Little Aunt Yu Qing glared at him fiercely and snapped, “Don’t think that just because you’re a Saint Son now, I won’t dare to give you a beating!”
Yan Zhen crossed his arms over his chest and smirked like some arrogant dragon king. “What goes around comes around, Little Aunt. You’re no match for me anymore!”
Little Aunt Yu Qing was absolutely furious. “Fine, then! Let’s see about that—who’s scared of who?”
Yan Zhen didn’t back down an inch. “Sure, let’s give it a try. Bring it on.”
He looked utterly smug.
Elder Yu Yan chuckled warmly. “Come on, you two. It’s rare enough for you to see each other. Don’t ruin it with fighting.”
“Exactly!” Yan Zhen settled onto the couch and pulled Little Aunt Yu Qing back over, making her sit on his lap. “Arguing’s no fun. Better to share a kiss.”
Little Aunt Yu Qing shot him a glare. “As if I’d kiss you!”
Even as she said it, though, she looped her arms around Yan Zhen’s neck and pretended to chomp down on his thick-skinned cheek.
Yan Zhen tilted his head aside at the last second, dodging her completely.
“You! Don’t move!”
Yan Zhen freed up a hand and shoved a finger right into Little Aunt Yu Qing’s mouth for her to bite. He looked up at Big Aunt Yu Yan behind the desk, all seriousness as he asked, “I noticed Wen Qingshan wasn’t among the people welcoming me. Does that mean he’s no longer in the Inner Academy?”
Elder Yu Yan smiled gently. “Exactly. I pointed out that the position of Outer Court Dean had been vacant for too long, and he was the only one fit for it. So we transferred him to the Outer Academy. It passed unanimously.”
“That smooth, huh?”
“Because I went ahead and eliminated the Vice Dean position altogether. That effectively raised the status of the entire Elder Council. Plus, with Wen Qingshan losing his biggest backer in Snow Supreme, some of his followers started drifting away. No one objected.”
“Big Aunt, you’re amazing!”
“You’re too kind, Little Yan Zhen. You’re the impressive one. If not for your connections, why would Snow Supreme abandon such a useful pawn as the Wen Family?”
“Big Aunt already knows?”
“Xuan’er and Bailan both told us.”
Yan Zhen started to scratch his cheek but realized his finger was still in Little Aunt Yu Qing’s mouth. He tried to pull it free, only for her to clamp down and refuse to let go.
“Little Aunt, if you don’t let go, I’m not bringing you along for Big Aunt’s treatment later.”
Little Aunt Yu Qing shot a glance at her plastic bestie, then gave Yan Zhen’s finger a light nip, leaving faint teeth marks before reluctantly releasing him. She slid off his lap and sat beside him, still putting on her tsundere act.
Shui Bailan sighed inwardly, increasingly convinced that her friend was a total airhead. Being around her really did boost one’s confidence… As she thought this, she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the saliva from Yan Zhen’s finger.
Seeing this, Big Aunt Yu Yan grinned. “Little Bailan has fully embraced the little wife role~”
Shui Bailan’s pretty face flushed as she said bashfully, “Sister Yu Yan’s no different.”
Big Aunt Yu Yan sighed wistfully. “It’s not the same. Ever since the first treatment, Little Yan Zhen hasn’t come back until now. This is only the second time.”
Yan Zhen gave a wry smile. “If Big Aunt doesn’t mind, why not move to the Holy Land with Little Aunt?”
“I’d love to, but I can’t just abandon the Inner Academy’s operations. We’ve built it up for so long—it’d be a shame to hand it over.”
“You’re right; we can’t let go of the academy’s power that easily. Once the Yu Family finds a suitable replacement, we can think about the switch. But more importantly, how has Big Aunt’s body been feeling lately? Any discomfort in your belly?”
At the question, Big Aunt Yu Yan couldn’t help placing a hand on her stomach, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “It’s been fine. Just… occasionally itchy.”
She whispered the last word.
Yan Zhen blinked, taking a moment to process it. He felt a bit embarrassed himself.
“Then let’s start the second treatment right away!”
The four of them left the top-floor office and headed to the fifth floor of the small building, into Elder Yu Yan’s room.
Once inside, Yan Zhen asked, “Do you still have the pills from last time?”
Elder Yu Yan retrieved them from her storage ring.
Yan Zhen took out his own share as well.
“Follow the same procedure as before. Big Aunt, go soak in the bath first. Stay in for a full hour, then come back to the room.”
Elder Yu Yan smiled and agreed, strolling gracefully into the bathroom to begin her medicinal bath.
Yan Zhen led Little Aunt Yu Qing and Aunt Shui Bailan into the bedroom, intending to warm up with them first.
The two women didn’t look thrilled. Someone had started with snide remarks earlier, and someone else had fired back provocatively—they were still nursing a minor spat.
Yan Zhen took one hand of each and sat them on the edge of the bed, coaxing, “Don’t be petty. Aunt, you were missing Little Aunt before you even came, weren’t you? And Little Aunt, you’ve missed her too, right?”
He placed their hands together. “Shake on it and make up. Best friends again.”
No sooner had he spoken than Little Aunt Yu Qing yanked her hand free. With a look of disdain, she shoved Yan Zhen flat onto the bed.
“We don’t need you playing peacemaker!”
She scooted past him to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with her bestie, huffing, “You jerk. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have argued with Bailan at all.”
Shui Bailan covered her mouth and giggled. “He’s right about that, bad man. We sisters aren’t fighting over you!”
Both shot him triumphant looks.
Yan Zhen was stunned.
Turns out, he was the fool all along.
He sprawled lazily on the bed and curled his lip. “If you bully me like this, I’ll bully you right back later!”
Both women blushed, a little intimidated. Little Aunt Yu Qing, though, stayed defiant. “Who bullies who isn’t certain yet. We’ve got Big Sis on our side—three against one.”
Yan Zhen didn’t flinch. “Three against one? So what? Aside from Big Aunt being a bit stronger, you two are… heh heh~”
That set them both off. They lunged at him together, starting to mess around!
Before long, the scene descended into chaos. Moments later, all distinctions vanished.
An hour later, Elder Yu Yan returned to the room in her white nightgown, her footsteps leaving damp prints on the floor. She pushed open the door and beheld Yan Zhen seated boldly on the bed like a conquering king. His two “little sisters” sat before him, heads resting on his thighs, tongues lolling out as they fawned over him utterly.
In that moment, Yan Zhen resembled a dark lord of the night, gazing down at them from on high…
Elder Yu Yan’s deep blue eyes widened, and as if entranced, she walked slowly forward. Kneeling before Yan Zhen, she joined them.
With the warmup over, the treatment truly began. It lasted a full hour more, only winding down as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
Yan Zhen sat up and produced a box of desserts specially supplied by the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce to the Holy Land from his storage ring.
He’d brought two boxes: one for Meng’er and the others, the other for his big and little aunts.
He opened the wooden box to reveal rows of cream puffs.
Yan Zhen popped one into his mouth, chewed, and nodded in satisfaction. He picked up another and offered it to the most exhausted Elder Yu Yan. “Ahh.”
Still dazed, she parted her lips on instinct and took a gentle bite. Hot cream burst from the puff, dribbling onto her lip.
“I want some too.”
Little Aunt Yu Qing leaned in and snatched the one from Yan Zhen’s hand with her mouth.
But her mouth was small, and her greedy bite made the cream explode everywhere, splattering onto her chest…
Shui Bailan quickly crawled over to lick it clean for her.
The sight instantly reignited Yan Zhen’s ardor!
—How could they waste good food like that? Outrageous!
Yan Zhen got mad and gave them another round, with special criticism for Little Aunt Yu Qing. She finally admitted her mistake and whined for mercy.
In today’s battle, the Jialan Flame Holy Son emerged victorious!
