A hint of anticipation and urgency laced Elder Yu Yan’s tone.
Although it was a bit embarrassing, Elder Yu Yan truly looked forward to Yan Zhen’s treatment. Who wouldn’t want to be a normal, complete person?
Yan Zhen understood Big Aunt Yu Yan’s feelings and nodded shyly.
“Before the treatment, I still need to refine some pills for internal and external use as aids. The effect will be great.”
Elder Yu Yan smiled.
“I’ll fetch whatever ingredients you need right away.”
Yan Zhen shook his head.
“I’ve already prepared the ingredients. But the pills are best refined on the spot.”
Elder Yu Yan nodded.
“Little Yan Zhen, just make the arrangements. I’ll follow whatever you say to the letter.”
“Then let’s head to Big Aunt’s room first.”
“Alright.”
The academy’s tower design was quite unique. The office was always on the top floor, complete with a balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows for convenience, since everyone could traverse the void in the air. A top-floor office made things easy.
There was also a basement level typically used as a cultivation chamber, inscribed with a Mystic Gathering Array to concentrate heaven and earth mystic power and boost cultivation efficiency.
The other floors were arranged to personal taste.
For instance, Elder Yu Yan’s rooms were on the middle floor—the fifth from the bottom. The entire floor was hers, laid out as a complete two-bedroom, one-living-room, one-kitchen, one-bath setup. The two bedrooms included a master and a quiet room. It was purely private space, rarely used for guests.
Once in the rooms, Yan Zhen headed straight for the quiet room.
“Big Aunt, meditate and get into peak condition. Little Aunt, prepare some spirit spring water and fill the bath barrel. I’ll refine the pills first—don’t disturb me.”
The two women agreed. Yan Zhen promptly closed the door.
The quiet room was mostly bare, with only a single meditation cushion. Yan Zhen tossed the cushion to a corner, took out the pill furnace he had prepared in advance, set it up, and laid out the needed ingredients nearby. Then he ignited Great Crimson Heaven Flame in the furnace and began refining.
With his current True Realm True (Sixth Realm) divine soul, refining Fifth-Tier Mystic Pills was effortless.
Fifth-Tier because his own catalyst was only at the Mystic King Realm. Anything higher, and he wouldn’t be able to control it.
Half an hour later, Yan Zhen produced three red pills, which he stored in a bottle.
He stood, opened the door, and beckoned Little Aunt Yu Qing and Big Aunt Yu Yan over.
“Big Aunt, dissolve this pill with your mystic power and add it to the bath barrel. Soak in it once the spirit spring water glows red.”
Elder Yu Yan took one red pill and nodded.
“Any other precautions?”
“Don’t circulate your cultivation to absorb the medicinal power. Just let it enter your body naturally.”
“Got it~”
After instructing them, Yan Zhen shut the quiet room door again and refined more pills.
This batch was for internal consumption—ones for him to take. Women could absorb the power from below, but men couldn’t, hence the separate internal and external formulas.
Another half hour passed. Yan Zhen finished the internal pills, which were blue, smaller than the red ones, also three in total.
He pocketed them, opened the door, crossed the living area, and reached the bathroom. He could hear soft voices inside.
He coughed twice and entered. Little Aunt Yu Qing stood by the bath barrel and stepped aside upon seeing him.
Only then did Yan Zhen see Big Aunt Yu Yan, nude with her hair pinned up, soaking comfortably in the bath barrel swirling with red light. Out of maidenly modesty, she covered her bosom with one hand, hiding the indented pink tip. Her beautiful face bore its signature squinting smile.
“Little Yan Zhen, shall we begin?”
Yan Zhen walked to the barrel and looked down at the snow-white, plump, jade-like beauty in the water, feeling a touch of amazement.
“Big Aunt, how does it feel? Any discomfort?”
“No way, it feels nice and warm—super comfortable~”
“Then I’ll hop in and soak too.”
“Sure, the tub’s plenty big. You can sit right next to me.”
Yan Zhen glanced at Little Aunt Yu Qing, a touch of shyness in his voice.
“Little Aunt, why don’t you wait in the bedroom for now? I’ll need your help in a bit.”
Dean Yu Qing retreated from the bathroom in bafflement, only to hear Yan Zhen call after her:
“No peeking, okay~”
She huffed softly, then obediently headed into the bedroom to wait on standby.
Once he was certain Little Aunt wasn’t sneaking a look, Yan Zhen finally began undressing. Elder Yu Yan in the tub watched him with narrowed eyes, her cheeks slowly flushing pink.
Truth be told, Elder Yu Yan’s feelings toward Yan Zhen were mostly the fondness of an elder for a junior—only the tiniest sliver veered into romantic affection.
She had long been told that she would never bear children, so she had grown accustomed to viewing those around her as her own kids, delighting in watching over their growth: her two younger sisters, Shui Bailan, her niece, and the rest.
For decades now, as the eldest sister and big aunt, she had protected her “children,” and she fully intended to keep doing so.
Yan Zhen was the sole exception.
This boy’s growth had exceeded her wildest expectations. In less than two years, he had transformed from a little live-in son-in-law under her protection into someone utterly dependable. She could no longer see him as a child.
On the contrary, if he truly cured her infertility, she might even bear his child. They could all live happily together afterward… The mere thought made her blush.
Snapping back to reality, Elder Yu Yan realized Yan Zhen had stripped down completely—save for a pair of adorably patterned long-trunked little elephant boxer shorts.
She blinked, then couldn’t help covering her mouth as a soft laugh escaped her.
—It’s not like that after all. Little Yan Zhen might be reliable now, but he’s still just a kid at heart~
With that thought, the long-trunked little elephant boxer shorts were casually tugged off.
Elder Yu Yan’s smile gradually faded, replaced by an expression of awe, as if beholding something sublime. Her narrowed eyes reflected the twisted dragon mark.
—Oops, wrong again. Little Yan Zhen isn’t a kid anymore. He’s a real man, standing tall and proud—even a bit intimidating~
Yan Zhen noticed Big Aunt Yu Yan staring and felt a surge of embarrassment. He scratched his cheek, then lifted a leg and stepped into the tub, settling beside her.
The water was warm—comfortable, yes—but even more so was the smooth, silky skin pressed snugly against his side.
Composing himself, Yan Zhen retrieved a pill bottle from his storage ring. He tipped out one of the freshly refined blue pills and swallowed it, letting his mystic power circulate to gradually dissolve its medicinal essence.
A wave of heat instantly surged through his limbs, raising his body temperature bit by bit until even his breath grew scorching.
As a fire attribute mystic cultivator, though, this was nothing. If anything, it felt downright pleasant.
Elder Yu Yan asked curiously:
“What’s that you ate, Little Yan Zhen?”
Yan Zhen exhaled a puff of hot air.
“It’s the palace-nourishing pill. Once its power fuses with my yang essence, it’ll treat Big Aunt’s condition.”
“And the medicinal bath we’re soaking in?”
“That’s the palace-protecting medicine—to prevent any further injury during dual cultivation.”
Elder Yu Yan nodded in sudden understanding.
“Little Yan Zhen thinks of everything~”
“The recipe spelled it out. I just followed instructions.”
“That’s still impressive—oh!”
Suddenly, Yan Zhen wrapped his arms around Big Aunt Yu Yan’s slender waist from behind, drawing her back against his chest.
The abrupt embrace sent Elder Yu Yan’s heart into a flurry, her pretty face blooming pink.
“Little Yan Zhen?”
“Ahem. First, let me pass on the Procreation Chapter to Big Aunt.”
