentle water. It slipped securely onto the ring finger of her outstretched hand before reforming into a solid band.
Mentor Yu Xuan felt as if her heart had been sweetened with honey. Her beautiful eyes roved endlessly over the Rain Ring on her finger, and her smile never faded from her lips.
Cai Lian and Long Ying watched her, envy shining in their eyes. At the same time, a hint of anticipation stirred in their hearts as they stole glances at Yan Zhen.
Yan Zhen cleared his throat with exaggerated delicacy and continued, “I also promised a gift for Cai Lian, but…”
He paused, hesitating as if on the verge of saying more. Cai Lian’s heart leaped into her throat, dreading the words she least wanted to hear.
Yan Zhen produced another small box from his storage ring. This one was a colorful case that shimmered with dynamic rainbow light, like a top-tier UR item at first glance—clearly worth a fortune.
“But right now, I can only refine a Fifth-Order Mystic Ring. It won’t be of much use to a Mystic Ancestor expert like you, Cai Lian. It feels a bit inadequate even as an accessory.”
Cai Lian’s eyes burned with intensity as she stared at the colorful box in Yan Zhen’s hand. Hearing the implication that he might not give it to her after all, anxiety surged within her. But she couldn’t bring herself to show it outright. Instead, she said tactfully, “This Sovereign has no shortage of handy Mystic Artifacts. What I do need is something to conceal my identity—something useful for missions outside.”
Disciples from the holy land often wore inferior gear when venturing out. It masked their true cultivation levels, leading enemies to underestimate them. That made it easier to spring countermeasures during ambushes. Some even used it for “fishing enforcement,” turning the tables to “shoplift for free” in return.
As members of the holy land, they naturally couldn’t stoop to outright robbery. But if someone tried to rob them first, robbing them back in retaliation? That was fair game.
Mentor Yu Xuan snapped out of her blissful daze. Seeing Sister Cai Lian’s tsundere expression, she chuckled inwardly and played along. “That’s right. As a deacon, Sister Cai Lian has to lead a mission team once a year. Wearing a Fifth-Order Mystic Ring on her hand could serve as camouflage for her Mystic Ancestor identity. Besides, she only has that plain storage ring on her finger—the rest are empty. A ring to adorn it would make her look even more beautiful.”
Cai Lian secretly approved of her understanding junior sister. Maintaining her poise as the Female Monarch, she schooled her features into an expression of indifference, struggling to convey with all her might, “I’m not in a hurry. Not at all.”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek. “Then why don’t you take a look first, Cai Lian? If you don’t like it, I’ll refine a new one.”
With that, he handed the small colorful box to his stunning Snake Snake Wife.
Cai Lian coughed lightly and set the Loli Dragon Girl in her lap down on the seat beside her. Then she reached out to accept it and gently opened the lid.
A burst of colorful light sprang forth. It circled her once, as if alive, before coming to a halt in front of her.
What met her eyes was a crystalline treasure ring radiating prismatic light. Its band wasn’t smooth but covered in countless scaly facets that conjured illusory phantoms. The overall shape formed a petite pink-and-white snake.
The aura of the Snake Ring felt familiar to Cai Lian. Considering how it had circled her of its own accord, realization dawned. She looked up and asked, “Did you fuse my Snake God Blood into it?”
Yan Zhen nodded with a smile. “Along with some of your scales, taken from the Snake Slough Gloves you gave me before.”
Cai Lian’s lovely face flushed red. In the Snake God Clan, crafting an item from one’s own shed skin and gifting it to the opposite sex was a standard courtship ritual. Yan Zhen simply wasn’t aware of it.
Gazing at the exquisite Snake Ring before her—brimming with her husband’s affection—Cai Lian’s heart filled with joy. Yet she maintained her restraint and said, “It’s pretty good.”
Yan Zhen quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Truth be told, he’d been nervous too, worried she might find his craftsmanship lacking.
“Let me put it on for you.”
Yan Zhen lifted Wife Lady’s soft, tender hand while summoning the Snake Ring shrouded in colorful light. He slid it steadily onto her left ring finger, where it fit perfectly.
After all, they were old spouses. Whether it was Mentor Yu Xuan or Cai Lian, he knew every inch of their skin like the back of his hand.
Cai Lian raised her small hand and admired it. The Snake Ring’s cascading lights adorned her slender jade-like fingers beautifully.
She bit her lip lightly, feeling her heart melt. A rare flash of deep emotion softened her usually indifferent eyes.
In her previous life, she had accepted his ring alongside Zi Xunyi during their engagement ceremony. She had been happy then, but those rings had been prepared by the Jialan Holy Land. This Snake Ring, by contrast, was one he had refined personally, just for her. Its meaning was worlds apart.
She stared dazedly at her husband. He spoke, a touch of shyness in his voice. “Will you marry me, Cai Lian?”
In that instant, Cai Lian blushed to her ears. She lowered her head and murmured softly, “…I will.”
Yan Zhen took Cai Lian’s hand in his left and Mentor Yu Xuan’s in his right. Satisfaction swelled in his heart. Now he could finally call them his wives openly!
Across from him, Long Ying blinked. She looked at Sister Cai Lian, then at Sister Xuan’er, before fixing her gaze on Yan Zhen. She stared without moving, as if to say—
“Where’s mine?”
