Late at night, Yan Zhen piloted the luxury speedboat at breakneck speed through the clouds, a trace of melancholy on his face.
Rather than heading back, he sent a message via the Holy Land’s exclusive messaging talisman, saying he was going to wander around Myriad Merchants Ancient City. He chatted with them as he flew onward.
By the time the sky began to lighten, Yan Zhen had arrived smoothly at Myriad Merchants Ancient City. The luxury speedboat soared directly over the city walls and landed in the plaza before the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce. No one dared to stop it.
The emblem on the boat marked it as a vehicle reserved for the Holy Land’s upper echelons!
Yan Zhen had only recently ascended to the position of Saint Son, so few people recognized him. But that speedboat alone was enough to let him strut through Myriad Merchants Ancient City unimpeded. If his identity were revealed, the major merchant groups would flock to curry favor—even the Merchant Alliance Lord might come personally to receive him.
Yet Yan Zhen had no desire to be so flashy. After landing, he stored the luxury speedboat in his storage ring and strode through the doors of the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber operated around the clock, and even at this early hour, there was a steady flow of people.
After walking a short way inside, a pretty maidservant approached and bowed respectfully.
“Young Master Yan Zhen, welcome. The president instructed me to lead you to the rear courtyard if you arrived.”
“The president?” Yan Zhen blinked in surprise. “Sister Ji Ya is here?”
“Yes. The president arrived in Myriad Merchants Ancient City at the head of the chamber’s fleet five days ago. She’s been working on the top floor since then and only retired to the rear courtyard last night to rest.”
“I see. I’ll head there myself—you go about your duties.”
The maidservant didn’t dare disobey Yan Zhen’s words. She nodded and bowed as he departed.
Yan Zhen made straight for the rear courtyard. The moment he stepped inside, a shadow stirred in one corner of the yard, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“Aunt Mu, no need to hide. I saw you.”
As his words fell, the shadow in the darkness writhed as if alive. It coalesced into a mature beauty clad in dark robes, her figure voluptuous. Her aura carried a chill, and she appeared stern and unapproachable at first glance—but now her eyes brimmed with softness, more precisely, with affection.
“Little Uncle’s getting sharper. You even spotted me.”
Yan Zhen flashed a carefree smile and extended one arm.
A faint blush colored Aunt Mu’s pale, alluring face, but she stepped forward and nestled into the crook of his arm. He held her gently.
The familiar scent and warmth washed over her, stirring Mu Xin’er’s heart. She coyly slipped her jade arm around Yan Zhen’s waist.
“Why the sudden visit, Little Uncle? The Eldest Miss has been working nonstop for four days—she’s still resting in her room.”
“It was just a whim to drop by and see her… Is Sister Ji Ya all right?”
“She’s just a bit tired—nothing serious. But the Eldest Miss seems a little too eager for success. She insisted on poring over every ledger before she’d stop. No matter how we tried to persuade her, she wouldn’t listen.”
“Did I put pressure on Sister Ji Ya?”
“Don’t say that, Little Uncle,” Aunt Mu said quickly. “The Eldest Miss just wants to make her mark on this new stage. You’re our collective pride, not a source of pressure.”
“I was only joking—Aunt Mu, no need to get tense.” Yan Zhen gave a wry smile. “Still, Sister Ji Ya working herself so hard isn’t good. It makes me look useless, and that wounds a man’s pride.”
Take Yun Xiu and Huangfu Wenqing, for instance. If he were a bit more capable, his master and her disciple wouldn’t have had to travel all the way to Evergreen Continent for the Sword Saint Inheritance. Sigh.
“Little Uncle has such strong macho tendencies?”
“Absolutely.” Yan Zhen pouted. “I need to have a talk with Sister Ji Ya.”
“You should,” Aunt Mu said with a gentle smile. “Your words will carry far more weight than mine. The Eldest Miss will definitely listen.”
The two ascended to the top floor of the pavilion and pushed open the door to the parlor. There, the sisters Jin Tong and Yu Nu sat side by side on a chaise lounge, each cradling her sword. Their heads rested against each other as they slept peacefully, their sleeping faces adorably endearing.
“I told them to go sleep in their rooms…”
Aunt Mu spoke helplessly as she released Yan Zhen. She took a blanket from her storage ring and draped it over the twin sisters. They cracked their eyes open just a sliver. Seeing it was their “good mommy,” they started to close them again—but their gazes inadvertently fell on Yan Zhen.
“Hm?” they said in unison.
The sisters voiced their confusion at the same time, blinking as they roused themselves. They sat up straight and tilted their heads at him.
“Uncle?” they chorused.
Their movements and voices were perfectly synchronized.
Yan Zhen felt instantly healed. He walked over and patted their heads with a smile.
“Long time no see, Jin Tong, Yu Nu.”
Though the two girls were about his age, their damaged minds made them act like children, stirring one’s protective instincts.
He produced two bottles of “snacks” he had prepared for Long Ying and handed one to each, placing them in their hands.
“If you’re tired, have a bit to eat, then get some proper rest. Sister Ji Ya has me and Aunt Mu watching over her.”
Jin Tong and Yu Nu blinked vacantly for a moment before clutching the pill bottles tightly. In bright, childish voices, they said:
“Thank you, Uncle,” they chimed together.
“Go back to your rooms and sleep now. Be good.”
The pair nodded obediently and hugged their swords as they returned to their side chamber.
Aunt Mu watched with a sigh of emotion.
“Little Uncle really has a way with them.”
There was a hint of jealousy in her tone. After all, she had essentially raised the girls herself, yet they listened to Yan Zhen more than to her.
Was this what they meant by “when a girl grows up, you can’t keep her”?
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek and gave a bashful smile before entering the bedroom with Aunt Mu.
There lay Ji Ya, sleeping soundly on her back. Her jet-black, straight hair was slightly disheveled across the pillow behind her. Her narrow, soul-stirring eyes were gently closed, softening the seductive allure of her bare face into something more elegant and refined. With each rhythmic breath through her nose, the ample swell of her chest rose and fell beneath the covers. She was the very picture of a sleeping beauty awaiting her prince’s kiss.
Yan Zhen sat at the bedside, admiring his good big sister’s sleeping visage. His heart gradually calmed.
He was accustomed to seeing Sister Ji Ya’s enchanting, radiant charm. This simple, natural beauty struck him afresh.
“Aunt Mu, how long has Sister Ji Ya been asleep?”
“She only turned in just before dawn—about an hour.”
“Then let her sleep a bit longer.”
“You’re not leaving, Little Uncle?”
“No, I’ll stay here with her.”
Aunt Mu let out a slow breath of relief. If the Eldest Miss learned that Little Uncle had come and gone while she slept, she’d regret it bitterly.
Seeing Yan Zhen sit down at the table, she promptly joined him and poured him a cup of tea.
“The miss is a light sleeper. She’ll probably wake in another hour.”
Yan Zhen drained the teacup in one gulp, allowing Aunt Mu to dab at the spill on his lips with her handkerchief.
“Aunt Mu, aren’t you going to rest?”
“I’m not tired yet. Lurking in the shadows doesn’t take much energy.”
“Aunt Mu’s cultivation has gotten stronger too—you’re a Two-Star Mystic Lord now… No one has been harassing Sister Ji Ya these past few days, right?”
“A few people came probing, but they’re all wary of Little Uncle’s reputation. None dared to push further.”
“Good. When I head back, I’ll have a word with Wind King Peak.”
As Saint Son, he couldn’t intervene directly—it would seem too petty.
